Lyft Express Drive: How to Drive with Lyft Without Buying a Car

Why Rent a Vehicle to Drive with Lyft?

Renting a vehicle with Lyft through their Express Drive program is an excellent option if you do not have a car, if your car does not meet Lyft’s requirements, or if you prefer not to use your personal vehicle for ridesharing.

It’s also a great way to try out driving for Lyft without the commitment of purchasing a new vehicle. With Express Drive, you can enjoy the flexibility and earning potential of driving for Lyft without the upfront costs and long-term responsibilities of car ownership.

This program may also be financially sensible if you own a high-end car and wish to avoid the wear and tear that comes with ridesharing.

Express Drive offers a straightforward way to sign up, with clear information on availability and costs, making it a viable choice for many drivers.

How Does the Express Drive Program Work?

The Lyft Express Drive program works much like the standard Lyft driver service.

You use the app to accept passenger rides and earn money from the fare charged to passengers (minus the portion Lyft takes as a commission), plus any tips that passengers give you.

The main difference from the regular Lyft service is that you’re renting the car through one of Lyft’s partner rental agencies.

You pay a weekly rate that varies based on your city.

If you give enough rides, your rental costs can be reduced or even completely paid by Lyft (see below for more details).

What Are the Express Drive Program Requirements?

The requirements to participate in the Express Drive program are much the same as the regular Lyft driver requirements.

In brief, you need to have a valid driver’s license, pass a background and DMV check, and have a mobile device that can run the Lyft driver app.

The only requirements that differ are those related to age, insurance, and vehicle inspection.

Starting with age, you need to be at least 25 years old to participate in the Express Drive program (compared to Lyft’s normal minimum age of 21).

As far as insurance and vehicle inspection, you don’t need to worry about them with the Express Drive program.

Because the program is through Lyft, all vehicles will meet their requirements.

That being said, you are required to bring your rental vehicle in for an inspection every 28 days to the location you rented it.

Insurance is also included, just as it would be with a traditional car rental.

You also don’t have to worry about maintenance, though you will still pay for gas.

Where Is the Express Drive Program Available?

The Express Drive program is currently available in over a dozen cities across the U.S.

It used to be broken down into the categories FlexDrive, Hertz, and Avis, but it now operates as one program.

Here are the cities where Lyft Express Drive is currently available:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Dallas/Fort Worth
• Denver
• Detroit
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Nashville
• New Orleans
• New York
• Orange County
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Pittsburgh
• Portland
• Richmond
• Sacramento
• Salt Lake City
• San Antonio
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Seattle
• Tacoma
• Tampa Bay
• Washington, D.C.

How Much Does Lyft Express Drive Cost?

An example weekly cost taken from Lyft’s Express Drive Application page. Actual weekly rental costs will vary based on your city and will only be visible once you start your application.

The cost of Express Drive varies depending on your city. All rentals are charged weekly to the credit card you have on file with Lyft. However, you do have the opportunity to reduce the cost of your rental if you give enough rides.

Through a program called Rental Rewards, Lyft will offset the cost of your rental. You’ll need to do the following to qualify for Rental Rewards:

1. Meet the ride count requirement

Each completed ride counts toward your total weekly ride requirement. A completed ride means that you successfully picked up and dropped off the passenger.

If you’re driving with Lyft Line, each person you pick up and drop off on the route will count as one completed ride.

For the purposes of Rental Rewards, the week goes from Monday at 5 a.m. through to the next Monday at 4:59 a.m.

2. Meet the peak ride requirement

In addition to the general ride count requirement, there will also be a peak ride requirement. Peak rides are those given during Lyft’s busiest hours, when passenger demand is highest. These hours vary from market to market and even from week to week. You can view the requirements for peak rides (and the general ride count requirement) in your Driver Dashboard.

3. Maintain a 90% acceptance rate

An accepted ride is any ride request that you don’t ignore or cancel. As long as you’re accepting the ride requests you receive, this number is easy to maintain. If you dip below a 90% acceptance rate for a given week, you’ll be ineligible for Rental Rewards.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Rental Rewards do not cover rental taxes. You’ll still be on the hook for these charges, even if you earn enough Rental Rewards to cover the rest of the rental cost.

Therefore, while Lyft may claim that your weekly cost could be $0 after they apply Rental Rewards, the reality is that you will still pay something (just a reduced amount).

How Do I Start Renting a Vehicle to Drive with Lyft?

Signing up for Express Drive isn’t much different from the regular Lyft driver application process.

To start with, visit the Lyft Express Drive application page. You’ll need to enter your first name, last name, email address, city, and phone number.

You can also enter a promo code or referral code if you have one. Feel free to use one from another driver or friend if they referred you, or use our promo code RIDESTERLYFT if you like.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll begin the application process. When Lyft asks for your vehicle info, tap or click “Rent Vehicle.”

Note that vehicle availability is limited in certain markets, so you may have to try again another time if no vehicles are available to rent.

Assuming vehicles are available for rental in your market, your next step is to put down a refundable deposit.

The amount of the deposit varies depending on your city; it will be no more than $250 according to Lyft’s website. The deposit is “used to cover any outstanding payment obligations like damages or failed charges once the vehicle is returned.”

Once you’ve put down your deposit, Lyft will send you an email confirming a pickup time for the vehicle. Then, all you have to do is go to the pickup location, get the keys, and begin driving.

Lyft Express Drive FAQ

Now that you have an overview of how Express Drive works, let’s examine a few common questions that new and prospective Express Drive users have:

Start Accepting Rides Faster With Express Drive

We hope this guide has given you an understanding of the advantages of the Express Drive program, as well as how you can get started using it. As a reminder, you can apply for Express Drive here.