What is the best car for Uber? There are numerous factors to take into consideration when deciding which type of vehicle is best for Uber. What works best in Chicago might be the absolute worst choice for Los Angeles. The most common type of car used for Uber in Portland, Maine, might not even exist in Portland, Oregon. We’ll break down some of the factors to consider when choosing the right type of car for Uber.
Types of Vehicles Uber Offers
Before choosing the best car for Uber, you need to know which types of rides Uber offers in your area. It makes no sense to buy a vehicle eligible for Uber Black if that particular type of ride isn’t offer to passengers in your area. In many areas the only types of Uber Rides available are UberX, Uber Comfort, Uber Pet, and UberXL.
Nationwide Uber offers a variety of rides including
- Uber Black
- Uber Black SUV
- Uber Comfort
- Uber Green
- Uber Pet
- Uber WAV
- UberX
- UberX Share
- UberXL
You can find dozens of YouTube videos posted by Uber drivers who claim the best car for Uber is a used minivan such as a Dodge Caravan. Their theory is that you’re going to beat the vehicle to death anyway, so why drive an expensive car. The Caravan also allows you to offer UberXL rides. If it meets the vehicle requirements for your area, you can also offer Uber Comfort rides.
The important thing to remember if you’re seriously considering giving Uber a try is that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. I drive a Platinum Edition Toyota Highlander. It offers a ton of legroom even in the third row because the Captain’s seats in the middle are adjustable and slide forward. I’ve had countless passengers mention how roomy the car is. One day I picked up an elderly gentleman who complained that the vehicle was too high off the ground and not easy to get into. Seriously? Until then I had received nothing but compliments.
If you’re hoping to offer any type of ride other than UberX, Uber Comfort, Uber Pet, or UberXL you’ll have to make the decision on your own. The types of vehicles for Uber Black SUV and Uber WAV are too expensive to reasonably expect to make a decent profit doing rideshare. Given how low Uber’s base pay has dropped. the only economically-feasible types of Rides are UberX, Uber Comfort, Uber Pet, and UberXL. Yes, there are definitely exceptions to the rules. Uber Black SUV is worthwhile in areas where politicians and celebrities might book a ride (or an entire entourage). Uber Black might be worthwhile in areas where businessmen don’t want to be seen arriving in a Dodge Caravan or trying to pry themselves out of a Kia Soul.
Given how little Uber pays today, the best vehicle for Uber is pretty much one you can afford to replace. Trust me, it doesn’t take long to put on those first 100,000 miles. Every day I see Uber drivers racing around in $60,000 SUVs or even $100,000 Beamers. They’re looking only at the money that’s coming in without realizing how rapidly that vehicle is losing value. Most American cars are lucky to break 100,000 miles without something major going wrong. Even if you take it easy on the vehicle and only do short, local trips, you’ll be lucky to drive 2 years before the vehicle hits 100,000 miles.
During my 7 years driving for Uber I couldn’t help but notice the vehicles other drivers are using. Based on their preferences I’d say the following vehicles are most popular:
- Cadillac Escalade
- Chevy Equinox
- Chevy Traverse
- Kia Soul
- Ford Flex
- Ford Explorer
- GMC Yukon XL
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Rav4
Of course, you can use just about any type of vehicle for Uber but the above models are the ones I see most often picking up passengers. I’ve had countless passengers tell me they won’t get into a Kia Soul or any vehicle shaped like a box. They just cancel the driver and hope the same one doesn’t get the trip again. I’ve also had several passengers say the Ford Flex looks like an overgrown box on wheels.
To determine the best car for Uber, first decide on the type of trips you’re hoping to take. Yes, you can choose the type of trips. If your target market is one or two passengers going to or from work, then go with a smaller vehicle that’s awesome on gas. If you’re hoping to make a few extra bucks and focus on XL rides then choose a vehicle with a comfortable third row. Passengers will leave you shitty ratings if the passengers have to climb over the middle seats to get into the third row.
The following vehicles categorized by type of Uber ride are not our recommendations. These are based solely on the most common vehicles Uber drivers use in our area. We’re also including only the models that offer decent gas mileage and excluded the ones that are known gas hogs.
Best Cars For UberX
- Chevy Equinox
- Kia Soul
- Ford Flex
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Rav4
Best Cars For Uber Comfort
- Chevy Equinox
- Ford Flex
- Ford Explorer
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Rav4
- Toyota Highlander
Best Cars For Uber XL
- Cadillac Escalade
- Chevy Traverse
- Ford Flex
- Ford Explorer
- GMC Yukon XL
- Toyota Highlander
Regardless of the vehicle you choose to do Uber, it’s important to remember that the front seat is not your personal space. UberX is for up to 4 passengers. You have no way of knowing how many passengers you’re picking up until you arrive at the pickup location. If there are 4 passengers, one will have to sit in the front seat, whether you like it or not. I’ve had Uber drivers say they cancel the trip when there are 4 passengers because they won’t let anyone sit in the front seat. You can always cancel the trip but you’ll have to hope you don’t continue to get 4 passengers or your cancellation rate will be insanely high.
