If you decided to drive for Uber, then you need to know that driving for Uber is not just driving a car, it’s about different categories of service that you can provide to the many customers Uber services daily.
Most of us know and hear of UberX and UberBlack, but did you know that Uber has many more categories, some are extremely niche related and others, which I will present here, are popular daily.
The other difference between the categories is the income level. Uber takes into account that the more prestigious the level, the more expensive the car and the overheads are costlier too. So, While Uber X drivers earn a base fare of $2.20, Uber Black drivers start at $8.00. The difference is also in the per minute and mile charge too, Uber Black driver earns around $0.65 per minute while an Uber X driver income per minute is around $0.26.
The customers also vary between services, so you must decide which budget range you can afford to drive with and which customers you want to drive. Note, that the higher up your category means you can drive lower categories too, but if you are a lower category, you cannot drive a higher one. Some UberBlack drivers will drive UberX on slow days.
Uber Car Categories
Uber’s car categories include:
- UberX: standard car category
- UberPOOL: rides sharing a section of UberX
- UberXL: larger car category than UberX
- UberSelect: the first luxury level
- UberSUV: Uber’s SUV luxury level
- UberBLack: Uber’s primary luxury level
- UberLUX: Ubers top line service in LA only
There are some general rules that cross over all categories, and they are:
- The car interior must be clean and the upholstery in good condition with no wear and tear or stains.
- The car exterior must be clean, with no scratches or dents.
UberX (and UberPool)
UberX is Uber’s standard entry level foralltheir ride-share services. UberPool is Uber’s multi-passenger service, which is usually covered by UberX cars, and most of the rides are within this category. Uber Pool also now comes with a new category, Express Pool. The main difference between the two is that in Uber Pool you get to pick up and drop off passengers based on their location preferences, while Express Pool is more like a shuttle service, where Uber sets the pickup and drop off locations.
UberX car requirements are:
- Your vehicle must be no older than a 10-year-old model
- You must seat no less than four passengers including yourself.
- You must have four doors, no center opening doors or wings
- You must have four working seat belts
UberX cars include:
- Nissan Altima. Sentra.
- Toyota Prius, Camry, Corolla, Tacoma.
- Ford Focus, F-150.
- Chevrolet Malibu, Cruz, Cobalt.
- Volkswagen Golf, Passat.
- Chrysler 300 and 200.
- Honda Civic, Accord.
- Mazda 3, 6.
UberXL (and UberPool)
UberXL is a larger class of car that allows you to seat up to six rather than four passengers, other than that the requirements are identical to UberX
UberXL requirements are:
- You must seat five passengers
- You must have six working seatbelts not including the drivers
- Your car must be newer than ten years from the date of application
UberXL cars can include:
- GMC Acadia
- Dodge Caravan, Durango
- Honda Odyssey, Pilot
- Ford Explorer, Expedition
- Chevrolet Suburban, Traverse
- Nissan Pathfinder, Quest
- Toyota Highlander
UberSelect
UberSelect is the prestigious level of ride, and these cars must be more luxurious sedans, preferably with leather seating.
UberSelect car requirements are:
- Your car must not be older than an 8-year-old model
- You must seat no less than four passengers, not including the driver.
- You must have four doors
- Youmust have four working seat belts
- Your interior must be leather only
UberSelect cars can include:
- Audi A3 and up
- BMW series and up
- Lincoln (all)
- Mercedes C and up
- Volvo S60
- Acura
- Cadillac
- Hyundai Genesis
- Infiniti all models
UberSUV
UberSUV is Ubers prestigious and comfortable SUV level service, and this is one level below the top service provided by Uber.
UberSUV car requirements are:
- Your SUV must not be older than a 5-year-old model
- Cars must be full SUV only
- You must seat no less than four passengers, not including the driver.
- You must have four doors
- You must have four working seat belts not including the drivers
- Your interior must be leather only
- You must have Commercial registration
- You must have Commercial insurance
- You Must have Airport permits where applicable
UberSUV cars can include:
- Cadillac Escalade,
- Chevrolet Suburban,
- Lincoln Navigator,
- GMC Yukon XL,
- Infiniti QX80,
- Mercedes GL-Class,
- Lexus LX
UberBlack
UberBlack is the top level of luxury, together with UberLux. The only difference between the two services is that UberBlack cars are all black, and UberLux includes some models specific only to its own level.
UberBlack requirements are:
- Your car is no older than a 4-year-old model
- You must seat no less than four passengers, not including the driver.
- You must have four doors
- You must have four working seat belts
- Your exteriors and interiors must be Black.
- Your interior must be leather only
- You must have Commercial registration
- You must have Commercial insurance
- You Must have Airport permits where applicable
UberBlack cars include:
- Audi A6, A7, A8
- BMW series 5, 7
- Mercedez-Benz E and S class
- Porsche Panamera
- Tesla Model S
- Jaguar XF, XJ,
- Cadillac XTS
UberLUX cars include (and don’t need to be Black in color, inside or outside):
- Audi A8
- BMW series 7
- Mercedez-Benz S class
- Porsche Panamera
- Tesla Model S
- Range Rover
Author’s Bio
Bikram Bhangoo is the co-founder of Ridesharing Forum who helps rideshare drivers and riders to find answers to their most pressing questions. With over 5 years of experience, Bikram brings a vast amount of knowledge, style, and skills to help fellow drivers. He has given over 10,000 rides with Uber and more than 3,500 rides with Lyft.
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