Turo Built Trust With Its Customers From Scratch

Would you hand your car keys to a total stranger?

Most people wouldn’t. Cars are expensive. They can get stolen, damaged, or trashed.

So when Turo launched as a peer-to-peer car rental platform, where regular people rent their cars to others, it faced one big problem: trust.

Why would anyone trust a random person with their car?
And why would a renter feel safe taking a car from a stranger?

If Turo couldn’t solve this, it wouldn’t survive.

People needed to feel secure before they would list or rent a car.

Fast forward to today, and Turo is a billion-dollar business with millions of users.

They cracked the trust code.

And in this post, we will dive into how they did it.

The Big Idea:

Why Trust Was Turo’s Biggest Problem

Turo's concept was pretty new. It was so different from Hertz or Enterprise.

Instead of renting from a well-known brand, people had to trust each other.

And that’s where the problem started.

For car owners, the risk was massive:

• What if my car gets stolen?

• What if the renter crashes it?

• What if they treat it like garbage?

Most people didn’t want to take that chance. After all, a rental company has hundreds of cars and can afford a few bad rentals.

For renters, the risk was just as bad:

• What if the car isn’t what they promised?

• What if it’s unsafe?

• What if the owner blames me for the damage I didn’t cause?

At the core, this wasn’t just a car rental problem. It was a trust problem.

Without trust, no one would list their car. No one would rent.

And Turo would fail before it even got started.

So, how did they turn this around?

Behind the Magic:

How Turo Built Trust from the Ground Up

Turo couldn’t just tell people to trust each other. Even if they did, that wouldn't work. They needed real systems to make car owners and renters feel safe.

So, they focused on three major things:

1. Insurance That Made Owners Feel Safe

The biggest fear for car owners was damage, theft, or accidents.

No one wanted to risk losing their car for a few extra dollars. Turo knew this.

So they made insurance a core part of their platform. Here’s what they did:

• Up to $750,000 in liability coverage for owners

• Protection against damage, theft, and vandalism

• Multiple insurance plans based on risk appetite

That was a game-changer. It reassured owners that their car was safe, no matter what happened. But Turo didn’t stop at just offering insurance.

They made it easy to understand and built it into the rental process.

Instead of expecting users to read through policies, they simplified it.

Owners could choose a protection plan with clear benefits before listing a car. Renters also saw what coverage they had and reduced uncertainty.

This approach gave the entire platform credibility.

A robust insurance policy reassured first-time users, helping Turo grow faster.

2. Trustworthy Reviews & Verification

When people book a car with Hertz or Enterprise, they trust the brand. But with Turo, they weren’t renting from a company but from a person.

That meant trust had to come from the community itself. Turo built multiple layers of verification into its platform to ensure safety:

• Every renter had to upload a valid driver’s license before booking.

• The platform conducted background checks to catch high-risk users.

• After every rental, the car owner and the renter left reviews for each other.

These features changed the game. New renters felt comfortable booking if a car owner had dozens of five-star reviews. If a renter had negative reviews for returning cars dirty or late, they could be flagged or banned.

Trust isn’t just about having policies but showing people why they should believe in the system. Turo gave users the tools to judge trustworthiness for themselves.

3. Seamless User Experience = Higher Trust

A complicated or clunky platform makes people question if it’s worth the risk. Turo understood that a smooth user experience directly impacted credibility.

They focused on making their app feel as professional as a traditional rental company. That meant:

• Instant bookings for reliable hosts

• Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

• Fast customer support to handle disputes

It wasn’t just about convenience. It eliminated friction. Turo designed every step in the process to feel seamless, from searching for a car to finalizing a booking.

That made users more confident in their choices and reassured them that Turo was a reliable service. Another key detail? Turo invested more in mobile.

Many people searching for a rental car were on the go.

So they made the Turo app fast, responsive, and easy to navigate. They reduced hesitation and increased bookings by making the entire process feel seamless.

Trust isn’t something you ask for.

It’s something you build into your product and marketing.

Turo didn’t just hope people would trust them. They:

• Removed risk with strong insurance and guarantees.

• Created community-driven accountability with reviews and verification.

• Made trust their main marketing message, not an afterthought.

• Used content to remove doubts before users even signed up.

If your business requires users to trust each other, this playbook works.

Where It Fits:

Making It Work For You

Turo engineered trust into their marketing and growth strategy.

If you are building a marketplace or any trust-dependent business, here’s a step-by-step marketing strategy inspired by Turo’s playbook.

Step 1: 
Solve the Biggest Fear First

Before acquiring users, identify the #1 reason they might hesitate to use your platform. Turo’s biggest challenge? Losing cars was the owner's problem and getting scammed was the renter's issue.

• Conduct surveys/interviews to find the biggest user concerns.

• Let trust be your marketing focus. Don't assume people will figure it out.

• Give risk-reversing guarantees (like insurance, refunds, or fraud protection).

• Use testimonials and case studies to show how real users feel safe.

Example Headline Formula:

What Happens If Your [ASSET] Gets [BIG FEAR]? Here’s Why It’s Not a Problem With [YOUR BRAND].

• Turo’s Execution: They built marketing campaigns around their insurance coverage. They also showed owners that their cars were safe under insurance even if the worst happened.

Step 2:
Make Your First 1,000 Users Feel Exclusive

Turo didn’t try to compete with Hertz from Day 1. Instead, they focused on early adopters who loved unique cars.

• Find a niche segment of users who will try your product first (luxury travelers, Tesla owners, etc.).

• Build an invite-only launch or VIP program to make it feel exclusive.

• Encourage power users (hosts, super users) to become early advocates.

• Position your product as something big companies can’t offer.

Example Niche Angle:

The Only Place to Rent a Tesla Without Dealing With a Rental Company.

• Turo’s Execution: Instead of marketing to general travelers, they focused on car lovers, exotic rentals, and people frustrated with traditional car rentals.

Step 3:
Use Content to Answer Trust-Based Questions

Users won’t trust you if they don’t understand how your platform works. Turo used content marketing to answer questions about safety, insurance, and pricing.

• Create a Trust Hub on your website answering FAQs with real examples.

• Write blog posts that target high-intent search queries like: Is [YOUR PLATFORM] safe? What happens if my [ASSET] gets damaged? How does [YOUR PLATFORM] compare to [BIG COMPETITOR]?

• Feature real customer success stories showing people using the platform successfully.

Example Blog Title Formula:

Everything You Need to Know About [RISK] Before You Use [YOUR BRAND].

• Turo’s Execution: They built an entire Help Center and blog answering every possible question to friction for new users.

Step 4:
Incentivize Users to Build Trust for You

Turo’s review system was a core part of its growth. The more users reviewed each other, the more new users trusted the platform.

• Get two-way reviews (users rate each other, like Uber/Airbnb).

• Offer rewards for leaving honest reviews (discounts, credits).

• Encourage power users to refer others by giving them perks.

• Build a status system (ex: "Superhost" on Airbnb, "Power Host" on Turo).

Example Referral Strategy:

Get $50 Off Your Next Booking When You Refer a Friend Who Completes a Trip.

• Turo’s Execution: They rewarded high-quality hosts and encouraged renters and owners to leave detailed, verified reviews.

Step 5: 
Scale With Paid Ads, But Only After Trust Is Proven

Turo didn’t dump money into ads before solving the trust problem. Once they had a strong base of reviews, safety measures, and testimonials, they scaled fast with paid marketing.

• Don’t run paid ads until you have social proof (testimonials, reviews).

• Focus on retargeting users who visited but didn’t convert (trust barrier).

• Use video ads showing real people using your platform safely.

• Run hyper-local ads in cities where you already have supply/demand.

Example Ad Formula:

Over [X] People Have Rented A Car With [YOUR BRAND] - Here’s Why They Love It.

• Turo’s Execution: Once they had enough users, they scaled ads strategically, targeting cities where supply was strong.

Resources For You

Templates: Struggling to create high-converting DTC ads? Get 60+ proven DTC ad templates used by top brands. Plug, tweak, and launch winning ads instantly.

Hunting Marketing Jobs: Check out GrowthRoles. It's a job board just for marketers. From email marketing to social media marketing, find your dream role today.

Blogs

• Paid advertising 101: A beginner's guide

• How to build a strong customer referral program

• How to leverage UGC in email campaigns

YT Video: Master The Art Of Referrals - How One Referral Made Me $50 Million

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