Getaround Review 2024

Getaround is a leading car-sharing service that millions of car owners are using to transform their vehicles from money pits to money-making machines.

Keep reading our Getaround review to learn all about how the app works, the top features of the platform, and the pros and cons of launching a business through this service.

What Is Getaround?

For a renter, Getaround serves as a car rental option like Zipcar, and it’s an alternative to car ownership.

And for a host (car owner), it can be a great way to make extra money. When you become a host, you can build a car-sharing business by either putting a down payment on a car or listing a car that you own as a Getaround rental.

Getaround can serve as a full-time business or a side hustle, depending on how much you use the service, your local market, and the quality of your car.

Getaround Top Features

Getaround offers some great features for savvy car owners who are looking to make money from their vehicles. Here are a few of the best ones that are available through the Power Host program.

Monthly Credits

Getaround’s Power Host program enables users to generate service credits, which you can then use for a rental car when your own car is unavailable.

Daily Reports and Fleet Insights

Data is key when running a business. Getaround provides access to a car manager feature that serves up daily reports and fleet insights. This way, you can track your progress over time, see if you are making money, and figure out what you can do to optimize the process.

Digital Key

Car owners can be busy, making it difficult to meet customers and deliver keys face-to-face. Getaround solves this problem with Getaround Connect, a device that enables a Getaround renter to unlock your cars using an app. This removes the need for key exchanges, saving time and hassle.

Automated Pricing

When hosting cars through online share services, car owners sometimes have to set pricing, which can be tricky. Getaround helps hosts overcome this challenge by offering automated pricing, helping users maximize earnings.

Of course, automated pricing may not be appealing to those who prefer to do it manually and set their own prices. Only you can decide whether you want to go through the effort of determining what price is fair.

Premium Parking Access

Finding or paying for a parking spot can be tricky for car owners — especially those who own vehicles in expensive cities like New York or San Francisco.

Getaround has a premium parking access feature, offering exclusive rates on parking inventory using a team of in-house parking professionals. Not only can this save money, it can also make hosting more appealing.

Partner Community

Those who are new to car sharing may struggle to profit at first. After all, running a business isn’t easy — even when using a platform that streamlines management.

Getaround offers access to a partner community, enabling users to learn what other hosts are doing and pick up on money-making tips and strategies.

Pricing

Getaround charges a rental rate of $6 to $10 per hour, and rentals can last as long as the car is available for use.

In exchange, owners get to keep 60% of the rental rate, with Getaround keeping the remaining amount. This is in line with most other car hosting services.

The 40% fee goes towards features like roadside assistance, insurance, and platform management.

Host Reimbursements

Guests aren’t perfect, and occasionally hosts will have to foot the bill when they make a mistake or a car isn’t returned in optimal condition.  Should you find yourself in such a predicament, take comfort in the fact that you’re not entirely on your own. The following host reimbursements are available through Getaround.

Fuel or Electricity Reimbursement

Getaround makes guests refill fuel during a trip. If a guest returns the car with less fuel than when they started, the host can receive reimbursement by submitting pre- and post-trip photos indicating fuel tank and charge levels.

Cleaning Reimbursement

Hosts can submit a reimbursement claim when a car comes back unnecessarily dirty. Getaround will pay up to $45, plus a $15 earnings adjustment as long as the host documents the incident with pictures and payment receipts.

Citation Reimbursement

One of the downsides to using Getaround is that hosts have to settle traffic tickets, violations, and citations. Of course, this can get expensive and be inconvenient. However, Getaround does offer reimbursement for claims made within ninety days of the violation issue date.

Toll Reimbursement

Hosts can enroll in the Getaround Autotoll service, which handles tolls automatically. Should the service fail, hosts can get reimbursed.

Smoking Reimbursement

Smoking can leave behind foul odors and lead to damage from burn holes. Should a guest return a car that smells like cigarettes, the host can document the issue and receive up to $150 for their troubles.

Mileage Reimbursement

Getaround isn’t a free-for-all when it comes to mileage. Guests are given mileage limits, and if they exceed them, a mileage reimbursement can be issued to the host at a rate of $0.30 per mile over trip allotment.

Late Return Reimbursement

Getaround takes late returns seriously. If your car doesn’t come back on time, the service charges $30 per hour, up to $300, for late returns.

Guest Cancellation Reimbursement

When a guest cancels a trip one hour after booking and fewer than twenty-four hours before the trip’s start time, a cancellation reimbursement can be issued for the time the car was booked.  The rate is 50% of the host’s revenue for the canceled trip.

Getting Started

Hosting a car on Getaround can take a bit of work. Not everyone is eligible and hosts need to be accepted into the program.

To get started, visit Getaround’s listing page and enter basic information like the car’s year, mileage, and the zip code where the car will be shared.

After submitting basic contact info, a local representative will reach out to you to start the process.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to list a car on Getaround, your vehicle must be a 2007 model or newer.

Cars that are ten years or older need to go through an inspection before onboarding. Once approved into the program, you’ll need to inspect your car on a yearly basis to maintain eligibility.

What’s more, the car needs to have 200,000 miles or less. Cars that have 125,000 to 200,000 also need to go through the onboarding and yearly inspection process.

Host Responsibilities

Getaround has strict community standards that hosts need to abide by after signing up and getting accepted into the program, which we’ll briefly examine next.

• Accountability: Hosts need to make sure that the car is at the “home” location. That way, guests can find it after booking a ride. Guests also need to be notified promptly when the host decides to cancel a booked trip.
• Cleanliness: Getaround expects that all cars remain clean and smoke-free. Guests are allowed to write reviews, so if you’re looking to make money on this service, you’ll need to keep your car in pristine condition.
• Communication: Hosts are required to communicate with customers and follow up when they have operational or service-related questions about the vehicle. They also need to provide instructions so that guests are clear about where to pick up and drop off the vehicle.

Promotions

Getaround occasionally offers users discounts and promotion codes that they can use to lower the cost of renting a car.

For hosts, all benefits run through the Power Host program, such as Getaround credits and reimbursements.

Getaround is also running a referral program for users. Friends and users can each get $20 for using the service, or $200 if they share a car.

This is a great opportunity to make money while encouraging others to use Getaround.

Security

Hosts may naturally have some reservations about letting strangers ride their cars. That’s perfectly sensible. But rest assured all users need to pass a driving record check before they’re allowed to hop behind the wheel of your car.

In other words, the company won’t rent to irresponsible individuals or people with poor records.

What’s more, Getaround offers GPS tracking through the Getaround ConnectR feature for roadside assistance and added security. And the company offers a $1 million insurance policy that covers each trip. This policy is available in most areas, but it’s important to confirm eligibility before using the platform just in case.

Customer Support

Hosts and guests can receive 24/7 customer service through the Getaround app. In addition, Getaround offers roadside assistance in the event of a breakdown or accident.

To access customer service, you have to request “help” and then “contact Getaround support” in the app.

Roadside assistance can result in additional charges. However, costs are waived through the Premium or Plus Protection Plan.

Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Getaround.

Alternatives to Getaround

Here are our favorite alternatives to Getaround.

Turo

Turo is the most commonly used peer-to-peer car-sharing service in the United States. It allows users to list their cars for limited time periods. Turo provides an easy way to list your car and make a few bucks when you’re not using it.

RENTALL

RENTALL, formerly Navotar, is for more serious vehicle owners who want to start and manage a fleet. RENTALL’s software makes fleet management easy, giving owners tools like single-screen checkout and check-in, customizable rental agreements, and vehicle damage claim management, among other things.

Learn More:

• Top Car Rental Apps for Earning Cash

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most frequently asked questions about Getaround.

Is Getaround legit?

Getaround is a legit app that makes it easy to rent cars. It’s not a scam and the service can be profitable for owners who meet their eligibility requirements.

Does Getaround include insurance?

The company offers comprehensive insurance coverage for guests and hosts, including liability coverage, comprehensive and collision sovereign, uninsured and underinsured (UI/UM) coverage, personal injury protection (PIP), and medical payments coverage.

The Bottom Line

Car-sharing services like Getaround make it more affordable to own a car by letting you rent out your vehicle at any time of the day or night. By using Getaround, it’s possible to make money just by lending your vehicle for a few hours.