Uber driver earnings: How much do Uber drivers make? 

Are you considering gig driving and wondering how much money you can make as an Uber driver? Let’s break down the earning potential for UK Uber drivers, including average earnings, tips, and strategies to boost your gig driving income.

How much do you make driving for Uber?

Let’s look at some average figures to give you an idea of earnings opportunities.

Average Uber driver earnings per year

The average Uber driver in the UK makes somewhere between £27,000 and £35,000 a year. Please note that these figures are estimates. Actual earnings vary significantly based on a range of factors, but they provide a general benchmark of what you can expect.

Average Uber driver pay per hour

The average hourly rate for Uber drivers in the UK is between £13 and £18 an hour. It’s best to expect your Uber starting pay to be lower as you gain experience. As mentioned previously, actual earnings vary.

Average Uber driver pay per ride/delivery

Your actual Uber earnings will vary depending on how often you drive and demand for trips. If the hourly rate for Uber drivers is around £18 and the average driver makes two trips an hour, you can expect to make around £9 per trip on average.

Keep in mind that actual earnings per ride/delivery vary due to distance, time of day, and location.

Part-time vs full-time earnings

Going off the average hourly Uber driver earnings of just over £18 per hour, here’s how much you could make driving for Uber if you worked part-time or full-time:

The actual amount you’ll make depends on when and where you drive, how long you drive for, the car you drive, the tips you receive, and how often you can take advantage of surge pricing. 

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What affects your earnings as an Uber driver

Your Uber driver earnings aren’t set in stone. A few things can make them go up and down, including:

• Location
• Time of day
• Day of the week
• How often you drive
• Your driver rating

To give you a better idea of what to expect, let’s look at the average earnings Uber drivers make in the UK.

Uber's payment structure

If you decide to become an Uber driver, you’ll earn the following:

Base fare: A set amount charged at the beginning of the trip.
Distance: A per-mile rate based on the distance travelled.*
Time: A per-minute rate based on the trip’s duration.*
Surge pricing: A multiplier applied to the trip price during high-demand periods.

Per-minute and per-mile rates vary by city. For example, in Greater London, the per-mile rate is £1.25, and the per-minute rate is £0.15, with a minimum fare of £5.

Uber commission

Uber generally takes 25% of the total fee for each journey. If a journey costs £20, Uber keeps £5, and you’ll get the remaining £15. This commission fee applies to all fares, including surge pricing. 

What you should know about Uber surge pricing

When many people request rides, but there aren’t enough Uber drivers on the road to take them all, surge pricing kicks in. Here’s how it works:

Demand for trips increases

Large numbers of people request trips, but there aren’t enough cars on the road to take them all.

Prices increase

In these cases of high demand, prices increase to make sure those who need a driver get one.

Riders pay more (or wait)

When surge pricing kicks in, Uber lets riders know. They can choose to pay or choose to wait to see if prices go down.

Several factors influence surge pricing, including:

• Rush hour
• Weekends
• Bad weather
• Events (concerts, marathons, and sporting events)
• Occasions (such as Halloween and New Year’s Eve)

During these busy periods, surge zones appear on the in-app map in red and orange. Light orange areas offer smaller earning opportunities, while dark red areas represent larger ones. To earn more with Uber surge pricing, drive to these coloured areas and accept trips.

Uber gratuity and tipping rules

The good news is you keep 100% of your Uber tips, which is automatically added to your total earnings. Customers can tip via the app after each trip. They can choose from preset tip amounts or select a custom amount.

In the UK, the average tip is somewhere between 10% and 15%.

Tips for increasing your Uber driver earnings

It’s up to you to make the most of being an Uber driver. These tips will help you boost your Uber earnings potential:

Drive at peak times

Increase your Uber driver earnings by working when demand is higher. For example, in London, you can maximise your earnings by driving on weekends when demand is considerably higher. According to Uber, driving from Friday to Sunday in London can earn you 44% more than Monday to Thursday.

Choose high-demand locations

As well as driving during peak times, you can also increase your earnings by driving in in-demand areas. This means city centres, tourist attractions, popular event venues and transport hubs, like train stations and airports.

Log in to the Partner app to find busy areas highlighted with warm colours (Delivery Heatmap).

Provide outstanding customer service

Give passengers an outstanding experience to improve your ratings and get more ride requests. There are several ways to increase your chances of getting a five-star review:

• Be friendly and respectful and keep your car clean
• Use GPS if riders don’t have a preferred route to get to the destination as efficiently as possible
• Consider offering riders bottled water, snacks and mobile phone chargers to use during the ride

Go electric

Driving an electric vehicle gives you access to exclusive Uber rewards, including:

• You get to keep the £1.50 Central London fee on trips that start, pass through or end in the Congestion Charge Zone without having to pay the fee
• Up to 39% off electric vehicles with Uber partners
• No ULEZ charges (until the end of 2025), so you’ll save money from not buying fuel.

Use surge pricing strategically

Keep an eye on the surge pricing map in the Uber app and drive in areas likely to experience surge pricing.

Use a mileage tracker

Keep more of your Uber earnings by using a mileage tracker. That way, when tax season rolls around, you can claim mileage allowance for the business miles you drive.

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