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Free Uber Car Inspection Sites — Find One In Your Area
Before you begin begin driving for Uber, you’ll need to have your vehicle inspected.
This guide provides a list of free inspection sites & Uber Greenlight Locations for Uber Driver-Partners.
Continue reading “Free Uber Inspection – Uber Greenlight Locations”
Do Uber Drivers Need Rideshare Insurance?
All regular drivers & car owners require personal liability insurance — and many drivers buy extra (or full) coverage to protect themselves against extensive liabilities.
But, since Uber and Lyft drivers have special requirements (i.e., they use their vehicles professionally; to earn a living) it’s worth identifying & purchasing an insurance policy tailored specifically to ridesharing.
Below, we offer a State-By-State guide on your rideshare insurance options. We also answer the question: Do I need rideshare insurance?
Being a rideshare driver means spending anywhere from ten to fifty-plus hours a week on the road. Of course, the more you drive, the greater the risk of encountering potential hazards, obstacles, and other issues. Perhaps you have already experienced an accident — one that wasn’t your fault. In order to protect yourself, a dashcam is highly recommended. Therefore, we created a list of the best dashcams on the market.
Find out more about our top dash cam recommendations in our guide below:
Uber Momentum is a rewards program designed to help Uber’s driver-partners save & earn extra money. Start earning now, from deals on phone bills to savings on car maintenance.
What is Uber’s Power Driver Plus Program?
In some locations, Uber offers a ‘rewards program’ for active & high-performing drivers.
Uber SUV Vehicle Requirements (2016)
What are the car requirements for UberSUV in 2016? And what specific car types/models are accepted by the company?
Currently, Uber requires that UberSUV vehicles be no older than 2012 (i.e., 2012 or newer) although in some markets 2008 vehicles are still allowable. It’s also important to remember than UberSUV vehicles must seat 6 passengers (minimum) and have a black leather interior, as well as a black exterior, four doors, and no scratches or damage (inside or out). It’s also mandatory to have commercial insurance and a TCP. Get in touch with the company directly if you want to double check whether your vehicle fits all the SUV requirements.
For more information about UberSUV, including how to sign up as a driver, check out our detailed outline here.
And, for your convenience, below is a list of car types which currently qualify for UberSUV in 2016:
Shop SUVs at Edmunds.com
Uber BLACK Vehicle Requirements (2016)
If you’re interested in driving for UberBLACK, you probably want to know: what are the current car requirements for 2016?
We’ve compiled a list below of car types which qualify for UberBLACK in 2016.
Note: If you’re hoping to become a BLACK driver, it’s best to check with Uber first — they have a limited number of openings available, so it’s always necessary to inquire whether the company is currently accepting applications for new drivers. Simply contact Uber support, and they’ll let you know whether the applicant pool is currently open.
*In most markets, you won’t be able to drive for UberBLACK if your vehicle is more than 5 years old (in some places, a 2008-era vehicle is acceptable, but mostly the requirement is post-2011).
For your convenience, below is a list of BLACK vehicle models which are currently accepted:
Shop cars at Edmunds.com
The Future of Rideshare: What’s The Next Big Thing?
Everyone knows about ridesharing’s two largest competitors — Uber and Lyft — but are there any new competitors in today’s ridesharing market? What does the future of rideshare look like? Who are the ‘insurgent’ startups staking out new ground?
Below, we profile some interesting companies which are attempting to compete against the ‘big dogs’ — and, so far, they’re making inroads in a competitive, evolving and hyper-dynamic ridesharing market.
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Juno is one of the newest rideshare startups on the scene. With a familiar four-letter name (like Lyft, or Uber), Juno differentiates itself from its major competitors by focusing on one thing: driver welfare. In addition to allowing tipping, Juno lets drivers choose whether they wish to be employees or contractors.
Juno recently made waves with the revelation that they’d secretly begun paying Uber drivers to use a ‘special monitoring app’ while driving — a move which ultimately turned out to be Juno’s attempt to collect critical data on the company’s routes; pricing choices; traffic navigation; and driver preferences.
It was an aggressive move for a new startup. Juno hopes the collected data might help the company compete effectively against better-established rivals (specifically, Lyft and Uber) — and they believe the data will help them to identify (and micro-target) any critical flaws or weaknesses those companies might secretly harbor.
But Juno isn’t just focused on technology and data collection — instead, Juno’s executive board thinks success in the crowded ‘ride-hailing’ marketplace is really about focusing on one thing: drivers. Juno believes if they can keep drivers happy — and offer strong incentives and a very robust focus on employee welfare — they’ll be able to beat established players in a competitive marketplace. Juno’s commission rate for every trip will only be 10 percent (much smaller than rival companies, which linger between a 20 — 30 percent commission). Juno will also give employees and drivers stock in the actual company — a huge and unprecedented move in the rideshare world.
Juno realizes that rideshare, as an industry, has its share of driver-employer controversies — including extremely high turnover rates, calls for unionization, and even protests — and it believes that, by offering a less volatile employment environment, it can become a major player in an evolving (and highly uncertain) industry.
Juno plans to expand aggressively in Spring 2016 — moving from corporate strategy into on-the-ground reality by Fall 2016.
Gett is a rideshare company that competes directly with Uber and Lyft, but remains mostly in the ‘black car’ market realm.
Gett has been growing at an incredible rate — in 2015, it tripled its revenue (to half a billion dollars), and has been expanding aggressively in New York City — doubling its fleet of 2000 cars to a total of 4000 in Summer 2015. Gett is also extremely popular in European territories (in fact, it is the most popular rideshare service on the continent).
In New York City (and urban centers in Europe), Gett offers something that its competitors don’t — a flat rate of $!0, mitigating the uncertainties and high prices which accompany a ride with Gett’s competitors (like Uber or Lyft).
Gett’s flats-rate strategy has proven to be an enormously attractive proposition for casual and business travelers alike — customers seem to love the idea of an in-built, pre-determined rate, and the existence of a ‘floating’ car network means that Gett’s business model accommodates very low pricing without affecting viability (and, without requiring added-cost features like ‘surge pricing’ or ‘booking fees’).
Currently, Gett is planning on another targeted expansion in Summer 2016. The company has already raised an addition $200 million in venture capital.
All over the United States — as well as internationally — new rideshare companies are competing with Uber and Lyft by developing startups which operate on a smaller, city-based level.
Locally-focused rideshare companies are becoming increasingly common — many of which may end up ‘going national’ (or … going bust).
Here are a few notable examples:
Get Me is a Texas-based rideshare company, which seeks to compete in a local rideshare market which lacks a major player — Uber’s legality is currently being challenged in the region by state officials (it’s technically ‘suspended’ in the Austin market). Get Me is focused on delivering groceries and other services, in addition to passenger pick-ups and drop-offs.
HopSkipDrive is a new rideshare startup based in Los Angeles, CA, which is notable for being the largest ‘’Uber for Kids’’ rideshare company out there. After raising over $10 million in venture capital, HopSkipDrive is likely to expand outside Los Angeles, targeting suburban enclaves which demand trustworthy, reliable car-service options for kids.
HopSkipDrive is notable because it allows parents to arrange (and pre-plan) pick-up itineraries for kids well in advance. Drivers are also thoroughly vetted — HopSkipDrive’s drivers are fingerprinted, subject to regular vehicle inspection, interviews and extensive background checks.
Already, HopSkipDrive’s client base is large, with a strong retention rate and a large number of families employing the service more than once per day.
Ridescout is a hybrid ridesharing system and information app — interestingly, it combines data from a variety of transportation options (not just cars) across a large range of cities (currently, Ridescout is available in 69 locations).
Ridescout lets users view, and order, a range of available transportation options — including carpool, taxi services, carshare, biking availability, driving routes and parking options.
RubyRide is a rideshare startup with a slightly different approach than most companies — the service bills itself as ‘subscription-based’, meaning that you pay a lump sum monthly fee, but are then allowed unlimited rides within a series of pre-selected zones. For instance, in Phoenix, Arizona (where RubyRide is based), a $299-per-month plan gives a customer unlimited drop-offs and pick-ups in the city’s downtown section.
The company asserts that the (seemingly) high prices are actually much better value than rival rideshare options, and much cheaper than car-ownership itself.
A Washington, D.C-based company, capitalizing off of D.C.’s rideshare-friendly regulatory policies, Split uses publicly-available government data to optimize an innovative and hyper-efficient carpooling system.
Shudde — like HopSkipDrive — is frequently called another ‘Uber for Kids’ rideshare company. And, like HopSkipDrive, Shuddle allows parents to book and schedule rides for their kids well in advance.
Shuddle takes HopSkipDrive’s precautions an extra step — not only does Shuddle aggressively screen drivers, but they also hire only female drivers (and require that those drivers also have children who use the service). Moreover, Shuddle has a feature which allows parents to monitor all trips through a real-time smartphone app.
Summon is a new ridesharing company based in San Francisco. Summon is notable because of a progressive pricing scheme, which opposes ‘surge pricing’ techniques. Summon also offers (uniquely) a ‘rewards’ program, which they hope will help incentivize frequent riders and create passenger loyalty.
Summon currently operates in the Bay Area, Oakland, Emmeryville, portions of the East Bay and Berkeley.
In Canada, ridesharing is still a legally-uncertain proposition. So, when Edmonton became the first Canadian city to officially legislate ridesharing, it encouraged local operators to develop their own city-based rideshare startups.
TappCar is the first city-wide rideshare company to begin operation in 2016, and it is widely seen as an exact replica of existing rideshare models — except for its requirement of commercial licenses for all its drivers.
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What are the Uber Car Year Requirements in 2017? Every year, Uber updates their list of vehicle standards and requirements. For drivers, this policy mainly affects one thing: how old your car is allowed to be.
On March 1st, 2016, Uber began transitioning away from its old X and XL policies, which often mandated that vehicles be no older than Year 2000 models.
Local regulations change with time, and Uber wants to avoid violating commercial vehicle regulations in the cities where it operates. The company also wants to make sure their drivers’ vehicles aren’t too old — keeping assembly/manufacturing dates within 15 years helps avoid mechanical and safety issues.Keep in mind that the Uber Car Year Requirements for UberX & XL (2017) may differ as soon as next year.
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The company’s new, revised vehicle-age requirements greatly differ by city, so we’ve compiled a list of cities and car model years for UberX and UberXL below.
All years indicate the vehicle’s maximum allowable age for UberX and XL (in other words, 2006 = 2006 or newer).
More info about becoming an Uber driver in your city can be found here.
*Uber’s list of vehicle requirements are not static, and can sometimes shift suddenly — so, if you’re thinking about becoming a driver, make sure to contact your local Uber team to double-check that your car’s model year meets the Uber car year requirements in your city.
And, for your convenience, here is a complete list of allowed UberX and XL vehicle types:
Uber Car Year Requirements for UberX & XL (2017)
Shop cars at Edmunds.com
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Do you want to become an Uber driver but are not sure whether your vehicle meets all of the Uber car requirements? UberX, Uber XL, and Uber PLUS allow you to use your personal vehicle without commercial licensing or insurance, but your car still must meet the basic criteria listed here.
Take a look at this post about the best cars to drive for Uber.
If you want to drive for Uber BLACK, Uber SUV, or Uber LUX, your car must meet stricter standards. Read about the Uber BLACK car requirements below.
Updated 3-21-2016
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The Uber service types each have a different set of vehicle requirements. UberX, the basic most common Uber service accepts any 4-door car of a certain age. On the other hand, the professional Uber BLACK services accept only certain vehicles.
Every Uber driver, regardless of the Uber service, must meet these basic requirements:
You can read more about the Uber driver requirements here.
Uber car requirements for each car service in 2017 are listed below…
Available in select cities only. Formerly known as Uber PLUS in some markets.
UberSELECT approved vehicles.
Acura: RDX, RLX, TL, TLX, ILX.
Audi: A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, S3, S4, S6, Q3, Q5, Q7.
BMW: 3-series, 5-series, 7-series, X1, X3, X4, X5, X6.
Cadillac: ATS, CTS, DTS, SRX, XTS.
Chrysler: 300.
Hummer: H3.
Hyundai: Genesis, Equus.
Infiniti: EX, FX, G, JX, M, Q, QX50, QX70.
Jaguar: XF, XJ.
Kia: K900.
Land Rover: Range Rover.
Lexus: ES, IS, NX, RX, GS, GX, LS.
Lincoln: MKT, MKS, MKX, MKZ, MKC, Town Car.
Mercedes-Benz:C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, G-Class, GLK-Class, M-Class, R-Class.
Porsche: Macan, Cayenne, Panamera.
Tesla: Model S.
Volvo: S60, S80, XC90.
*Uber BLACK and LUX cars are also accepted.
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UberBLACK is a professional chauffeur service. The requirements for Uber Black Car are more strict than for UberX. Only specific cars are accepted. In addition, all Uber Black Car services require the driver to carry commercial car insurance, a TCP, and an airport permit.
The upside for Uber Black drivers is that the fares are higher than UberX fares. In Los Angeles Uber Black fare is calculated at $3.55/mile and $0.45/min plus an $8 base fare. UberX is only $1/mile, $0.18/min and no base fare. This means that an Uber Black driver may make more money than an UberX driver.
These are the Uber Black Car Types. They are only available in select cities.
You must have commercial car insurance, a TCP, and an airport permit.
Your vehicle also must meet these criteria:
UberBLACK approved vehicles
Audi: A6, A7
BMW: 5 Series
Cadillac: XTS
Infiniti: Q70
Jaguar: XF
Lexus: GS
Mercedes-Benz: E-Class
*Uber LUX vehicles are also accepted.
Find more about UberBLACK Vehicle Requirements here.
You must have commercial car insurance, a TCP, and an airport permit in most cities.
Your vehicle also must meet these criteria:
UberSUV approved vehicles
Cadillac: Escalade ESV
Chevrolet: Suburban
GMC: Yukon XL
Infiniti: QX56, QX80
Lexus: LX
Lincoln: Navigator L
Mercedes-Benz: GL-Class
Find more about UberSUV vehicle requirements here.
Available in select cities only.
You must have commercial car insurance, a TCP, and an airport permit in most cities.
Your vehicle also must meet these criteria:
UberLUX approved vehicles
Audi: A8
BMW: 7 Series
Jaguar: XJ
Land Rover: Range Rover
Lexus: LS
Mercedes-Benz: S-Class, G-Class
Porsche: Panamera
Tesla: Model S
Bentley: All 4-door
Maybach: All 4-door
Rolls Royce: All 4-door
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