We booked an enormous RAM pickup through Turo while travelling from Vancouver into the mountains of western Canada. Within hours of opening the app, we had the keys and were setting off on one of the most memorable drives of our Canadian trip.
This summer, we swapped Ireland for Canada, and somewhere between Vancouver, mountain roads and an enormous RAM pickup truck, we discovered what might be one of the easiest ways to get a car while travelling.
Canada is made for driving. The distances are huge, the scenery is spectacular, and some of the best experiences come from simply getting behind the wheel and seeing where the road takes you.
We were in Vancouver and wanted the freedom to head up and inland to see the Rocky Mountains and more of the incredible scenery Western Canada has to offer.
Rather than going through a traditional car rental company, we decided to try Turo for the first time.
What is Turo? – Airbnb for cars
The easiest way to describe Turo is that it is a little like Airbnb, but for cars.
Turo is a car-sharing marketplace where local hosts list their vehicles and travellers can book them through the Turo website or app.
You enter where and when you need a car, browse available vehicles, filter the results, and read reviews from previous guests before deciding which car to book.
One thing we particularly liked was being able to see and choose the actual vehicle we were going to drive.
Rather than booking a general category and being given whatever is available when you arrive, you can browse individual vehicles, look through their photos, and decide exactly what suits your trip.
Turo currently operates in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia, as well as a number of Canadian provinces and Yukon. Unfortunately for Irish travellers, the Republic of Ireland isn’t currently one of the countries where Turo operates.
Booking our RAM pickup in Vancouver – an easy process from start to finish
Our experience was surprisingly straightforward.
One morning in Vancouver, we opened the app, looked through the vehicles available nearby and eventually came across an enormous RAM pickup truck.
It seemed absolutely perfect for four days on the road in Canada.
We booked it and, just a few hours later, we were standing beside it ready to begin our trip.
Coming from Ireland, where enormous American-style pickup trucks aren’t exactly an everyday sight, the RAM felt gigantic.
But it was also a beautiful vehicle to drive.
Once we got used to the size, it was extremely comfortable and smooth on the road. Sitting high above the road with Canadian mountains, forests, and huge open landscapes around us made the whole experience even better.
There was also something undeniably fun about exploring Canada in a massive pickup truck. It felt far more memorable than picking up the smallest rental car available at an airport desk.
Collecting a Turo car – how the process works
The exact collection process depends on the host and individual vehicle.
Some Turo hosts meet guests in person, while others offer remote handovers. This can include leaving the key inside a lockbox or remotely unlocking compatible vehicles through an app.
Our collection was contactless.
We checked in through the Turo app, documented the RAM’s condition, collected the keys from a lockbox, and were ready to hit the road.
It was remarkably simple.
Taking clear photographs before and after your trip is particularly important. Turo advises guests to document the vehicle’s condition, and those photographs can be useful if there is ever a question about damage.
Once we’d completed the process, we put our bags in the truck and set off.
There was no lengthy queue or traditional rental counter. For our particular booking, the whole experience felt very independent and easy.
Taking Turo on a Canadian road trip – freedom to explore at your own pace
For us, this was where Turo really made sense.
Once we’d collected the RAM, it essentially felt like we had our own vehicle for the next four days.
We could leave Vancouver when we wanted, drive through some spectacular scenery, stop whenever we spotted somewhere interesting and experience Canada at our own pace.
Driving through Canada is part of the attraction itself.
Mountain roads, huge forests, turquoise lakes and seemingly endless stretches of open road made even getting from one destination to another enjoyable.
If you’re planning to cover serious distances, however, make sure you check the distance included with your chosen vehicle.
Hosts can set the number of kilometres included with a trip, while some vehicles offer unlimited distance. Turo displays the allowance on the vehicle listing, and travellers can also filter for cars offering unlimited distance.
That’s especially worth checking in Canada, where journeys can be much longer than they look on a map.
Turo insurance and protection – what travellers should know
Another thing travellers should understand before booking is how Turo’s protection works.
For Canadian trips, Turo currently says all bookings include $2 million CAD in third-party liability insurance, regardless of whether a guest selects or declines one of Turo’s physical damage protection plans.
Guests can currently choose between different protection options, including Premier (where available), Standard, and Minimum. These options set different limits on what a guest may be financially responsible for if the host’s vehicle is damaged.
The exact terms, exclusions and prices can vary depending on the vehicle and booking, so this is something to read carefully before confirming your trip instead of simply clicking through the booking process.
Is Turo worth using in Canada? – our honest verdict
Based on our experience, we’d absolutely use Turo again.
Everything from browsing the available cars to booking our RAM, checking in through the app and collecting the key from the lockbox was straightforward.
What we loved most was the huge range of cars available and how easy it was to find one nearby. You can view the cars closest to your location on the map, jump in a taxi and get to your chosen vehicle quickly. Some hosts can even drop the car off at your location if you prefer.
We didn’t simply get a vehicle that transported us from A to B. We chose a car we genuinely wanted to drive, and the enormous RAM became part of the Canadian road-trip experience itself.
Canada is a country where having your own vehicle can completely transform a trip, especially if you want to get beyond the cities and experience the mountains, lakes and smaller destinations along the way.
If you’re planning a Canadian road trip, we’d definitely recommend checking what is available through Turo and comparing it with traditional rental companies.
For us, it worked brilliantly.
Now we just need Turo to launch in Ireland.
Booking a ride with Turo – how to book a car
To book a car with Turo, visit the official Turo website or download the Turo app, enter your destination and travel dates, and browse the vehicles available from local hosts.
This option is especially useful if you want more choice over the exact vehicle you drive. Depending on what’s available in your destination, you’ll find everything from everyday cars and SUVs to luxury vehicles and large pickup trucks like the RAM we rented in Vancouver.
Each listing contains information about the particular vehicle and trip. You can see photos, previous guest reviews and host information before booking.
For us, the process was incredibly straightforward. We booked through the app, completed the check-in process, collected the keys from a lockbox and were on the road shortly afterwards.
If you’re planning a Canadian road trip, we’d definitely recommend comparing the vehicles available on Turo with traditional car rental options.
Disclaimer: We received our Turo experience as part of a collaboration. No money was exchanged for this review, and Turo had no control over our final opinion or what we chose to include. All views and recommendations in this article are our own and based on our personal experience.
