It’s not always obvious which Uber ride type you should choose when traveling to the airport, carrying luggage, or traveling with a big group.
To pick the right ride, you need to know how many people each Uber ride type can fit, the luggage capacity, and how much the ride will cost.
Read on to learn the passenger and luggage capacity for each ride type and how to find a ride that fits your needs.
Which Uber ride type to use when you have luggage
- 1 person with luggage: UberX or Comfort
- 2 people with carry-on luggage and 1 checked bag: UberX or Comfort
- 2 people with large pieces of luggage: UberXL
- 3 people with luggage: UberXL or XXL
- 4 to 6 people with luggage: 2 Uber Xs or 2 XLs
UberX: For groups up to 4 (Or 2–3 people with luggage)
UberX is the standard Uber service for up to 4 riders. A group of 3 will be comfortable in almost any Uber X car. UberX drivers favor small, economical vehicles that technically fit 4, but it can be a tight squeeze.
UberX should comfortably fit 3 people with carry-on bags. You should upgrade to an XL if you have several large pieces of checked luggage.
Uber Comfort: Groups up to 4 (Or 2–3 people with luggage)
Uber Comfort is similar to UberX, but Uber Comfort vehicles offer more legroom, newer vehicles, and highly-rated drivers.
Expect the luggage capacity for most Uber Comfort vehicles to accommodate 2–3 passengers and room for one larger checked bag and a few carry-ons.
Comfort is a great option for airport rides when you want to be sure you’ll get a large sedan, not a compact car or small hatchback.
UberXL: For groups of 5–7 riders (Or 4 people with luggage)
UberXL is the best choice if you have more than 4 people in your group, but no more than 6 or 7. UberXL vehicles are minivans, SUVs, and midsize crossovers that have third-row seating.
In terms of luggage capacity, an Uber XL will fit around 4 people with luggage. Many XLs have a collapsible third row that can accommodate several large checked bags and carry ons.
But if you have very large bags, an XL might fit even less than 4 if some of the bags have to be stored in the seating area.
If you have 5 people and each person has luggage, you may need to order a second ride.
UberXXL: The ride type with the most luggage capacity
Want to guarantee that you get the most luggage space possible on your trip to the airport? Choose the XXL ride type. With XXL, you’ll be matched with a full-size SUV or minivan that can fit 6 passengers and a large quantity of luggage.
XXL is only available for rides to and from the airport, and it is not available in every city. XXL is similar to Uber Black, but it costs less and the vehicles may not be as luxurious as Uber Black vehicles.
Uber Black and Black SUV: Luxury vehicles and large luggage capacity
The Uber Black and Black SUV service is made up of larger luxury SUVs and sedans driven by commercially insured drivers. Like an XL, Uber SUV vehicles can hold 5–7 passengers and lots of luggage.
An Uber Black SUV typically will have the largest luggage capacity because most are full-sized SUVs like Chevy Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Lincoln Navigator.
Schedule a ride to the airport
It’s possible to schedule an Uber ride up to 60 days in advance or at least 2 hours before your ride. Reservations show an upfront price when you schedule the trip, so you’ll know exactly how much you will pay ahead of time.
After you book the ride, your reservation will be offered to local drivers and you will be notified when a driver accepts your reservation.
To schedule a ride on the Uber app home screen, tap the clock item next to the “Where to?” box. Enter the date, time, the pickup and drop-off location, then select a ride type. Finally, confirm your details to complete your reservation.
Will your Uber driver load your luggage for you?
Uber drivers are not required to load your luggage for you, but most will offer to help.
- For economy services like X, Share, & XL: Your driver is not required to load your luggage, but many will help you
- For premium services like Uber Comfort, Black, SUV, Lux: Your driver will most likely load your luggage for you. They may not technically be required to, but nearly all will offer to help with your bags.
When a driver sees you approaching with luggage, they will get out of their car and meet you at the trunk to indicate that they want to help with your luggage.
If the driver pops the trunk and stays in the vehicle, that’s your sign to load your own luggage.
Many drivers prefer to load luggage themselves to prevent damage to their vehicles. As one driver said, “It’s about a 90% probability that if they remove their own luggage they will drag it over the bumper on its way out.”
What to do if the ride you request doesn’t have enough room
Mistakes happen. Sometimes, you order an Uber and discover that it’s not large enough for your group or doesn’t have room for all of your luggage. What should you do?
If your Uber doesn’t have enough room for you, your group, or your stuff, you can:
- Have another person in your group request a second UberX or XL
- Cancel the ride and order an XL or other larger ride type
Beware of cancellation fees: If you cancel 2 or more minutes after you requested the ride, you’ll be charged $5 for X and XL and $10 for Uber SUV.
You’ll also be charged that fee if the driver shows up and you take more than 7 minutes to arrive at the driver’s car.
Never pressure the driver to carry more people than they can fit. It’s unsafe, illegal, and it puts the driver in an uncomfortable position.
Check uber.com/airports for more airport information and rideshare pickup locations
Head to uber.com/airports to see if you can use Uber at the airport you are traveling to. You can also find more information about the rideshare pickup & drop-off locations at each airport.
Alternatives to Uber for airport rides: Blacklane and GroundLink
Taking an Uber to the airport is cheaper and more convenient than a cab, but the lack of a reliable scheduling feature might make you anxious when you have a plane to catch.
Blacklane is a ride-hailing app that allows you to schedule your ride in advance with professional drivers who are commercially licensed and insured.
It’s more expensive than Uber, but it can be a more reliable way to get to the airport.
GroundLink is a black-car service that focuses on airport and corporate transit. You can schedule your ride online, in the app, or via 24/7 customer support.
Cyndi says
We are a family of 6 adults going skiing. We have one large suitcase and 6 Carry on, school back pack size. We have an hour and a half ride. Should we even request an uber at all? I don’t want to pay for 2
DougH says
That’s going to be a tight squeeze in an Uber XL, but it’s doable in certain SUVs. The problem is that you don’t know what type of SUV you’ll get. It could be a huge one, with a big third row and trunk space, or something like a Honda Pilot, which has a small third row and not too much trunk space when the third row is up. I know you don’t want to take two, but that’s the best safe option. A promo code will get $20 off your ride, so if you do need to split into two rides you could have someone in your group request the second using the promo code. That’s assuming you haven’t all tried Uber before, because promo codes are for new users only. I think two rides could still be cheaper than cabs or a shuttle.
Try using the Uber Fare estimator inside the app to see how much the ride would cost, and if you’re willing to pay twice for that.
BC says
Hi with 2 adults and 3 toddlers, two large luggages two carry ons and one lightweight stroller, which kind of uber should I request? What’s the cost from downtown sf to sfo?
Thanks!
DougH says
I think most Uber XL’s will fit all of your stuff. Just to be sure, request your ride earlier than you think you need to just in case you need to request another one at the last minute. Use the Uber fare estimator inside the Uber app to see how much that ride would cost.
R says
Hello, to get from Orlandos airport it doesn’t offer UberXL but instead UberBlack. Would that be big enough for two adults and two large suitcases?
DougH says
Yes, that would be big enough. UberBlack is typically a large SUV.
Elin says
I am going to be traveling from JFK to brooklyn with my husband and 18month old – we have a stroller and 7 pieces of luggage (we are moving countries). Will Uber Suv be big enough or should we use a prebooked limo service with bigger car options? Hope someone here has answers for me 🙂
DougH says
I think an Uber XL or SUV should be big enough, as long as the 7 pieces of luggage aren’t gigantic and as long as the stroller can fold down quite a bit.
urmil gandhi says
we are a family of 4 , 2 adults and 2 kids . 1 is 11 years old and other is 4 years old . we have 2 heavy luggages and 3 carry ons . need to travel from miami beach to west palm beach airport . what uber is preferable ?
DougH says
Hi Urmil. With 2 adults and 2 children and reasonable size luggage, you should be able to fit into one Uber XL. If you were four adults, I’d say to get two Uber X’s or two Uber XL’s, but with small children you can definitely do one Uber XL.
Amanda says
How do you know if an xl will be able to hold 7 passengers
DougH says
As soon as you make the request, call the driver and ask. Almost all Xl’s will be able to hold 7 but it’s worth calling to verify.
RS says
In April 2016, I will need to ride for about 5-6 people from Dublin to SFO. All the people will have medium / large suitcases, carryon totalling about 10 pieces of luggage. Which car of Uber/ Lyft can accomodate all of these people and luggage and how much it will cost? Please email me the answer. Thanks
DougH says
To be on the safe side you should request 2 Uber XL’s. Three people will be in each SUV/VAN, and there should be room for 5 pieces of luggage. It’s the most comfortable option with the least likelihood of last-minute surprises.