Getaround Review – Worth It? (Not for Everyone)

Getaround is a website that claims you can share your car to earn extra money.

It’s an interesting way to earn extra cash, I must admit. So, if this is something you are mulling over, then I suggest you keep reading this Getaround review.

This review will show you what the site has to offer so you will know exactly what to expect from it before you even sign up. Then, you will be able to properly figure out if Getaround is really worth it or not.

So, let’s go ahead and take a look at Getaround, shall we?

What is Getaround, and what does it offer?

Getaround is a car-sharing website that offers an opportunity for you to earn extra cash by sharing your car with renters. It is definitely a legit site because you can really earn from this opportunity.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is an opportunity worth your time or even the right fit for you.

To find out if Getaround is worth it or not, you must first understand how it works. And the only way to do that is to examine the earning opportunities it offers so you will have a clear understanding of how much time and effort is needed from you to earn.

So, here’s how to earn from Getaround.

Option 1 – Bookings

The main way to earn from Getaround is through bookings. Once you become a member of the site, you’ll be asked to create a listing for the car you want to share. During this phase, you will have to set a name for your car (which I personally found amusing).

As you can see in the photo above, there are a few steps involved in this phase. What you need to be aware of is that when listing your car, there will be an initial fee of $99 you need to pay. Then, there will be a monthly fee of $20 to keep your listing active.

However, the fees will only be collected after your listing goes live. If you have another car you want to list, then you must pay another set of fees. You will also need to take good photos of the car you want to list. When I say “good”, what I mean by this is that the photos of your car should not be blurry so that all the details can be seen.

A good photo of your car can attract potential renters, so make sure to put in the effort when taking photos of your car. After you’ve uploaded the photos, you’ll need to write a detailed description of the car and yourself.

Once you are done with this step, you’ll proceed to the pricing step. For this, it will be Getaround that will determine the pricing of your car. Getaround automatically sets your car’s price at its recommended rate which will be determined by your car’s location, guest demand in your area, and your car’s year, make, and model.

This is called Predictive Pricing, and it will automatically adjust with marketplace demand. Now, there are markets that will use Hourly Rate Pricing. If your car belongs in this market, you have the option to change the pricing that Getaround has set. Just make sure not to set the hourly rate too low or too high so you can maximize your earnings.

After all these steps are finished, you’ll need to wait for a Getaround representative to install the Getaround Connect device in your car. This proprietary device will allow you to get insights about your car, the trip of the guest, and your vehicle's safety.

After this device is connected, your listing will go live, and all you have to do is wait for someone to book your car for trips. As a car owner, there are a few responsibilities you need to keep in mind when listing your car.

First, you need to make sure your car has gas in the tank to complete a trip. You don’t have to worry because part of the renter’s responsibility when renting a car is to refill the tank when they return your car, so you will essentially be reimbursed for the gas.

But what if the guest (the one who rented your car) incurs citations or violations while renting your car? Do you have to pay for the fees? Well, the answer is NO.

It’s the guest’s responsibility to pay any fees incurred while they rent your car, and you don’t have to worry about collecting because Getaround is in charge of handling that part.

After the guest is done with the booking, they will return your car to the designated place, and the payment will be sent to Getaround. Later, I will explain how Getaround’s payment system works.

Earning from this opportunity is relatively straightforward, but you have to be prepared to shell out some cash because, as explained above, there are fees involved.

Option 2 – Referral Program

The other way to earn from Getaround is through its referral program. You can invite other car owners to join the site and share their car/s to earn. All you have to do is share your invite link with them, and when they sign up using your link, they will become your referral.

As shown in the photo above, you will receive $200 as a reward for getting a referral. However, to receive this reward, your referral must list their car first. That means your referral must also pay the fees for listing their car.

Aside from that, you will also receive a 25% commission whenever your referral earns within the first 60 days of listing their car. The referral program of Getaround, in my opinion, is quite generous, which is to be expected since there are fees involved.

So, if you manage to get referrals, you can actually earn a decent amount from this opportunity (provided your referral is really serious about earning from the site).

Recommended: Check Out the Best Passive Income Apps

How do you get paid?

As explained above, the guest will send the payment for renting your car to Getaround. Then, it will be the site that will send the payment to you. But how exactly does Getaround do this?

Well, Getaround uses PayPal as its payment method, which is a very convenient payment method, in my opinion. Getaround will send your earnings every 15^th of the month regardless of how much you’ve earned during that pay period.

You will also receive the full amount since Getaround will not take a cut in your earnings. Overall, I would say the site’s payment system is very straightforward. I like the fact that it offers a convenient payment method like PayPal.

If you are interested in more sites that use a convenient payment method, I recommend you also check out the top sites that pay via PayPal.

How much money can you make?

Let me just make it clear that the site doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings. As explained above, you will need to get bookings to earn. While that may sound like an easy thing to do, in reality, it isn’t.

You have to take into consideration that you will be competing with other car owners in the area, and if there are a lot of car owners who have also listed their car/s, then your chances of earning will be relatively low.

Plus, you also have to take into account your car’s year, make, and model. If you own a relatively older car, renters will be less inclined to rent your car since, naturally, they would prefer the newer ones (I know I would).

So, to answer the question above, it will all depend on what your car is and where you are located. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint an exact amount of how much you can earn. But since bookings aren’t guaranteed, you have to expect that there will be times when you won’t earn anything. So, it’s a bit of a risk, in my opinion, since you’ll have to shell out money in order to earn.

Overall, I would say the earning potential of Getaround is not that great since there are a few risks involved. You also have to think about car maintenance expenses, and even though Getaround has an insurance policy in case your car gets into an accident while it is on a trip, there are still out-of-pocket expenses you need to shoulder. That’s just how these platforms work, based on my experience.

Can you use it on mobile?

One good thing about Getaround is that it has a mobile app you can download so you can manage your listings even when you are not in front of your computer. The app is available for both Android and iOS users, so compatibility won’t be an issue.

The app is relatively user-friendly, and it has all the features of the web-based platform. It also has a feature that will let you communicate with the guest directly, which is a very convenient feature, in my opinion.

Who can join Getaround?

Getaround is only available in the US, so if you live somewhere else, then this is not for you. Apart from owning a car, you also need to be at least 18 years old and have all the necessary documents for your car.

To sign up, just fill out the form (refer to the photo above). Then, you’ll have to go through the listing process. And as mentioned earlier, you’ll have to wait for the Getaround Connect device to be installed in your car before you can start earning.

The onboarding process of Getaround is actually simpler than some of the car rental/sharing platforms I have tested in the past, which is a good thing, in my opinion.

Can you get support?

If you have any questions about the site or your account, you can check out the Help Center. It discusses most of the important topics you need to know about Getaround. If you can’t find the answers you are looking for, then you can get in touch with the support team of Getaround.

You can do so by submitting a Support ticket through the Help Center page. Overall, I would say the site does provide decent support to its members since its Help Center is actually quite useful, and it offers a convenient way for you to ask for assistance.

Final Verdict

Getaround is a legit car-sharing site that will let you earn by renting out your car to guests. It has a couple of decent features, but it also has a few limitations you need to keep in mind.

Let me wrap up this review by summarizing its pros and cons so you can get a clear overview of what it has to offer. Then, you can decide if it is for you or not.

In my opinion, Getaround is not for everyone. I would only recommend you go for this opportunity if you own a relatively new car and you live in a big city. That’s because the chances of earning will be relatively high.

Just be prepared to shell out some cash since this opportunity is not free. Plus, you need to keep in mind that it doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings.

But if you own an old car, or you live in a small city, then I recommend you find other ways to earn. You can check out the best passive income apps instead.

And if you want to be more proactive about how to earn extra cash, I suggest you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country instead. The sites on this list all have good earning potential, so you will be able to earn a decent amount in no time.

Plus, you will definitely find a site you can join regardless of where you live.

If you have any comments, questions, or have any experiences with Getaround yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.