See the vehicle requirements for Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart & more

Note: This article contains affiliate links. We may be compensated if you sign up for the listed apps.

Driving for on-demand delivery apps is a growing work opportunity, especially if your car isn’t new enough for Uber and Lyft.

The vehicle requirements for most delivery apps are easy to meet: Any working vehicle qualifies, and you can even deliver on a bicycle or moped in some cities.

Delivery jobs are especially appealing to younger drivers: Most delivery apps hire drivers 18 or older.

Vehicle requirements of the top delivery apps

Scroll past the table to see more details about each app.

	Oldest Vehicle Accepted	Deliver on Bicycle, Scooter, Motorcycle?
Amazon Flex	Any year qualifies	No
DoorDash	Any year qualifies	Yes, in select cities
Instacart	Any year qualifies	No
Shipt	1997 or newer	No
Spark	Any year qualifies	No
Uber Eats	Any year. 20 years or newer in some cities	Yes, in select cities

Uber Eats vehicle requirements

Uber Eats has flexible vehicle requirements—nearly any vehicle will qualify.

• Any 2 door or 4 door vehicle qualifies
  • Must be 20 years old or newer in some cities
• Bicycle and scooter delivery is available in larger cities
• Apply to Uber Eats

If you want to drive passengers, your vehicle has to meet the UberX vehicle requirements.

More about Uber Eats

• How Much Uber Eats Drivers Really Make
• What it’s Like to Deliver for Uber Eats

DoorDash vehicle requirements

Dashers can use just about any vehicle to deliver for DoorDash, and bicycle delivery is available in some large cities.

• Any car, truck, or van in any condition qualifies. 2 or 4 doors is ok
• Auto insurance, your name on the policy
• No vehicle inspection

Learn more about DoorDash

• DoorDash Driver Requirements
• How to Schedule More Hours on DoorDash
• The Latest Data on DoorDash Driver Pay
• See The Highs and Lows of DoorDash Driver Pay

Instacart vehicle requirements

Instacart shoppers go to stores to shop for groceries and deliver orders to customers.

• Any car, truck, or van qualifies
• Drivers can be 18 or older
• Click here to sign up for Instacart

More about Instacart

• Instacart: Should You Be a Full-Service or In-Store Shopper?
• How to Become an Instacart Shopper
• How Much Instacart Shoppers Make

Amazon Flex vehicle requirements

Amazon Flex is a delivery service that uses independent contractors to complete deliveries.

• Vehicle must be a four-door sedan, a pickup truck, or a minivan
• Trucks and minivans may be eligible for extra earnings

Flex drivers sign up for shifts in blocks of 1–4 hours, pick up packages from a warehouse or Amazon store, then deliver items by following a route in the Amazon Flex app.

Read more about driving for Amazon Flex:

• How to become an Amazon Flex driver
• No offers on Flex? Here’s why

Shipt vehicle requirements

Shipt shoppers go to stores to shop & deliver groceries.

• Vehicle must be 1997 or newer
• Drivers can be 18 years or older
• Click here to sign up for Shipt

More about delivering for Shipt

• Want to be a Shipt shopper? Here are the requirements

Spark Vehicle Requirements

Spark drivers pick up and deliver orders for Walmart, Home Depot, and other major retailers.

• Any car, truck, or van qualifies
• No motorcycles, scooters, or bicycles are accepted

More about Spark

• Delivering for Spark: Driver Pay, Requirements, and More

Postmates vehicle requirements

Uber Eats acquired Postmates in 2020. All Postmates orders are now completed by Uber Eats drivers.

Delivering on scooters, bicycles, and mopeds

You can deliver on a bicycle, scooter, moped, or motorcycle for Uber Eats and DoorDash in some larger cities.

To find out if bicycle or scooter delivery is available in your city, begin the application process and check if bicycle delivery shows up as an option on the application.

The other major requirement: Background and driving record screening

Most delivery companies run a background and driving record check during the application process.

You may be disqualified for any major violations: DUI, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, and others. You’re also may be disqualified if you have more than 2 moving violations in the last several years.

• Will you pass the Uber background check?

Do you need special auto insurance to drive for delivery apps?

When it comes to auto insurance and delivery work, there are two important questions to answer: What coverage does the delivery app offer, and does your auto policy cover delivery work?

Insurance coverage is offered by (some) delivery apps: Most (but not all) delivery apps provide liability auto insurance that covers you while you do delivery work.

Amazon Flex and Uber Eats also offer contingent collision coverage, meaning you receive collision coverage and liability coverage if you carry collision coverage on your own policy.

Instacart does not offer any insurance for delivery partners, so your auto policy must cover everything in the event of an accident.

Does your auto insurance policy cover delivery work? Most personal auto insurance policies do not cover delivery driving, so your claim may be denied if you get into an accident while working for a delivery app.

Check with your insurance company to see what they cover, and seek out a policy that covers delivery if they don’t. Many of the big-name insurance companies now have products that cover delivery.

Contact insurance agents in your area to find a policy, or do a google search for ‘delivery auto insurance’ in your area.

How to rent a car for delivery apps

You can rent a car to drive for delivery apps if you don’t have access to a qualifying vehicle.

HyreCar is a rental service that provides cars for any delivery app. You can also use HyreCar to rent a vehicle for Uber and Lyft.

HyreCar is a good option if you don’t have a vehicle or if you prefer not to put miles on your own vehicle.

Want to try delivering?

• Apply to Uber Eats
• Apply to Instacart
• Apply to Shipt