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.
Lanre says
We are two adults with two babies that require to use 2 car seats. we will be going to the airport with 5 big checked suitcases, two carry on luggages and one baby stroller. Can we use Uber XL?
DougH says
Just note that drivers don’t have car seats. An XL could work if you think that the average SUV can fit the two car seats and an adult. The third row could be folded down to accommodate all of the luggage. Even then, 5 checked bags is bulky and you may need a second car.
Lynn Kitchene says
We are two people traveling with 3 large suitcases and 2 carryon’s. What size Uber should we use?
DougH says
If the suitcases are very large you might want to do an XL. Try to imagine the size of a regular sedan (Prius, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord), and if your big pieces can’t fit in that, get the XL.
Christa Lazar says
We are two adults with three checked suitcases and one small carryon suitcase, one backpack. Is it reasonable to expect that two suitcases be loaded on the back seat beside one passenger? We do that all the time in our Ford Fusion. We are planning to call uber x.
Thanks
DougH says
I think if that setup usually works in a Ford Fusion, it will work in most UberX cars
Leida Dougherty says
We are 2 adults with 1 large suitcase (30 inches high, 19 inches wide, 13 inches deep) along with 1 garment bag and 1 carry on hand luggage bound for the Amtrak Union Station Tampa, Fl. What Uber car type do you recommend?
DougH says
If you think that luggage can fit somewhere in a normal sedan (trunk or backseat), then UberX is the service to call
Anita says
We are 4 people with 4 check-in and 3 carry on‘s. Will one XL be ok?
DougH says
It might be a tight fit. Make sure to order the car a little earlier than you need just in case it’s not big enough and you need to order a second car.
Stuart says
We are 2 adults with 1 large checked suitcase and two hand luggage bound for the airport. What type of Uber do you advise?
DougH says
I think an UberX would work well
Catherine says
We are 2 adults with 4 large checked suitcases and two small backpacks, bound for the airport. What Uber car type do you advise
DougH says
If the checked suitcases are very large I’d advise you go with an XL