Twelve cars, one cost model
Does this car make money?
A car driven for Uber, Lyft or delivery is a working asset, so this site reviews cars the way a spreadsheet would: energy, maintenance and depreciation, per mile, on identical terms for every vehicle. We do not test-drive anything — we model each car from EPA fuel economy ratings, published maintenance estimates and used-price guides, and we say where the data runs out.
Running cost per mile — cheapest first
- 01 Chevrolet Bolt EV 18.0¢/mi
- 02 Toyota Prius 20.4¢/mi
- 03 Tesla Model 3 20.7¢/mi
- 04 Honda Accord Hybrid 22.6¢/mi
- 05 Toyota Camry Hybrid 22.8¢/mi
- 06 Kia Niro 24.3¢/mi
- 07 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 25.7¢/mi
- 08 Toyota Corolla Hybrid 26.5¢/mi
- 09 Honda Civic 27.3¢/mi
- 10 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 29.5¢/mi
- 11 Toyota Sienna 38.4¢/mi
- 12 Honda Odyssey 42.9¢/mi
- Energy
- Maintenance
- Depreciation
At $4.08/gal and $0.18/kWh. Insurance, registration and financing are not in these figures — they depend on the driver, not the car, so the calculators add them.
Calculators
Put your own numbers in
Four tools, one shared cost library, the same fuel, electricity and IRS figures used in every article on the site.
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Rideshare profit
Turn a gross weekly fare number into an honest net: energy, wear, depreciation, insurance and the car payment all come out first.
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Cost per mile
Depreciation, fuel or electricity, insurance, maintenance, tires and registration, combined into one cents-per-mile figure and set against the IRS standard mileage rate.
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Break-even
Compare a car that is cheaper to buy against one that is cheaper to run, and find the mileage where the pricier car catches up.
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Payback period
How many weeks of driving it takes to earn back what a car cost to buy and put on the road.
Latest
Reviews, comparisons and guides
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Chevrolet Bolt EV for Rideshare: The Cheapest Mile in This Dataset
The Bolt EV's electricity cost and low price floor add up to the lowest running cost in this dataset, with charging time as the open question.
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Bolt EV vs Prius for Rideshare: Cheapest Mile, With a Catch
The Bolt EV beats the Prius on cost per mile and purchase price. Charging time is the cost this dataset can't put a number on, and it's the whole trade-off.
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EV Charging Downtime: The Cost This Site Cannot Model
This site prices electricity per mile for its two EVs but does not track charging speed or downtime — a real gap in what an EV costs a full-time driver.
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Honda Accord Hybrid for Rideshare: Comfort at a Lower Price Floor
The Accord Hybrid trades four mpg against the Camry Hybrid for more rear legroom and a cheaper starting price, while landing at almost the same cost per mile.
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Camry Hybrid vs Accord Hybrid: Two Comfort Cars, One Roomier
Both clear Uber Comfort and land within a tenth of a cent per mile. The real difference is legroom, cargo, and where each car's price ceiling sits.
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Buying Your First Rideshare Car: A Decision Framework
Twelve vehicles, four decisions that matter: cost per mile, platform tier, budget, and cabin space. How to work through all four before buying, in order.
Methodology
Every number here is checkable
Three formulas do most of the work: energy cost per mile, maintenance per mile and depreciation per mile. They are applied to all twelve vehicles with the same fuel price, the same electricity price and the same IRS mileage rate, so a Prius and a minivan are measured on identical terms. The methodology page gives the formulas, the source behind each constant and the assumptions baked into every chart and table on the site.