If you have access to a car and enjoy driving, you can make extra money driving your car during your free time.
As long as you meet each company’s eligibility requirements, have a car in good condition, and have a smartphone, you should be good to go to apply to apps like DoorDash, Instacart, SkipTheDishes, and Uber Eats that’ll pay you to drive.
This article covers the top 13 applications you can use to earn while driving, including how they work, what their requirements are, and how much they typically pay.
How To Make Money Driving Your Car
When your car is not in use, you could monetize it by driving and completing various tasks.
Some options for making money with your vehicle include:
- Completing delivery jobs using your car (e.g., DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, and SkipTheDishes).
- Working as a rideshare driver (e.g., Uber and Lyft)
- Making money with car advertising (e.g., Drivertise and Cavertise)
- Renting your car to other drivers (e.g., Turo and Getaround)
- Getting paid for driving safely (e.g., OnMyWay)
Apps That Pay You To Drive
These food delivery apps pay to deliver restaurant orders and groceries to customers in your city.
| App Name | How You Can Earn | Average Pay |
| DoorDash | Delivering food orders using your own vehicle | $21.89 per hour |
| Instacart | Picking up and delivering grocery orders using your car | $783 per week |
| SkipTheDishes | Delivering food that customers order through the app | $14 to $18.83 per hour |
| Amazon Flex | Delivering Amazon packages using your vehicle | Up to $27 per hour |
| Uber Eats | Delivering food orders using your own car, bicycle, or scooter | Depends on how many orders you deliver |
| Postmates | Delivering restaurant orders using the Postmates app | $14.51 per hour |
| Turo | Renting out your personal vehicle to others | 70-80% of customers’ rental fee |
| Getaround | Renting out your car for payment | Depends on rental fees |
| Drivertise | Putting removable ads on your vehicle | $70 to $250 per month, plus $100 for car wash when selected for a campaign |
| Cavertise | Wrapping car with ads for campaigns | $350 to $1,500 per campaign |
| Uber | Providing ridesharing services | $40,964 per year |
| Lyft | Offering ridesharing services using your car or a rented vehicle from Lyft’s Express Drive program. | $486 per week |
| Apps That Pay You To Drive Safely (Safe2save, OnMyWay, and Mobilio) | Earning rewards for driving safely through practices like not texting or keeping your phone locked while driving | Varies depending on the platform |
1. DoorDash
DoorDash is a food delivery and ordering platform operating in Canada and the United States.
It hires independent contractors (drivers or Dashers) who use their own vehicles to deliver food orders to a customer’s doorstep.
The requirements for becoming a DoorDash driver include:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Access to a car, scooter, or bicycle
- Have a valid driver’s license and car insurance
- Consent to a background check
- Access to a smartphone
This gig is flexible, and you can work whenever you want.
The DoorDash driver app guides you through the steps of driving to a restaurant, picking up food, and dropping it off at a customer’s address.
As per Indeed.com, the average hourly pay for drivers is $21.89.
2. Instacart
Instacart is a grocery pick-up service and app available in Canada and the U.S.
Using its app, you can work as a full-service shopper and be paid to pick up and deliver grocery orders in your area.
The basic requirements to shop and deliver with Instacart using your car are:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Have access to a reliable vehicle
- Have a recent smartphone
- Be able to lift 50 lbs
- Pass a background check
Instacart’s full-service shoppers keep 100% of customer tips, and you get paid for each batch of deliveries to complete.
Indeed.com lists the average pay for Instacart drivers as $783 per week. You can learn more about how Instacart works in this review.
3. SkipTheDishes
This Canadian online food ordering platform has its headquarters in Winnipeg. It was acquired by Takeaway.com in 2020.
You can sign up to become a courier and use its Courier App to pick up shifts and deliver food orders to customers.
Courier requirements include:
- A reliable vehicle
- Valid driver’s license and car insurance
- Access to a smartphone and data plan
- Pass a background check
SkipTheDishes pays its courier every week.
As per Glassdoor, the typical courier earns $14 per hour, while Indeed.com pegs the average pay at $18.83 per hour.
If you plan on using SkipTheDishes to place food orders for yourself, you can get a $5 credit here.
4. Amazon Flex
Many of the Amazon boxes delivered to your doorstep are dropped off by Amazon Flex drivers who use their own cars.
This driving gig pays up to $27 per hour and is currently available in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. It is also widely available in the United States.
To get started, you need to download the Amazon Flex app and pass a background check. You also need to have an insurance policy that allows you to use your vehicle for delivering goods and merchandise.
Amazon Flex processes your payment on Wednesdays for deliveries made during the previous seven days, and it may take up to 5 business days for the money to be deposited in your bank account.
5. Uber Eats
Uber Eats is the food delivery service operated by Uber. It is available in Canada and the U.S.
Using the app and your car (or bicycle and scooter in some markets), you can deliver food orders whenever it works for your schedule.
The requirements if you plan on using your car include the following:
- Be at least 21 years old and have a 2-door or 4-door car that is not older than 20 years
- Proof of vehicle registration and insurance
- Proof of eligibility to work (e.g. Passport or Work Visa)
- Pass a background screening
Become a Delivery Driver With Uber Eats
Uber Eats is one of the best food delivery platforms available in thousands of cities worldwide.
You can sign up to become a delivery driver with Uber Eats if you have a valid driver’s license, a 2- or 4-door car less than 20 years old, proof of vehicle insurance, and are at least 21 years old. You will also need to pass a background check.
You can deliver as many or as few hours as you want on your schedule and cash out earnings easily. You also keep 100% of the tips you get. This side gig is a great way to bring in extra income.
6. Postmates
Postmates is a food delivery service in the United States. It was acquired by Uber in December 2020. Like DoorDash, you can deliver restaurant orders to customers using the Postmates app.
The requirements to become a Postmates driver include the following:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have access to a car and a valid driver’s license
- Have a smartphone
- Pass a background check
This food delivery gig pays out instant or weekly, depending on your selection, and you keep all the tips from customers.
As per Indeed, Postmates drivers earn $14.51 USD per hour on average.
Rent Your Car To Make Money
If you’d rather not drive strangers around or don’t fancy making food deliveries, renting may be for you.
7. Turo
Turo is a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace you can use to rent out your vehicle. It is available in Canada and the U.S.
Listing your car is free, and you earn 70% to 80% if the fee is paid by the renter.
Turo offers a standard $2 million in liability insurance, or you can waive it if you already have commercial rental insurance and want to increase your payments to 80% of the trip price.
Learn more about Turo in this review.
8. Getaround
This car-sharing platform is similar to Turo and helps car owners rent out their cars for payment.
Getaround offers 24/7 roadside assistance, and your vehicle is covered with a comprehensive insurance policy of up to $1 million.
Drivers are verified and screened for safety reasons and are limited to a daily mileage of 200 miles. When they exceed this limit, they pay extra fees.
Get Paid To Advertise On Your Car
There are companies that pay you to wrap your car with advertising while you won’t make a tonne of money; it does not require extra effort on your part.
Be sure to watch out for scams, though, as some scammers use this “opportunity” to dupe unsuspecting folks by asking them to transfer funds before getting started.
Examples of companies that pay you to put ads and stickers on your car include Cavertise, Wrapify, Drivertise, and StickerRide.
9. Drivertise
Drivertise pays you to put removable ads on your vehicle and operates in Canada.
Here’s what you can expect to earn for various ad placements:
- Back window: $70 per month
- Back window plus 4 doors: $130 per month
- Half wrap: $170 per month
- Full wrap: $250 per month
When your vehicle is selected for a campaign, you also receive $100 to put towards car washes.
Note that your car must be in good condition, and you must pass a driving record check (and background check in some cases).
10. Cavertise
Cavertise calls itself “American’s Largest Car Advertising” company. After you apply, they match your vehicle and driving habits to a fitting brand, and your car is wrapped.
Payments are made every month through direct deposit, and you can earn $350 to $1,500 per campaign.
The ads are removed from your car after a campaign is completed.
Get Paid To Drive Others
Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft offer ways to make money when you drive people around.
11. Uber
Uber is the most popular ridesharing app.
If you have at least one year of driving experience, a car in good condition, insurance, a valid driver’s license, and pass a background check, this gig can make you money on a part-time or full-time basis.
Uber drivers earn an average of $40,964 CAD per year, as per Indeed.ca.
12. Lyft
Similar to Uber, Lyft is available in Canada and the U.S. You must have a 4-door vehicle, or you can rent one through Lyft’s Express Drive program.
Earnings are paid weekly, and you keep all the tips paid by passengers.
Indeed.ca puts the average weekly pay of a Lyft driver at $486 CAD.
13. Apps That Pay You To Drive Safely
Lastly, there are apps that reward you for driving in a safe manner. For example, you may earn points for keeping your phone locked and not texting while driving.
Apps that fall into this category include Safe2save, OnMyWay, and Mobilio
Conclusion
In this list above, we have covered several ways to get paid for driving your car.
For more ways to make money using a side hustle or phone app, read the resources below:
