Rent Ad Space (On Car)

Car wrap advertising is a legitimate way to make extra money. However, it has also become a hotbed for scammers and fraudulent activity, so if you want to join the ranks of drivers who get paid to place advertisements on their cars, you need to tread carefully.

The key is to only work with reputable companies. Of course, in the beginning, it can be hard to tell whether a company is reputable or not.

Be sure to do thorough research and read reviews before you commit to a relationship with any company, and bear these tips in mind:

• Don’t pay any upfront or removal fees; legitimate companies don’t charge these.
• Work for companies that require car insurance.
• Check out a company’s customer service reputation.
• Don’t believe anyone claiming to work with big brands like Coca Cola, Monster Energy, Heineken, Bud Light, or 7UP—these are known scams.
• Don’t give up your Social Security number, and stop communicating with anyone who asks for it.
• Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers; you can expect to be paid around $100–$300 per month but not hundreds of dollars a week.
• Only accept direct deposits; fraudulent checks are a common car wrap scam.

You’ll never have to pay anything upfront for legitimate car wrap advertising. If someone contacts you directly with an overly attractive money-making offer (like making hundreds of dollars a week) or promises to reimburse you for fees paid upfront, it’s likely a scam.

On average, car wrapping companies pay somewhere in the range of $100–$500 per month to advertise on your car. The higher rates advertised typically reflect bonus opportunities given to drivers throughout the month.

However, exactly how much money you’ll earn from wrapping your car depends on certain factors, such as the size of the wrap, the length of the ad campaign, which areas you’re driving in, and how many miles you drive.

Pay Rates of Top Car Advertising Companies

The truth is that there are lots of companies out there that would be willing to pay for the local, targeted advertising that comes from car wrapping. A car advertising side hustle is something you can either do through an intermediary car advertising company or by pitching your advertising services directly to the companies you’d be marketing.

While you may be able to charge more money by pursuing direct deals, there’s a lot more work involved, and the out-of-pocket costs will be greater.

Car advertising intermediaries handle it all. For example:

• Negotiate the deals with the advertisers.
• Work with advertisers to generate wrap designs and campaign details.
• Vet drivers before they’re allowed to work.
• Pair advertisers with drivers that match their requirements.
• Manage mileage tracking technology.
• Schedule and monitor ad campaigns.

Car advertising companies might take a big cut of your earnings. However, the tradeoff is that you get to enjoy earning passive income for simply driving your car around town.

There aren’t very many legit and active car wrapping companies in the US. If you want to get paid to drive with ads, Wrapify, Carvertise, and Nickelytics are the big three companies you’ll want to consider, and they offer some of the highest-paid car advertising opportunities. Here’s a breakdown of how each service works, the pros and cons, and the requirements.

1. Wrapify

Wrapify is one of the top car advertising platforms, with no upfront costs or minimum driving distance required. To get started, all you need to do is follow three steps:

1. Download the app on Google Play or the App Store.
2. Submit your profile.
3. Field offers for advertisements.

The Wrapify app will monitor you as you drive to determine if you’re eligible for any upcoming campaigns. Wrapify will send you an offer roughly 5 weeks before the campaign start date. You’ll need to complete a background check first, then you can claim your offer and then take your car to a local shop to get the wrap installed.

Wrapify pays you for the hours you drive within the campaign’s coverage area. You get paid every other week by direct deposit, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday. To receive your payments, you’re required to submit proof of performance (POP) photos to demonstrate that your wraps and vehicle are still in good shape.

Pros:

• No minimum mileage threshold
• Bonuses available

Cons:

• You only earn while driving in select areas
• Must be at least 21 years old
• Buggy app that doesn’t always work or track mileage

Requirements:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Pass a background check
• Have a recent clean driving record
• Have a vehicle that is a Coupe, Sedan, SUV, pickup truck, or minivan
• Have a vehicle that is a 2010 or newer model with no significant body or paint damage

Where to download the Wrapify app

App Store Google Play

2. Carvertise

Carvertise is another legit car wrapping company, and it’s got some unique features. For starters, you get to pick and choose which brands you want to advertise for. One drawback, however, is that you do need to meet a minimum driving threshold to qualify.

To get started, follow these three steps:

1. Submit an application that details your car and driving habits.
2. Match with potential advertisers who like your profile.
3. Accept an offer and get the wrap installed.

Once you receive and accept your first campaign, you’ll take your car into one of Carvertise’s wrap shops nearby. With your car wrapped and ready to go, your mobile app will begin tracking your mileage.

Carvertise pays drivers every month via direct deposit. You’ll get paid a base rate and have the opportunity to earn bonuses. All in all, the company claims that drivers can make up to $500 per month, situating Carvertise as the highest-paying car advertising company.

Pros:

• Choose which companies you advertise
• Bonus opportunities
• On-time payments

Cons:

• 30 miles per day minimum mileage threshold
• Limited nationwide coverage
• Negligent in removing wraps after campaign

Requirements:

The Carvertise website does not specify any requirements for drivers or vehicles. However, it’s safe to assume that they have similar eligibility criteria to the other companies on this list.

Where to download the Carvertise app

App Store Google Play

3. Nickelytics

Nickelytics is another car wrapping company that offers monthly payouts for advertising on your car. They primarily market to rideshare and delivery drivers.

This platform also has a three-step signup process:

1. Download the app on Google Play or the App Store.
2. Activate the app while you’re on the road so they can use your routes and driving habits to match you with advertisers.
3. Accept a campaign and have the wrap installed.

Before you can place advertising on your car, Nickelytics will need to monitor your driving via the app to evaluate the routes you commonly take as well as your average mileage. They’ll use this information to pair you with the right brands and campaigns.

You’ll need to get the wrap installed before each campaign begins. You have the option of either taking it into a local shop for a custom install or wrapping your car yourself. The self-install option is likely for smaller wraps or decals that are quick and easy to apply.

Pros:

• Self-wrapping option available
• Onboarding process is smooth and pain-free

Cons:

• 30 miles per day minimum mileage threshold
• Buggy app that often doesn’t work or track mileage
• Limited nationwide coverage

Requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Own a vehicle that’s no more than 10 years old
• Drive more than 30 miles a day, 150 miles a week, and 450 miles a month
• Have a clean driving record

Where to download the Nickelytics app

App Store Google Play

Car advertising scams aren’t the only things you need to look out for if you’re interested in a car wrapping side hustle.

Wrapify, Carvertise, and Nickelytics are the only verifiably legit car advertising companies. There are others on the market, but we’re not comfortable recommending them for a variety of reasons. Here’s what you need to know.

StickerRide

While StickerRide does have a fairly polished-looking website, we can’t say the same for their mobile apps. At the time of writing, the app is only available for Android devices. This is a problem since the only way to become a StickerRide driver is to download one of the mobile apps.

The company also has no records on Trustpilot or BBB. This makes it incredibly difficult to verify whether the company is legitimate and understand the experiences of real users.

Stickr

Stickr seems to have an interesting concept. Unlike most of these other companies, they don’t pay drivers for wraps. Instead, they give you a self-install, see-through decal to put over your back window.

Here’s why we didn’t recommend them:

• Drivers have to pay for the decal.
• Stickr pays drivers in gift cards, not money.
• A number of drivers claimed they paid more than they made.

While there are some positive Trustpilot reviews, the negative ones are too concerning to ignore.

Free Car Media

Free Car Media is another car advertising company that some people recommend, but we couldn’t verify if they’re legitimate. One major issue is that there doesn’t appear to be any way to actually sign up. If you click on “Drivers Sign Up,” there are no links to sign up anywhere on that microsite.

The only link we found was a button on the home page that says “Start Your Own Online Business Today? Click Here.” When clicked, it takes you to a page for payingsocialmediajobs.com. It appears to be a bait-and-switch.

ReferralCars

At one time, ReferralCars may have been an active car advertising company. However, the website no longer exists.

Wrapping your car is a great side hustle for several reasons. It’s an easy source of passive income that’s open to anyone who does a lot of driving, making it particularly well suited to people who drive for work, such as rideshare and delivery drivers.

With that said, car advertising isn’t perfect for everyone, and it has some drawbacks to consider. If you have an important occasion coming up that you wouldn’t want to drive up to with the wrap still on your car, think twice before signing up—many people who wrap their cars complain that the company delays having the wrap removed.

It’s also important to set realistic expectations. Your earnings likely won’t be life-changing, and it can take a while to get paid. Car wrapping is one of the easiest side hustles out there, but it’s not one of the fastest ways to make money.

You should be reasonably safe if you pick one of the main three legit car wrapping platforms, but keep your wits about you, and always be on the lookout for any damage to your vehicle. Wrapping your car isn’t a completely effortless side hustle, but once you get it going, it can be a very easy and consistent source of passive income.