If you were an Uber driver from 2015–2017, you may have benefitted from a partnership between Uber and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Through this program, drivers were able to rent vehicles to drive for Uber at a weekly rate.
There was no need to worry about car payments, vehicle maintenance, or car insurance.
Furthermore, the program gave people a way to drive for Uber if their vehicles didn’t meet the requirements or if they simply preferred not to use personal vehicles for rideshare purposes.
In 2017, however, Uber ended the Enterprise program.
This was unfortunate for drivers who were using the program to get on the road.
While the program hasn’t existed for over a year now, you’ll still hear whispers of it in online forums.
To set the record straight, we’ve created this guide.
In it, you’ll find our top five picks for Uber car rental.
Each is a quality alternative to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car program of days past.
Table Of Contents
Does Uber Car Rental Make Financial Sense for You?
Before you look into any of the programs below, you should consider if renting a car to drive for Uber makes sense for your financial situation.
In many cases, it could be cheaper in the long run to purchase a car.
We think that renting a car to drive for Uber makes the most sense in the following situations:
- You want to try out the service without using your personal vehicle
- Your car doesn’t meet the Uber vehicle requirements
- Your regular vehicle is receiving maintenance
- You’re ineligible to purchase a car at a good price (due to poor credit, for example)
Beyond these considerations, you’ll need to do the math to determine if driving for Uber will cover the vehicle rental costs and Uber driver expenses while still leaving room for a profit.
Assuming you do think renting a car for Uber makes sense for your situation, let’s take a look at five options you have for doing so.
1. Hertz
Uber currently has a partnership with Hertz that enables drivers to rent cars at a weekly rate for the purposes of driving for Uber. The program is available to drivers in the following cities:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Denver
- Inland Empire (Calif.)
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New Orleans
- Orange County
- San Antonio
- San Francisco Bay Area
The cost structure is as follows:
- Weekly base rate of $214
- $2,000 refundable deposit
The rental cost also includes unlimited miles, maintenance, insurance, and the option to renew the rental week to week for up to 28 days.
Due to the way the program is set up, it’s best for drivers who either want to try out driving for Uber without having to use their personal vehicle or for current Uber drivers who need a vehicle to use while their personal one is being repaired. It’s not a viable option for long-term use because of the fact that you can only renew for up to 28 days. To learn more about the program, visit the official Uber-Hertz Partnership page.
You can also check out the Hertz Rent2Buy program if you’re interested in purchasing a vehicle from the company.
2. Getaround
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can use Getaround to drive for Uber. In fact, due to a partnership between the two companies, your first day of using Getaround is free (up to 14 consecutive hours). This program is only available to new Uber drivers who sign up through the Uber-Getaround Partnership page.
You’ll pay the following costs to use Getaround:
- $5 per hour for rentals (paid upfront when you book)
- Booking fee of 3% of your total booking cost (with a $1 minimum booking fee)
- If you’re under 25 years of age (but old enough to drive for Uber), you’ll pay the following fees to use Getaround:
- Age 21 — 25% of trip price
- Age 22 — 15% of trip price
- Age 23 — 10% of trip price
- Age 24 — 5% of trip price
As you can see from the fee structure, the best uses of Getaround would be to try out driving for Uber or to find a car to drive when your main vehicle is in the shop. The costs make it prohibitive as a long-term solution.
We should also mention that even if you don’t intend to use their vehicles to drive for Uber, it’s worth looking into Getaround as an hourly car-sharing tool. You can learn more about it here.
3. Fair
If you’re looking for more of a long-term car rental solution for Uber, then you should look into Fair. It offers weekly rentals and is available to drivers in the following cities:
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Denver
- Houston
- Inland Empire (Calif.)
- Los Angeles
- Nashville
- Orange County (Calif.)
- Philadelphia
- Sacramento
- San Diego
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Seattle
So, how much does it cost? Rentals with Fair start at $130 per week. This cost gets you the following features:
- Unlimited mileage
- Free routine maintenance
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Vehicle warranty
You get all of this without having to worry about long-term contracts, vehicle financing, credit checks, or any of the other hassles that come with owning a car. You can learn more about the Uber-Fair Partnership here.
4. HyreCar
So far, we’ve been discussing companies that have partnerships with Uber. With HyreCar, we move to the territory of third-party companies that rent cars for the purpose of rideshare driving but don’t do so as part of any Uber business partnership.
HyreCar is a peer-to-peer car sharing company that allows private individuals to rent out their vehicles to Uber and Lyft drivers. The company is similar to Turo, except that it focuses on rentals to rideshare drivers instead of car rentals to the general public.
HyreCar is available in a wide variety of places, operating in 35 U.S. states. These states include all the most populous areas of the United States, so the odds are good that your city is included. You can read the full list of states where HyreCar operates here.
As far as cost, you can rent by the day, week, or month. The cost varies based on whatever price the vehicle owner wants to set, though you will get a discount for choosing a longer rental time period. You can learn more about the pricing here.
Also, you should be aware that HyreCar will charge you a $200 deposit if you choose to pay with a debit card. You can avoid this cost by using a credit card for payment, in which case Hyrecar will charge the credit card on file for any issues that arise.
To learn more about HyreCar, consult our complete guide.
5. Maven Gig
Our final option for Uber car rental is Maven Gig. Maven Gig allows you to rent cars to use for rideshare driving, food delivery, or courier services. The service is currently available in the following markets:
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Boston
- Detroit
- Phoenix
- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Washington, D.C.
The company places a special focus on its fuel-efficient rental vehicles. They even offer electric vehicles such as the Chevy Bolt.
The cost varies based on the vehicle you choose, but compact cars, sedans, and crossovers start at $199 per week. Bear in mind, however, that the rental agreement is for 28 days at a time. Maven Gig will bill you weekly, but you’ll be on the hook to pay the weekly rate for four weeks. You do have the option to cancel within the first 7 days without penalty, however.
So what’s included in the rental price? For this price, you get unlimited miles, maintenance, insurance (minus the deductible), and roadside assistance. Given the longer-term commitment, however, you’ll need to make sure that you can earn enough driving for Uber, other gig economy services, or both to cover the cost and still make a profit.
Get on the Road Sooner With Uber Car Rentals
Even though the Enterprise car rental program no longer exists, there are still plenty of other options out there to rent cars to drive for Uber. If you’re looking for similar programs for Lyft, then check out our guide to Lyft Express Drive.
Have you decided that you can make more money if you own the vehicle you drive? Check out our ultimate car buying guide for Uber drivers.
