When it comes to side gigs, few tools are as versatile for making money as the vehicle you have parked right outside your home.
Whether you’re considering using your own vehicle or purchasing a separate vehicle for the purpose of generating income, there are countless ways to make money while driving.
Below, we’ll talk about:
- 8 Ways to make money with your car
- Then we’ll talk about some considerations when using your vehicle to generate income
Let’s get started.
8 Ways to Make Money with Your Car
First, let’s talk about all the different ways you can make money with your car.
Within each point, we’ll include one or more popular apps you can use for each method.
Here are eight ways to make money with your car:
1. Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Let’s talk about the most well-known option to make money with your car first: ridesharing.
You probably know someone who’s been an Uber and/or Lyft driver at one point—and for good reason. It’s a remarkably easy side gig to set up (plus, it pays well).
How well? Typically $15-30 per hour, though it can be much higher during Friday and Saturday nights if you’re in a major metropolitan area.
Depending on where you’re located, a busy Friday or Saturday night can net you $100-200, making it a particularly great weekend side hustle.
Not to mention, it can be a blast meeting new people and having interesting conversations every time you set out to drive.
To start ridesharing, you need:
- Valid driver’s license
- Proof of residency
- Pass a background check
2. Food Delivery Service (DoorDash, Uber Eats)
If the idea of strangers riding in your vehicle makes you uncomfortable (for any number of reasons), delivering food could be the right gig for you.
Do note that food delivery services tend to offer less income potential outside of peak hours when compared to ridesharing. Food delivery drivers usually make $10-20 per hour on average, not including tips, compared to ridesharing’s $15-30.
However, if you pick a busy time block such as lunch or dinner, you can potentially make as much as with ridesharing.
According to DoorDash’s official New Dasher Guide, lunch between the hours of 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM and dinner between 4:30-8:00 PM are ideal times to hop on these apps.
The most popular app by far is DoorDash, with Uber Eats a good distance behind, both of which offer a quick and easy setup process.
To get started, most meal delivery apps require:
- Valid driver’s license
- Background check
3. Grocery delivery (Instacart)
Grocery delivery apps like Instacart offer car owners yet another unique way to make money–this time a hybrid between food delivery driving and grocery shopping.
If you’re a master grocery shopper, or you like the idea of being able to get out of the car occasionally and get some steps in, delivering groceries is a great option.
Another thing to consider is that peak hours for these grocery delivery services are a bit different from ridesharing and meal delivery’s peak hours. If you prefer to keep your days free, or you work a standard 9-5 (or 8-4), grocery delivery may fit into your schedule better.
According to Instacart, peak hours fall between 4:00 and 9:00 PM on weekdays, with orders spiking as people get off of work.
Instacart also has a feature they call “peak earning days” which allows you to see what times of the week Instacart expects to be the busiest, so you can schedule your driving in advance for the maximum earnings.
That’s especially true if you prefer not to drive on Friday and/or Saturday nights–peak times for both ridesharing and meal delivery.
To get started, Instacart requires:
- Be eligible to work in the U.S.
- Minimum weight-lifting (40 lbs) requirement
4. Wrap your car (Carvertise, Wrapify)
Car-wrap advertising services like Carvertise or Wrapify are a super convenient way to make extra money with your car.
At no cost to you, your car will be wrapped in a sleek-looking advertisement, which you’ll then show off on your regular driving routes (or your ridesharing routes).
In exchange, you make a certain amount of cash per campaign per month.
On average, users of Carvertise make between $100-500 per month depending on the advertiser’s campaign and how many miles they drive.
As opposed to ridesharing or meal delivery, however, this isn’t the kind of thing you can make a living from.
With that said, it is the perfect supplement to your regular income, giving you extra pocket change to work with each month. It’s also great as an addition to your ridesharing or delivery gig to further increase your earnings.
To get started, Carvertise requires:
- Minimum 30 miles driven per day (tracked using a GPS meter)
- 2008 model vehicle or newer
- Clean driving record (no points off your license, no DUIs, no more than 4 speeding tickets)
- Factory paint job
5. Rent Your Car (HyreCar, Turo)
Prefer to use your car to make money without having to actually drive? Share your car instead.
Using a service like HyreCar or Turo, you can rent out your vehicle to ride sharers, allowing you to make money with your vehicle on those days you don’t need it.
This method can be especially powerful for someone who works from home and doesn’t need to use their vehicle every day (or someone who has an extra vehicle gathering dust in their garage).
If you didn’t already know, leaving your car unused for long periods can result in costly maintenance issues. For those drivers unable to take their vehicle for a spin every few weeks to keep the battery operable, car-sharing is a great alternative.
Some drivers even build businesses around these services, purchasing a small fleet of cars that they use as full-time rentals to rideshare drivers (who most commonly use these services).
The average amount you can expect to make is $40-60 per day, with the average falling around about $50/day.
To get started, HyreCar requires your vehicle to meet certain requirements based on whether you want your vehicle used for ridesharing and/or delivery services.
Both HyreCar and Turo require:
- 4-door vehicle
- 15 years old or newer
- Valid registration and insurance
- Clean title
- No cosmetic damage or commercial branding
6. Deliver Packages (Amazon Flex)
If delivering food isn’t your thing, you can also try becoming a delivery person for Amazon.
With Amazon Flex, you can become a part-time or full-time independent delivery driver for the world’s largest online retailer.
Use your car to pick up and scan packages, make deliveries, and get paid. And, like all the other methods on this list, you can set your own hours–making it both a flexible and reliable income-generating option.
Amazon reports that drivers can expect to make anywhere from $18-25 per hour depending on the volume of deliveries in your area.
In addition, discounts are offered related to vehicle maintenance, car insurance, and other auto-related purchases.
The one caveat is that Amazon Flex isn’t actively taking applications in all areas, only those areas where their demand is higher than their current supply of delivery drivers.
To get started, Amazon Flex requires:
- Valid driver’s license
- Mid or large-sized vehicle
- iPhone or Android smartphone
- 21 or older and eligible to work in the U.S.
7. Turn your Car Into a Shuttle (HopSkipDrive, Care.com)
Similar to ridesharing, you can also make money with your car by turning your vehicle into a shuttle service with sites like HopSkipDrive or Care.com.
While the opportunities for this type of ridesharing are fewer compared to the opportunities major ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft offer, they tend to pay better and are more time-efficient.
With ridesharing, you have to notify the app that you’re available and then wait for your next ride to pop up.
You can do other things while you wait, but you need to be ready to jump the moment you’re selected for a ride which can be frustrating.
With a shuttle service like HopSkipDrive, users schedule drives in advance. You’re then notified of the ride request and can put it into your calendar.
That means you know exactly when you’re set to drive (and make money), making it a bit more convenient.
With that said, the qualification requirements are stricter. On both platforms, HopSkipDrive and Care.com, you may be asked to shuttle families with minors, which may necessitate a caregiving background.
If you qualify to be a shuttle driver, it can be a great side gig especially when used in tandem with other ridesharing apps.
To get started, HopSkipDrive requires:
- Valid driver’s license
- Clean driving record
- 23 years or older
- Five or more years of caregiving experience
- Vehicle no more than 10 years old
8. Do Moving Jobs (TaskRabbit)
One final but versatile method for making money with your car is TaskRabbit.
If you have a larger vehicle such as an SUV or pickup truck, you can take bigger delivery and moving jobs that pay well.
TaskRabbit allows users to request help with just about anything. Some of those tasks include:
- Pick-ups (whether that be medicine from a pharmacy or furniture from a store)
- Help with moving
- Delivering large items
According to TaskRabbit, the average pay you can expect from moving jobs is in the ballpark of $20-30 per hour.
Keep in mind, however, that you’ll be expected to do the full job which includes lifting whatever items you’re transporting. So, you’ll need to be comfortable lifting heavy items.
Drive for Profit
There are so many ways to make money with your car that it’s almost too hard to choose.
You could deliver groceries, deliver food to people ordering takeout, pick people up and shuttle them all around your city, or even just make your car into a driving advertisement.
Just make sure to consider the business side of things:
- You’ll be paid as an independent contractor, so be ready to pay taxes a bit differently than you may be used to
- Factor in the miles you’ll be putting on your vehicle and general wear-and-tear maintenance cost to know your true net income
- As well as additional optional costs such as a more extensive car insurance policy (to protect your investment)
If you’re considering purchasing a vehicle, or group of vehicles, strictly to use it as a full-time rental through something like Turo or HyreCar, you’ll need a safe and secure place to store your vehicle.
If you don’t have space at home in a garage or a driveway space, consider a peer-to-peer storage marketplace like Neighbor.
With Neighbor, you can find:
- Safe and affordable vehicle storage space
- In your local neighborhood
- And with zero hassle.
Check out Neighbor’s affordable and reliable car storage near you.
