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Home » Lyft » Can you drive for Lyft with your car? See the vehicle requirements!

Can you drive for Lyft with your car? See the vehicle requirements!

Updated January 13, 2023 By Doug H565 Comments

Using a vehicle you already own is one of the best ways to drive for Lyft. But does your vehicle qualify for Lyft, and what’s the oldest year that Lyft will accept?

And if your vehicle doesn’t qualify, did you know that there are other ways to rent or buy a car for Lyft?

This guide covers the most up-to-date Lyft vehicle requirements. And learn how to rent a car if you can’t use your current car doesn’t qualify!

What you need to know:
  • Lyft requires a 4-door vehicle that meets your city’s vehicle age requirement
  • Many cities require a vehicle inspection before you can drive
  • The Lyft Express Drive program offers rentals starting at $200 per week
Drive for Lyft! Click here to apply
Article Contents
  • Lyft Vehicle Requirements
    • Requirements for Lyft XL, Preferred, Lux, Lux Black
  • The Lyft Vehicle Inspection
  • Vehicle Requirements FAQ
  • How to Rent a Car for Lyft
  • Full List of Vehicle Age Requirements

Lyft Vehicle Requirements: Does Your Car Qualify?

Below is the list of vehicle requirements for regular Lyft service. Scroll down to see the vehicle requirements of other Lyft services such as XL and Lux.

  • 4-door vehicle that meets the model year requirement in your city
    • See the full list of model year requirements
    • See the complete list of city and state requirements at Lyft.com
  • 5–8 seats, including the driver’s
  • No major cosmetic damage
  • Current vehicle registration
  • No salvage or rebuilt title
  • Must pass a vehicle inspection
  • Driver must meet driver requirements 
    • Pass a background check and driving record check
    • Driver must be listed on vehicle’s insurance policy

Vehicles that don’t qualify for any Lyft service

  • Full-sized vans (12 or 15-passenger vans like Ford Transit and E-Series, GMC Savana)
  • Salvage title or rebuilt title, even if the vehicle is in great condition
  • Taxis and other commercially-marked vehicles
Need to Rent a Car for Lyft? HyreCar has rideshare-ready rentals for Uber and Lyft drivers.

Drive for Lyft when you don’t have a car: Rental options

You can complete the Lyft application even if you don’t have access to a qualifying vehicle.

To apply without a car, visit the Lyft application and select “I need a car” on the application page. That will allow you to complete the background screening process without listing a car.

When you select the “I need a car” option, Lyft will send you information about the Lyft Express Drive rental program, which offers applicants rental cars.

Vehicle requirements for different Lyft services

Lyft offers several different levels of service, each with different vehicle requirements. Learn the difference between the Lyft services, then use this article to see which service your vehicle qualifies for.

Lyft XL vehicle requirements – Minivans and SUVs for groups of five or more

A Lyft XL vehicle must fit at least six people total to accommodate groups of five passengers.

  • Must seat six passengers (five passengers)
  • Same model year requirements as regular Lyft
  • Lyft XL drivers receive ride requests for both XL and regular Lyft rides. You can’t choose to only receive XL requests

Lyft XL costs around 1.5x the price of a regular Lyft, so a vehicle that qualifies for XL has higher earning potential than a regular Lyft car.

If your car qualifies for XL, your driver profile will automatically allow Lyft XL ride requests.

If you think your car qualifies for XL but you’re not getting XL requests, contact Lyft and ask to receive XL requests.

Lyft Preferred vehicle requirements

Lyft Preferred is a premium service that offers rides in newer cars with more legroom and highly-rated drivers. It is more expensive than a regular Lyft and offers higher payouts for drivers.

  • 2015 or newer
  • At least 37 inches of legroom
  • Must maintain a 4.9-star average
  • Must have completed at least 300 rides

Related: Tips to earn $1,000 per week on Lyft

Lyft Lux vehicle requirements

Lyft Lux is a high-end Lyft service for customers willing to pay more for a ride in a luxury vehicle. Lyft Lux vehicles are typically entry-level luxury models.

  • Must seat four passengers
  • 2015 or newer: Varies in some cities
  • Luxury vehicles from luxury brands such as Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz
  • Other vehicles qualify: Full list of vehicles eligible for Lyft Lux

Lyft Lux Black and Lux Black XL vehicle requirements

Lyft Lux Black and Black XL are high-end services that compete with Uber Black. They are the most expensive services and have the potential for higher earnings than any other Lyft service.

Vehicle requirements are the most strict for Lux Black and Lux Black XL, and to be eligible, you must maintain an average driver rating of 4.7 or higher.

  • 2017 or newer
  • Black exterior
  • Leather or leather-like material only. No cloth interiors.
  • Driver must maintain an average rating of 4.7 or higher.
  • Complete list of Lyft Lux Black and Black XL vehicles.

Lyft Lux, Lux Black, and Lux Black XL drivers can limit ride requests to the higher-end services by going to the Vehicles and Devices area of the Lyft Driver app and changing the Ride Preferences setting.

The Lyft vehicle inspection

RideShare Mechanic does video chat inspections for Uber & Lyft!

In most cities and states, your vehicle must pass an inspection. You can do the inspection at a Lyft Driver Center, locations listed in the Lyft driver app, or at any state-certified mechanic.

Read more: See the full Lyft vehicle inspection criteria

The Lyft inspection checks for the following:

  • Tires: Need sufficient tread. On a US penny, tread must reach Lincoln’s head
  • Windows: Free of major cracks, no cracks in driver’s field of vision. Windows must roll up and down
  • A/C and heat: Must be present and functioning
  • Wipers: Functioning and in good condition
  • Lights: All must function. Headlights, turn signals, brake lights, reverse lights
  • Horn: Must function
  • Seat belts: All must be present and functional
  • Seats: Front seats must move forward and backward
  • Body: Free of major damage or dents
  • Tailpipe/muffler: Must meet state standards

Lyft vehicle requirements FAQ

My car is too old for Lyft but it’s nice. Will Lyft accept it?
Lyft makes no exceptions to model year requirements. Even if your older car is in pristine condition, Lyft will not accept it. Consider renting from a service like HyreCar.

Does Lyft accept paper plates (temporary registration)?
Many drivers can add their cars to the Lyft system with temporary registration documents. Just make sure that the VIN on the temporary documents matches the VIN on your insurance information. If you’re having issues with having temporary documents accepted, contact Lyft.

Do I need any special permits to drive with Lyft?
Most cities and states don’t require special permitting to drive with Lyft, but some do. To see the exact requirements for your area, head to this page and scroll down to your state. Lyft will give you instructions on how to obtain any necessary permits.

My car qualifies now, but can it become too old later on?
Lyft typically updates its model year requirement yearly and disqualifies cars that become too old. For example, if the model year requirement in your city is 2008 or newer this year, next year it might become 2009.

In that scenario, a model year 2008 vehicle would become too old for the Lyft platform and no longer qualify. Lyft will typically warn you a few months in advance that your car is aging off of the platform.

How to rent a car for Lyft? The Express Drive program

If you don’t currently have access to a vehicle that qualifies for Lyft, you can rent a car from the Lyft Express Drive program or from one of several other rideshare rental companies.

Rideshare rentals include insurance and unlimited rideshare miles, so they’re a good way to get started with Lyft without purchasing a vehicle.

  • The Express Lyft Drive program
  • List of the top rideshare rental options
  • HyreCar has rideshare-ready rentals for Uber and Lyft drivers

Does your car qualify for Lyft? Try applying!

Still not sure whether your car qualifies? You can apply to drive with Lyft and find out during the application process, or you can contact Lyft.

There’s no perfect online tool that can tell you for sure if your car qualifies or not. The only way to be certain is to apply and find out!

Complete List of Lyft Model Year Requirements

Find the oldest car that Lyft will accept. Updated January 2023.

Use the search bar to find your state.

StateOldest Vehicle Year
Alabama2008
Alaska2011
Arizona2007
Arizona - Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson2009
Arkansas2007
Arkansas - Fayetteville2009
California2009
California - San Francisco, San Jose2008
California - Eureka, Chico, El Centro, Merced, Redding, San Luis Obispo, Victorville, Yuba City2007
Colorado2008
Connecticut2011
Delaware2007
Florida2011
Georgia2011
Hawaii2007
Idaho2009
Idaho - Boise2008
Illinois2007
Illinois - Chicago2008
Indiana2007
Indiana - Gary, Terre Haute, Muncie2009
Iowa2007
Kansas2007
Kansas - Manhattan, Topeka, Western KS2009
Kentucky2007
Louisiana2012
Maine2008
Maryland2012
Massachusetts2008
Massachusetts - Boston2007
Michigan2010
Minnesota2007
Minnesota - Minneapolis/St. Paul2008
Mississippi2007
Mississippi - Gulfport-Biloxi2009
Missouri2007
Missouri - Springfield2009
Missouri - St Louis2011
Montana2008
Nebraska2007
Nebraska - Western2009
Nevada2007
Nevada - Las Vegas2013
New Hampshire2007
New Jersey2008
New Mexico2007
New Mexico - Roswell, Las Cruces, Taos2009
New York State2007
New York City2007
North Carolina2007
North Carolina - Outer Banks2009
North Dakota2007
Ohio2007
Oklahoma2007
Oklahoma - Ardmore and Woodward2013
Oregon2007
Oregon - Portland2013
Oregon - Eugene2008
Pennsylvania2008
Rhode Island2008
South Carolina2007
South Dakota2013
Tennessee - Chattanooga, Clarksville, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville2007
Tennessee - Cookeville, Jackson, Johnson City2009
Texas2009
Utah2008
Vermont2013
Virginia2007
Virginia - Fredericksburg2009
Washington D.C.2013
Washington2008
Washington - Seattle & Tacoma2011
West Virginia2007
West Virginia - Martinsburg2009
Wisconsin2007
Wisconsin - Green Bay2008
Wisconsin - Janesville, Madison, Milwaukee, Sheboygan-Fond du Lac Area2009
Wyoming2009
149 shares

Originally Published October 30, 2018
Filed Under: Lyft

About Doug H

Gig economy driver, writer, and expert since 2013. I created Ridesharing Driver to help drivers navigate all of the challenges we face in the on-demand world!

Comments

  1. LetMeGetThisStraight says

    February 26, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    This was posted in 2018. Have the vehicle year requirements been updated for 2023? or were those the requirements in 2018? Basically is the requirement for Lyft Black currently “2017 and newer”, or “2022 and newer”?

    Reply
    • Doug H says

      February 27, 2023 at 8:56 am

      Up at the top of the page you’ll see that this article was updated on January 13, 2023. These are the current requirements. However, Lyft will soon increase the requirements by one year, but that hasn’t happened quite yet! I will update the page when it does.

      Reply
  2. Cc says

    October 13, 2022 at 6:41 am

    Can you drive a 2013 Toyota Prius

    Reply
    • Doug H says

      October 13, 2022 at 8:30 am

      Yes. Perfect car for Lyft

      Reply
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