Rent Checkout
Inspecting the Vehicle at Return
When your rental period ends, you’ll return the vehicle to the location your Car Owner specified. Before the rental is marked complete, you’ll need to walk through a quick photo inspection — this protects both you and the Car Owner by documenting the vehicle’s condition at handoff.
Return photo checklist
When you arrive to return the vehicle, confirm your arrival in the app, then follow the prompts to capture your return photos. You’ll be asked to photograph the same key areas covered at pickup, so the two sets of photos can be compared:
- All four exterior corners of the vehicle
- The rear of the vehicle, including the license plate
- The instrument cluster, showing the odometer reading
- The VIN tag
- The seats and interior
- The headliner (interior roof)
Once your photos are captured, follow the instructions in the app for where to leave the key. You won’t be able to confirm your return until every required photo has been taken — this keeps the record complete for everyone involved.
What happens after you return the vehicle
Step 1: Once you confirm your return, your rental moves into a status where it’s waiting on the Car Owner. They’ll complete their own inspection of the vehicle, comparing it against your return photos.
- If the Car Owner finds no damage, your rental is closed out. From here, your security hold is released, the Car Owner is paid out, and the rental moves into your history — and you’ll be able to leave a rating.
- If the Car Owner reports damage or another issue, the rental moves into a review process instead. Your return photos and their findings are kept on file, and the rental stays open until that review is resolved. You’ll be notified of any updates as this progresses.
Step 2: Understanding refunds on unused days
If you returned the vehicle early — whether through an early return request or because of an incident — your billing is recalculated based on the days you actually used, not the full length of your original booking.
- Any rent you already paid for days you didn’t use is refunded or credited back to you.
- If you added Roadside Assistance Package (RAP) coverage, unused RAP days are refunded the same way — you’re only charged for the days you were actually covered.
- In some cases, your unused rent and RAP refunds may be combined into a single refund rather than issued separately.
Refunds are calculated automatically once your return is confirmed and processed according to your original payment method.
Step 3: Release the security hold
When you first confirmed your rental, a security hold was placed on your payment method. That hold stays in place for the length of your rental, including through any approved extensions.
- If your return inspection comes back with no damage, the hold is released. The timing of when it clears on your statement depends on your bank or card provider.
- If there’s an open damage, accident, or incident review, the hold stays in place until that review is resolved. Once a decision is made, the eligible portion of the hold is either released back to you or applied toward any approved charges.
You can always check your rental’s activity history in the app to see the current status of your hold.
Rating your experience
After your rental is closed out, you’ll have the chance to rate the vehicle and the Car Owner. Take a moment to share your experience — your rating helps other customers choose great vehicles and hosts, and it’s one of the ways top-performing Car Owners are recognized on the platform.
Depending on current settings, your rating may be visible to others or kept private — either way, your feedback is always taken into account.