woman working for Uber Eats

How Much Can You Make Driving For Uber Eats?

When it comes to making passive money through a side hustle, driving for Uber Eats can be a good choice. How much can you really make as a driver? The average earnings for an Uber Eats driver is approximately $38,000.

Still, that consists of many smaller fees that change with time and depending on what kind of driver you are. If you want to learn more, read this article from Cash Cow to learn how Uber Eats earnings are determined, how to become a driver, and how to maximize your earnings.

How Are Uber Eats Delivery Earnings Determined?

Food delivery platforms like Uber Eats have unique ways of structuring your earnings. The first step to deciding whether or not Uber Eats is for you as a good side hustle is to understand precisely how you can make money from it. Everything starts with the base pay and the extra amount you get for each order you take on.

The overall pay consists of a few different aspects:

  • The base fare, which is typically $2 to $4, depending on where you’re located
  • The pickup fee, which is for the time and effort you spend getting the order from the restaurant
  • The drop-off fee, which is for getting the order into the customer’s hands
  • Trip supplements, which are based on the time and distance involved in completing a delivery
  • Surge pricing, which incentivizes drivers during peak or high-demand periods
  • Tips from customers
  • Assorted incentives that Uber might offer occasionally, like rewards for completing a certain number of deliveries throughout your time with the platform

Individually, the amounts for each fee above might seem small, but they can add to significant amounts. That’s especially true if you consistently devote time and effort to delivering orders over an extended period. You also want to make sure you are doing your best on each delivery so you can get good reviews. The better your reviews, the more orders you’ll get and the more money you could earn.

How Do You Maximize Earnings Driving For Uber Eats?

As an Uber Eats driver, you’ll soon learn a few tricks of the trade while you’re on the job. While these probably won’t raise the base pay, these tricks will help you with supplemental pay. There are plenty of honest ways of maximizing your earnings if you play it smart and are willing to put effort into it.

Here are a few examples of things you need to make sure you are doing:

man driving for Uber Eats

1. Know Your Market 

The first thing you need to know is your target market. Knowing your market well is one of the best ways to maximize your earnings. That means understanding things like when the usual peak periods occur and where surge demand might come from. It is important for you to take on orders, especially during these hours, so you can make the maximum amount you can.

2. Keep An Eye On Incentives

It’s also helpful to keep an eye on any incentives offered by the platform. That way, you can jump at the opportunity to earn more as soon as it's available. Two incentives you can get on Uber Eats include the sign-up bonus if you are brand new to the platform and Uber Quest. These are daily goals that you can achieve when you do a certain number of deliveries during a set period.

3. Be Nice To People

Tips can be a big part of your earnings, so always be nice to people. You need to strive to practice patience and professionalism, as they’ll take you a long way. This means keeping communication open with customers while you are delivering their food, handling their food with care, and arriving at their homes with a friendly and positive attitude. You’d be surprised how far this could get you to a good tip!

4. Minimize Costs

Be as efficient as possible and cut your costs. Doing this will allow you to keep more of what you earn. One way to do that is to keep your vehicle well-maintained. Doing so will help you avoid breakdowns and ensure the car is as fuel-efficient as possible.

This includes ensuring your tires are in good condition, the brakes are working like they are supposed to, and the motor is working well. While maintaining your car will cost you, it’ll be worth it when you can make more deliveries.

How Do You Become An Uber Eats Driver?

Of course, to enjoy earnings from Uber Eats, you must first become an Uber Eats driver. The good thing about having this side hustle is that you get to set your own schedule and decide how long you make deliveries. If you are in need of a pretty substantial side gig and really want to drive for Uber Eats, make sure you meet the requirements.

Joining the platform is pretty straightforward, but there are a few minimum requirements, such as:

  1. Driver’s License: For starters, you must have a valid driver’s license regardless of whether you plan on delivering orders with your car, scooter, or bike.
  2. Background Check: Joining the platform also requires a background check. This is to ensure that it’s safe for you to work with both customers and the restaurants from which you collect orders.
  3. Vehicle Condition: Your chosen vehicle must also be in good enough condition, especially since your ability to deliver orders depends on it.
  4. Other Requirements: Uber Eats might impose other requirements for new drivers as they see fit. So, be sure to check their official website or contact them directly to ensure you qualify.

Uber Eats driver delivering food

How Else Can You Make Money For Emergencies?

While you can make a pretty decent amount of money driving for Uber Eats, you might find yourself needing a large sum of money quickly to help with emergencies. Well, you will be happy to know that you can use your vehicle and your vehicle’s lien-free title to get a car title loan from us at Cash Cow. This loan allows you to put up your title as collateral for up to $1,400. The good thing is we don’t keep your vehicle – so you can continue to drive for Uber Eats while you repay the loan.

All we do is put a lien on your title and hold onto it while you repay. If you have poor credit, you don’t have to worry because we welcome you to still come and see if you can qualify. Plus, our loan representatives can assess your vehicle and let you know how much you could stand to get at any time – our representatives can even come to you instead of you coming to one of our stores! If you want to learn more, check out our website right now.

Get Emergency Money To Fix Your Car Now With Cash Cow!

Driving for Uber Eats is a great side hustle for many people who want to make money on their own schedule. Still, you must decide if making money that way is enough to cover your financial needs. If it is, then you should try it out with the help of this article. In the meantime, you can get a title loan from us at Cash Cow to help with emergency expenses! Use the simple online form to submit your basic information and one of our friendly representatives will call you back soon!

 

Note: The content provided in this article is only for informational purposes, and you should contact your financial advisor about your specific financial situation.

Emma Frost

Emma Frost is a lifestyle and finance blogger with a talent for communication and a passion for financial literacy. She uses her writing talents to explore topics that help her readers gain financial stability and growth.