12 Ways to Make Money Driving in 2023
Updated: Jul 18
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There have never been more ways to make money outside of your day job than there are in 2023. Thanks to the development of the gig economy, along with other factors, it has become popular than ever to take on a side gig or two outside of work.
But did you know that there are actually over ten different ways that you can make money with your car?
Here are all the ways in which you can use your car to help save for your next vacation, pay off debt, or save for another financial goal.
Best driving apps to make money
Making money with your vehicle doesn't have to be this herculean task. The strategies I'll review here fall into one of these buckets:
Food delivery apps
Ridesharing apps
Delivering groceries
Renting out your car
Advertising on your car
Without further ado, these are my ten favorite ways to make money with a car in 2023.
Food delivery apps
One of the most popular ways to make money by driving is to delivery restaurant orders through platforms such as DoorDash or Grubhub. Not only can these apps help you to build a side income in 2023 and beyond, but they also can help you make money without having to open your car up to strangers.
1. DoorDash
DoorDash is probably my favorite food delivery app at the moment. Not only do they offer the potential to make good money on the side, but the platform also is structured to allow drivers to complete a couple different orders at the same time.
Plus, if ordered within a certain time frame (usually 10 minutes), users can add on items from secondary restaurants, liquor stores, and convenience stores.
The result for you? A larger order size, value, and delivery tip.
 | ​Driving for DoorDash is a great way to make money for driving and completing deliveries |
2. Grubhub
Grubhub is another great option for those looking to make money driving. Not only can you earn tips (which can be really sizable depending on the value of the order), but you'll also earn base pay for each delivery that you complete.
According to Indeed, the average delivery driver for Grubhub earns over $18 per hour. If you're serious about making money driving with Grubhub, I recommend that you gather all of the information you'll need to complete your application ahead of time. Doing so will help you to expedite the process and get working sooner.
For reference, you'll need your social security number, license plate number, proof of insurance, license number, and direct deposit information.
3. Uber Eats
Uber Eats is also an option for those that are at least nineteen years old, have a 2 or 4 door vehicle, and have a valid driver's license.
I'm the least familiar with the Uber Eats platform, but it is worth noting that drivers may also leverage Uber ridesharing as well to increase their total platform earnings.
More on Uber in a minute.
Drive for a rideshare app
Driving for a company like Uber or Lyft undoubtedly remains the most popular way to make money with your car in 2023. I’ve ranked it second on this list for one reason, though. I’m personally not crazy about driving strangers around in my car, but it can be lucrative if you’re able to maximize customer tips.
4. Uber
Driving for Uber has exploded as an income source in the past decade. In fact, the platform now boasts over 3.5 million drivers worldwide. Before you sign up, you'll want to be aware of the platform's eligibility criteria for drivers:
Have an active and valid driver's license
Have an active car insurance policy
Successfully pass a background check
Once you've been approved though, you may be able to earn $15-$20 per hour driving your car around. Not bad!
5. Lyft
Like Uber, driving for Lyft is awesome because you'll get to set your own schedule. Nights, weekends, days, the world is your oyster.
Similar to Uber, you'll need to make sure that you have an active license and insurance policy, as well as pass a background check designed to check for criminal activity and driving infractions.
Typically, I recommend that freelancers join both Uber and Lyft. Plenty of drivers do so, and it allows you to easily switch between the platforms based on pay rates, which platform is experiencing more traffic, etc.
Deliver groceries
I've already mentioned delivering takeout via apps like Grubhub, DoorDash, or Uber Eats. But did you know there are actually similar platforms that will pay you to fulfill and delivery grocery orders in your area?
6. Instacart
Instacart is the nation's leader in grocery delivery services. With over 600,000 shoppers/drivers nationwide, you'll join the ranks of a robust business. And the pay can be really good!
Shoppers and drivers oftentimes report making up to $25 per hour of work, though earnings between $15-$20 is more likely.
I'm a huge fan of Instacart for one main reason. You are guaranteed a minimum pay amount per job. If you're completing deliveries only, you will earn a minimum of $5, no matter what. And if you're doing the shopping and the delivery, you'll make at least $7-$10, regardless of any other factors that may arise.
Plus - you can earn tips for good service, and you'll keep 100% of them!
7. Shipt
Shipt is a smaller, but still formidable, competitor to Instacart. Owned by the Target Corporation, Shipt has a good following that love the platform. It is really easy to become a shopper, but you should know that you may be asked to complete a thirty minute training/informational interview before you are cleared to start making deliveries.
I prefer Shipt to Instacart, and here is why. Though it comes with the territory, it can be really frustrating to sit in traffic while trying to make money driving to your delivery drop off points.
Luckily, Shipt has a solution. The company updated its pay model a couple of years back to make sure drivers are compensated fairly even if they sit in traffic or take on deliveries that may be a little bit out of the way.
In fact, many drivers report earning up to $22 per hour - or more!
Rent your car out
Did you know that you can actually make money with your car without driving? That's right! Similar to Airbnb, where you can rent out your real estate, apps and platforms such as Turo, HyreCar, and Getaround allow you to make money to let others drive your vehicle.
Plus, you may be eligible to take tax deductions for doing so.
8. Turo
Based in San Francisco, Turo offers vehicle owners the opportunity to rent out their vehicles by the day, and set their own rates for doing so. When I first became familiar with the concept of Turo, I wasn't a believer, mostly because of the risks associated with letting a stranger drive your car.
But there are ways to address this. I recommend that you purchase insurance through Turo, since your auto insurance policy is unlikely to cover a vehicle that is being used for car-sharing.
You'll have a bunch of different plans to choose from:
60 Plan
75 Plan
80 Plan
85 Plan
90 Plan
Each of these plans cover up to $750,000 in third-party liability insurance, but you can do all of your due diligence here.
9. HyreCar
You may also opt to rent your vehicle out through HyreCar, a platform that forces vehicle owners to rent out their cars for a minimum of two days to start out. And while renters face a mandatory $200 deposit to rent out your car, I tend to favor Turo.
I like Turo more for two main reasons:
HyreCar customer service is only provided via email, meaning that you can't call the company directly.
HyreCar focuses on rentals that allow drivers to use your vehicle to work for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or another like company. This increases the likelihood of your vehicle being used for more miles than you intended, bringing about depreciation and the need for costly repairs more quickly.
On the flip side, the insurance options are much easier to understand with Hyrecar, so that is worth something.
Wrap your car with advertisements
Now, time for a very unconventional way to make money by driving. There are actually companies out there that will help you partner with brands and wrap your car in advertisements, unlike what you may see in a Nascar race.
I'm aware of a number of companies that can help you do this, but I am a fan of three in particular.
10. Carvertise
Carvertise is a platform that brings popular brands and drivers together for the purpose of purchasing advertising space on your car.
Here's how it works. Once your account is approved, you'll be contacted when a brand partnership in your area is deemed to be a good fit. You'll be offered an advertising campaign that will last a set number of months (usually six at the most) with a monthly rate that you'll be paid. These rates are usually between $100-300.
And to earn this money, all you'll need to do is continue driving around the way you normally do.
Popular brands on the platform include Netflix, Buffalo Wild Wings, Nascar, Wawa, and Blue Cross. And let's be honest, getting to partner with a brand and company you're familiar with is pretty cool!
11. Wrapify
You may also consider wrapping your car with advertisements with Wrapify. In my opinion, you'll likely make more money with Wrapify that Carvertise if you routinely drive more than 40-50 miles in a day.
This is because Wrapify's formula actually compensates based on the number of miles you drive. This, of course, benefits those with longer commutes.
The actual answer tends to be more complex than this, and it may depend on your location and recurring driving habits.
12. Nickelytics
My third favorite car advertising platform is Nickelytics. Similar to Carvertise and Wrapify, you'll be compensated for driving around with ads placed on your car. Nickelytics works a little differently though, as it is focused on helping those working for other apps such as Uber or Grubhub.
Once you download the app and register, you'll turn on the app when you're working. Then, the platform will automatically analyze your driving habits and provide you with campaigns that it deems are a good fit.
From here, you'll get paid per mile, effectively increasing the money you earn for driving with another platform. In fact, you'll likely earn between $200 and $300 for each campaign that you complete.
Why make money with your car?
Making money with your car is an appealing option for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to use an asset that you already own in an attempt to increase your income. And that’s awesome!
Secondly, using one of the strategies on this list also increases your flexibility. These gigs are mostly things that you can work when you want to, and stay home when you want to.
On the flip side, there are a couple of negatives. First of all, you’re likely going to be using your own vehicle, which means that you’ll likely encounter necessary maintenance expenses sooner than you would have without adding these additional miles to your vehicle.
Plus, you’ll need to budget for additional expenses, like extra gasoline. While it isn’t fun, it is important to remember that a portion of your side income will need to be used to cover these expenses.
Which driving app is best to make money?
I've covered twelve different and distinct apps in this piece, and you're probably wondering what app(s) are best for you. I encourage my readers to think through the difficulty in making money from each strategy.
A few of these apps and platforms, such as Turo or Carvertise, actually present you a great opportunity to start making passive income. I'm biased, but that's probably where I'd start.
Then, I'd turn to those approaches that would require more active work.
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