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How Lyft Driver Ratings Work & How To Improve Them In 2024

Key Takeaways

  • Lyft driver ratings are determined by passenger feedback on a five-star system.
  • Ratings are averaged from the last 100 rides, with Lyft automatically assigning a 5-star rating if passengers forget to rate.
  • High ratings are crucial for getting more ride requests and avoiding deactivation.
  • Drivers can improve ratings by maintaining cleanliness, being prompt, and providing a comfortable ride experience.

If you’ve ever taken a Lyft before, you probably used ratings as a measure of which driver to accept. Many people do, which is why it’s so crucial for a Lyft driver to keep a good rating.

Your rating matters, but if you don’t understand what a high rating looks like and how to increase yours, your time as a driver for Lyft might be less than fruitful.

Read on to learn the secrets many drivers know to a better Lyft rating and unlock your full earning potential!

What Is a Lyft Driver Rating?

Lyft provides all drivers with a rating unless you’ve signed up with the service and have yet to complete a ride. The five-star rating system is easy for consumers to check when accepting rides.

a screenshot of a Lyft driver rating on the screen of a phone

Although Lyft customers don’t choose who’ll drive them, they can cancel a ride if a driver gives them a bad feeling (or for any other reason, even if it sometimes means incurring fees).

While Lyft sets the ratings, it’s ultimately passengers who determine whether you’ll receive a low or a high star ranking. The platform listens to their feedback and counts it toward your rating.

How Does Lyft Calculate Driver Ratings?

Fortunately, Lyft doesn’t keep its driver ratings system under wraps: your rating is the average of your last 100 rides.

With an equal number of 3-star and 5-star ratings across 50 rides each, your overall average would equate to 4 stars.

If you’re new to Lyft, those first 100 rides are incredibly important, as they’ll comprise your rating. However, if you’ve driven for Lyft for a while, older ratings hold less weight as more recent ones accumulate.

Remember, it’s your customers who rate you based on your professionalism, attitude, driving safety, how smoothly the dropoff went, and how clean your car is.

But if they forget to, Lyft will automatically assign that ride a 5-star rating after about 24 hours.

Note that there’s a difference between Lyft driver ratings and driver scores.

According to Lyft, your driver score includes whether your account has flags and your cancellation and acceptance rates. It’s not based on ride history.

Does Your Lyft Driver Rating Matter?

Yes, Lyft driver ratings significantly influence your earnings and the opportunity to drive on the platform.

A lower rating might result in Lyft prioritizing other drivers, potentially leading to fewer ride requests and inconsistent income. Passengers might also cancel rides upon noticing a low driver rating.

Most critically, a rating that falls too low could lead to suspension or permanent deactivation of your account, barring you from earning through Lyft.

How To Check Your Lyft Driver Ratings

To view your Lyft driver ratings, simply access your profile through the app. Your ratings, along with any anonymous feedback received, are readily available here.

Lyft also sends a weekly email summary detailing this feedback, highlighting areas for improvement, such as driving style or customer interactions.

How To Check Your Lyft Rating

  1. Open the Lyft app.
  2. Go to the left-side menu.
  3. Tap on “View Profile” beneath your profile picture.
  4. Your rating will be displayed on your profile.

You’ll also find a summary of your total rides and the duration of your work with Lyft. This information, visible to riders, enhances their trust in you based on your experience and service longevity.

Understanding Good and Bad Lyft Ratings

A good Lyft rating is anything above 4.95, with 4.98 or 4.99 being considered excellent. Achieving a perfect five-star rating is challenging due to inevitable lower scores from some passengers.

A rating below 4.8 should raise concern, indicating a need to evaluate and improve your interactions with passengers.

Ratings under 4.7 are considered bad, and consistently falling below this threshold could trigger a review or suspension by Lyft.

Risk of deactivation increases significantly if your rating drops below 4.6.

The Benefits of High Lyft Driver Ratings

Not only does a good rating on Lyft boost your earnings, but it also rewards you with all sorts of perks and benefits.

Here’s a list of what you can expect:

  • Cashback on Fuel: Lyft partnered with Upside, a cashback service, to provide drivers with money back each time they fuel up. You can get cashback from $0.25 to $0.32 a gallon, depending on your tier rating (Silver, Gold, or Platinum).
  • Reduced Expenses on Electric Vehicle Charges: Lyft helps you out between rides with EVgo, a service that’ll help you save when you need to recharge your vehicle. If you have a Lyft Debit Card, you can get cash back for charging your EV and fueling up your car.
  • Mango Languages Discount: Another fun perk the service offers its drivers is reduced expenses for Mango Languages, an online language learning software.
  • TurboTax Premium Discount: Figuring out taxes as a Lyft driver is a headache. At least you can save on your tax software as Lyft slashes TurboTax Premium prices by 25% to 50%.
  • Reduced Repair and Maintenance Expenses: Driving for a living means you need to service your car more frequently. That’s why Lyft provides drivers with 15% off repairs and maintenance when they use Just Tires or Goodyear Auto Service.
  • Free Roadside Assistance: Don’t let a flat tire or a dead battery kill your ride and hamper your earnings. Lyft provides 24/7 roadside assistance through Allstate for premium drivers.

Can You Dispute an Unfair Lyft Driver Rating?

Yes, you can challenge an unfair Lyft rating as a driver. To do so, navigate to your ride history, select the ride in question, and submit your feedback.

Lyft automatically excludes the lowest rating from every 100 rides and may remove additional ratings if it determines they were given for reasons beyond your control, though this isn’t guaranteed.

If you find yourself disputing ratings often, it might be worth reflecting on your driving and customer service practices.

How to Improve Your Lyft Driver Rating

You just checked your Lyft rating, and it wasn’t as high as you thought it’d be.

You’re disappointed since you know that a rating of 4.9 or higher is the sweet spot. While that’s fair, remember that those 100 rides aren’t set in stone.

You can improve your rating beginning today if your next 100 rides are better. Here are the areas to focus on:

1. Keep Your Car Clean

One of the biggest sticking points for Lyft passengers is vehicle cleanliness. A clean car is more inviting and puts a customer’s mind at ease.

Give your car the cleaning it deserves, inside and out. Remove garbage and other items inside that you don’t need by putting them in the trash or the trunk. Take your vehicle to a car wash or clean it yourself.

Car cleanliness extends to your vehicle’s smell. No, you don’t need that new-car smell people love so much, but an appealing, light fragrance of lemon or pine will certainly put your customers in a happy mood when they hop in.

2. Maintain a Good Acceptance Rate

Although your Lyft score counts the acceptance rate and not Lyft ratings, it’s still good to be cognizant of how many orders you accept versus complete.

After all, you can’t improve your rating if you aren’t dropping off passengers for Lyft. Review order details carefully before deciding whether to pick up a passenger, and only accept orders you plan to complete.

3. Be Prompt

Customers select Lyft drivers based on when they can arrive. No one wants to wait outside a bar or restaurant or on the curb for their driver, so promptness is best.

Don’t speed, of course. Instead, take orders that are close enough to where you are so that you can arrive at the passenger’s location quickly.

4. Provide Comfort

The idea of comfort varies from one passenger to another. Some will appreciate it if you ask what radio station they want to listen to or what temperature they want in the backseat. Others will happily engage in some light conversation to pass the time. Almost everyone will appreciate free snacks and drinks.

On the note of being conversational, read your customer’s vibe. Some passengers prefer a quiet ride. If they don’t pick up what you’re throwing down, that’s a clear sign not to push for a chat.

5. Be Friendly

As the passenger climbs in, smile at them, greet them with a hello, and ask for their name (to confirm they got the right Lyft). Ask them how they’re doing today.

That question is a good icebreaker, and it’ll also serve as a gauge of whether the passenger is interested in talking. If they give you a rushed or ho-hum answer, that’s usually a sign you don’t have the chattiest passenger.

6. Be a Good Driver

Lyft passengers entrust their well-being to you when they request a ride. Use your phone for maps and GPS if needed, but don’t take calls or send text messages while driving; it’s unprofessional and will distract you from driving.

Follow all the traffic rules, such as pausing at a yellow light, driving within the speed limit, and stopping at pedestrian crosswalks. Keep your eyes on the road, review your side mirrors for blind spots, and maintain a safe speed.

Never stop the car suddenly if you can help it, as it’s very jarring for passengers.

7. Go the Extra Mile

Discuss your route as you’re taking it, asking the passenger if they have any shortcuts or alternate paths they’d like to take on their ride.

This kind of courtesy sticks with the average passenger, as you’re helping them get to where they need faster and more conveniently.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take for Lyft Ratings to Increase?

Your Lyft rating is constantly being updated as you complete rides and receive new ratings. If they’re higher than your previous ones, your overall rating will increase.

Drivers who rely on Lyft for full-time income will notice an increase faster than those who drive less frequently.

Can One Bad Experience Lower My Lyft Driver Rating?

No, one bad ride isn’t going to destroy your Lyft rating. However, if you consistently get low ratings, that can hurt your score and rating. If you think you’re a victim of fraudulent activity or a technical issue, contact Lyft.

How Can I Get Lyft Passengers to Rate Me Well?

Providing excellent service remains your most surefire strategy. You can also ask passengers to give you a positive rating. Perhaps incentivize them by offering to rate them (yes, Lyft lets you rate passengers).

Wrapping Up

Your Lyft rating is based on your last 100 rides. It’s primarily passenger-driven, with their opinions on your driving speed, car cleanliness, and friendliness affecting your score.

You can improve your Lyft rating if it’s below average by keeping your car clean, providing snacks and drinks, only using your phone for navigation (no calls or texting), being friendly, and going the extra mile when possible.

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