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I rented a Tesla Model 3 on the car-sharing app Turo with almost no human interaction - and it was clear why the app is great for millennials

I rented a Tesla Model 3 on the car-sharing app Turo with almost no human interaction - and it was clear why the app is great for millennials

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The first thing you do on Turo is specify where and when you want to rent a car.

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Then, you're shown a list of available vehicles.

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You can sort by price, brand, color, and size, among other characteristics.

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Once you select a vehicle, you can look at photos, features, and reviews from previous renters.

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Then you choose your preferred level of insurance and make your reservation.

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Right after I made my reservation, I received a message from the Model 3's owner with instructions about where and how to pick up the vehicle.

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My rental involved a remote handoff, which meant I never met the owner in person.

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Before beginning the rental process, I had been slightly worried about coordinating the pickup and dropoff processes. My apartment was about an hour away from the pickup point via public transit, so the ability to do a remote handoff meant I didn't have to worry about keeping the owner waiting.

To unlock the car, I first had to take and upload a number of interior and exterior photos to document its condition.

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Then I called the car's owner, who unlocked it remotely.

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When it came time to return the car, I followed a similar procedure.

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I drove it back to the garage where I picked it up.

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Then I took photos of the interior, exterior, and battery level before plugging it in to one of the Tesla Supercharger stalls in the garage.

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I was able to lock the Model 3 by pressing a button on the touchscreen and leaving the key in the car.

Later that day, I was charged about $20 for the electricity I used when charging the Model 3.

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Overall, I was happy with my experience using Turo.

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I had no problems navigating the app, picking up and returning the car, or communicating with the car's owner. I'd definitely consider using Turo again.

Read more:
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