DoorDash Bike Vs. Car

When it comes to the question of doing DoorDash on a bike versus in a car, my answer is always the same – I opt to use a bike. DoorDash is one of my favorite side hustles precisely because you can use a bike to do all of your deliveries. It makes a lot of sense for me and depending on where you live, doing DoorDash on a bike might make a lot of sense for you too.

In this post, we’re going to look at doing DoorDash on a bike versus in a car and explain why I think doing it on a bike is the best way to maximize your DoorDash earnings.

In most markets, you can deliver for DoorDash using either a car or a bike. The vast majority of people will opt to deliver using a car. It makes logical sense. A car allows you to cover large distances and most people use a car to get around.

Cars have a lot of disadvantages though. The biggest issue, of course, is how much they cost. Not only do they have large upfront costs, you also have to deal with things like gas and maintenance. After accounting for these costs, it can be difficult to make much money.

In addition, cars often don’t seem well suited for doing deliveries. Dense downtown areas are typically the busiest places, but these are also the same places that are terrible for driving around in a car. You have to deal with traffic and parking, both of which can slow you down a lot.

Why A Bike Is The Best Way To Do DoorDash

I’ve never been much of the driving type and even today, I don’t own my own car (my wife does have a car that she uses to go to work, but I rarely drive it and I never use it for doing DoorDash).

Biking has what I think are some major advantages over using a car. Here are four advantages that come from biking that you can’t get from driving.

You Get Exercise. Doing deliveries in a car is inherently a sedentary activity and honestly, not all that healthy for you. Indeed, many already spend all day sitting at a desk. Being able to bike around a bit and get some exercise is a great way to stay in shape. A lot of people pay to go to the gym after work. I just turn on DoorDash, hop on my bike, and make some deliveries. It’s like I’m getting paid to exercise!
Low Expenses. The great thing about biking is that you’ll dramatically reduce your overhead expenses. When you’re doing deliveries using your bike, you don’t have to worry about paying for gas or putting miles on your car. The cost to maintain a bike for an entire year is fairly minimal – pay a few hundred dollars for a tuneup each year, adjust brakes, and repair flat tires.
You Don’t Have To Worry About Finding Parking. Anyone who has done deliveries in a car knows what a pain it is to find parking. Restaurants tend to be located in busy areas that aren’t particularly friendly to cars. A lot of customers also live in big apartment buildings that don’t have much parking. I love being able to just bike up to the restaurant or customer and walk right in without having to deal with parking.
You’ll Avoid Getting Stuck In Traffic. Traffic is a huge hassle for most people. The delivery rush tends to happen around dinner time, right when people happen to be on the road. When you’re on a bike, you can just cruise right through all of that traffic. It’s a sweet feeling when you’re able to fly past all of those cars.

The Ultimate Way To DoorDash – Using An Ebike

Even better than using a regular bike is using an electric bike. I bought my first ebike back in 2019 and have logged over 10,000 miles on my ebikes at this point. It’s completely changed how I think about biking and commuting. Indeed, an ebike is the best thing I’ve ever bought.

The great thing about an ebike is that you won’t have to expend much energy and you still get all the benefits that come with using a bike. I’m able to do deliveries faster than most cars, especially since I can use bike lanes and don’t have to deal with traffic.

I think an ebike can work out as a great investment for anyone looking to get an ebike and improve their delivery game. Get yourself a good delivery backpack and you’ll be set. It doesn’t take long to earn your money back on an ebike too.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to DoorDash bike vs. car, doing it on a bike is the way I opt to go. If you live in a dense city, you’re likely going to do better on a bike (especially if you opt for an ebike).

Not only will you save money on gas and maintenance (which improves your profit margins), but you’ll also cause less pollution and make the world better for the people around you.

If you’ve never tried doing DoorDash on a bike, give it a shot. You might be surprised at how good it can be. And it’s way more fun that way!

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 (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.
US Bank Business ($500) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: AZ, AR, CA, CO, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, SD, TN, UT, WA, WI, WY. 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.
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.
Upgrade ($50) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $50 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 April 15, 2023. As long as you get your account opened before April 15th, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $50 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
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.
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.
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 ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 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 $500 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.