What are the best cars for Uber Eats? If you’re looking to do Uber Eats and are going to use a car, then the most important factor you’ll probably want to think about 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 reducing your expenses.
In addition to good gas mileage, you also want a car that is easy to maintain since you’ll likely 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. Â
Finally, you’ll want 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 Uber Eats, you probably don’t want to put a ton of miles on an expensive car anyway.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best cars for Uber Eats. In addition, we’ll also consider other alternatives rather than buying a car, including renting a car or using a bike.Â
The Best Cars For Uber Eats
As mentioned, there are three factors we should consider when thinking about the best cars for Uber Eats. These include the following: (1) gas mileage; (2) maintenance; and (3) affordability.
Here’s what I think are the best cars for Uber Eats based on these three factors:Â Â
1. Toyota PriusÂ
The Toyota Prius is my favorite car and my number one choice for anyone delivering with a car for Uber Eats. In fact, a Prius is the car that I own. I’ve had the same car for over 10 years and while it’s definitely getting on in years, it’s still running strong.
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 Uber Eats.Â
In addition, the Prius is a good option because it’s generally affordable. A new Prius isn’t that expensive and there’s a large market for used Priuses too at reasonable prices.
2. Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid
The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid gets a lot of good reviews – and it’s easy to see whyaffordable hybrid car is that’s easy to maintain and gets great gas mileage at around 50 miles per gallon in the city. When it comes to picking between hybrid cars, I still prefer to go with the Prius because that’s a car I’m more familiar with, but I wouldn’t be against using the Hyundai Ioniq either.
Unfortunately, it looks like Hyundai will be discontinuing this car to focus on the full-electric Ioniq, but even though they’re discontinuing this car, I still think it’s a great car that you can use to do Uber Eats.
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.Â
The Toyota Corolla is a popular car, so getting parts and maintaining it should 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 also offers solid gas mileage, which is why I include it here.
Renting A Car For Uber Eats
Rather than buying and using your own car for Uber Eats, another potential option is to rent a car to do Uber Eats with. Uber Eats 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.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, Uber Eats has an official partnership with Hertz where you can rent a car to do Uber Eats.
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. You’ll usually pay a daily or weekly fee in exchange for the car, then return it when you’re done.
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. Here’s a post I wrote that looking into this in more detail: Uber Eats Car Rental – Is It Worth Getting A Car Rental For Uber Eats.
My Preferred Option – Using A Bike For Uber Eats
Rather than using a car to do Uber Eats, I think the best option is to use a bike. That’s the way I do Uber Eats – indeed, I’ve been using a bike to do my Uber Eats deliveries for years.Â
If you live in a city, you’ll often find a bike works better compared to driving. 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 pound for pound, I think it’s the best investment you can make when it comes to transportation.Â
Whether a bike is a realistic option for you will depend on your situation. But before you dismiss it, I encourage you to really 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 Uber Eats. If you’re using a car, make sure you stick to an affordable car that gets good gas mileage and is easy to maintain. That means you should leave the pickup trucks and SUVs at home.Â
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.Â
This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – 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 Ebike – 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.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R 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 just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 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.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- 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.
- SoFi Money ($325) – 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.
- Upgrade ($300) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $300 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $300 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – 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.
- 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 ($800) – 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.
- Fifth Third Bank ($200) – 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.
- GO2Bank ($50) - 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 $50 referral bonus.
- 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.
- 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 ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 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 $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 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.
- Empower. 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.
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