You can rent a car to drive for Lyft…but is it worth it? [Lyft Express Drive Review]

Did you know that you can rent a car to drive for Lyft through the Lyft Express Drive program?

Express Drive offers weekly rentals through Hertz and Flexdrive that start around $250 per week, with insurance and routine maintenance included.

Rentals are a good choice if you don’t own a qualifying vehicle or if you don’t want to put too many miles on your personal car.

Read on to see our complete review of the Express Drive program! Learn the difference between Hertz and Flexdrive rentals, and see when it makes financial sense to rent. 

How much do Lyft rental cars cost?

Lyft Express Drive rentals typically start around $250 per week for a midsize sedan or $320 for an electric vehicle. The cost of a rental depends on the market you’re in, the vehicle you rent, and the rental options that you choose.

Note that the minimum rental period is 7 days and Lyft does not prorate the rental cost if you turn in the vehicle early.

Payments for a rental are deducted from your ride earnings. If your earnings don’t cover the entire rental cost, Lyft will charge your payment method for the remaining cost.

How much can you earn with a Lyft rental?

A full-time Lyft driver working 40–50 hours per week can earn $500–$1,000 per week before expenses.

Take $1,000 in earnings, subtract $300 in rental costs, and you’re left with around $700 per week. And that’s before subtracting gas or charging expenses.

Looking at it another way, let’s assume you earn $20 per hour before expenses. It would take around 15 hours of driving to pay off the rental. Any earnings after that would go to your pocket. And don’t forget about taxes!

But your personal experience with a rental may vary quite a bit. Earnings vary drastically depending on your area, the time of year, and even the times of day you drive. You’ll have to experiment to see what earnings are like in your area.

Renters earn less per ride!

The base ride earnings for Express Driver renters are lower than earnings for drivers who use their personal vehicle. That means that the same ride will pay less for renters than it does for non-renters.

Lyft claims that base earnings per ride are around 17% lower for renters on average, but the exact earnings difference varies by market.

Why do renters earn less per ride? The lower earnings rate is to account for higher insurance premiums, included maintenance, and other costs that are unique to rentals.

Earnings examples from real Express Drive renters

Here’s a real-life earnings example: The driver below earned $1134 after 52 hours of driving, and paid $391 to rent and charge an electric vehicle. Their final earnings were $743, which is around $14 per hour.

You can also compare earnings from renting on Lyft to earnings from renting on Uber. In the end, many renters earn around $15 per hour after expenses.

Another example: $10,000 in revenue but only $1,700 left over?

A Lyft driver on Reddit shared an eye-opening example of how low your earnings can really be when you rent a car through Lyft.

The renter’s year-end tax summary from Lyft showed around $10,139 in ride payments and over $8,400 in Lyft platform fees, service fees, and Express Drive rental payments. They were only left with $1,730 in net earnings.

With 390 rides, that works out to only $4.43 per ride. In their case, renting wasn’t worth it.

Other Express Drive features and policies

Read on to learn about mileage plans, deposits, and rental insurance.

Mileage plans: Hertz is unlimited, Flexdrive has tiered mileage plans

Hertz offers unlimited miles all for one rental price. They do not distinguish between miles you drive for Lyft and miles you drive in your personal time.

Flexdrive offers unlimited miles while you’re online and driving for Lyft, but charges extra for offline personal miles. When you book a Flexdrive rental, you can choose between mileage plans that each have a different number of personal miles.

Weekly rates are higher for plans that include more personal miles. You can save on your rental cost by selecting a plan with fewer personal miles, but be warned that you will be charged a fee that if you go over your mileage limit.

Some drivers get around the personal mileage limitation by signing into driver mode and declining ride requests while driving for personal use.

Refundable deposit

All Express Drive users must pay a refundable deposit before accessing a rental car. The deposit is typically around $150, but the amount varies based on your market, the rental agency, and driving record.

You must use a credit or debit card in your name to make the deposit. Lyft does not accept pre-paid cards for the deposit.

When do you have to pay the rental deposit? You will be prompted to pay the deposit after you schedule a rental pickup.

Here’s when Lyft returns your rental deposit:

• If you fail the Lyft background screening process, your deposit is returned following the 10-day window to contest the results
• When you return your rental vehicle, the deposit is returned within 5–10 business days
• If you request to leave the Express Drive program without ever renting a vehicle, the deposit is returned in 2–5 business days

Insurance is included with all Express Drive rentals: $1,000 deductible unless you buy the damage waiver

One benefit of Express Drive rentals is that auto insurance is included in the weekly cost of the rental. The insurance policy includes liability, collision damage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

The collision deductible for both Hertz and Flexdrive is $1,000. You may be able to pay extra for a ‘loss damage waiver,’ which can make your deductible $0 for an extra $5–$10 per day.

Opting for the loss damage waiver can significantly increase your weekly rental cost, but it’s a good idea if you don’t think you can afford the $1,000 deductible.

More Express Drive insurance features

• Both personal driving and rideshare driving are covered
• The collision deductible is $1,000 for both Hertz and Flexdrive
• You can purchase a loss damage waiver for $5–$10 per day that brings the deductible down to $0
• $1,000,000 liability policy applies while a ride is in progress. Liability is also offered during personal driving at different levels that depend on your state

You can be blocked (banned) from Lyft rentals!

The rental agencies reserve the right to block you from future rentals if they believe you violated their policies or if you have an outstanding balance. You’ll get a notice in the app similar to the one below if you are blocked.

What’s the difference between Hertz and Flexdrive rentals?

Hertz and Flexdrive each offer similar rental services, but there are a few differences that are worth mentioning.

Hertz offers unlimited miles for one weekly cost. Flexdrive has different mileage packages that allow you to pay less if you don’t need many personal miles, or pay more if you do a lot of offline driving.

Another big potential benefit with Flexdrive is that you can use the vehicle to drive for other apps. With Hertz rentals, you can only use the vehicle to drive for Lyft.

Some cities offer both Hertz and Flexdrive rentals, but others only have one of the two. Check the Express Drive cities at Lyft.com to see what’s in your area.

Hertz vs Flexdrive rental features

• Flexdrive has pay-as-you-go mileage plans. Hertz offers unlimited miles for one price
• Each has different insurance options, but both cover you and the vehicle you rent
• Some cities offer both Hertz & Flexdrive options, while others only offer one of the two
• Hertz has more EV rentals than Flexdrive
• Maintenance procedures are slightly different between the two

Hertz electric vehicle promo: Bonuses up to $150 per week

In select areas, Hertz offers an electric vehicle bonus that can pay up to $150 per week when you give enough qualifying rides in a Hertz EV rental.

The bonus is a great incentive to try an EV and helps make the rental cost more competitive with non-EVs.

The Hertz EV bonus schedule:

• 50 qualifying rides in a week — $60 bonus
• 70 qualifying rides in a week — $80 bonus
• 90 qualifying rides in a week — $150 bonus

Your week begins on the day and time that you pick up your rental, and lasts 7 days.

Check the Vehicles section of your Lyft driver app to see if the bonus is available in your area.

• Every EV rental option for Uber and Lyft drivers

The process: How to rent a car with Express Drive

To get started with Express Drive rentals, you first apply with Lyft. Once you pass the driver screening, you’ll be able to make a deposit, reserve a vehicle, and make an appointment to pick up a rental.

How to view Lyft rental options in your area

If you’re an active Lyft driver, you can see the Express Drive options available in the Lyft Driver app or at Lyft.com.

View rental options in the Lyft Driver app

Tap the Menu > Vehicles and Devices > Your Vehicles. An Express Drive box will appear below your vehicle info if Express Drive is available to you.

Tap on “Get started” to begin the rental process. Next, you can view available rental plans, current prices, and schedule an appointment to pick up a vehicle.

Can’t view rental options: “You are not eligible to rent”

You may see an error message that blocks you from viewing Express Drive Rental options: “You are ineligible to rent.”

The reason for your ineligibility will be listed beneath the error message.. The most common reason is a missing background check.

You can also be blocked from Express Drive if Hertz or Flexdrive report your account for failing to pay a rental balance or other violations of the rental agreement.

Try to correct any missing requirements or contact Lyft support for more help. You will be able to view rental options once you clear up the issue.

View rental options at Lyft.com

Log in at Lyft.com/login and click Express Drive in the menu. Click on Rent a Car to see rental options and current prices.

How long can you keep a Lyft rental?

Lyft rentals from the Express Drive program are renewed weekly. You can keep the same car until you have to return it for scheduled maintenance.

You may be able to re-rent the same vehicle, or the rental agency may assign you a new car. 

For Hertz rentals, you have to return and re-rent the vehicle every 28 days. Flexdrive will also alert you when you need to bring the car to a branch for maintenance and inspections, which is typically once per month.

Many drivers are able to keep the same rental for months by scheduling maintenance appointments on time.

Can you lease a car long-term through Lyft?

Long-term leases are not available with Lyft Express Drive and rent-to-own options are not available either.

You may be able to rent the same vehicle for several months, but you will eventually need to return the vehicle.

Can two people share the same Express Drive rental?

Lyft does not allow two people to share the same Express Drive rental. You can’t share your Express Drive vehicle with a spouse, significant other, or business partner.

Two people can share a personal vehicle as long as each driver is named on the auto insurance policy, but that is not the case with Lyft rentals.

No rental vehicles available: What can you do?

You might try to reserve a rental only to find that none are available. If no rentals are available, you have two options: You can wait until more rentals become available, or you can find an alternative rideshare rental.

Currently, there is no notification system to inform you when a rental becomes available. Lyft recommends logging back in and manually checking for new cars. It’s not a great solution, but it’s all you can do until a better reservation and notification system comes out.

Can you use your Lyft rental to drive for Uber or other gigs?

Hertz rentals can only be used for Lyft, but Flexdrive rentals can be used for other services. You can’t use a Hertz Lyft rental to drive for Uber or other driving gigs.

You can use these rideshare rentals for more than one service

• HyreCar – Peer-to-peer rentals
• More rideshare rental options

Upsides and downsides of Lyft Express Drive Rentals

Upside: Drive for Lyft without using your own car. Many drivers don’t have a qualifying vehicle or don’t want to put the miles on their own vehicle. Express Drive is a way to earn money with Lyft without putting your own car on the line.

Upside: Insurance and routine maintenance are included. When you use your own vehicle, you have to pay for depreciation, maintenance, and additional rideshare insurance. For full-time drivers, it’s valuable to avoid those costs by renting.

Downside: Cost. Rentals aren’t cheap. You’ll have to drive full time or close to full time to make it worth it.

Downside: Availability of rentals can be low. It can be difficult to make a reservation. Most drivers only get a car by repeatedly checking the app and hoping a reservation slot opens.

Downside: In some states, you earn a lower base rate with an Express Drive vehicle. Express Drive users are paid on a rate card that is around 10% lower than other Lyft drivers. Lyft says that the lower rates help to fund the higher insurance costs involved with Express Drive.

Does renting a car to drive for Lyft make financial sense?

$220 per week or more is expensive, and you’ll need to work at least 10–18 hours just to pay off the rental. That means you need to drive nearly full-time to make it worth it.

The price for Lyft rentals is in line with the cost of Uber rentals, which also require full-time driving in a major market to make financial sense.

One benefit is that you can try it for just one week and decide whether to stay on or not.

The other upsides are that insurance is included in the price, and you don’t have to pay for general upkeep like oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.

Maintenance and depreciation are huge costs when using your own car, so it’s nice to avoid those costs with rentals.

When it makes financial sense to rent a car to drive with Lyft

• You want to try driving for Lyft without committing to buying a car
• Your car is in for repairs and you need a car for a week or two
• You want to drive full-time and don’t want to put excessive miles on your personal vehicle
• You don’t currently have the credit to finance a vehicle

An example of when renting with Express Drive was NOT worth it

Renting a car for Lyft won’t always be profitable for every driver, even if you drive full time.

A Lyft driver on Reddit shared a shocking earnings statement that showed only $481 in earnings after nearly 65 hours of driving in an Express Drive rental. That’s only $7.40 per hour!

Their ride earnings were $716 from 74 rides and they paid $235 for an Express Drive rental. And don’t forget to include gas and other expenses, which make the actual net profit even lower.

Most other drivers would agree that renting a car to earn only $7 per hour isn’t worth it.

These results may not be typical, but every renter needs to keep a close eye on their earnings to determine if renting is worth it.

Try Express Drive!

Apply to Lyft here and select “I need a car” to begin the Express Drive rental process. You’ll be able to access local rentals after you are approved as a Lyft driver,