If you’re about to drive for Uber or are already a driver for this famous rideshare company, it’s a good idea to know about the best cars to use when driving for Uber in the United States.
Selecting the most effective vehicle for making money with Uber isn’t an easy decision to make.
- Should you focus on customer legroom, reliability, safety, gas mileage, or price point?
- Is it better to go with a hybrid car?
- How much should you think about a comfortable interior?
There are so many questions when choosing the best cars for Uber.
In this article, we’ve taken the time to research all of the popular models to make your decision easier.
What to Look For in a Car for Uber
Use the following vehicle features when comparing the best cars for Uber.
Fuel Economy & Efficiency
You’re going to drive a ton of miles as an Uber rideshare driver.
Consider the fuel economy and efficiency of any car you choose to use for this business.
Fueleconomy.gov tells us that you’ll pay about $800 more each year driving a car getting 20 MPG to one rated at 30 MPG.
How many trips do you need to take to make up $800?
Safety Features
It’s imperative that you protect yourself and your guests while driving for Uber or Lyft.
After all, you’ll be in your vehicle nearly every day with passengers, so you might as well choose a vehicle that has high consumer safety ratings with advanced safety features.
Ask yourself how much you value top safety scores that the following features give you:
- Traction control
- Electronic stability control
- Airbags
- Tire-pressure monitors
- Anti Lock brakes
- Telematics
- Accident avoidance system
Have you ever sat on a 405 freeway parking lot while driving a two-hour drive into the Valley from LAX?
You might enjoy the peace of mind provided by your car’s tire-pressure monitors at that moment.
Also, find a vehicle with a high NHTSA rating before completing your purchase.
It might be worth considering purchasing or looking into an Uber lease on a new vehicle if your current car doesn’t have the features mentioned above.
Vehicle Space
There are quite a few questions to ask yourself when thinking about the amount of space you need.
- Does the car you drive give riders adequate interior space?
- Don’t create bad ratings by cramping peoples’ style.
- Does your vehicle have the trunk space to handle multiple suitcases and other luggage at airport pickups?
Think hard about this, especially if you’re doing an Uber Pool run at an airport.
After all, Uber luggage can make or break a ride – especially if the rider is unprepared.
Reliability
You can’t make money driving for Uber if your car ends up in the shop every couple of weeks.
Place a high value on your car’s reliability when maximizing profit is your primary goal as an independent rideshare business person.
Low Repair Cost
When your car inevitably does need a few repairs, what’s your tolerance for repair bills?
If you want to keep your repair budget as low as possible, consider how much one car’s parts cost vs. another vehicle you’re considering.
Price
Any business worth its salt pays attention to the price of obtaining business equipment.
You must do the same in your Uber business.
Select the maximum you’re willing to pay for equipment (your vehicle) and then stick to that plan.
Depreciation
Compare how well some vehicles age.
All cars depreciate over 50% after five years or so.
However, does the vehicle you’re considering rate better or worse than average when we’re talking about depreciation?
The Best Cars for Uber: Our Picks
After exhaustive research, the following five cars represent our top picks in the categories of:
- Best overall
- Most affordable
- Best sedan
- Best SUV
- Best Luxury Sedan
Best Overall: Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius offers a comfortable ride that gets excellent gas mileage, making it a rideshare driver favorite.
It has best-in-class fuel efficiency which helps you reduce your overhead costs and maximize profits.
If you’re looking for an Uber car that can help you achieve approximately 50 MPG and overcome rising gas prices, then this is the car for you.
It also offers plenty of trunk space with the roomy hatchback, allowing you to pack multiple suitcases in your trunk for airport pickups.
It provides enough room and comfort for your riders even though it’s a more compact vehicle.
You can find a used Toyota Prius for as low as $8,000 to $9,000 or a new one at about $20,000 to $25,000.
- Affordable
- Excellent gas mileage
- Dependable
Best vehicle for: Drivers interested in driving for UberX.
Most Affordable: Kia Soul
Here’s a car that costs about $20,000 when buying a new model.
The affordable Kia Soul comes with features such as automatic climate control, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.
The warranty is solid, offered as a five-year, 60,000-mile warranty (10-yr 100,000 powertrain).
You’ll dart in and out of small spaces without breaking the bank.
Use the music features to thrill riders while pocketing more of your Uber income.
- Great interior space
- Excellent value
- Good fuel economy
Best vehicle for: Drivers who are interested in low-cost ride options such as UberPool.
Best Sedan: Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry offers a reasonably priced Uber car that can handle as many as five passengers.
It offers excellent performance, reliability, and size — the ideal features for ridesharing.
You’ll never worry about picking people up going to and from the airport in a Camry.
The roomy back seat gives taller riders plenty of space to stretch out their legs.
It also holds exceptional fuel-economy ratings and safety features like forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking.
It’s also on the sportier side when compared to a Prius or Kia.
- Provides quality Uber comfort
- Sporty performance
- Reliable
Best vehicle for: Drivers who want a spacious vehicle thank ranks as one of the best gas mileage cars.
Best SUV: Honda Odyssey
Honda always provides quality when you’re concerned about reliability and performance.
The Honda Odyssey won’t disappoint you in those areas.
You can fit anywhere from six to eight passengers depending on how the seating is configured.
The large capacity means this minivan is the optimal choice for those interested in driving larger groups of passengers.
As well, you can expect reasonable gas mileage for an SUV.
You’ll probably get close to 30 MPG on the highway and a bit under 20 MPG dodging traffic lights in the city.
However, this vehicle is only worth it if you’re diligently seeking out larger groups with UberXL.
This car can also be an excellent choice for Uber XL.
- Affordable SUV option
- Decent gas mileage
- Plenty of passenger room
Best vehicle for: Drivers who wish to take UberXL or Uber Comfort trips.
Best Luxury Sedan: Lexus ES
The Lexus ES is one of the best high-end options for Uber and Lyft.
You’ll achieve not only Uber Black Luxury status with the Lexus ES for Uber, but you’ll get the hybrid version experience as well.
The Lexus ES offers more than a sleek exterior and luxury interior, as you’ll also enjoy top-notch reliability and passenger comfort.
You should achieve approximately 40 MPG on mid-grade gas, which means the gas mileage alone might cover your monthly payments as gas prices rise.
Before you think about buying the Lexus ES, make sure your city offers premium driving services.
Otherwise, you’ll spend extra money on a luxury vehicle but only get paid for driving for the stand Uber services.
- Offers comfort
- Reliable
- Good gas mileage
Best vehicle for: Luxury trips like Uber Black.
Runners-Up: More Great Cars for Uber
We’ve covered the best cars for Uber, but would you like to look beyond our top 5 choices?
No problem!
Introducing our runners-up category winners:
- Most affordable
- Best sedan
- Best SUV
- Best Luxury SUV
Affordable Car: Hyundai Sonata
You’ll get quality fuel efficiency driving for Uber in the Hyundai Sonata.
You should experience approximately 35 MPG on highways and 25 MPG driving around the city.
You can increase that gas mileage slightly if you opt for the more expensive Eco trim model.
One con to the Hyundai Sonata is the sloped roofline.
It cramps cabin headroom for your taller passengers.
- Fuel-efficient
- Spacious
- Decent rear-seat legroom
Best vehicle for: Drivers looking for an affordable option without compromising quality.
Sedan: Honda Civic
Here’s one of the best cars for Uber when you place high premiums on providing a stress-free and safe ride for your customers.
The Honda Civic gives you maximum agility, comfort, and handling, due to a chassis built with those features in mind.
You might consider the hatchback when concerned about cargo space.
Keep in mind that the 1.5-liter engine provides a little additional horsepower.
- Sporty and stylish
- Decent fuel economy
- Precision steering
Best vehicle for: Drivers looking for an affordable option without compromising quality.
SUV: Toyota Highlander SUV
For an SUV, the Toyota Highlander SUV provides an affordable option for Uber drivers.
This is not only a great choice for rideshare drivers, it’s one of the best vehicles on the market.
What makes the Toyota Highlander SUV an ideal vehicle for the job?
Its gas mileage is decent as well.
Expect to average 25 MPG on the highway and 20 MPG in city areas.
It has all-wheel drive allowing you to drive in all weather conditions.
This may pay handsomely when it’s snowing and the ride fares surge because other drivers are unable to safely navigate with their vehicles.
You’ll also never have to worry about fitting four people plus their belongings since the Highlander has a lot of space exactly where you need it most.
- Good gas mileage
- Fits seven passengers
- Quality legroom
Best vehicle for: Drivers who want a sleek exterior with plenty of cabin space.
Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
Wow, your Uber customers with the LED lighting, luxurious design, moonroof, three-row seating, and quality legroom of the Acura MDX.
This SUV also comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.
You’ll get low-speed follow functionality on cruise control, pedestrian detection, and traffic sign recognition from a safety standpoint.
- Excellent safety features
- 10-speed automatic transmission
- 26 MPH on highways
Best vehicle for: Drivers in cold-weather states that need all-wheel drive and know how to drive in the snow.
The Most Popular Cars for Uber
Those were the best cars for Uber, but what are the most popular cars for Uber?
Most Popular UberX Vehicles
- Toyota Prius
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Kia Soul
- Toyota Camry
- Honda Civic
Most Popular UberXL Vehicles
- Ford Explorer
- Toyota Sienna
- Dodge Caravan
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Honda Odyssey
Most Popular Uber Black Vehicles
- Lexus ES
- Cadillac CT6 Platinum
- Lincoln Continental
- Infiniti Q70L
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Most Popular Uber Black SUV Vehicles
- Acura MDX
- Volvo XC90
- Chevrolet: Tahoe, Suburban
- Tesla Model X
- Lincoln Navigator
Other Ways to Get a Vehicle for Uber
Are you having trouble qualifying to buy a used or new vehicle to drive for Uber?
No worries!
Three other quality ways exist that will help you find a solution to the problem.
1. Uber’s Leasing Program
Uber used to run a 3-year leasing program called Uber Xchange.
While they retired that specific leasing program, the new leasing alternative from Uber exists via the Fair car rental program.
Unlike Uber Xchange, you don’t get locked into a long-term commitment for three years.
You can get started for as low as $130/week.
You need your photo ID, credit card or bank account, and smartphone to start the Fair program.
Fair features include:
- Vehicle warranty
- Routine maintenance
- Unlimited mileage
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Available vehicles: SUVs, hybrids, and full-size sedans
Insurance isn’t included, so you’ll need to acquire that separately.
The program charges a $500 non-refundable startup fee.
Fair isn’t available in all areas.
Here’s a shortlist of where you can find this option:
- Seattle
- Nashville
- Chicago
- San Francisco
- Dallas
- Philadelphia
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Denver
Pro Tip: You can also get Uber roadside assistance through Urgent.ly by qualifying for Uber Pro.
HyreCar
HyreCar provides an attractive rental option for Uber drivers.
Rather than renting from Hertz or other similar commercial car rental companies, you’ll rent a car personally from an individual.
Are you familiar with Turo?
It works like that, except HyreCar is meant for rideshare or delivery app drivers.
Go on the HyreCar website and search for the vehicle you want to use for your Uber driving business.
HyreCar recommends submitting a booking application for five or six cars at once to maximize your chances of getting quicker approval.
You’re only charged for the one car you accept.
HyreCar runs a background check on you (only when you’re new to the platform).
The review takes a few hours.
You’ll receive documents in the app to fill out once the car owner approves the rental agreement between them and you:
- Insurance paperwork
- 19-point inspection
- Registration paperwork
Fill out your paperwork, submit it, and then meet the owner to pick up the car so you can start driving.
Getaround
Getaround works similarly to HyreCar as a peer-to-peer car rental service.
In select cities, the rental service company caters to Uber and Lyft drivers needing a vehicle.
A few of these cities include:
- Portland
- Washington D.C.
- San Francisco
- San Diego
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Denver
- Boston
- Atlanta
The Getaround app includes a “Drive With Uber” menu selection when you’re located in a participating city.
It shows you the vehicles that individuals list for driving with Uber.
If you rent from Getaround to drive with Uber, then you can only use it for ridesharing.
Personal use isn’t allowed in that case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about the best cars for Uber?
Check out some of the most frequently asked questions below for answers.
What cars make the most money on Uber?
Typically, any car that gives you quality gas mileage makes the most money on Uber.
Your most significant expense is gas when operating as an Uber driver.
If you drive a car with poor gas mileage, then those extra fill-ups at the gas station eat into your profits.
What is the oldest car Uber will accept?
Uber won’t accept a vehicle if it’s older than 15 years.
What would be the best car on Uber to make the best return when driving?
Out top pick, the Toyota Prius gives you the best opportunity to see a quality return on the time and effort you put into driving for Uber.
You need to strongly consider reliability and gas mileage when working this rideshare opportunity.
If you decide to use a vehicle that gets low gas mileage and breaks down often, then you’ll have a tough time making quality money with Uber.
Sure, it’s fun to drive a sportier car or look cool in cars considered as “better” than a Prius from the standpoint of what people believe is “cool.”
You have to ask yourself why you’re working with Uber.
Is it to look cool or make as much money as possible?
Place gas mileage and reliability at the top of your list if you’re looking to maximize the business.
Wrapping Up
Choosing the right vehicle for Uber and Lyft is a major decision.
Not only will you need to pick a new car that helps maximize your earnings and driver ratings, but you’ll also want a vehicle you’ll enjoy driving when off the clock.
Make sure you do your research before pulling out the checkbook and purchasing your new vehicle.
Happy driving!
