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- Owning a car can be costly. Monthly payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance can really add up.
- There are ways to use your vehicle to defray those costs, including driving for a rideshare service such as Uber and Lyft, delivering groceries, or even loaning out your car to Hollywood.
- Here are a few of the simplest methods to make money using your existing car.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Unless you live in a major metropolitan city with a comprehensive (and reliable) public transportation system, having a car is considered a basic necessity in the US. But for a basic necessity, it can be pretty pricey to maintain.
Monthly car payments (whether leasing or owning), required auto insurance, varying gas prices, and any potential maintenance problems that come up can all cost quite a lot out of pocket. AAA’s 2018 Your Driving Costs study found that the average price of owning and operating a new car (including the cost of fuel, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and more) was $8,849 per year.
Read more: 7 ways to make your car last longer and save you money.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to offset these costs and put your car to use by driving to make money. From supplementing your income to true independent contractor work, here are all of the easiest ways to make money with your car.
1. Become a driver for Uber or Lyft.
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Joining the fleet of drivers linked up to app-based taxi services is one of the most obvious and popular ways to boost your income. Two of the biggest companies are, of course, Uber and Lyft, which are each available in select cities around the world.
Depending on where you’re located and which app you choose to go with, the requirements are slightly different. Some states require that cars be less than a certain number of years old (typically 10 years old or newer, per Ride Sharing Driver).
You’ll have to connect with your ride-for-hire app of choice in order to get the specifics. But Uber and Lyft each make their general requirements readily available via their respective websites.
2. Work for food delivery and pick-up services.
REUTERS/Jason Reed
Delivering food via a dedicated app such as UberEATS, DoorDash, and PostMates is another popular option for drivers looking to pick up some extra cash.
While you don’t necessarily need a vehicle to become an affiliate of one of these apps, having a car certainly makes things easier — and expands the delivery range you’re able to serve.
3. Work for a service that shuttles kids around.
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Another option similar to Uber and Lyft is HopSkipDrive, a service founded by three working parents that is specifically for transporting children. "CareDrivers" need to be over the age of 23 and have 5 or more years of childcare experience, among other criteria listed on their website.
If you don’t live in an area currently serviced by HopSkipDrive, you can also look for postings seeking child-transporting services on a reputable child care provider sites like Care.com.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- These 5 charts show how Uber and Lyft compare financially as they fight to win the ride-hailing race
- INTRODUCING: The 10 people transforming how the world gets around
- 17 hot cars we can’t wait to see at the 2019 New York Auto Show
SEE ALSO: 17 hot cars we can’t wait to see at the 2019 New York Auto Show
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Caralynn Lippo)