Cost example updated October 24, 2026
A typical new car costs about $1,072 a month all in, and about $709 a month in fixed costs alone, the costs that keep coming whether you drive or not. At the average Uber fare of $24.32 a trip, Uber passes the $709 fixed-cost line at about 7 rides a week and passes the $1,072 full-cost line at about 10 rides a week. With a surge cushion of $150 to $200 a month added, those lines move to about 5 rides a week and about 8 to 9 rides a week. That is the whole comparison in one paragraph. The rest of the page shows where every number comes from, so you can check it against your own driving.
Formula
The car figure comes from AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs study: a new car at an average price of $39,376, driven 15,000 miles a year for five years. AAA total is $12,863 a year, about $1,072 a month. Fixed costs are about $709 a month, paid whether the car moves or not: the value it loses (depreciation) about $369 a month ($4,422 a year), insurance (full coverage) about $175 a month ($2,098 a year), loan interest (finance charges) about $99 a month ($1,184 a year), and license, registration, and taxes about $67 a month ($802 a year). Those four lines add to $8,506 a year, about $709 a month. The four rounded monthly lines add to $710, one dollar above the about $709 figure, because each monthly line is the yearly figure divided by 12 and rounded; the yearly lines are the exact ones.
Running costs are about $363 a month at 15,000 miles a year. Gas runs about 17.3 cents a mile and upkeep (maintenance, repairs, and tires) about 11.7 cents a mile, together about 29 cents a mile, or about $4,350 a year. Fixed costs plus running costs come to about $1,072 a month. The published annual lines add to $12,856, $7 under AAA published $12,863 total, a rounding gap in the published inputs, as the page states. Parking and tolls are not in AAA total.
The Uber side: Gridwise 2025 data puts the average amount an Uber rider paid at $24.32 per trip. A month is 52 weeks divided by 12, so each ride a week costs about $105.39 a month ($24.32 times 52 divided by 12). The table multiplies that out: 2 rides a week is about $211 a month, 4 rides is about $422, 7 rides is about $738, and 14 rides is about $1,475. Uber passes the $709 fixed-cost line at about 7 rides a week and passes the $1,072 full-cost line at about 10 rides a week. With a surge cushion of $150 to $200 a month added at 4 rides a week, that pattern moves from about $422 a month to about $572 to $622 a month, still under both lines, and the break-even lines move to about 5 rides a week against the fixed costs and about 8 to 9 rides a week against the full cost. If the car is already paid off, the costs stopped are mainly insurance and registration, about $242 a month at the new-car rates used here ($2,098 plus $802 a year), plus gas and upkeep, and Uber passes that $242 alone at about 2 to 3 rides a week.
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The car side, split in two
The car figure comes from AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study: a new car at an average price of $39,376, driven 15,000 miles a year for five years. AAA's total is $12,863 a year, about $1,072 a month. Splitting that total in two is what makes the comparison fair, because going without a car stops the fixed costs in full, while the running costs are the ones that grow with every mile you drive.
Fixed costs, about $709 a month. These are paid whether the car moves or not:
- The value it loses (depreciation): about $369 a month ($4,422 a year)
- Insurance (full coverage): about $175 a month ($2,098 a year)
- Loan interest (finance charges): about $99 a month ($1,184 a year)
- License, registration, and taxes: about $67 a month ($802 a year)
Those four lines add to $8,506 a year, about $709 a month. Running costs, about $363 a month at 15,000 miles a year. Gas runs about 17.3 cents a mile and upkeep (maintenance, repairs, and tires) about 11.7 cents a mile, together about 29 cents a mile, or about $4,350 a year. Fixed costs plus running costs come to about $1,072 a month. Parking and tolls are not in AAA's total, so in a city where you pay for parking, the car side is higher by whatever parking costs you, that amount is not estimated here because it varies too much by city to state as one number.
The Uber side: the table
Gridwise's 2025 data puts the average amount an Uber rider paid at $24.32 per trip. A month is 52 weeks divided by 12, so each ride a week costs about $105.39 a month ($24.32 x 52 / 12). The table below multiplies that out at four ride frequencies and sets each total next to both car lines:
| Rides a week | Uber a month | Next to fixed costs ($709) | Next to full car cost ($1,072) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | about $211 | under | under |
| 4 | about $422 | under | under |
| 7 | about $738 | over | under |
| 14 | about $1,475 | over | over |
Read the table as monthly totals, not as a mile-for-mile trade: the average Uber trip length was not published in the sources checked, so no per-mile Uber figure is claimed here. Your own trips may be shorter or longer than the $24.32 average, and fares vary by city and time of day.
The surge cushion, stated as a range
Surge pricing means higher fares at busy times. It is not a fixed fee, and no published national average for surge was found, so this page does not treat it as one number and does not scale it across the table as if it were exact. In the published example this page follows, a cushion of $150 to $200 a month is added at 4 rides a week, taking that pattern from about $422 a month to about $572 to $622 a month, still under the $709 fixed-cost line and under the $1,072 full-cost line. If surge were added at other frequencies, the break-even lines would move down: against the fixed costs, to about 5 rides a week, and against the full cost, to about 8 to 9 rides a week. How far they move for you depends on how often you ride at busy times. One more gap, stated plainly: the sources checked do not clearly say whether the $24.32 average includes a tip, so if you tip on every ride, add your usual tip to these totals.
If your car is already paid off, the line moves
The $709 fixed-cost line is for a newer car with a loan and plenty of value left to lose. A paid-off older car is a different shape: with little value left to lose and no loan interest, the costs you stop paying by going without it are mainly insurance and registration, about $242 a month at the new-car rates used here ($2,098 plus $802 a year), plus gas and upkeep. Against that $242 alone, Uber passes it at about 2 to 3 rides a week, before gas and upkeep are counted. That is why the same table can point in different directions for different cars, the car you actually own is the one that sets your line.
What the numbers leave out
Money is only part of the comparison, and the rest does not fit in a table. On the Uber side: waiting time for a car to arrive, no car of your own for trips out of town, groceries and errands that mean carrying bags or making several stops, and bad weather when demand and fares rise together. On the car side: parking and tolls, which AAA's total does not include, and the fact that insurance, fares, and gas all vary by driver, city, and time of day. These are stated here as facts to weigh, not as arguments for either side, the monthly totals above are the numbers, and the rest is your own situation.
How this page differs from the second-car page
This page is about going without a car entirely, the only car in the household, not an extra one. The second-car page asks a different question: whether adding a second car to a household that keeps one is worth it. The two pages share the same kind of math but answer different questions, so the numbers here are not a repeat of that page.
Calculation transparency
Scope. Going without a car entirely, the only car in the household, priced against Uber at four ride frequencies, with the car side split into fixed costs and running costs.
Rules and time period. AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs study, new car at an average price of $39,376, 15,000 miles a year for five years, total $12,863 a year; Gridwise 2025 average rider fare $24.32 a trip; a month is 52 weeks divided by 12; surge cushion $150 to $200 a month at 4 rides a week from the published example this page follows; no published national average for surge was found, so the cushion is not scaled across the table as if it were exact.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. The average Uber trip length was not published in the sources checked, so no per-mile Uber figure is claimed here. The sources checked do not clearly say whether the $24.32 average includes a tip, so if you tip on every ride, add your usual tip to these totals. Parking and tolls are not in AAA total. Money is only part of the comparison: waiting time, no car for trips out of town, and bad weather when demand and fares rise together are stated on the page as facts to weigh, not as arguments for either side. Prices vary by car, shop, and city. Get a written quote for your own car before you decide.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs study (new-vehicle average, 15,000 miles a year, five years); Gridwise 2025 rideshare data (average rider fare of $24.32 a trip); published Uber-vs.-car example (surge cushion of $150 to $200 a month at 4 rides a week; paid-off-car framing). The published Uber-vs.-car example is named only, not linked. No gas price figure is imported onto this page: the page math runs on AAA per-mile figures, and no EIA figure appears here.
Primary sources: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026; Gridwise, average Uber trip costs a rider $24.32; Is a second car worth it; What does my commute cost. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Fixed costs. The costs that keep coming whether the car moves or not. On this page, about $709 a month: depreciation, insurance, loan interest, and license, registration, and taxes.
Running costs. The costs that grow with every mile driven. On this page, about $363 a month at 15,000 miles a year: gas and upkeep.
Depreciation. The value a car loses over time. On this page, about $369 a month ($4,422 a year), the biggest fixed-cost line.
Finance charges. Loan interest. On this page, about $99 a month ($1,184 a year).
Surge pricing. Higher fares at busy times. It is not a fixed fee, and no published national average for surge was found, so this page treats it as a range, $150 to $200 a month at 4 rides a week.
Break-even. The ride count where Uber passes a car line. On this page, about 7 rides a week against the fixed costs and about 10 rides a week against the full cost, before any surge cushion.
Rideshare. Paying for rides only when you need them, such as Uber, instead of owning a car.
Average fare. What a rider paid per trip on average. On this page, $24.32 a trip, Gridwise 2025 data.
Questions people actually ask
Is it cheaper to own a car or use Uber?
It comes down to how many rides a week you would take. At the average Uber fare of $24.32 a trip, Uber passes the car's fixed costs of about $709 a month at about 7 rides a week, and passes the car's full cost of about $1,072 a month at about 10 rides a week. Under those lines, the Uber total is lower; over them, it is higher.
How many Uber rides a week equal the cost of owning a car?
About 7 rides a week equal the car's fixed costs of about $709 a month, and about 10 rides a week equal the car's full cost of about $1,072 a month. With a surge cushion of $150 to $200 a month added, those lines move to about 5 rides a week against the fixed costs and about 8 to 9 rides a week against the full cost.
What does surge pricing do to the comparison?
Surge pricing is the higher fare charged at busy times, and it is a range, not a single number. In the published example, a cushion of $150 to $200 a month is added at 4 rides a week, taking that pattern from about $422 a month to about $572 to $622 a month. No published national average for surge was found, so this page does not scale that cushion across other ride frequencies as if it were exact.
Is Uber cheaper if my car is already paid off?
The line moves a lot. A paid-off car with little value left to lose has no loan interest and little depreciation left, so the costs you stop paying are mainly insurance and registration, about $242 a month at the new-car rates used here, plus gas and upkeep. Against that $242 alone, Uber passes it at about 2 to 3 rides a week, before gas and upkeep are counted.
What does one Uber ride a week cost a month?
At the average Uber fare of $24.32 a trip, one ride a week costs about $105.39 a month ($24.32 times 52 divided by 12). Two rides a week run about $211 a month and four rides about $422 a month, from the table on this page.
Related: See what your commute really costs, the daily number behind the comparison.
Related: See Denver driving vs. transit, a third option priced the same way.
Related: See how much car insurance costs, the monthly cost Uber riders skip.
Run your own numbers
Change the price, the miles, and the insurance to match your car, the calculator does the same five-year math as the example above. To see what each mile you drive really costs, the cost per mile page breaks it down mile by mile; the rideshare cost page shows what each paid mile must cover when you drive for Uber or DoorDash, and new vs. used compares a new car with a used one side by side. Your ride count, your fares, and your car set your own break-even line, run them and compare.
Figures: AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study (new-vehicle average, 15,000 miles a year, five years); Gridwise 2025 rideshare data (average rider fare of $24.32 a trip); published Uber-vs.-car example (surge cushion of $150 to $200 a month at 4 rides a week; paid-off-car framing). Fixed lines use AAA's published annual figures divided by 12; running costs use AAA's published per-mile figures at 15,000 miles a year. The published annual lines add to $12,856, $7 under AAA's published $12,863 total, a rounding gap in the published inputs. Insurance, registration, and rideshare prices vary by driver, city, and time of day. Gaps stated on this page, not filled with guesses: parking and tolls (excluded from AAA's total), whether the $24.32 average includes tips, the average Uber trip length, and a national average surge figure.