What Is Uber Black, and How Much Can You Make Driving for It?

Uber Black is a high-end rideshare service from Uber that aims to give passengers a more comfortable experience. The main difference is that Uber Black only accepts highly rated drivers that use luxury vehicles.

What are the requirements to drive for Uber Black?

Uber Black has strict eligibility criteria. On top of from the regular requirements for Uber drivers, you need to have the following to drive for it:

• A luxury vehicle: Your vehicle must be no older than 6 years, have a black exterior, and have a black leather or vegan leather interior. You can see the full list of qualifying vehicles on the Uber Black page (note that this may vary somewhat by location).
• Experience on Uber: You’ll need some experience under your belt as a regular Uber driver before you can transition to Uber Black. It isn’t clear how many rides you need to have completed to qualify, but anecdotal reports suggest it’s at least 100.
• A high rating: You need to have at least a 4.85 star rating, based on your 500 most recent rated trips (or your total trips, if you’ve completed under 500). Canceled trips don’t count.

Notably, you also need to have the credentials to drive a taxi or limo in your city. “Normal” Uber drivers don’t need any qualifications beyond a driver’s license, but Uber Black vehicles count as actual taxis (Uber refers to them by the industry term “commercial livery vehicles”), and they require additional permits, such as a chauffeur’s license.

You’ll also need commercial auto insurance. Your personal auto insurance won’t be enough, even if you have a rideshare insurance add-on to your policy.

Because the requirements to join Uber Black are so stringent, many drivers are people who are already professional taxi drivers who use Uber to pick up extra rides on the side, something that we’ll elaborate on below.

On average, regular Uber drivers earn $10–$15 per ride, which usually translates to between $20 and $30 per hour.

Uber Black drivers earn higher rates than that. However, figuring out exactly how much more they’re paid is difficult.

Uber hasn’t published any figures on Uber Black drivers’ average earnings, noting only that customers are charged a “higher price” for their luxury service, which presumably translates to higher earnings for drivers.

Anecdotal reports from purported drivers give a wide range of figures, variously claiming that Uber Black chauffeurs earn:

• Just 30% more than normal drivers (i.e., an average of between $26–$39 per hour)
• Up to three times as much (an average of $60–$90 per hour)

It’s likely that the actual figures vary significantly from city to city and are affected by many complicating factors. For instance, people are probably more likely to spring for Uber Black rides when taking longer trips, which would make their rides more expensive than usual, even with Uber’s ordinary service.

Many sites claim to provide an average hourly rate for Uber Black drivers, but when we investigated, we couldn’t find any evidence for these claims. The unfortunate truth is that there just isn’t any hard data on this. Uber Black drivers definitely earn more than other Uber drivers, but the actual amount is unknown.

We contacted Uber to ask about this; as of the time of writing, they haven’t responded.

How does Uber Black calculate your pay rate?

As with regular Uber rides, most Uber Black rides start with a base fare, which is affected by factors like:

• The distance you’ll have to travel
• How long the trip will take
• How much demand there currently is for rides in your area

In some areas, known in Uber’s lingo as “markets,” your projected earnings will be displayed before you accept the ride as an upfront fare, although the final amount may change if the trip is longer or shorter than expected. In other markets, your earnings will be calculated after the fact.

Uber Black Hourly rides

As an Uber Black driver, you’ll also get access to Black Hourly rides, which allow customers to reserve cars for periods of 2+ hours. They generally involve driving to multiple locations. They essentially let people hire you for a set time, rather than to drive to a specific destination.

You’ll get a minimum hourly rate (minus a “service fee”), and will earn more if the trip takes longer or requires you to drive farther than originally planned.

How large of a commission does Uber take from Uber Black drivers?

Uber takes commissions from its drivers (a cut of everything they earn).

This will eat up a big portion of your profits, and Uber isn’t transparent about how much it takes. Uber’s service fee FAQ entry states that fees vary for each ride. 1 They don’t show drivers how much their customers are paying, which makes it hard to establish how much they keep for themselves.

Many reports claim that Uber will keep anywhere from 40%–80% of your fares, with the exact percentage varying depending on your market. These are unconfirmed, but the bulk of the evidence supports them. It’s unclear whether the percentage is different for Uber Black drivers (when compared to UberX drivers, etc.).

In addition to the factors that determine your base fare, your earnings as an Uber Black driver are also affected by:

How wealthy your area is

Uber Black is a premium service, and the people that use it tend to be wealthier than average.

That means that if you’re operating in a more affluent neighborhood, you’ll have a bigger base of potential customers. Conversely, if you’re in a lower-income area, you might struggle to find enough passengers to keep you busy.

One advantage of Uber Black is that you can accept regular Uber rides during slow periods when there aren’t many people willing to spring for your premium service. However, working as an Uber Black driver will still generally be more lucrative in downtown districts in large cities and other places with people who have a lot of disposable income.

What vehicle you drive (and how expensive it is)

As mentioned, to qualify for Uber Black, you need to drive a newer, higher-end car, which will come with a set of fairly steep expenses.

To get access to a qualifying vehicle, you can either:

• Lease one: If you do this, you’ll have to pay hefty rental fees. You can probably expect to pay in the vicinity of $325 per week (the current price of renting a Tesla, one of the luxury vehicles you can drive for Uber Black, from Hertz, one of Uber’s rental partners). 2
• Use your own: Using your own car for Uber Black won’t necessarily be any less expensive than renting one. Keeping a high-end car in good condition costs a lot of money, and even if you’re diligent about getting yours serviced regularly, its value will still depreciate with every mile you drive, which effectively acts as a tax on your earnings.

Again, due to these costs, many Uber Black drivers are people who work for actual limo or black car taxi companies and drive vehicles from their fleet. Uber Black drivers who are solo entrepreneurs are probably in the minority.

Your other expenses

Gig workers for Uber are responsible for their own expenses, and Uber Black drivers are no exception. In addition to rental fees or depreciation, you’ll also have to shell out for:

• Gas
• Vehicle checkups and repairs
• Commercial auto insurance
• A chauffeur’s license (and any other permits you need)
• Taxes

All of this will add up. As a rule, rideshare drivers should set aside at least 35% of what they earn to pay for their necessary expenses. As an Uber Black driver, your overhead may be even higher, as you’ll have costs that most Uber drivers don’t.

Your working hours

When you work is another crucial factor. When we spoke with Matt Miller, an experienced Uber driver, about what it’s like driving for Uber, he told us the peak hours in his market (Pittsburgh) are:

• 7:00 am to 9:00 am on weekdays (the morning rush hour)
• 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm on weekdays (afternoon rush hour)
• 6:00 pm to 3:00 am on Friday and Saturday

It stands to reason that Uber Black has similar hours of peak demand.

Note that driving during rush hour isn’t always the best option. It often means spending a significant amount of time stuck in traffic, burning fuel and accepting fewer rides per hour.

When you start driving for Uber Black, take some time to experiment and get to know the most lucrative times to drive in your area. They’ll probably overlap with the times we listed above, but it’s also possible you’ll discover something that surprises you.

Tips

As with all Uber trips, you can get tips from customers as an Uber Black driver, but they’re not a given. It’s at the customer’s discretion whether or not they want to tip you.

Since Uber Black is a premium service, passengers will tend to be wealthier, which works both for and against you. Richer customers may be more inclined to tip, particularly if you provide them with excellent customer service, but they may also have higher expectations and be harder to impress.

Consider stocking your car with small amenities, such as bottles of water, tissues, and phone chargers for your passengers to use. You should also pay attention to whether it seems like they want to talk or be quiet—different people have different preferences about this.

Putting in a little extra effort will make your rides feel significantly more luxurious, which will boost your tipping rate.

Uber’s promotions

Uber Black drivers are eligible for all of Uber’s usual promotions, with the two most common being:

• Quests: You can earn more by completing certain numbers of rides in a set time period. For example, you could get an extra $100 for completing 30 trips over 3 days, or $150 for completing 45 trips over 4 days.
• Boost+: This promotion adds an earnings multiplier on top of your regular base pay for trips that start and end within a designated area during certain timeframes. For example, a ride with a 2x boost added will give you double the fare.

Because Uber Black’s base fares tend to be higher, multipliers like Boosts may increase your earnings more than they normally would, so be sure to watch out for them.

While Uber Black trips pay better than regular Uber trips, the program’s requirements are very strict. If you’re a casual Uber driver, going through the hassle and expense of obtaining a high-end vehicle, plus the extra permits and insurance you’ll need, probably isn’t worth it.

Uber Black is mainly worth it for people who are already full-time drivers for a black car or limo service (or have decided to pursue that as a career).

If you work for a private car company that provides access to a fleet of qualifying vehicles, then Uber Black can be a good way to connect with more customers.

If you go this route, it’s important to clear your use of Uber with your employer, and you’ll presumably have to share your profits with them. However, because the company will provide your vehicle, you’ll sidestep many of the expenses of driving for Uber Black, such as rental fees or vehicle depreciation.

Pros and cons of driving for Uber Black

If you’re having trouble deciding whether or not Uber Black is right for you, you can review its pros and cons below.

If you’re set on driving for Uber Black, you’ll need a regular Uber account to get access to it. If you don’t already have one, navigate to Uber’s homepage, click “Sign up to drive,” and go through their usual signup process. You’ll have to provide:

• A selfie (for your profile photo)
• Pictures of your driver’s license and proof of insurance
• Your Social Security number

Uber will conduct a background check on you, and once you pass, you’ll be able to start accepting regular rides.

Waiting for your Uber Black invitation

Once you’re signed up, you don’t need to do anything special to apply for Uber Black. Uber will automatically invite you to the program once all the following conditions are met:

• You have a suitable vehicle and the required permits/insurance
• You have a 4.85+ rating on the platform
• You’ve completed enough rides (again, they don’t disclose how many you need, but it’s probably at least 100)
• There are openings for new Uber Black drivers in your city

To find out if Uber Black is currently accepting drivers where you are, your best bet is to contact Uber’s driver support and ask.

After Uber registers you as an Uber Black driver, you’ll be able to accept both UberX and Black rides in the app.