You can sign up to drive, even if you don’t have a car right now. In the meantime, we’ll give you access to hire and leasing deals through our sister company, Partner Point. Their website is filled with deals on hire and financing options that you can’t find anywhere else.
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Already have an account? Sign inOwning outright is likely to be the best option if you want to reduce your weekly costs. However, it typically has the highest upfront cost as you have to purchase the vehicle all at once.
If you've got a lump sum of money you can invest in purchasing your vehicle and want to drive on the Uber app for a few years, this is likely to be the cheapest option.
It's fine to buy a second-hand car – and these can be cheaper than buying a brand-new car. However, you should be confident in the condition of the car and make sure that it will last you a while. It also has to be eligible as a private-hire vehicle in your city and meet the requirements to drive on the Uber app. It's also worth checking to see if the vehicle will be impacted by any charges, such as charges for driving in Ultra Low Emissions Zones, which some cities are introducing.
To see which cars you can drive on the Uber app in your city, check vehicle requirements.
Vehicle requirementsOne way to purchase a vehicle is on finance. Finance deals will allow you to own a vehicle while paying for it monthly over a 3- to 5-year period.
Generally, you pay a deposit upfront and then a monthly payment to the financing company. At the end of the period, you own the vehicle fully. It avoids you needing a large amount of cash upfront.
One potential barrier is that many financing companies require you to have a minimum credit score – and, if your credit score is low, they will either charge a high deposit and higher interest rate, or not offer finance to you at all. If finance is an option for you, you'll also need to sign a contract that will commit you to paying the monthly payment and following their terms.
Learn moreFlexi-leasing and flexi-buy, also known as rent-to-buy, are halfway between a finance product and a hire or lease product. They allow you to own the vehicle at the end of the finance period (typically 3 years), but also allow you to return the product (like car hire) if it's not working out for you. Because of this additional flexibility, it is a more expensive option than financing. There are companies that offer these to drivers with Uber because of the appeal of flexibility. Some offers include insurance, maintenance and servicing, as well as licensing the vehicle.
What is the difference? Flexi-Buy is a hire-purchase agreement where you keep the car at the end of the contract and don't have to make a final lump-sum payment (balloon payment); Flexi-Lease has a lower weekly payment, but you have the option to pay a lump-sum (balloon payment) at the end of the contract to own the vehicle, otherwise you hand it back.
They also tend to offer deals to those with lower credit ratings – and so, if this is an issue for you, then it's worth looking at rent-to-buy options.