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Avail Car Sharing Review
This article was recently updated after Drift Car Sharing changed its name to Avail.
Looking for a way to make a little extra money? Does ‘getting paid to travel’ sound like a good deal to you?
Well, there is a brand new car sharing app that could be the perfect side hustle for you! That app is Avail.
I recently used the Avail car sharing app while traveling over a long weekend. I found out about the app through an advertisement on Facebook and was curious enough to give it a try.
My car was not shared during my vacation. However, I had a good experience with Avail and plan to leave my car with them again over our holiday travels. Hopefully, next time around, my car will be shared!
Here is my Avail car sharing app review and overview of my experience.
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What is Avail?
Avail (formerly known as Drift) is the newest peer-to-peer car sharing service. What makes it different from other car sharing services is that they are located at airports. Allowing for car owners to drop off their vehicles right before they go on vacation.
Avail then proceeds to rent out the owner’s car to borrowers who are coming to town for a visit; acting like a car rental service.
Avail also has drop off spots in certain apartment communities. Making it easy for people to share cars with neighbors.
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Benefit for Borrowers:
With Avail, you can borrow local cars parked at the airport or in your apartment building’s garage. Avail gives you the chance to skip the hassles of car ownership, along with the lines, upselling, and hidden fees of other car rental agencies.
The prices of the cars are competitive against other car rental agencies starting at $25/day. Avail shows you all of your costs upfront and promises no surprise fees.
Also, drivers ages 18-25 pay no under 25 fees, as most other rental agencies do.
Avail also give their borrowers a welcome kit in the car that includes –
- A vent-mounted phone holder
- A 3-in-1 USB charger
- Water bottles
- Lip balm
Benefit for Sharers:
Avail allows the opportunity to share your own car with others and potentially earn some money along the way. It is a simple way to earn some extra money while you travel.
When parking your car at the airport with Avail, you get free parking as well as a carwash and a ride to the terminal! You get these perks even if your car is not shared.
COVID Update
Avail has gone the extra mile when it comes to keeping cars clean, and making sure everyone is safe during the transactions. Here are some examples of what they are doing:
- All cars are sanitized before and after they are rented out.
- Keys are sanitized
- Steering wheels are wrapped
- Masks are required by all staff at all times
- Masks are required for customers during the exchange
- Contactless key exchanges
Where Can You Use Avail Car Sharing?
Right now Avail is only in a select few airports and apartment complexes in Illinois, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Arizona, and Utah.
Avail Airport Locations:
- Denver International (DEN)
Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Chicago Midway International (MDW) - Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
George Bush International (IAH) - Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Pheonix International (PHX)
- Salt Lake City International (SLC)
- Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
Miami International (MIA)
Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
Nashville International (BNA)
Avail Communities Locations:
- Chicago
- The Link
- 465 Park
- Denver
- Cadence
- Platform
- The DEN
- Union Denver
- Seattle
- Chroma
- The Perry
- Pheonix
Coming Soon to an Airport Near You
When I talked with the employees at Avail, they mentioned to me that the company is working hard to secure more drop off locations at other airports around the country.
When I first signed up to drop off my car at the Denver International Airport it was the only airport listed! However, by the time I actually dropped off my car (just a few weeks later), I noticed that they had listed O’Hare on their app as well!
In 2020 they opened so many new locations including Los Angeles, and Miami! Now they have over 10 different airports.
So stay tuned if your city does not have an Avail location yet.
What Kind of Cars Can You Borrow Through Avail?
This is ultimately dependent on what kind of cars are dropped off with Avail. However, they offer bookings for all types of cars; sedans, trucks, and SUVs.
When I dropped off my car with Avail, I noticed a whole section of about 15 cars that were about to be picked up by borrowers.
Check out what cars are available in your location here.
How Long Can You Borrow a Car Through Avail?
You can only rent a car for a maximum of 7 days. They do not accommodate trips for longer than 1 week.
I’m not sure the reasoning behind this, but my best guess is that it has to do with the insurance policy they have through Allstate.
Is There a Mileage Limit for Borrowers?
Yes, when you borrow an Avail car there is a 150-mile daily limit. For every mile over the limit, you will be charged $0.50.
Example:
Three-day trip = 450-mile limit
A 500-mile trip will cost you $25 extra. (50 miles extra x $0.50/mile)
What are the Requirements for Avail Borrowers?
Avail tries to make the borrowing process super simple and as hassle-free as possible.
Requirements to Borrow a Car Through Avail:
- Ages 18 and up
- Valid driver’s license
- Return car with same gas level
- No toll roads
- 150-Mile/day limit
- No smoking
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What are the Requirements to Share Your Car with Avail?
Avail does not take any car from just any person. They do have requirements that you need to meet..
Requirements to Share Your Car with Avail
- 2010 or newer car
- Less than 125,000 miles
- No major interior/exterior damage
- No check engine light or other outstanding maintenance
- Remove personal items
When I dropped off my car with Avail they checked to make sure that my car horn was functional, all of the lights light up, the tire pressure wasn’t too low, brake pads were sufficient, and listened for any obvious motor noises.
They do this for obvious safety reasons, so if your car does not meet these requirements don’t be too bummed out.
I also learned that if you have a crack in your windshield it must be shorter than 1 inch long.
Make sure that your car meets all of these requirements when you go to drop it off at an Avail location!
If your vehicle fails to meet these requirements Avail can actually charge you to park with them rather than share your car with borrowers.
Not sure if your car meets the requirements? Give them a call any time of day. Avail has 24 hour support for both drivers and sharers. I called and they helped me very quickly with my question!
Who Will Be Renting Your Car?
There really are no restrictions on who could potentially borrow your car. All borrowers do need to meet the requirements listed above. The one setting that Avail does allow you to choose is whether or not pets are allowed in the car. Avail also does not allow smoking in vehicles.
What About Insurance?
Every trip on Avail is covered by a $1 million insurance policy by Allstate. Plus, borrowers have access to roadside assistance and 24/7 customer support when driving your car.
How Much Can You Earn While Sharing Your Car Through Avail?
Each type of car has a different daily rate. When I shared my 2011 Honda Pilot at the Denver International Airport, I was told that my potential earnings were $25/day plus any mileage overage ($0.50/mile).
Avail advertises that you can make up to $50/day. So my assumption is that since my car is a bit older it has a lower earning potential.
$25/day isn’t a whole lot. However, when you take into account that you are also getting a free car wash, and airport parking, this may be beneficial to you. That is what convinced me to test it out!
Avail does not guarantee that your car will be borrowed while it is shared with them. So like my recent trip, your car may not be rented out every time, and you may not make any money.
Related: How To Make Money While Running Errands
How Do You Share or Borrow a Car Through Avail?
Everything is handled through their app, but you can also go through their website.
It was a quick and easy process for me to set up my car to be shared through Avail. They prompted me to fill out the vehicle’s information a well as take some photos of the car. I selected the dates that I would be on vacation and received a confirmation.
I also noticed I could easily change the dates and times if I needed to do that even after my car was dropped off.
To borrow a car, you go through their app to set you your reservation as well.
Is Avail Too Good to be True?
When I first saw the advertisement for Avail car sharing online, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true… That’s why I wanted to test them out and find out for all of us if it is just a fantasy.
It is hard for me to conclude at this point, mainly because out of the 3 times I have used them, my car was not shared. Each time has been a good experience, and I do enjoy free parking at the airport!
But there are a few downfalls that should be weighed if you are considering borrowing or parking with Avail.
Downfalls for Borrowers:
The cars you are borrowing are not always pristine and perfect like most rental cars you borrow would be. They are cars that are provided by regular people who have kids, dogs, and lives.
And from what I can tell, you can’t pick out the specific car to borrow, you can only put in the type of vehicle and your dates. Also, the type of car you desire to borrow many not be available if no one has shared one at that location.
Downfalls for Sharers:
Even though the borrowers are supposed to treat your car well, there is no guarantee that they will treat it like you do.
For example, borrowers are not supposed to smoke in cars. However, there’s nothing necessarily stopping them. Avail does say that they will try to mitigate any issues that come up (like smoke smells). This is part of what their insurance is supposed to cover.
And heaven forbid your car is involved in an accident, it would be a huge hassle to go through that process.
All in all, there are some pitfalls and even some risk to this just as there would be for any side hustle like this… You just need to decide for yourself if the benefits outweigh the risks!
So what do you think, sharing your car, is it weird or awesome? Would you try it out?
Let me know if you end up testing out the Avail car sharing app yourself!
Share this article with your friends who want to make money when they travel
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What an interesting concept! I hope it comes to San Diego soon so I can give it a try!
I’m sure it will eventually! They just opened up in Pheonix this week. I know they want to be everywhere eventually.
I think offering to share your car with drift and then not having a borrower is really the best of both worlds. You get free airport parking (which can be a huge savings) and you don’t have to worry about damage to your vehicle.
True you aren’t making any money with this method but that is offset by the money you are saving on parking fees.
I’m curious to see how your future experiences with Drift go once your vehicle is borrowed.
That’s so funny because I was thinking the same thing when my car didn’t get rented out! Though the extra cash would definitely be awesome, it was a little reassuring that nothing could have happened to it. We are trying again for our Thanksgiving travels, and I’ll update my article if someone ends up renting it!
We shared our car at the Denver location when this company was called Drift. The car was returned clean and undamaged, but they had blown away the 150 miles/ day maximum by a LONG shot, and we were paid about $300 in extra mileage fees on top of the rental fees. We also got a toll charge that we just went ahead and paid (more pain to submit the paperwork for $4). We also found a weed can’t wrapper under the seat…a little telling.
Our experience was one that left us scratching our heads….why didn’t they rent from an unlimited mileage company? In 3 days, they put on over 600 miles, and paid in excess of $500 for the car….something’s fishy.
Very interesting!
That is a very odd situation. At least there was no damage to the car and you got paid a lot for that!
Do you think you’ll ever share your car with Avail again? Or was the situation too weird to try it another time?
They rented from Drift/Avail because they probably could not rent from a traditional car rental agency. There are various reasons for this. One example is an OWI/DUI on a driving record that is less than five years old. Most rental agencies (Enterprise being the exception) will not rent to anyone with this on a driving record.
Drift/Avail doesn’t care. All you need is a currently valid driver’s license.
I want to RENT a car from Avail, and ‘reserved’ a car for my trip: However, what happens IF NO ONE signs up to provide a car for me to use? Has this happened? I’m feeling a little insecure about this whole deal since I am depending on a car being available for my trip…. Does this happen??????
Hi Jean. I’m sure Avail has a procedure if this ever happens. I personally have not experienced that happening. You could probably try calling their support line to find out. They’re open 24/7 for support and have been helpful whenever I’ve called before. Best of luck!!
Hi,
I’ve been trying to find a breakdown of how they make their money from owners/sharers. Do you still have that info?
Hi Yulaw, I’m not familiar with Avail’s business model. They most likely make their money from the car renters, because the opportunity to make money as a car owner sharing your car with Avail is not a lot. Hope that helps.