Terms like "host share," "direct booking," and "damage responsibility" get used constantly across this site and everywhere else in the industry, usually without being defined. This page collects the ones that come up most, in plain language, with a link to the full guide wherever one exists.

Host shareThe percentage of a trip's price a Turo host keeps under their chosen earnings plan.
Direct bookingA reservation made through an operator's own website, not a marketplace.
ChargebackA forced reversal of a card payment, initiated by the cardholder's bank.
Damage responsibilityThe dollar amount a host is on the hook for before marketplace reimbursement applies.
A quick sample — the full set is organized by category below and in the FAQ.

Marketplace & Turo Terms

Host share is the percentage of a trip's price a Turo host keeps under their chosen earnings plan — the rest is Turo's commission. Damage responsibility is the dollar amount a host is on the hook for if a vehicle is damaged during a trip, before Turo's reimbursement coverage applies; it moves in the opposite direction from host share, so a higher host share pairs with higher damage responsibility, not a free upgrade. Both are covered in full, with the current plan tiers, in our commission guide.

Direct Booking & Website Terms

Direct booking means a reservation made through an operator's own website, rather than through a marketplace like Turo — no marketplace commission applies to that booking. A booking engine is the software layer that actually handles availability, payment, and reservation logic on a website; Wheelbase Pro is the booking engine DRW integrates. A hybrid strategy refers to running a direct booking site alongside an existing Turo presence rather than replacing one with the other, which is how most operators who add a website actually use it.

Financial & Operational Terms

A chargeback is a forced reversal of a card payment, initiated by the cardholder's bank rather than the merchant — it's a different process than a refund and carries its own dispute procedure. Fleet exit strategy refers to the deliberate decision process for retiring an aging vehicle, comparing wholesale, retail sale, and rent-to-own as the three real paths. Rent-to-own, in a rental context, means converting a vehicle into a self-financed purchase agreement with a renter rather than a traditional rental or an outright sale.

This glossary covers the terms used across DRW's own content. It isn't exhaustive, and definitions here are general explanations, not legal or financial definitions — for anything tied to an actual contract, insurance policy, or tax filing, confirm the specific term's meaning in that document directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

The percentage of a Turo trip's price a host keeps under their chosen earnings plan. It's paired with a damage responsibility amount — a higher host share means a higher amount the host is responsible for if the vehicle is damaged.

A reservation made through an operator's own website rather than a marketplace like Turo, with no marketplace commission on that booking.

A forced reversal of a card payment initiated by the cardholder's bank, not the merchant. It has its own dispute process, separate from a standard refund.

The dollar amount a host is responsible for if a vehicle is damaged during a trip, before Turo's reimbursement coverage applies. It's set by the host's chosen earnings plan tier.

Running a direct booking website alongside an existing Turo presence, rather than replacing one with the other — using Turo for discovery and a direct site for repeat customers and referrals.