Here’s what happens when your car gets too old for Uber & Lyft

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.

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:

• Uber vehicle requirements 
• Lyft vehicle requirements

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.

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.“

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.

• How to rent a car for Uber
• Lyft Express Drive review

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:

• Uber Eats
• DoorDash
• Instacart

Generally, delivery apps have easier vehicle requirements, and most accept any working vehicle.

• Vehicle requirements for the top delivery apps