London is by far the best city in the UK to work as an Uber driver. There are roughly 9 million potential customers out there, including massive numbers of tourists needing rides around a city they’re unfamiliar with and locals who need to get home after work or nights out on the town.
Figuring out how to optimise your experience as an Uber driver takes a bit of work though, and part of that consists of finding the right car. Here, we take a look at the benefits of using a hybrid car in the capital, from fuel efficiency to reliability.
Fuel efficiency
One of the main benefits of driving a hybrid as an Uber driver lies in their impressive fuel efficiency. A Toyota Prius Plug-in from somewhere like Westgate PCO Hire can achieve real world figures of between 80-130 mpg, depending on your driving habits and ability to recharge the battery while on the job.
Over the years, this can add up to massive savings, helping to keep your net earnings as high as possible. With fuel prices relatively unstable these days, it’s important to try to keep your expenses as low as possible, and a hybrid offers an effective way of achieving that.
Improved range
While efficiency is important, you also don’t want to have to stop driving constantly throughout the day to recharge or refill your car. In this sense, hybrid cars – especially plug-in variants – can provide a perfect balance.
You can plug them in and charge the battery when you have time, and rely on the often quicker and more accessible petrol that the internal combustion engine uses when you’re in a slightly busier period.
Driving experience
Hybrids are also quite comfortable to drive, which can be a big bonus for both you and your passengers. They’re very quiet at low speeds, and the electric motor makes stop-start driving in traffic a lot easier than just having an internal combustion engine.
If you’re going to be spending the majority of your week driving, it’s important that you’re as comfortable as possible, and this should absolutely be a factor that you keep in mind when making your decision.
Reliability
Hybrids may have been a little less reliable a couple of decades ago, when they were still relatively new tech, but this is no longer the case. A lot of hybrid models are aimed at professional drivers, and manufacturers know how important reliability is.
As technologies have become increasingly advanced, it’s now uncommon to see issues, and there shouldn’t be a shortage of mechanics to help you out should something go wrong.
Hybrids are the go to option for the vast majority of Uber drivers in London, and for good reason. They’re efficient, reliable, and comfortable, which should tick pretty much all the boxes you need. All you need to do is find a model that fits the rest of your requirements, and you should have a vehicle that serves you well for your Uber career.