Did you know that your car can age out of Uber & Lyft?
Even if your car is currently new enough to qualify, Uber & Lyft update their vehicle requirements every year and your car can become too old to qualify.
When your car is too old for the the current vehicle requirements, you won’t be able to use it to give rides. You can still access your driver app, but you can’t go online and get ride requests until you add a newer vehicle to your profile.
And if your car qualifies for a premium service like Uber Comfort or Extra Comfort, it can be downgraded to UberX and standard Lyft when it becomes too old.
But when exactly will your car age out and become ineligible? Uber and Lyft regularly change their policies, so they may remove it when the year changes, or they may remove it at the end of your current insurance policy.
Uber no longer allows this driver to go online with a vehicle that became too old
Read on to learn what happens when your car gets too old for Uber & Lyft, and what you can do to stay driving.
Will your car be too old for Uber or Lyft next year?
Generally, Uber and Lyft accept vehicles that are 15 years old or newer, but the exact model year requirement can vary from city to city. Check our pages on the current Uber and Lyft vehicle requirements for up-to-date info.
Uber and Lyft update the oldest acceptable model year every year. For example, in cities where Uber accepts 15-year-old vehicles, the oldest acceptable model year in 2024 was 2009. In 2025, the new requirement will become 2010 and 2009 vehicles will no longer qualify.
Check the current vehicle requirements below:
What Uber sends when your car is aging out of the system
The driver below got an email from Uber informing them that their car will no longer be eligible as of January 1st of the new year.
Uber will send you a notice when your car is about to age out of the system
What Lyft sends when your car becomes too old
The Lyft driver below received an email that vehicle age requirements were updating for 2025 and their vehicle would no longer qualify.
“We noticed that you have a vehicle on your Lyft profile that will no longer meet your city or state vehicle age standards in 2025. We will have to deactivate this vehicle from your profile in January.“
Some Lyft drivers were notified that their vehicle is aging out of the system
Your account won’t be deactivated, but you can’t go online and give rides until you add a qualifying vehicle
Uber and Lyft don’t deactivate your account when your car ages out of the system.
You can still log in and access your driver account, but you won’t be able to go online and give rides until you add a qualifying vehicle.
Both apps will prompt you to add a new vehicle, and will refer you to their vehicle rental services. Read more about how deactivations and account suspensions work with Uber and Lyft.
Your car can get downgraded from premium services like Comfort and Black
Some premium ride types require newer vehicles than the base-level services like UberX and Lyft.
For example: Uber Comfort only allows vehicles that are 7 years old or newer, but UberX allows vehicles that are 15 years old or newer.
If your car becomes too old for a premium service like Uber Comfort, it will be transitioned down to the next qualifying service.
You can continue driving, but you won’t be able to get requests for those higher-paying rides.
That’s bad news if you drive for high-end services like Uber Black & Premier or Lyft Lux Black.
When do Uber & Lyft make your car ineligible?
Here’s a scenario: You know that your car is about to become too old for Uber and Lyft. When exactly will they stop allowing you to give rides?
It depends! Uber and Lyft don’t always do the same thing every year in every city. In some years, Uber waited until March to disqualify old cars. In others, cars became ineligible on January 1st.
Uber & Lyft may also give you until the end of your current insurance policy to drive with a vehicle that is too old for the current requirements.
Here’s a thread by Uber drivers who were given until the end of their current auto insurance policy.
Just remember that Uber & Lyft frequently change their practices, so keep an eye out for messages and notifications to stay informed.
What you can do if your car ages out of Uber or Lyft
You have a few options when your car becomes too old: Get a newer car, rent a car, or drive for an app that accepts older vehicles.
Rent a car
You can rent an eligible vehicle through Uber, Lyft, or a third-party service like HyreCar.
Rideshare rentals are expensive, generally starting at $250 per week or higher. Rentals are only a viable option if you plan to drive full-time.
But rentals come with benefits, like:
- Insurance is included
- Basic maintenance is included
- No extra miles and depreciation on your personal car
Buy an eligible vehicle
Purchasing a vehicle to do rideshare is an investment that requires close analysis.
The vehicle should be affordable, fuel efficient, and new enough to stay on the Uber & Lyft platform for several years.
Most drivers find that a used hybrid vehicle is the best option. A brand-new car is unlikely to be a profitable decision because high mileage from rideshare driving will rapidly depreciate the value and quickly leave you underwater on a loan.
Drive for apps that accept older vehicles
There are many other driving gigs that you can do with an older vehicle. Instead of investing in a new car or getting an expensive rental, you can try a new gig.
These apps accept older vehicles:
Generally, delivery apps have easier vehicle requirements, and most accept any working vehicle.
Aidana says
Hello!
I drive Corolla 2013, but I bought it in 2014 and it has been only 3 years but for some reason they said that my car is uberX because it’s not in the list. In order to be uberSelect, my car had to be 2014 or newer even though there is no difference between Corolla 2013 and 2014. I don’t really understand it(
DougH says
The Corolla is not an accepted model for Select. To be Select it has to be the right year AND from a list of accepted luxury models.
Dani says
Do you know if Lyft does this as well? I haven’t been able to find any answers on the web. Thanks!
DougH says
Yes, Lyft does this too.
Tiana says
Are 2006 models being aged out for 2017?
DougH says
I couldn’t get a clear answer from Uber on this. So far their websites haven’t upped the year to 2007, but there’s no way to be sure. They did increase the year last year.
Joanne says
I have 2012 Buick Enclave. The most upgraded model, not the basic model. I’ve been working towards my 50 rated trips so I can qualify for uber select. Well I finally have 30 trips rated, over 50 but not everyone rates. I just inquired about being uber select after the 50 trips and they said that my vehicle is now too old because it is not a 2013. Is there a way to get them to look this over? Other vehicles can be 2008 but mine has to be 2013?
DougH says
It sounds like Select in your area only accepts 2013 or newer. Uber never budges on year requirements, so you’re not going to convince them to make you Select.
Hero says
Hi there. Recently joined uber. I’m told I’m allowed to ride car that is 2008 or newer. I will b driving in Stevenage, Hertfordshire,UK. I was a thinking if I get a 2008 car how long I can drive it for?
DougH says
Until early next year. Each year, Uber increases the year requirement by one year. So your vehicle will be phased out next year. Try to get a newer car.
Rob says
From what I see, the Uber rates are going to continue to fall. So keep your current car.
Uber are constantly getting new Drivers to replace the ones that are driving less.
I am a current driver.
Daniel Hickman says
What are your thoughts on keeping a newer car on Uber/Lyft and waiting until closer to this deadline versus periodically buying newer used cars to stay way ahead of the curve? It seems it would keep a very nice vehicle but not be the most financially sound way to do things as a rideshare driver.
I have been talking to family and friends about it. My current situation is I own a 2011 Prius with about 71k miles on it. I bought it in May 2015 with about 43k miles on it. I have almost 5 years remaining in car payments which run me about $350/mo. I can take gap coverage off soon which would lower my monthly payment a bit. Moving forward, I wonder if selling/upgrading to newer vehicle or just paying this off on the current plan would be best.
Would love to hear your insight on a scenario such as this. You give great advice to the rideshare community. When a struggling driver asks me of a good online resource, I tend to recommend your website for them.
Thanks a lot!
DougH says
Hi Daniel, thanks for writing in. When you first explained your question, I was expecting you to say that you have a car that is about to age out of the system. But with a 2011 vehicle, you have a good 5 years left to drive with that Prius. It looks like you’re putting about 30k miles per year on it, so it may get into the 200k mile range before the 5 years ends, but as long as it doesn’t become too expensive to maintain, I think you should stick with the Prius.
The other issue with swapping out cars often is that it assumes you’re going to keep driving for a long time, which may not be the case. Ride sharing is changing all the time, and you never know how much this job will pay 6 months from now.