Car rental in Gabriola, BC

Eric and Valerie have made it impossible for me to ever rent from one of the big international car rental companies again. This was my third rental with them and they are everything the big guys are not. They are friendly, efficient, customer focused are most importantly really easy to deal with. Their cars are great as well.

The host, the car, and the whole Turo experience was 10/10. The price was fantastic and the whole experience was seamless. We had weird hours we wanted to leave and return the car that would not have worked with a car rental agency, but Angel and Turo made the whole process easy and seamless. I’m a bigger guy so I was worried about how comfortable the car would be and it was perfect. The great ride made our whole vacation possible and comfortable. I really appreciated the vehicles safety features too!

First, I contemplated leaving a 4 star review for a few reasons. However, the prompt response to the issue with the original vehicle reserved, partly due to luck that someone happened to be onsite with the car, and the flexibility with returning the vehicle without requiring washing and vacuuming is deserving of some grace. The price for 5 day/4 night rental was fantastic, around $150 total. I certainly didn't expect a car in pristine shape for the cost. This car is a part of a Turo "rental company" fleet. It seems like a company that buys cheap, used cars to rent out. There are 12-15 cars parked behind a strip mall 8-10ish minutes from the airport in an area I was glad we were picking up and dropping off midday rather than the evening. The hybrid we originally reserved had stained seats and a lot of cosmetic wear. One tire looked like it was on a spare wheel and didn't have a lot of life left, honestly. A lot of the roads in San Diego aren't exactly in great shape, I was concerned about getting a flat. When we turned the car on to leave we immediately got check engine lights and a "pull over immediately" message. Fortunately, someone with the "rental company" was on site and qas able to quickly switched cars for us. It wasn't a hybrid, though. We didn't plan on a lot of driving, but originally opted for a hybrid to save money since we had two days of freeway driving. We definitely spent more on gas then originally planned. If there wasn't someone available onsite to help, it could have been a much longer ordeal which is a terrible way to start a vacation. Communication day of pick up felt slow with the owner. I didn't think to look back to the 2 month old message about how to find the car. I received a message from Turo saying we'd be sent details the day before the trip. I never got that confirmation text or measage the day before or day of pick up from the actual rental owner. When I first reached out to the rental company through the turo app to find the car at pick up time, I didn't get a response. I finally found a way to text someone about 20 minutes later. We did get a pretty quick response that way, but it's frustrating to be in a random parking lot messaging through an app and not get a response. The Honda interior is definitely cleaner than the hybrid we reserved, but the exterior, not so much. Its been side swiped and has a lot of sun damage. The TPMS light was on the whole time, but the actual tire pressure was fine. There was also a rattle and grinding noise when accelerating from a stop or on a hill, but it didn't cause an issue. The car drives fine for a 14-15 year old car, it's just a little noisy and you feel all the bumps on the road. I understand with the cheaper cost of renting through Turo amd choosing a 12-15 year old car, I'm not getting a newer car like I would with a standard rental company or paying more for a newer car. That said, with my last few Turo rentals, it feels a lot of these Turo "rental companies" aren't checking their cars or doing much more than standard maintenance as frequently as they should when they have over 150,000 miles on them. The confirmation message also suggested the cars are kept in great shape. These cars were not in great shape by any stretch of the imagination. No one wants to be on vacation and have their car break down or even be worried that the car they're driving is gonna get a flat or break down.

I love the rental cars from Mohammed. He and his staff is friendly and helpful. The cars are small and good at gas. I would suggest anyone to rent a car with Mohammed.

Rented this last minute because my Mom didn't tell me until the day before my trip that she had no car. Was pretty easy for the most part. Finding the shuttle at the airport for the car rental area, was a little difficult for me. But you can always ask someone at the airport. Then I followed Turo given directions to the car. It's outside of the rental area but still easy to find because the lot is literally labeled "Turo." As for the car, I DID NOT MIND these "problems" with the car at all, but you should be informed that the car: Cons - Smelled INTENSELY LIKE WEED. I tried to spray it with multiple Febreze, etc. It helped but it still stinks a bit. - The car door lock was extremely finicky, you must PRESS AND HOLD the button it seems. - Crumbs in the backseat (no big deal) - Not sure but seems like occasional light scraping sound sometimes when driving around on normal road. - Not a problem per se, but just know the car has quite a bit of scratches compared to other Turo rentals. Just be sure to document as much as you can. Pros - Good Value for the price - ICE COLD A/C. (Although I visited in winter, so idk how it holds up to the Vegas heat, but again better than my childhood cars with zero A/C) - Pretty quiet car overall (I mention the scrape for the owner to consider getting it checked out, but nothing to make you feel embarrassed while driving.) Overall, I grew up poor, and this car was much better than most of the ones of my childhood, so I didn't mind at all. Just tried my best to document them that's all. But anyone renting who these things might bother should be aware of it. Anyways, thank you so much Nick!!! I would definitely rent again!

The host was excellent throughout the whole process. Communication was very good, he was friendly and easy to deal with, and he made the whole car rental process simple and stress-free. Everything was straightforward from start to finish, and I would definitely rent from him again.

Easy pickup and drop off, saved us when the car rental companies ran out of cars at the airport.

Andre was great, the car was somewhat still dirty, dust, dirt, what appeared to be cigarette ashes, animal hair, sticky spills around the cup holders in the center console and the door panels. Crumbs and dust/dirt left in the door handles and cubby's. In the center console cup holders and cubbys. On the top of the dashboard, around the steering column and gauges. Sticky dusty windows and stereo buttons. Rear view mirror had sticky smudges on it. All the windows inside were dusty and dirty with smudges and idk what really.. the car had a bad smell of animals like dogs, and faint cigarette smell.. however as I got further into my trip I got used to it and wasn't bothered by it anymore. A lot of these issues honestly didn't bother me very much. I was more worried of being blamed for them when I returned the car. Unfortunately I was put behind schedule due to a passenger side headlight and passenger side tail light being burned out. However upon informing andre, he was very quick with a solution to take the car to valvoline where they were able to repair the lights before I left for my trip. If I wasn't already running late It wouldn't of bothered me. Andre was also very quick to reimburse me the whole price of the repairs immediately upon me sending him the receipt of the work.. I very much appreciated that! I also appreciate that instead of canceling my trip Andre worked out a way to have the lights fixed with no trouble of my own. He was always quick to respond to all of my very long messages full of questions. This is my first time using turo and I did not know the ins and outs of the rental process. He was able to guide me threw every step all while being polite and keeping his patience with me! Hah. I ended up running behind schedule on my way back as well and was surprised how simple and easy it was to change the return time from noon to after 9 p.m. all without adding any fees to my bill! That was very helpful of andre to allow me to do. I also ended up being a little passed my return time due to vacuuming the car and dusting everything to my best ability. So that andre wouldn't have to deal with someone else's mess and the next person who rents the vehicle will not have to worry about it either. I had no issues with doing that for him after he was so helpful with me! The vehicle was a little different then what im used to. But in no time I settled in with the car and had a very enjoyable trip! I would forsure rent another vehicle from andre in the future due to how well he accommodated me on this trip. Even tho the car had the mess, that was not andre, But left over from previous renters. He even made sure to have a snow brush and ice scraper in the car for me. But unfortunately the previous renters also took that with them. Im sure there will be a new one for the next person who rents the car because thats how much andre cares about his customers !! 5 stars for andre !!! Whoever returned his vehicle like that should be ashamed and think about how it would feel if someone treated your things the same way! Once again THANK YOU andre! I will reach out to you next time I need to rent a car.. I appreciate all your help thru the process! I appreciate your professionalism and quick responses to all my questions and thank you for making sure the vehicle was 100% good to go for me before I left and wouldn't of been able to fix it. 5 of 5 stars for andre !!

My credit card wasn’t working for some odd reason and rental companies wouldn’t let me rent a car so I booked this Turo last minute and it was a reasonable price for five days. I will do it again when I come back to Vancouver in August.

Excellent 1st experience using Turo. The host was very responsive and timely. The vehicle was in great condition and rode very well. The price was a good deal and would definitely use this again as opposed to a major car rental facility. It was a simple process overall and very straightforward.

The host, Tadeh was exceptional. The very best in customer service. I had the best experience with renting from Tadeh. Everything was so easy; Tadeh was super accommodating, very kind, he went way above and beyond what I reasonably expected. Tadeh is a thousand times better than AVIS, HERTZ, Enterprise, Thrifty, Budget, Dollar, and all the major car rental. Tadeh gave me the best deal; the major car rentals do not come close; I saved a lot of money. The car was great, very good on the gas mileage; and very clean. Tadeh made sure pick-up location was very convenient for me, Tadeh drove the car to where I was; it’s the best. Tadeh also picked up the car when I was done and again made sure it was convenient for me. I am very grateful for this. Once I return from my deployment, absolutely renting from Tadeh again; will be telling all my friends and colleagues. This is just amazing customer service. I am very appreciative for everything. THANK YOU

Kiara had great communication throughout the rental process , the car was amazing , clean and comfortable. Rental was a great price as well. I'll be happy to rent from Kiara again in the future.

Good Morning 🌞 Yall! This Car was Amazing! I was able to go see my older Son's College Graduation during the week. The Car rental process was amazing and an easy process. I would definitely rent this Car again!!

“10/10 experience. I rented the car for a week and the total came out to around $400, which was an amazing price for a brand new 2026 vehicle. The entire process was incredibly easy from start to finish. Pickup and drop-off were smooth and convenient, and I loved that I didn’t have to physically meet or talk to anyone. The key was waiting in a lockbox by the window, which honestly made the experience even better for me. The car itself was spotless, smelled clean, and drove perfectly. It was also amazing on gas — I drove all the way through Saturday and the tank was only halfway. The host responded quickly to messages and was super helpful the entire time. Overall, this was one of the easiest and best rental experiences I’ve had. I would absolutely rent from them again and honestly would choose this over Enterprise or Hertz any day

Fandi and our cohost provided excellent communication throughout the process. Our car, 2020 Honda Insight was clean and in good working order. Performance was good around the hills and mountains in the greater San Francisco area. The drop off at the San Jose airport was excellent. Why go to the “normal” car rental companies!

Car was a great price, great driving, amazinggg gas mileage. Would book again! The host was very communicative in helping figure out Turo for the first time as well. Also extremely easy pick up and drop off at the airport! Way better than rental cars!