Uber Driver Requirements: How To Be a Rideshare Driver in 4 Easy Steps

Uber has been around for more than a few years now and is taking over major city centres. If you want to get signed up with the top rideshare company around right now, you’ll need to meet the Uber driver requirements.

Below we’ll explain each of the requirements and run you through the sign-up process.

Ready?

Let’s get started!

Uber Driver Requirements: What Are They?
What Are The Uber Vehicle Requirements?
How To Sign Up for Uber In 4 Easy Steps
Were You Rejected By Uber? This Might Be Why…
Frequently Asked Questions From New Drivers

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Uber Driver Requirements: What Are They?

So you want to be a Uber driver? Great! The first thing you should ask yourself is what are the driver requirements for Uber?

Each city has their own specific set of requirements. You’ll want to check the latest from Uber to make sure you have everything you need before sign up. There are a few common requirements that hold true for each city.

Uber Driver Requirements

Be At Least 21 Years Old
Hold a Valid Driver’s License
Proof of Work Eligibility
Copy of Your Vehicle Registration
Pass a Background Check
Have Vehicle Insurance in Your Name
Pass a Vehicle Inspection

Let’s go over each of the requirements in-depth:

Be At Least 21 Years Old

This one is easy, you need to be at least 21 years old to drive, but why 21? Most drivers get their licenses around age 16 or 17 and assuming they drive regularly this gives them about 3-5 years of driving experience.

More experienced drivers means safer and more trusted trips. Which is exactly how it should be.

It is likely that the insurance companies working with Uber have set this requirement in place.

Hold a Valid Driver’s License

Another no-brainer, you need a driver’s license to legally drive a car. Your driver’s license must also be valid in the state/province that you will be driving in.

If you are a new driver, you must graduate from your learner’s permit to a full driver’s license before signing up.

Proof of Work Eligibility

Since Uber can be either your full source of income or just a side gig, you need to be legally able to work in your location. This usually means that you need to be a resident of the country or you have a valid work visa/permit.

If you sign up and start working with Uber while on a work permit, it’s up to you to make sure you maintain work eligibility. This means keeping your permit or visa up to date.

You can use any of the following for Proof of Work Eligibility: birth certificate, citizenship card, passport, residency card, or work permit.

Copy of Your Vehicle Registration

Your vehicle registration should be in your name. Some locations don’t require registration in your name, some locations do. In our opinion we would much rather use our own vehicle than a friends or family members. You never know what may happen.

In some cities you can use a service like HyreCar to rent a vehicle for use as an Uber driver. In this case, the vehicle is not registered under your name.

Pass a Background Check

Uber needs to know they are hiring professional and responsible drivers. The background check looks into things like your driving record and any criminal history.

You should sign up with a clean driving record, no accidents, no major violations. Uber will use this info to gauge how good of a driver you are. They don’t want to onboard a driver who gets in frequent accidents.

It is also a good idea to not be a criminal.

Uber will check your criminal record for any major crimes or convictions. With all of the lawsuits in Uber’s past and present, we can safely guess that they focus on hiring professional drivers.

Plus no one likes criminals…

Have Vehicle Insurance in Your Name

Vehicle insurance is more like driver coverage. You must have your own personal insurance coverage and in some cities special rideshare coverage. Some insurance providers provide rideshare specific coverage plans that cover both the driver and passenger.

Find out what type of insurance you need by checking out the specific requirements for your city at uber.com.

Pass a Vehicle Inspection

The last piece of the puzzle is the vehicle inspection. You must have a safe car to drive passengers around in. That means your safety is up to date and your car looks presentable both inside and out.

You will have to take your vehicle to an Uber trusted mechanic in your city to have an inspection form filled out. You may also need to visit an Uber Green Light Hub for an inspection, again, depending on the city.

Price varies depending on the mechanic but if you go to an Uber activation centre your inspection may be free!

As long as your car runs smoothly and looks clean and professional, you should be ok on the vehicle inspection.

Download the Inspection form for Canada

Download the Inspection form for USA

The driver requirements are pretty straightforward when it comes down to it. You must be legally allowed to drive in your province/state. You must pass a driver background screening check. Lastly, you must have a registered vehicle with valid insurance and safety certificate.

What Are The Uber Vehicle Requirements?

Service like UberX have more relaxed vehicle requirements as opposed to services like Uber Black which has tighter vehicle requirements. In general your vehicle needs to meet the minimum requirements to sign up.

To drive with Uber your vehicle must meet these minimum requirements:

4-door car with 4 doors
No visible damage and in good condition
No commercial branding outside or inside the car
Car must not be salvaged or rebuilt
Safety inspected by a licensed mechanic

When you submit your vehicle info and inspection form you will see what service options are available with your vehicle. These largely depend on the city you are driving in. Larger cities will have more service types available than smaller cities.

If you want to see which service your car may qualify for check out our Uber car list article.

Now that you know what the requirements are, it’s time to get signed up! Signing up with Uber is super easy, we’ll take you through 4 steps that will get you on the road in no time.

1. Get Signed Up

The first step is to get signed up with Uber. You’ll need to register for an account just like any other web service. Create a profile and enter all of your basic info: name, address, phone number, email.

This is also the step where you upload your drivers license, vehicle registration and insurance.

2. Complete Your Background Check

Once your profile and login info is set up, you will be asked to start your background check. These checks look into both your criminal and your driving history, so you’ll want to make sure your record is clean! Background checks can go as far back as 7 years and vary by location.

You will be notified once your background check is complete and if you are approved you can move onto the next step.

3. Pass a Vehicle Inspection

Third, you will need to take your vehicle in for an inspection by an Uber recognized, licensed mechanic. Check with Uber to see what types of discounts are available in your area. Once your mechanic signs off on the inspection you can upload the inspection form to your Uber profile. Uber will process your inspection and may or may not call you in to the nearest Green Light Hub.

4. Start Driving!

That was easy wasn’t it? Uber’s sign up process is really easy to follow and they will have you on the road and earning in no time.

Were You Rejected By Uber? This Might Be Why…

There are 2 main reasons most drivers do not get approved:

1. Your driving record does not make the grade: You might have some moving violations that you are unaware of. These could hold you back when applying to Uber. You should get approved, as long as you don’t have any major moving violations within the last 7 years.

Drivers may also be disqualified if you have several speeding tickets or other traffic violations within the past 3 years.

2. You did not pass the Background Check: Do you have any criminal charges? What about minor charges? Almost 100% of the time Uber will not higher you with any serious charges or convictions. Keep it clean!

Most of the time Uber will not let you know exactly why you were not approved. You may have to do some digging yourself.

Other reasons you may not get approved

Your car may not meet the minimum requirements
Your insurance may be expired or invalid
There may have been an issue with your documents
Your driver’s license must be from the state you will be driving in
The vehicle must be registered in your state
You require in-state/province car insurance in your name

What to do if your application is rejected by Uber?

If are rejected while applying with Uber, it is still possible for you to re-apply as a driver. However, you will have to wait between 4 and 6 months before you can re-apply. After the wait you can either sign up with a different email address or contact Uber and ask to re-apply.

Signing up with a different email will only allow you to start the process again. You will likely only get as far as entering your personal information before Uber flags you. At this point you should be able to contact Uber pretty easily to ask to re-apply.

Contacting Uber after your wait time is up is the best route to take.

How to re-apply to Uber?

As mentioned above, to re-apply with Uber you must wait 4-6 months. Once your time is up it is time to get in contact with Uber. You can do this through the app or on the website.

Simply follow these steps to re-apply:

Sign into Uber and head to the help section
Click on “Signing Up”
Under “Creating An Account” look for “I can’t create my account”
Click on the “Message Us” button
Use the form to ask to re-apply

Uber will get in contact with you and will let you know if you are eligible to re-apply.

Frequently Asked Questions From New Drivers

How much do Uber drivers make?

Drivers can make anywhere from $15 to $30 an hour depending on when and where they are driving. You need to learn your cities hot spots and peak times to make sure that you max out your income.

How long until my docs are approved?

Your documents will usually be approved within 1-5 days of submitting them. Best practice is to make sure your docs are all valid and legible. Look over them carefully before you submit to make sure none of them are expired.

Do one last check to make sure all 4 corners are visible in the image and the name on the documents match the name you used to sign up with Uber.

Can I drive for Uber with my car?

In general, if you have a newer 4 door vehicle, that runs and is in good condition, you will meet the criteria to get signed up with UberX. Is your car on the Uber car list? See what types of trips you can offer with your vehicle.

Should I get a dash cam?

Yes! Being an Uber driver means you have a lot of passengers in your vehicle. This can sometimes lead to a nasty situation and having a dash cam that records not only the road ahead but the inside of the car can save you if there is an issue.

You’ll want to find the best dash cam for your vehicle type to give you the best coverage.

About The Author: Commercial Driver HQ

Commercial Driver HQ strives to provide you with quality information about driving for a living. Whether you’re an Uber driver or a long haul trucker, we are here to help you succeed!

For everything rideshare and commercial driving, follow us at CDHQ!

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Uber Driver Requirements: How To Be a Rideshare Driver in 4 Easy Steps