- Updated: December 13, 2022
- By: Ivan Gordiyenko
Did you know that electric cars are becoming more common in the ridesharing space? Yep, that is right. With major cities having more charging stations, driver for Uber and Lyft are starting to use electric cars to save on fuel costs and make a slight impact to the environment with zero emissions (locally).
In the spirit of growing this movement even further, I put together a list of the best electric cars for Uber and Lyft that will be broken down into multiple price categories.
Starting with the cheapest and working our way down to the more expensive ones. No Uber Black here, just regular electric cars for Uber X.
Top 3 Uber & Lyft EV's between $15,000 and $25,000
2017-2020 Chevy Bolt EV (236-259 mile range)
Undoubtably, the Chevy Bolt EV with its rollercoaster history of battery problems, still takes the cake for the BEST electric vehicle for ridesharing. The main reason for that is two fold.
First of all, at as little as $18,000, it’s the best bargain electric car on the market still. Especially for the range it can provide on a single charge.
Second of all, the Bolt EV is surprisingly roomy inside, even-though its a hatchback. With many creature comforts like a 10″ inch touchscreen, heated front seats (Premier Trim), heated steering wheel (Premier Trim), and much more, who can go wrong with this car for ridesharing.
Matter of fact, we used this vehicle not just for ridesharing, but also for food deliveries. From Grubhub to Uber Eats, the Bolt EV was a solid winner in our book for an efficient EV that didn’t break the bank.
As of 2022 in December, Chevrolet appears to have found a solution for the battery recall problem. In addition to the new, killer price for the 2022-2023 Bolt EV & EUV, they are planting their place in the market with confidence.
2018-2022 Nissan Leaf (151 mile range)
Back in 2011, Nissan unveiled their Leaf model which took-off like a wildfire as a great, budget-friendly electric vehicle that could be used around town. While the range lacked at 84 miles from 2011-2016, the slight increase to 110 miles in 2017 still didn’t do it justice. In 2018, they made an increase of almost 2X the range the first generation Leaf had.
With four doors, great interior, decent looks, and a fair-bit of trunk space, the Nissan Leaf from 2018-2022 is a great choice for mostly local driving when driving for Uber and Lyft.
The one con with this vehicle is that for fast charging, it takes an outdated plug called the CHADEMO. While most fast charging stations have this plug available, charging speeds and quantity of these cords for each station are very limited.
Charging on level 2 is where this car performs best, not only out of convenience, but also out of battery preservation.
In December of 2022, you can find a base S model for as little as $18,000.
2020-2021 Hyundai Ioniq EV (170 mile range)
The Hyundai Ioniq EV was one of the original EV’s from the late 2010’s that took the world by storm. How so you say?
Tesla held the title for being the most aerodynamic, lowest-drag vehicle since the Model S went on sale. When Hyundai released their Ioniq EV, it was quickly up there in the top 3.
From the factory, the Ioniq EV got 4.42 mi/kWh with a mixture of city and highway driving. From a 28kW battery pack, that was about 124 miles on a single charge. Drive mostly in the city and you can get around 150 miles.
For the slightly refreshed 2020 model, the battery increased by 10kWh and range jumped to 170 miles on a single charge. Prices currently are a few thousand dollars more for the 2020-2021 models, but in my opinion, totally worth it.
The Ioniq EV comes with a roomy interior, great features and entertainment center that is bound to make your ridesharing trips comfortable.
BONUS: Volkswagen e-Golf (124 mile range)
One of the best selling cars in the entire world, Volkswagen has been producing the Golf since 1974. When they introduced the electric Golf back in 2015, it was not much better than the original Leaf.
However, in 2018, they refreshed the with minor cosmetic improvements and upped the battery to 35.8 kWh. With 125 miles on a single charge, the average efficiency is down compared to the Ioniq Electric.
For Uber and Lyft ridesharing, it has a lot going for it. From four doors, unassuming looks and overall comfort, the limited range and price makes it the worst electric car for ridesharing.
Top 4 Uber & Lyft EV's between $25,001 and $35,000
2022 Chevy Volt EV & EUV (247 and 259 mile range)
As mentioned earlier for the Bolt EV being a big hit among the budget minded shoppers, the refreshed EV and all-new EUV have placed the Bolt into a higher category.
Although this car is still too new to depreciate any noticeable amount, especially in this crazy car market (written in December of 2022), the strange thing about new cars is that the prices aren’t that much higher.
Many dealerships across the country are selling both EV and EUV for under $30,000 (base trim).
The new version includes an updated interior, exterior and infotainment. Range is mostly unchanged, unless you go with the slightly longer and taller EUV, where range drops about 12 miles on a full charge.
The Bolt is still the market deal that most should not pass up. For Uber and Lyft drivers, the car has reasonable space in the hatch, great backseats, and the perfect size for city driving.
2018-2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+ & LR (240-310 mile range)
Tesla did a superb job with the Model 3, with now thousands of Model 3’s for sale on sites like Cars.com, their prices in the used market have not been inflated nearly as much as some other electric car owners.
The beauty of the Tesla Model 3 is the usability of the car from start to finish. At the moment, Tesla has the best charging network in North America and customer service from Tesla is seen as generally pretty good.
The car looks and drives like a regular car, similar to a Honda Civic. Trunk space is great and range on the smallest battery can still land you 240 miles on a single charge.
If you get a higher mileage Model 3 from 2018 and 2019, you can look for long range version with 300-310 miles on a single charge. This is plenty of juice to get a full day completed with Uber and Lyft.
2019 Kia Niro EV (239 mile range)
The Kia Niro was introduced in the lat 2010’s as a crossover that still manages to get over 50 miles per gallon. In 2019, they introduced the Niro Electric, giving people 234 miles on a single charge.
While the charging speeds were not blazing, there was plenty to celebrate. For starters, the car looked not much different from the hybrid version. Interior seating is specious and trunk space was hardly sacraficed.
While there was some battery recall and lemon law issues with the Kia Niro EV, the ones that have been repaired and offered back on the market seem to be around $25,000 on the low-end. Most you should be able to find between $28,000 and $33,000.
One unique feature that only the Niro and Kona share, is the charging port being placed in the grill.
Overall, Uber and Lyft drivers will love this car for short and long distance trips.
2019 Hyundai Kona EV (256 mile range)
The less attractive of the two, Kona Electric shares the same drivetrain as the Niro EV. However, the Kona Electric manages to get 259 miles on a single charge. Unlike with the Niro, the Kona only comes as a pure gasoline, or pure electric vehicle (no hybrid option).
Interior space is slightly limited by comparison, however everything else is ergonomic and easy to use when necessary.
While the car is lacking the extra space of its bigger brother, the extra range for some can be the differentiator between getting one or the other.
BONUS: 2019-2022 Nissan Leaf PLUS (226 mile range)
The Nissan Leaf is back on this list and this time, it has a 75 mile range boost. In 2019, the Leaf got a bigger battery pack that added 22 kWh of space. The all new Nissan Leaf PLUS got 226 miles of range on a single charge, making it far more livable and capable on longer road trips.
While still stuck with the old CHADEMO connection, the Leaf PLUS now came a more obvious choice for ridesharing, considering when all-city driving can push you towards 250 miles on a single charge.
This car on the low end for the standard battery would cost you a little less than $20,000. But if you opted for the bigger 62kWh battery pack, you could pay as little as $22,000. The few extra thousand dollars would be completely worth it to us.
Best of all, aside for getting a little heavier, the Leaf PLUS compromises nothing, not leg room, not trunk room.
If your city has plenty of CHADEMO fast chargers and you plan on driving this car daily for work, take it into strong consideration. Did I mention there’s still a $7,500 tax incentive available for all new Leafs?
Want something fancier?
If money is not an issue for you and you want the ultimate machine for speed, range and charging speed, you have the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace, BMW iX, BMW i4 and many other options.
At this point, you can use these vehicles to get more per mile in earnings than regular Uber X.
If you found this post useful, consider sharing AvtoWow.com on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, or INSTAGRAM.
