Who is Tarlen?
Tarlen is a South Africa-based car-sharing platform redefining the car rental experience and providing a new way of renting cars. Tarlen let's you skip the queue and choose from a variety of unique cars from different makes and models that fits your budget, style and needs.
Our cars are listed by Tarlen Hosts—real individuals and entrepreneurs across South Africa. These Hosts are dedicated to providing exceptional service, from offering delivering to your location, offering discounts for longer trips and being available around the clock to assist with any questions or issues you might have.
Booking with Tarlen is easy and flexible. Whether you prefer using our website or mobile app, Tarlen is designed to make car-sharing convenient and stress-free.
Who is a Host on Tarlen?
Tarlen Hosts are everyday individuals who share their personal vehicles and entrepreneurs managing small car rental agencies with fleets of cars.
Every vehicle listed on Tarlen must meet our strict eligibility criteria, ensuring quality, safety and reliability. Whether it’s a single car or a fleet, our Hosts are dedicated to offering a different rental options to meet your needs.
What level of service should I expect when booking a car on Tarlen?
At Tarlen, we’re committed to providing our Guests with a personalized and convenient rental service. From booking, communicating, or picking up your car, we’ve got you covered every step of the way.
Here’s how we maintain exceptional quality across our car-sharing community:
Strict Eligibility Criteria: Every car listed on Tarlen must meet our rigorous eligibility criteria before they're accepted on Tarlen. This helps us ensure safety, reliability, and comfort for our Guests.
Community Accountability: Our car-sharing community holds Hosts accountable. Guests can leave public reviews after every trip, providing transparency and fostering trust.
Performance Monitoring and Support: Tarlen actively monitors Host performance over time. We measure different areas of their performance like how often they accept bookings, their overall ratings, how quickly and how often they respond to messages and we offer support to those who may need improvement.
While we reward Hosts with exceptional service, we also take action, including de-platforming Hosts who consistently fail to meet our standards despite intervention.
Recognition for Excellence:
Renter’s Choice Badge: Awarded to experienced Hosts with over 10 trips who have consistently delivered exceptional experiences, as reflected in glowing Guest feedback.
Top Host award: Reserved for the most experienced, responsive, and highly-rated Hosts, this badge highlights those who go above and beyond to deliver outstanding service.
To get a high level of service, look for Hosts with either a Renter's Choice or Top Host badge on their profile. These badges indicate Hosts who consistently deliver outstanding service.
Additionally, you can check their overall rating and read reviews from previous Guests to get insights into their reliability and service quality.
What kind of vehicles are available on Tarlen?
On Tarlen, you can rent anything from small compact cars to move around the city, a bakkie when you need to move or run errands, or a convertible or jeep for your next adventure.
However, we don’t rent out vehicles requiring a commercial license, cars for Uber or other ride-sharing platforms, motorcycles, limousines, or three-wheeled vehicles.
With Tarlen, what you see is what you get. Unlike the car rental companies, you'll be always get that exact car you booked and not a subtitute.
What is the process of booking a car on Tarlen?
You can book a car on Tarlen in 3 simple steps:
Search for a car: Visit the website www.tarlen.co.za or download the Tarlen App and search using your location or airport in the city you're travelling to. You can also filter for certain type of cars and features.
Verify yourself: When you find the car you want, signup and verify your yourself by submitting your valid local or international driver's license.
This is done automatically by our ID verification system and takes less than 5mins. If you have any issues verifying yourself, reach out to us at [email protected]Book your car: Once your account is approved, complete payment on the car to reserve it for your trip.
How do I get a car delivered to me?
Most Hosts on Tarlen offer delivery, but not all do. If a Host provides delivery, you’ll see “Offers Delivery” clearly indicated in their car details for easy identification. To find vehicles with delivery, you can filter the listings page specifically for this option.
Please note: Tarlen Hosts will charge an additional fee for delivery, so be sure to check the details before booking.
What's the difference between instant book and booking request?
Tarlen gives Hosts the flexibility to choose how they want to rent their cars and who they want to rent to.
Some Host opt for automatic acceptance of bookings, to make sure they never miss your booking and the system provides instant confirmations. On the other hand, some Hosts prefer to be more hands-on and want a bit more control over who rents their vehicle.
With this option, bookings are not accepted automatically but are sent to them for review and approval.
Hosts offering instant booking will have a badge displayed on their listing that indicates that they do.
How do I manage a trip on Tarlen?
When it's time for your trip, you have to meet your Host and complete the check-in process. You can only check-in through the Tarlen mobile app. If you booked your trip on the web, make sure to download the app and log in to your account ahead of your trip.
When your trip starts:
Meet your Host: Go to the agreed pickup or delivery location and show your valid driver’s license to receive the keys.
Check-In to Your Trip:
Take a selfie to confirm that you, the primary driver, are picking up the car.
Take pictures of the car’s interior and exterior to document its condition and upload it.
Photograph the dashboard to record the fuel level and mileage.
Start Your Journey: Once the check-in process is complete, hit the road and enjoy your trip!
At the end of your trip:
Check-Out Process:
Take photos of the car’s interior and exterior to document its condition at the end of your trip.
Photograph the dashboard to record the final fuel level and mileage.
Return the Keys: Meet your Host and hand the keys back to them.
Can I send messages to my Host?
Yes you can send messages to your Host. This feature is only available on the Tarlen Mobile App and you can only message the Host when you have booked a trip on their car.
After booking your trip, send a message to your Host to give them details about your trip and arrange the pickup time and location.
Can I modify my trip?
Yes to modify your trip, tap on "Modify your trip" in your trip page. Edit the date, choose your new date and time and click on the "Update trip" button.
Can I add an extra driver to my trip?
Yes, to add an extra driver to your trip, scroll to the bottom of your trip page, and tap on the "Extra driver" section. Enter the extra driver's name and the email associated with their Guest account on Tarlen.
If the extra driver is already a verified user, they will be added automatically. However, if they are not yet verified, they’ll need to create an account with the same email and complete the verification process before being added to your trip.
Does Tarlen provide insurance?
Yes, Tarlen provides insurance coverage on most trips booked through the platform. In instances where Tarlen does not provide the coverage, the Host’s commercial insurance takes over. This only applies to small rental agencies with commercial insurance for their fleet.