Best Cars For DoorDash - Ranking The Best DoorDash Car Options

What are the best cars for DoorDash? If you’re looking to do DoorDash and plan to do it using a car, then the most important factor you’ll probably want to consider is gas mileage. Gas will be your most visible expense, so getting a car that offers good gas mileage – especially good city gas mileage – will matter a lot.

In addition to gas mileage, you also want a car that is easy to maintain since you may be putting a lot of wear and tear on your car. In general, popular cars will usually also be the easiest to maintain since there will be a lot of repair shops that service those cars.

Finally, you’ll want an affordable car. As much as getting a Tesla would be great, most of us simply can’t reasonably afford to get a car like that. And if you’re driving a car for DoorDash, you don’t want to put a ton of miles on an expensive car.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best cars for DoorDash. In addition to that, we’ll also consider other alternatives rather than getting a car, including renting a car or using a bike.

The Best Cars For DoorDash

As mentioned, we have three factors we should consider when thinking about the best cars for DoorDash: (1) gas mileage; (2) maintenance; and (3) affordability. Here’s what I think are the best cars for DoorDash based on these three factors:

1. Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is my favorite car and my number one choice for anyone delivering with a car for DoorDash. Indeed, the Prius is the car I’ve owned for the longest and it was only recently that I switched to a new car.

You can usually expect to get at least 40 miles per gallon, which means you can get plenty of miles from your ride. Combine that with a generally compact frame and plenty of cargo capacity, and you’re looking at one of the best car options for doing DoorDash.

Plus, the Prius is also a good option because it’s affordable. A new Prius isn’t that expensive and there’s a large market for used Priuses too.

2. Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid

The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid gets a lot of good reviews – and it’s easy to see why. This car is an affordable hybrid vehicle that’s easy to maintain and gets great gas mileage (around 50 miles per gallon in the city). When it comes to picking between hybrids, I still prefer to go with the Prius, simply because that’s a car I’m more familiar with, but I wouldn’t be against the Ioniq either.

Unfortunately, it looks like Hyundai will be discontinuing this car to focus on the full-electric Ioniq, but even with them discontinuing this car, I think it’s a great car that you can use to do DoorDash.

3. Toyota Corolla or Toyota Corolla Hybrid

This isn’t the best gas mileage car by any means, but it is an affordable workhorse car that is easy to maintain. For better gas mileage, you could also consider getting the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which will give you the great gas mileage that you’d expect from a hybrid vehicle.

The Toyota Corolla is a popular car, so getting parts and maintaining it will never be a problem.

4. Mitsubishi Mirage

The Mitsubishi Mirage is another affordable workhorse car that is generally easy to maintain. The main reason to go with a car like this is for affordability. It’s the cheapest car on this list that offers solid gas mileage, which is why I include it here.

5. Chevy Bolt

The Chevy Bolt is an interesting car. It’s a fully electric car, which means it doesn’t have an internal combustion engine and does not use gas. The car runs entirely on electricity.

The car gets 250 miles of range on a full charge, which should be plenty for most people doing DoorDash. Since it’s electric, the wear on your vehicle will be less too.

What makes the Chevy Bolt particularly interesting is how affordable it is. With rebates and incentives, a new Chevy Bolt sells for around $26,000 to $30,000. That’s very affordable for a new electric car. Indeed, I think it’s affordable for basically any car.

I recently bought a Chevy Bolt for myself, trading in my Prius for it. With the trade-in, I ended up paying about $25,000 for my Chevy Bolt. And so far, it’s been a pleasure to drive.

Of course, an electric car isn’t for everyone, but they’re worth considering.

Renting A Car For DoorDash

Rather than buying and using your own car for DoorDash, another potential option is to rent a car. DoorDash does let you do this and while it’s not cheap to rent a car, it comes with the advantage of helping you avoid wear and tear on your car and gives you a better idea of what your vehicle costs are.

There are two main ways you can rent a car. The first is with a traditional car rental from an established company (think companies like Hertz, etc). In fact, DoorDash has a partnership with Hertz where you can rent a car from them to do DoorDash.

A second option is to rent a car from a car-sharing company like HyreCar. This is where you rent a car from an individual, similar to how you’d rent a room on Airbnb.

Whether renting a car works for you will depend on how often you work and what you expect you can make after accounting for your rental expenses. I go into more detail about renting a car for DoorDash in this post: DoorDash Car Rental – Is It Worth Getting A Car Rental For DoorDash? Check it out if you think this option could work for you.

My Preferred Option – Using A Bike For DoorDash

Rather than using a car to do DoorDash, I think the best option is to use a bike. That’s the way I do DoorDash – I’ve been using a bike to do my DoorDash deliveries for years.

If you live in a city, you’ll often find a bike works better. You won’t have to worry about traffic or parking. And not only will you earn money, but you’ll also get exercise. Plus you’ll have a lot more fun.

To get the best of all worlds, you could also consider getting an ebike. For me, an ebike is the best thing I’ve ever bought and you can earn your money back for your ebike investment very quickly.

Whether a bike is a realistic option for you will depend on your situation. But before you dismiss it, I encourage you to think about whether it could work for you. You’d be surprised at how lucrative doing bike deliveries can be, especially when you don’t have to worry about gas or other car maintenance issues.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of good options if you’re looking to deliver for DoorDash. If you’re using a car, make sure you stick to an affordable car that gets good gas mileage and is easy to maintain. Leave the pickup trucks and SUVs at home.

And beyond using your own car, consider thinking outside the box. A rental car could work and will save you wear and tear on your own car. But a bike (or an ebike or electric scooter) could be the best option of all if your situation allows you to use those vehicles.

I hope this post was helpful!

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:

GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022. As long as you get your account opened before October 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
SoFi Money ($350) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
Fifth Third Bank ($250) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
Upgrade Bank. Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Note that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.