The average Uber driver salary in the United States is $19.00 an hour. This fluctuates widely, however. For example, in New York City, Uber drivers can make upwards of $80,000 dollars. This is for an Uber driver who works 30 hours a week. However, this does not include the transaction fee Uber charges, taxes paid, or any maintenance required on the Uber vehicle.
Uber has many locations worldwide. However, due to the independent nature of their contractors and huge variations in time worked, this salary information is not widely reported. This Uber driver career and salary guide will give information on the Uber driver average salary and then use the broader classification of taxi/chauffeur drivers to get more detailed salary information regarding their pay, experience, industry, work schedule, job outlook, and typical bonuses and benefits.
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make per Year by Country?
| Uber Driver Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $10.76 | C$15.18 | E8.74 | AU$20.60 | NZ$20.00 | Rs 86.72* | R40.38* |
| Annual Pay | $29,620 | C$30,701 | E17,992 | AU$45,781 | NZ$41,600* | Rs180,387 | R84,000 |
Pay information denoted with a (*) indicates the hourly pay was correlated from the annual salary.
Uber Driver Salary Influencing Factors
The actual salary for an Uber driver depends on where they work including location, surge hours, and distance of the drive. In the U.S., the average pay is $19.
1. Location
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make in the US?
| Uber Driver Salary US | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | $14,284 | $7.55 |
| Maximum | $69,371 | $26.36 |
| Bonus/Tip | $750.00 | $16.55 |
| Overtime | No additional pay | $10.14 to $20.82 |
| Total Pay | $16,266 to $62,119 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make in Canada?
| Uber Driver Salary Canada | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | C$17,000 | C$20.04 |
| Maximum | C$60,000 | C$20.61 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | C$6.25 |
| Overtime | No additional pay | C$20,00 |
| Total Pay | C$18,000 to C$48,980 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make in the UK?
| Uber Driver Salary UK | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | E11,514 | E6.41 |
| Maximum | E34,302 | E14.92 |
| Bonus/Tip | E5,750 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | E10,00 |
| Total Pay | E11,780 to E31,688 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make in Australia?
| Uber Driver Salary Australia | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | AU$23,270 | AU$18.34 |
| Maximum | AU$70,729 | AU$38.54 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | AU$30,00 |
| Total Pay | AU$29,786 to AU$81,670 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver make in New Zealand?
| Uber Driver Salary New Zealand | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | NZ$31,200* | NZ$15,00 |
| Maximum | NZ$52,000* | NZ$25,00 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | NZ$31,200 to NZ$52,000 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver make in India?
| Uber Driver Salary India | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | Rs 59,733 | Rs 28.71* |
| Maximum | Rs 729,845 | Rs 350.88* |
| Bonus/Tip | Rs 75,000 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | Rs 100,000 to Rs 1,320,000 |
How Much Does an Uber Driver Make in South Africa?
| Uber Driver Salary South Africa | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | R48,000* | R23.07* |
| Maximum | R110,000* | R442.30* |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | R48,000 to R110,000 |
2. Experience
In Australia, taxi drivers in the middle of their career can expect to earn 26 percent above the median. There is no increase in pay for taxi drivers in the United States. In fact, entry-level taxi drivers report the highest salary. A similar phenomenon is seen in India where entry-level drivers report a higher income than experienced taxi drivers. The peak salary reported for taxi drivers in the United Kingdom is for those with 5 to 10 years of experience.
3. Industry
At this point, it makes sense to discuss some of the differences between Uber and taxis. Uber serves as a disruptive innovation to the traditional taxi system. No longer does a person have to call a dispatch center to get a taxi. Just use the app on your phone and an Uber driver will pick you up and take you where you need to go. Unlike taxis, reservations cannot be made ahead of time.
Uber has much looser regulations than the traditional taxi industry. There is no limit to how many Uber drivers can work in one city and to verifying the legality of drivers. There is a peer review app system that is intended to rate the best drivers and customers higher than others. In addition, Uber functions very much like a marketplace matching drivers and passengers, rather than a business providing the driving.
Uber is also driving change for traditional taxis as some companies have started to use Apps or an alternative scheduling service.
Schedule & Working Hours
Uber drivers can set their own hours. Uber tracks the most popular hours that people need an Uber. These hours result in a slightly higher pay rate. Typically, busy times are Thursday evening, Friday evening, Saturday all day, and Sunday afternoon. On these days, a driver could work 12 hours. Whereas, on a Monday they might choose to not work at all.
Bonuses & Benefits
There are various benefits to being an Uber driver. The two biggest benefits are the easy entry into the job and the flexibility. At the same time, there are constraints as well. Uber drivers are independent contractors and as such must keep a record of all of their income, taxes, and deductions. They are also responsible for all maintenance on their car.
Because they are independent contractors, Uber provides no job benefits. This includes healthcare, retirement, flexible spending accounts, child care, or education credit.
The table below lists the healthcare expectations if you are a taxi driver rather than an Uber driver. This provides a general understanding of the benefits someone could expect in this industry. A (–) indicates no data was available.
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 25 | 13 | — | 20 | — | 33 | 0 |
| Dental | 20 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Vision | 14 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| None | 73 | 88 | — | 80 | — | 67 | 100 |
Career Outlook
Uber has been experiencing some management issues in 2016 and 2017. Despite these issues, Uber continues to grow. There is no limit to the number of Uber drivers who can live in one area. In addition, it is very easy to become an Uber driver.
One thing to watch for someone who is or wants to become an Uber driver is their involvement with self-driving car technology.
Uber is not available in all areas and is actually illegal in some of those areas. In addition, the job outlook is definitely tied to the geographic area. In large cities, there will be more demand for Uber drivers than in rural areas.
Conclusion
Choosing to focus on an Uber driver career means joining the service exchange and entrepreneurial workforce. This leads to flexibility and ownership in when and how you work. However, it also causes risks not seen in other traditional businesses like no benefits, independent contractor status, and lack of employer support in the event of accidents or repairs. Another job for you to consider that allows the same amount of flexibility is that of a truck driver.
