Nissan and Turo Partner to Modernize Test Drive Experience

Need to Know

• Nissan is launching a new experience for users to test-drive new car models through Turo’s rental-sharing platform.
• Starting in three core markets today, with possible expansion to Canada, consumers can rent new or pre-owned vehicles to test-drive for a day, weekend, or full week.
• If a customer purchases a Nissan after the Turo-booked test drive, they will receive a $300 credit.
• Turo is helping Nissan modernize the test drive by extending its reach as well as growing its own value in the market as not just a car-rental platform, but a strong value-add to car companies.

Analysis

Nissan is partnering with Turo, the “Airbnb for cars,” in an industry-expanding program to help millennials see if a new or certified pre-owned car would actually fit a lifestyle for longer than a test-drive. The goal is to help users really experience Nissans before making a huge purchasing decision.

The Nissan Experience Test Drive will give car shoppers an opportunity to test Nissans 2016 or newer in Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey, and Salt Lake City, and is launching on the Turo platform this week. Whether for an hour, a day, or a weekend, this rental will allow users to really dig into the valuable technology that comes in all the standard Nissan models.

“This gives shoppers a different way to experience a Nissan vehicle and all of its innovative technologies within the framework of their lives — driving the roads they frequently travel, running errands, and getting input from their family and friends,” said Dan Mohnke, VP of Customer Journey and Data Innovation for Nissan North America. “Now you don’t have to go to the test drive, the test drive can come to you. Today’s consumers have new expectations for shopping and service.”

If test-drivers end up purchasing a Nissan from a certified dealership within 6 months of the test-drive, Nissan will offer a $300 cashback bonus.

Turo started out by enabling car owners, no matter if they owned a Corvette, a pick-up, or a Tesla, to rent out their ride when it’s not in use and earn some cash on the side. They also allow users to rent exotic, or practical cars at competitive rates. However, their overall mission is “to get people excited about driving cars again, instead of the utilitarian and commuter approach,” says Andre Haddad, Turo’s CEO. 

Haddad is incredibly passionate about turning people’s less-used things into valuable commodities, whether that’s old records or the cars that most Americans use only two minutes out of every 60, according to the AAA. 

This makes the Nissan Experience Test Drive a perfect partnership: it confirms a solid purchasing decision for shoppers and expands the use of the Turo platform by a new segment of users. 

Turo’s community is 10 million strong with more than 350,000 vehicles listed in 56 countries. Comparatively, Nissan has had a difficult year, taking a 99% plunge in operating profit that forced the CEO to cut 12,500 jobs worldwide, but it has definitive plans for a comeback by 2023. Turo is part of that plan, by helping shoppers be more confident in their decisions. 

According to a J.D. Power Automotive Marketing Roundtable, millennials consider more vehicles, care less about brand loyalty, and take longer to make a decision (16.9 vs 15.7 weeks) and invest more time in the car-buying process than boomers. Also, 56% of millennials would rather clean their homes than negotiate with a car dealer.

This puts Turo—a test-drive without dealing with a dealership—as a top, no-stress solution for research-heavy millennials as well as car brands that are struggling with losing loyalty.