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.
Basic facts about the Lyft rental car program: Cost, requirement, and other features
- Drivers must be age 25 or older to rent
- Express Drive rentals cost $250–$350 per week
- Insurance, routine maintenance, and roadside assistance are included
- Hertz and Flexdrive are the current participating rental companies
- Requirements: Drivers must meet the normal Lyft driver requirements: 25+, valid driver’s license, pass a background screening
- A refundable deposit (around $150) is returned when you turn in the car
- There is a 7-day minimum rental period with weekly renewals
- Personal use of the vehicle is allowed, but you may need to pay for personal miles
- Rentals are first first-come-first-served and availability can be low
- Rental payments are deducted from your weekly earnings
- Base earnings per ride are lower when you rent, around 17% lower on average
Become a Lyft driver and start the rental process: Click here to apply and select “I need a car” to indicate that you want to rent a car
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.
Taxes & fees can add 10% or more to the weekly cost
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.
Payment for rentals are deducted from your ride earnings. This driver hasn’t covered the cost of their rental yet
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.
Renters earn less per ride!
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.
This driver rented an EV and earned $743 in 52 hours
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.
$10,000 in gross earnings only resulted in $1730 after subtracting expenses
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.
For Flexdrive rentals, you can save by choosing fewer personal miles
Miles are unlimited on Hertz rentals. They don’t charge for personal miles
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.
Pay the rental deposit before you make your reservation
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.
You can be banned from rentals!
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
The Hertz EV bonus can help you save $60–$150 on a rental
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.
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.
Can’t see Express Drive options? Fix the listed issue
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.
Existing drivers: Check the Vehicles area of the app for Express Drive options
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.
Lyft warns you when you need to return the car
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.
Lack of availability can be a big downside in some cities
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!
A rental won’t always be profitable
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 $7 per hour isn’t worth it.
These results may not be typical, but every renter needs to keep a close eye on their earnings to determine if renting is worth it.
Try Express Drive!
Apply to Lyft here and select “I need a car” to begin the Express Drive rental process. You’ll be able to access local rentals after you are approved as a Lyft driver,
Hugh says
The Lyft Rental Program was invented to rent cars. The artifacts of this less than driver friendly policy are: lack of easy reservation, up front fees, no guarantees of income. If the Lyft Rental Program was created to serve another purpose, it would not come up with ways to take a driver financially backward while at the same time giving rental companies more rentals. This almost looks like the “company store” scenario.
Martin says
Did any of you have to pay a 50$ fee when filling out application to get car?
DougH says
Which company did you apply for?
Anne says
They charged me a $150 up front fee for rental car deposit. Everything approved background and drivers license cleared. But now says no car rentals available.
Alexandra says
Hi! Did you already rent the car? Or still waiting for express drive? Thanks
Stacie says
I just signed up for Lyft and the fee dropped from $150 to $50. A few weeks ago it was $150, so I didn’t pay immediately because of bills. I came back this week, and it was $50.
Jasmine says
I paid the $50 but they didn’t have any cars available so I am now going thru hertz and requested a refund from GM. Hopefully I can get a car tomorrow with hertz. I read it doesn’t let you reserve a car with hertz but it did allow me to reserve one. But tomorrow it’ll probably be a different story.
Sid says
I’m thinking about renting a car from Lyft. Is there an upfront cost that I’ll have to pay when getting/choosing a car? (Assuming that my application and all that has been approved and everything) If so, what’s a good estimate (depending on the type of car) of what I’ll have to pay upfront to leave right then and there with a car and begin driving?
DougH says
On many of the rental plans you have to pay for the rental fee up front. So if it’s a weekly rental, you pay the week in advance. But check with Lyft and the rental companies because they’re not all the same.
Wayne says
I rented a car not on the program with uber or lyft. Can I use that car with lyft? I rented it from budget with all insurance
DougH says
It’s unlikely that Lyft will approve it, but you can try. Can you let me know if it works? Their policies can vary city to city.
Ju says
It doest work. I’ve recently tried this. They told me I had to get the rental from a specific location. Hertz of GM . Now I’m stuck with waiting for a car to return. My reservations have been canceled twice in the last 3 days. My next one is tomorrow . Fingers crossed
DougH says
Thanks for the input. It’s too bad that they promote the rental program so much but never have enough stock to meet demand.
Lena says
Do you have to prepay the car rental when you pick it up for driving with Lyft?
DougH says
Yes, I think you do.
KELLY KERNAN says
If you are renting the GM program you only pay the $50 deposit upfront but I don’t recommend it. Very expensive!!
jamie says
how many tickets are allowed to pass lyft regulations ??
DougH says
Around 2 very minor violations in the last 3 years may be ok.
Sadiyah says
Everytime I try and rent a vehicle it sends me to a pg where people are RENTING their vehicle to the drivers. Also I can not finish my application without being asked for the vehicle details. I do not have the car yet, I do not want to get a car THEN get denied. I wanted to get started yesterday!!
DougH says
I agree that it’s frustrating and turns you around in circles. use this link: Lyft.com/expressdrive to fill out the application for people looking to rent cars.
Liz says
Hi Sadiyah my name is Liz and Im currently applying/going thru the process of becoming a Lyft driver AND obtaining a vehicle through Lyft/Hertz as my personal vehicle does not qualify (2-door).
Here’s what happened .. the exact same thing happened to me!
I started completing Lyft’s standard application. Unfortunately, Lyft does not make it clear when you begin the app process that there is an entirely different application for potential drivers seeking to rent a car. I started filling out the app, as you probably did. When it got to section 2 “Vehicle Information”, I tried everything from not entering any info to entering random info just to get through the section and move to the next. However, each time it would only take me back to Section 2 “Enter Your Vehicle Information”.
Here’s what you do. On each page of the website you should see a hot pink “Contact Us” button. Click it and tell them you inadvertently started with the standard application (I’ll call it app for short) but you actually wanted to apply for “Express Drive” which is the new driver vehicle acquisition program.
Lyft is VERY fast at getting back to you. Unbelievably fast. The Rep who contacts you should tell you that he or she will basically go in and nullify the app you started with, enabling you to move to the Express Drive app that you need. They will include links which are very helpful in taking you exactly where you need to go to become a Lyft driver and obtain a 3rd party vehicle (likely via Hertz though it may be different in your area).
ANY TIME you get stuck, have a question etc, use that same email to write back. Sometimes its even the same Rep that responds, sometimes its someone else, doesnt matter they are all very patient and helpful. Trust me, my process became confusing bc I learned I needed to switch my driving area to one that had the rental program as my area does not. Still, they got it handled!
I’m now wrapping up my application. It asked me whether I wanted a compact or mid-sized vehicle. Not knowing the type of vehicles in each category, I googled it and somehow thats how I wound up here.
And just so you know, compact generally consists of Chevy Aveo, Hyundai Elantra, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Fiesta & Focus, Toyota Yaris and similar vehicles.
It looks like mid-sized options offer the Kia Soul, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 3, Chevrolet Cruze, Scion xB and similar cars.
As DougH recommended, call ahead make sure they: (a) Have vehicles for one; and (B) If you’re choosey like me, ask what makes/models. If something strikes your fancy, it cant hurt to ask nicely if they’ll hold it (they likely can’t due to 1st come, 1st served policies, but if you know you can get there quickly, tell em you’ll bring em a box of donuts (or whatever) — it certainly can’t hurt!! Personality and free food can go a long way!
(Note: This is spoken in jest. This website neither recommends nor endorses bribery!)
I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion you are experiencing. It sure would makes things easier if they (Lyft) would present both choices to would-be Drivers up front. “Click Here to Bring Your Own Vehicle” or “Click Here to Obtain a Vehicle Through Lyft’s Express Drive Program”.
Good Luck to you, Sadiyah!
Liz
DougH says
Thanks Liz!
Wayne Gaines says
This was the most helpful post Sadiyah. I’ve been stuck for 3 days in wait mode because I did exactly what your said in terms of using the standard application. Thanks for the heads up and the follow through on vehicle types. Als to the blog writer thank for the breakdown between the two programs especially with the indication that Hertz is truly the “free mileage option” in terms of using the vehicle when not in Lyft Driver Mode. That’s a very big difference between the GM and the Hertz deal and it is not clearly spelled out in a way that most people would get it up front.