What Does Driving for Uber or DoorDash Really Cost Per Mile?

Cost example updated November 4, 2026

Two mile counts: driven and paid

A rideshare shift has two mile counts. Driven miles are every mile on the odometer: to the pickup, with the passenger, between rides, and home. Paid miles are only the miles with a passenger aboard, or on a delivery run, the miles the platform counts. The car charges you for all of them. The platform pays for some of them.

The unpaid share has a name: deadhead miles. The best-known driver-side study, Henao and Marshall in the journal Transportation (2019), put deadheading at 40.8 percent of all ride-hailing miles on the conservative count, or 69 empty miles for every 100 passenger miles. Uber and Lyft's own 2019 report put it at roughly 40 percent across six United States cities. This page uses 40.8 percent as the working figure, and the formula below lets you swap in your own share.

The math, mile by mile

Start with what a mile costs to drive. AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study puts the average new car at $12,863 a year at 15,000 miles a year, or about 86 cents a mile. The study's lines, at 15,000 miles a year:

• Depreciation: $4,422 a year, about 29.5 cents a mile
• Fuel: 17.3 cents a mile (regular averaged $4.152 a gallon over the study's 12 months ending May 2026)
• Insurance: $2,098 a year, about 14.0 cents a mile (full coverage, personal use)
• Maintenance, repair, and tires: 11.7 cents a mile
• Finance: $1,184 a year, about 7.9 cents a mile
• License, registration, and taxes: $802 a year, about 5.3 cents a mile

Those published lines are rounded, so they add to about 86 cents, not to the penny. The study covers five years and 75,000 miles, and its method changed in 2026, so AAA says not to compare it directly with the 2025 edition.

Now the rideshare step. Cost per paid mile is total cost divided by paid miles:

Cost per paid mile = cost per driven mile x total miles / paid miles.

Worked example: drive 100 miles and the car costs $85.75 at the study's 85.75 cents a mile. If 40.8 of those miles are unpaid, 59.2 miles are paid. $85.75 divided by 59.2 is about $1.45 per paid mile. That is the headline: about 86 cents a mile driven, about $1.45 a mile paid, for the average new car.

Formula

Start with what a mile costs to drive. AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs study puts the average new car at $12,863 a year at 15,000 miles a year, or about 86 cents a mile. The study lines, at 15,000 miles a year: depreciation $4,422 a year, about 29.5 cents a mile; fuel 17.3 cents a mile, with regular averaging $4.152 a gallon over the study 12 months ending May 2026; insurance $2,098 a year, about 14.0 cents a mile, full coverage for personal use; maintenance, repair, and tires 11.7 cents a mile; finance $1,184 a year, about 7.9 cents a mile; license, registration, and taxes $802 a year, about 5.3 cents a mile. Those published lines are rounded, so they add to about 86 cents, not to the penny. The study covers five years and 75,000 miles, and its method changed in 2026, so AAA says not to compare it directly with the 2025 edition.

Now the rideshare step. Cost per paid mile is total cost divided by paid miles: cost per paid mile equals cost per driven mile times total miles, divided by paid miles. Worked example: drive 100 miles and the car costs $85.75 at the study 85.75 cents a mile. If 40.8 of those miles are unpaid, 59.2 miles are paid. $85.75 divided by 59.2 is about $1.45 per paid mile. That is the headline: about 86 cents a mile driven, about $1.45 a mile paid, for the average new car. The unpaid share is deadhead miles: 40.8 percent of all ride-hailing miles on the conservative count, or 69 empty miles for every 100 passenger miles, per Henao and Marshall in the journal Transportation (2019), and roughly 40 percent across six United States cities per Uber and Lyft own 2019 report. The same step by car class, using AAA 2026 category figures and the same 40.8 percent unpaid: small sedan, 61.73 cents driven, about $1.04 paid; medium sedan, 70.37 cents driven, about $1.19 paid; compact SUV, 77.80 cents driven, about $1.31 paid; half-ton pickup, $1.10 driven, about $1.85 paid.

Three honest adjustments, and the IRS number. First, the AAA insurance line is personal-use coverage, and a rideshare driver needs coverage for the app-on gap, so treat $1.45 as a floor, not a ceiling. Second, AAA car is new: a used car shifts the mix, less value lost per mile, more upkeep per mile, and the formula still works with your own lines. Third, miles change the answer: fixed yearly bills spread thinner over more miles, which is why AAA average car falls from 86 cents at 15,000 miles a year to 74 cents at 20,000, while fuel plus upkeep, about 29 cents a mile, grows with every mile and never goes away. The IRS number is not your cost: for 2026, the IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents a mile for miles driven July 1 through December 31, and 72.5 cents a mile for miles driven January 1 through June 30, after a rare mid-year increase. That rate is a tax claim figure built from an IRS cost study, not a measurement of what your car costs you, and you cannot use both the standard rate and actual expenses for the same car in the same year.

The same step by car class, using AAA's 2026 category figures and the same 40.8 percent unpaid:

• Small sedan (Corolla, Civic class): 61.73 cents driven, about $1.04 paid
• Medium sedan (Camry, Accord class): 70.37 cents driven, about $1.19 paid
• Compact SUV (CR-V, RAV4 class): 77.80 cents driven, about $1.31 paid
• Half-ton pickup: $1.10 driven, about $1.85 paid

What the base figure leaves out

Three honest adjustments. First, the AAA insurance line is personal-use coverage. A rideshare driver needs coverage for the app-on gap (next section), and an endorsement costs extra, so treat $1.45 as a floor, not a ceiling. Second, AAA's car is new. A used car shifts the mix: less value lost per mile, more upkeep per mile. The formula still works, with your own lines. Third, miles change the answer. Fixed yearly bills (insurance, value lost, registration, loan interest) spread thinner over more miles, which is why AAA's average car falls from 86 cents at 15,000 miles a year to 74 cents at 20,000. But fuel plus upkeep, about 29 cents a mile, grows with every mile and never goes away.

Insurance: the gap when the app is on

Personal auto policies generally exclude driving for money, so the moment the app goes on, the personal policy may stop covering you. Coverage then depends on the app period. With the app off, your personal policy applies on its own terms. With the app on and no ride accepted (Period 1), the platform provides limited liability only, and nothing for damage to your own car. Once a ride is accepted and while the passenger is aboard (Periods 2 and 3), the platform provides $1 million in liability coverage. California law is the clearest example: its Public Utilities Code section 5433 sets those platform minimums, and section 5434 says a personal policy provides no coverage from log-on unless the policy expressly provides it or an endorsement adds it. Other states have their own rideshare laws, so the exact limits vary by state.

The fix for the Period 1 gap is a rideshare endorsement on a personal policy, sold by most large carriers. This page states no endorsement price, because prices vary by carrier and state; get a quote on your own policy. Driving the app-on gap without one means a Period 1 crash can leave damage to your own car unpaid.

The IRS number is not your cost

For 2026, the IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents a mile for miles driven July 1 through December 31, and 72.5 cents a mile for miles driven January 1 through June 30, after a rare mid-year increase. That rate is a tax claim figure built from an IRS cost study. It is not a measurement of what your car costs you, and it is not money you get back mile for mile. You also cannot use both the standard rate and actual expenses for the same car in the same year. This page gives general education, not tax advice.

DoorDash and delivery: the same math

Delivery driving has the same two mile counts. The drive to the restaurant, the miles between deliveries, and the repositioning after a drop-off are all unpaid miles that still burn gas, tires, and value. Run the same formula: your cost per driven mile times total miles, divided by the miles the platform counts. Delivery pay structures differ from rideshare pay, but the cost side of the equation does not change.

What these numbers do not settle

Honest gaps, stated here rather than settled quietly. First, platform pay: there is no single published national per-mile pay figure for Uber or DoorDash, and pay varies by market, time of day, and trip, so this page states none. Your driver app shows your own pay per trip; hold that against your cost per paid mile. A few cities set minimum-pay rules for drivers, but those rules are local, not national. Second, endorsement price: not stated, because it varies by carrier and state. Third, the AAA base is a new car at 15,000 miles a year; a used car or a much higher-mileage year changes the mix, and the formula above is how you adjust it. Fourth, gas price: the study's fuel line uses a $4.152 average, while AAA's national average for regular was $4.12 a gallon on November 4, 2026. At $4.12, the fuel line would be about 17.2 cents instead of 17.3, a tenth of a cent, so the headline does not move. Fifth, tolls, parking, tickets, and car washes are not in the AAA base and land on the driver.

Calculation transparency

Scope. Cost per driven mile against cost per paid mile for rideshare and delivery driving, from the AAA 2026 study base for the average new car, with the deadhead share applied and the same math by car class. The platform pays for some of the miles; the car charges you for all of them.

Rules and time period. AAA 2026 Your Driving Costs study, average new car at 15,000 miles a year; deadhead share 40.8 percent as the working figure, and the formula lets you swap in your own share; IRS 2026 standard mileage rates split by half year, 72.5 cents January 1 through June 30 and 76 cents July 1 through December 31.

Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only, not tax advice. There is no single published national per-mile pay figure for Uber or DoorDash, and pay varies by market, time of day, and trip, so this page states none. Endorsement price is not stated, because it varies by carrier and state. The AAA base is a new car at 15,000 miles a year; a used car or a much higher-mileage year changes the mix. The study fuel line uses a $4.152 average, while AAA national average for regular was $4.12 a gallon on November 4, 2026: at $4.12, the fuel line would be about 17.2 cents instead of 17.3, a tenth of a cent, so the headline does not move. Tolls, parking, tickets, and car washes are not in the AAA base and land on the driver. 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: average new car $12,863 a year at 15,000 miles a year, about 86 cents a mile. Henao and Marshall (2019) deadheading at 40.8 percent of all ride-hailing miles, and Uber and Lyft own 2019 report at roughly 40 percent across six United States cities, are named only, not linked. IRS 2026 standard mileage rates: 72.5 cents January 1 through June 30, 76 cents July 1 through December 31. California Public Utilities Code sections 5433 and 5434 are named only, not linked.

Primary sources: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026; IRS standard mileage rates; What does it cost per mile to drive; Is it cheaper to own a car or use Uber; How much does car insurance cost. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.

Definitions

Driven miles. Every mile on the odometer: to the pickup, with the passenger, between rides, and home. The car charges you for all of them.

Paid miles. Only the miles with a passenger aboard, or on a delivery run, the miles the platform counts. The platform pays for some of them.

Deadhead miles. Miles driven without a paying passenger: the drive to a pickup, the miles between rides, and repositioning after a drop-off. On this page, 40.8 percent of all ride-hailing miles.

Cost per paid mile. Total cost divided by paid miles. On this page, about $1.45 for the average new car, against about 86 cents a mile driven.

Period 1. The app-on gap: the app is on and no ride is accepted. The platform provides limited liability only, and nothing for damage to your own car.

Rideshare endorsement. An endorsement on a personal policy that closes the app-on gap, sold by most large carriers. This page states no endorsement price, because prices vary by carrier and state.

Questions people actually ask

How much does it cost per mile to drive for Uber?

About 86 cents for every mile driven, and about $1.45 for every mile paid, for the average new car in AAA's 2026 study, because about 4 in 10 miles are unpaid. A medium sedan (Camry, Accord class) runs about 70 cents a mile driven and about $1.19 a mile paid. Your car and your unpaid share move both numbers; the formula above runs them with your own inputs.

What are deadhead miles?

Miles driven without a paying passenger: the drive to a pickup, the miles between rides, and repositioning after a drop-off. Henao and Marshall (2019) measured deadheading at 40.8 percent of all ride-hailing miles, and Uber and Lyft's own 2019 report put it at roughly 40 percent across six United States cities. Those miles still cost gas, upkeep, and value.

Does my personal car insurance cover rideshare driving?

Generally no, once the app is on. Personal policies typically exclude driving for money, and with the app on but no ride accepted, the platform provides limited liability only and nothing for damage to your own car. A rideshare endorsement on your personal policy closes that gap. Once a ride is accepted, the platform provides $1 million in liability coverage.

What is the IRS mileage rate for rideshare drivers in 2026?

76 cents a mile for miles driven July 1 through December 31, 2026, and 72.5 cents a mile for miles driven January 1 through June 30, 2026. That is a tax claim rate, not a measure of what your car costs, and you cannot use both the standard rate and actual expenses for the same car in the same year.

How do I figure out my own cost per paid mile?

Take your cost per driven mile, multiply by your total miles, and divide by your paid miles. Your odometer gives total miles; your driver app gives paid miles or paid trips. Example: 100 miles driven costs $85.75 at the study's per-mile figure; with 59.2 paid miles, that is about $1.45 per paid mile. The calculator on this site runs the same math with your own price, insurance, gas, and mileage.

Related: See whether it is cheaper to own a car or just use Uber, the rider side of the same math.

Related: See what it costs per mile to drive, the rate behind the rideshare math.

Related: See how much car insurance costs, rideshare driving changes the quote.

Related: Not driving for work? See what your own commute really costs per year.