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Renting or leasing a car from Uber can help you be an Uber driver even if you don’t have your own car yet. More importantly, it can give you the freedom to drive other people’s cars instead of having to pay extra to keep your car insured and maintained when you aren’t driving yourself around.
This article will take you through why renting or leasing a car from Uber might be your best bet as an Uber driver.
How to Rent a Car Through Uber Rentals
Once your Uber driver application has been approved, you can see what cars are available on the Uber Driver app. To see what cars are available for rent, open your Uber Driver app. Bring up your Account and click on Vehicles.
Then go to View Rental Options. You will be able to browse vehicles from there. Once you pick a date and time to pick up your vehicle, you will be given an address of the location where you can go and pick the vehicle up.
You can choose to either pay on the app or at the rental location. Uber will credit you $10 for your Uber ride to go pick up your car.
Apply as a Driver Now Even If You Don’t Have a Car
During the application process, you’ll be able to select that you need a car. The first time you do so, you’ll have to fill out some additional information about your vehicle preference and whether or not you have a car now. If selected, it will mean a quick rental fee and an even faster return on investment after completing a few days’ rides.
Note: You must live in a city where Uber has cars available for rent or lease and rates can vary by location.
Uber Rentals
You can rent a car from Uber for about $260/week, which comes with insurance and maintenance included. You get to keep the car for a week, but if you need more time, you can extend that period. The great thing about renting from Uber is that its cars are just as new and reliable as rental cars from other companies like Hertz or Avis.
Benefits of Renting From Uber
If you have bad credit but need a vehicle for a few days, renting might be an option. Even if you do have good credit, it’s cheaper to rent on a short-term basis than buy. All of these are great benefits, including the insurance and maintenance being included as we mentioned above.
Disadvantages of Renting From Uber
The price of car rentals can add up quickly—not only are there fees, but each mile you drive usually may come with a cost after a certain amount. It’s best to get a head start on this process and apply now even if you don’t have a car so that when you are ready to start working you will have all of your affairs in order.
Uber Rental Partners
1. Hertz
The first thing you’ll need to do if you want to rent a car from Hertz as an Uber driver is put down a $200 deposit. That money will be refunded to you when you return your vehicle, so it acts as insurance in case anything happens. You have to be at least 21 years old to rent a car and you can get unlimited miles with the price of the rental.
2. Avis
With Avis, you can rent a car and drive with no deposit, up to 700 miles per rental and you have to be 25 or older. You just need a valid debit or credit card. If you aren’t yet an Uber driver, it only takes a few minutes to sign up on their website using your email.
Then you are eligible to rent from Avis as an Uber partner through their platform.
3. Sally
Once you sign up, you’ll get access to listings of available cars near your location. You can then rent them for as long as you want or as little as one hour. The best part? No deposit, unlimited miles—all for pretty good prices.
And unlike other car rental companies where older and higher mileage vehicles are available, you can rent a nice vehicle like a RAV4 or a Tesla!
4. Getaround
With low-cost per hour rentals, unlimited miles, and a great price point, renting a car from Getaround might be your best bet when in need of some wheels if you’re only driving for a few hours. Unlike other companies that will rent out cars to anyone with a driver’s license, Getaround is picky about who they rent to. But with such strict standards for their drivers (driver record checks, less than 2 traffic violations), it makes sense that they don’t want people taking their vehicles out unless they are sure that person is qualified to drive.
5. HyreCar
HyreCar leases cars to drivers who are looking to earn extra money by using their vehicles to transport passengers via ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. HyreCar’s lease is a monthly rental, with no fees or waitlists. Interested members must have a valid driver’s license and meet minimum age requirements for each state that they drive in order to apply for a rental from HyreCar.
HyreCar provides insurance and repairs while driving their vehicles. Members can also lease their own cars to other Uber drivers to make a passive income.
Renting a Car for Uber Part-Time
If you only want to drive Uber part-time, it may not be economical to rent a car from Uber or their partners. With the price of the rental plus gas, you may only break even. It might be best to work full time for a while until you can afford to purchase your own vehicle, then go down to working part-time.
Would It Be Better to Buy a Car for Uber?
The truth is, if you’re an Uber driver with your own vehicle, there are fewer restrictions with owning your vehicle. You have to keep it clean and maintained, and you can use it whenever you like, as long as it’s registered and insured for commercial purposes. Monthly payments will be cheaper if you buy a car for yourself than if you rent one from Uber.
At that point, some people ask why even rent from Uber or their partners? The concept sounds good on paper: If monthly payments are cheaper on a loan or lease from a car dealership, then why pay more money in upfront fees?
We would recommend that you start off by renting and seeing how it goes. Depending on your location, how often you drive, and what time you drive, you may find that you make more than enough by renting a car, then you can either buy your own or fix your credit to get a financed vehicle.
Wait Until You’re Approved
If you do plan to purchase a vehicle for Uber, don’t buy one until you have been approved as a driver first. Sometimes there is a waitlist or other delays that may set your application back for a while in your area. Also, many drivers are positive they will pass the background and driving record check until they try to sign up for Uber and something pops up on their record that they forgot or didn’t know about and they are rejected by Uber.
You’ll want to be proactive about things like the sign-up process and getting approved for things first before you commit to spending money.
Uber Eats
If you’re not able to get a car, or there is a huge delay, in the meantime, you can get a bicycle and do Uber Eats. Basically, you pick up food from restaurants that have partnered with Uber Eats and deliver it to customers who have ordered via their app. You are paid per delivery and tips are included as well.
It’s a great way to make money while you’re sorting out your vehicle situation as well as saving up for a car. It’s also very flexible work, so it fits around your schedule just like being an uber driver.
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