How much do Uber drivers earn in Australia?

The best thing about driving Uber is you can choose when and how much you want to work. Before signing up to drive for Uber, people mainly look into the following aspects – what are the Uber car and Uber driver requirements, how can you sign up for Uber and how much Uber drivers earn in Australia.

People drive with Uber for different reasons including:

1. Driving with Uber full-time as a professional driver

2. Driving with Uber as a second source of income (to supplement a part-time revenue, a pension or other allowance)

3. Driving with Uber part-time (if studying, following a passion, etc.)

How much does an Uber driver earn in Australia on average?

Your earnings will more or less reflect the amount of time you dedicate to driving, but we advise you to leave room for variables when managing your expectations. Unexpected traffic jams might force you to put in an extra hour or two, but surge pricing during rush hours and sudden weather changes will boost your earnings if you’re lucky.

Below is an estimation of the earnings for a driver who subscribes to drive a brand new Uber car from Splend.

To put these numbers into context, the minimum wage in Australia was $21.38 per hour in 2023 – this amounts to $962.1 in a 45-hour work week. 

How much do Uber drivers earn in Australia, by state?

Splend has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Canberra. Therefore, our customers are reporting slightly different earnings in each state. Below is a breakdown of the earnings in each of the major cities.

• In Sydney and Melbourne, some drivers who drive Splend cars on a subscription plan earn up to $1,500 – $2,000 per week driving Uber, earning $40+ per hour at peak times including the weekends.  

•  In Brisbane, some drivers earn over $35 per hour at peak times including the weekends, making up to $1,250 – $1,500 per week with Uber. 

•  In Perth and Adelaide, some Splend customers earn up to $1,000 – $1,500 per week with Uber, earning $30+ per hour at peak times including the weekends. 

*These earnings examples are based on current aggregated income data from Splend customers in Australia.

What are the expenses of an Uber driver? 

You’re basically running a small business as an on-demand driver. You’re responsible for all costs related to the car, maintenance, insurance and any other taxes. These costs will make the difference between gross and net income.

Uber service fee 

Uber takes 27.5% of your earnings, which is important when it comes to managing your expectations. If you want to know how that compares to other rideshare apps, check out a side by side comparison for the most popular rideshare apps in Australia, to get a better idea of the commission rates, pricing, and fares.

Fuel 

The most obvious and frequent expense is your fuel cost. This depends on the car you drive, where and when you drive most of the time, as well as your driving style. If you want to reduce your fuel consumption, there are some tips you can use — adjust your driving style, do regular maintenance for your car, use your AC wisely. 

However, the easiest way to reduce your fuel cost is by switching to a hybrid vehicle. With a Toyota Yaris Cross GX Hybrid, you get to travel a whopping 947 km on one tank, with a fuel consumption of just 3.8 litres/100 km. 

Using average fuel and electric charging prices as of April 2023, we estimate that driving 1,000 km in a week with a petrol vehicle will cost you around $73, while charging a Polestar 2 EV for the same distance is only $40.

Maintenance 

If you’re wondering how much you should save for maintenance, we estimated a weekly cost of $30, with an average of 50,000 km driven per year. That rounds up to over $1500 for yearly maintenance.

Did you know? If you get your car from Splend, most of your routine maintenance is covered. 

Insurance 

As an on-demand driver in Australia, you will need CTP insurance plus TPPD insurance for driving on most of the platforms available. The total cost of rideshare insurance varies a lot depending on the area you live in and numerous other factors and can go from $500 to over $1,000 per year. 

TIP: If you get your car from an Uber car rental, ask if any kind of insurance is included in your subscription.

At Splend, all cars come with CTP insurance and Loss & accident cover.

Taxes 

You’re the one responsible for paying any applicable tax, as an on-demand driver. To make sure you always pay your taxes properly and on time, it’s best to hire an accountant that handles all this work.

How to earn more as an Uber driver? 

With Uber, you always have the most valuable tools at hand to think outside the box and boost your earnings – your car, your smartphone, and your skills.

1. Work smart, not hard

The best Uber drivers always find the quickest routes from A to B. This way you’ll earn good ratings and tips, not to mention saving time for yourself. It adds up if you can chisel just a minute or two off each ride. At the end of the week, you’ll see a big difference.

TIP: Your car may have built-in navigation, but unless it’s regularly updated and shows real-time traffic data, you’re better off using a good third-party app such as Waze.

2. Don't chase the surge – predict it

Often, by the time you arrive at the surge area, drivers who were nearby will have already picked up all the passengers and you’d just wasted fuel chasing the surge. Surging in the most part is predictable if you’re aware of these factors:

• Surge hotspots in your city

• Weather conditions like excessive rain or heat waves

• Disruptions to public transport

• Major events

Make it a habit to keep an eye on the surge even when you’re not working. Thinking ahead and targeting areas with frequent surges will increase your earnings over time.

3. Use multiple rideshare apps

Although the most popular, Uber is not the only rideshare platform you can drive for. Being on multiple rideshare apps means that you can maximise your earning potential. If there aren’t enough new ride requests at your drop-off point, or there’s too much competition from other drivers, you can always check out another platform so you don’t have to drive an empty car.

4. Use your car for parcel and food delivery 

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, ridesharing took a hit, as travel and commute diminished, but the drivers were in-demand elsewhere. With people being forced to stay at home, they started relying more on parcel deliveries, food orders and grocery delivery. This has opened up a world of new opportunities besides ridesharing. If you live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle, Gold Coast or Adelaide, you can switch from ridesharing to parcel delivery and become a driver on Amazon Flex. All you need is a full Australian driver’s licence and a car big enough to fit all the parcels.

5. Track and reduce your expenses 

The best part about ridesharing is that you get to manage your expenses by yourself. Keep track of everything you’re spending on, from fuel and insurance to car maintenance and traffic charges. This way, you can reduce unnecessary expenses or find cheaper alternatives, if possible.

Tip: There are a few apps that can be helpful for expenses tracking, such as TaxLeopard. You can download the free version for iOS or for Android and log on your expenses on the go.  

If you’re on a car subscription plan, it’s much easier to track how much you spend with the detailed bill you get every week. Moreover, important expenses, such as car maintenance are already included in your subscription plan. 

6. Tell a friend about your job 

At Splend, we reward you with a $250 bonus for every friend you refer to us, and they also get a $50 discount upon signing up. The more people you share your story with, the more you can earn, as we don’t have a cap on these referral bonuses – how much you earn this way is only up to you and your networking skills.

Learn more about the Splend referral program.

7. Get more tips with Uber

UberX passengers and Uber Eats clients can tip their drivers after each successful trip. They have one-touch options to leave you a tip of $1, $3, $5, but if they feel especially generous, they can set a higher amount of up to $50 manually. The problem is that tips are not easy money in the digital age. Although your clients only have to press a button, that’s still more effort and a lot more conscious decision than saying “keep the change.” It kind of makes you miss the days of cash payments. Don’t worry, though. We’ve prepared you a guide on how to earn more tips with Uber.

8. Keep improving your driving strategy 

Splend provides every customer with a dedicated Customer Specialist, whose job is to ensure you’re the most profitable Uber driver you can be. They are here to guide you through the process of becoming an Uber driver and take care of your car servicing needs. If you want to learn more or pick up some exta earning tips, book a 1-on-1 session with your Customer Specialist today by contacting your local Splend Hub.

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About Splend

We enable people to make money by driving for on-demand apps such as Uber. We’re more than a car subscription provider. In addition to new-model cars and all the essentials to start earning money with Uber as quickly as possible, our customers enjoy driver training and dedicated support, as well as customer benefits such as partner discounts and exclusive events. For more information about Splend, make an appointment and drop by to your local Splend Hub, email us, or say hello on 1800-SPLEND.