What are the best cars for DoorDash? If you’re looking to deliver for 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’ll also want a car that is easy to maintain since you may be putting a lot of wear and tear on it. 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, as well as easier access to parts and materials. Â
Finally, you’ll want to get an affordable car. As much as getting a Tesla would be great, most of us simply can’t afford to get a car like that. And if you’re driving a car for DoorDash, you likely don’t want to put a ton of miles on an expensive car either.
That being said, in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best cars for DoorDash. In addition, we’ll also consider other alternatives to buying a car, including renting a car or even using a bike or electric scooter.Â
The Best Cars For DoorDashÂ
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:Â Â
1. Toyota PriusÂ
The Toyota Prius is my favorite car and probably the ideal choice for anyone delivering with a car for DoorDash. Indeed, the Prius is the car I’ve owned for the longest amount of time and it was only recently that I switched to a new car.
You can usually expect to get at least 40 miles per gallon from a Prius, 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.Â
In addition, the Prius is also a good option because it’s affordable. A new Prius isn’t that expensive and there’s also a large market for used Priuses too at affordable prices.Â
2. Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid
The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid gets a lot of good reviews – and it’s easy to see why. This affordable hybrid car is 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 Toyota Prius simply because that’s a car I’m more familiar with, but I wouldn’t be against getting the Hyundai Ioniq either.
Unfortunately, it looks like Hyundai will be discontinuing this car to focus on the full-electric Ioniq, but even with the company 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 while also being easy to maintain. The Toyota Corolla is also a popular car, so getting parts and maintaining it will never be a problem.Â
4. Mitsubishi MirageÂ
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 amongst the best car options for DoorDash.
5. Chevy Bolt
The Chevy Bolt is an interesting car to consider using for DoorDash. It’s a fully electric car, which means it doesn’t have an internal combustion engine and – of course – doesn’t use gas. Instead, it’s powered entirely by a rechargeable battery.Â
The Chevy Bolt gets about 250 miles of range in normal weather conditions. That should be plenty for most people doing DoorDash. And since it’s an electric car, the maintenance on it is pretty minimal due to having no engine and fewer moving parts. For most people, maintenance on a Chevy Bolt primarily consists of regular checkups and rotating tires.
What makes the Chevy Bolt particularly interesting is how affordable it is for an electric car. With the current rebates and incentives, you can get a new Chevy Bolt for around $26,000 to $30,000. That’s good for any car, but especially so for an electric car.Â
The Chevy Bolt is the car I currently drive. I traded in my Prius for it. With the trade-in, I ended up paying about $25,000 for my Chevy Bolt. So far, it’s been a pleasure to drive. I installed a charger in my house, so I’m able to charge the car overnight and have a full charge in the morning. It’s great to not have to go to a gas station anymore. Â
Of course, an electric car isn’t for everyone, but they’re worth considering. And of all the electric car options out there, I think the Chevy Bolt is probably the best bang for your buck option.
Renting A Car For DoorDashÂ
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 own car and gives you a better idea of what your vehicle costs are.Â
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.Â
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 DoorDashÂ
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
And beyond using your own car, consider thinking outside the box. A rental car could work for you and will save you wear and tear on your own car. A bike (or an ebike or electric scooter) could be the best option of all if your situation allows you to use those vehicles to DoorDash.
I hope this post was helpful! What do you think is the best car for doing DoorDash? Leave any suggestions in the comments!
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 ($100) – 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 $100 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 (15 free stocks, $100 cash reward, 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (24 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 24 free shares 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 shares 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.
- GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
- 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.
- US Bank Business ($750) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- SoFi Money ($275) – 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 $250 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 ($225) – 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.
- 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.
- Netspend ($40 + 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 $40 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 $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- 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.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- 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.
- Varo ($35) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $35 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.
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 $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $750 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- 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 $100 for opening an account.
- DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
- 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.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Leave a Reply