# What is the best Uber XL vehicle ?



## Trying2survive (Jul 22, 2017)

I have been driving my 2017 Hyundai Elantra for about 6 months and I want to add another vehicle so I can drive XL or more . I have been told that I can double my revenue if I drive XL and another driver told me to get a large SUV like a Suburban, Tahoe , or Navigator so then I could drive XL, SUV, Select, or BLACK . I am pretty new to this and I have many people to support so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you .


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## pacifico (May 13, 2017)

it depends on your market, you bough a new car for uber, i imagine is paid off, then if you do the same with an suv you will lost a lot of money more


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## Slingbladekarl (Sep 10, 2017)

I own (2) 2011 Buick Enclaves both CXL. One white CXL-2 and one black CXL-1 They both qualify for Uber X, XL, and Select and Lyft Regular, Plus, and Premier. I just purchased the Black Enclave because it also qualifies for Lyft Lux and Lux SUV. Your qualifications may be different, but they a nice vehicles and pretty easy to maintain. I got the white one for 10.5K and the black one for 10K. I'm in the process of selling the white one. If your patient and look around you can find them pretty reasonably priced. You could even get a 2008 or 2009 for a little less.


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## Trying2survive (Jul 22, 2017)

Slingbladekarl said:


> I own (2) 2011 Buick Enclaves both CXL. One white CXL-2 and one black CXL-1 They both qualify for Uber X, XL, and Select and Lyft Regular, Plus, and Premier. I just purchased the Black Enclave because it also qualifies for Lyft Lux and Lux SUV. Your qualifications may be different, but they a nice vehicles and pretty easy to maintain. I got the white one for 10.5K and the black one for 10K. I'm in the process of selling the white one. If your patient and look around you can find them pretty reasonably priced. You could even get a 2008 or 2009 for a little less.


Thank for all the info . The Buick is very nice and I would consider this for sure. Do you think I will get more rides or make more with an upgrade in vehicle ? So how much of an increase percentage wise ? Thanks again



pacifico said:


> it depends on your market, you bough a new car for uber, i imagine is paid off, then if you do the same with an suv you will lost a lot of money more


I will not buy new again and you are absolutely correct . How much more in percentage do you think the upgraded vehicle will create for me? Thanks for the help


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## pacifico (May 13, 2017)

i don't know if its worthy, again its depends on your market, on a suv starting price is more, tires are more expensives, and takes more gas, more of everything, what I hear is that xl guys finish accepting x trips so even worst


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Depends on city. In mine uber has only x and xl. As for doubling revenue with xl in my city? Ahahaha. Not even close. Maybe a quarter more at the best I would say--most of my rides are x anyway.

SUV is a crazy choice for xl in this city. I drive a minivan and to match its interior space you need a full size SUV which means guzzle more gas, more tires, more brakes, more cost/higher depreciation. Oh and it doesn't have sliding doors and easy access for customers anyway. There is a reason why all the taxi cabs here are minivans and not suvs. As it is most people who get in my van are single people who ordered an x. Carting them around in a big SUV would be even crazier!


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## Trying2survive (Jul 22, 2017)

pacifico said:


> i don't know if its worthy, again its depends on your market, on a suv starting price is more, tires are more expensives, and takes more gas, more of everything, what I hear is that xl guys finish accepting x trips so even worst


Thank you for the help .



ShinyAndChrome said:


> Depends on city. In mine uber has only x and xl. As for doubling revenue with xl in my city? Ahahaha. Not even close. Maybe a quarter more at the best I would say--most of my rides are x anyway.
> 
> SUV is a crazy choice for xl in this city. I drive a minivan and to match its interior space you need a full size SUV which means guzzle more gas, more tires, more brakes, more cost/higher depreciation. Oh and it doesn't have sliding doors and easy access for customers anyway. There is a reason why all the taxi cabs here are minivans and not suvs. As it is most people who get in my van are single people who ordered an x. Carting them around in a big SUV would be even crazier![/QUOTE
> Thanks for all the help .


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## Slingbladekarl (Sep 10, 2017)

Trying2survive said:


> Thank you for the help .


I'm going to go into detail and why I drive XL where I live in San Antonio, TX. I almost never drive X Rides, only during surges at the airport. Since Uber has allowed me to eliminate X I can drive Uber XL and Select and also Lyft Premiere Rides including Lux and Lux SUV. This Friday night I did 4 Rides from 11.41 to 2.05 PM all XL and made $145.85 I also got $20 in cash tips. On Saturday I worked from 10:05 to 3:00 AM and made $108.48 on 11 trips plus another $40.00 in cash tips . The last two trips on Saturday were Uber X because I forgot to turn it off and got no tips from them. On Sunday I made one trip before picking up my wife at work and went out at 10 pm and made $83.62 on 5 trips and another $20 in cash tips. Total for the Weekend for 20 trips was $418.00 in about 12 hours and also made $50 driving a couple of Lyft Plus Pax. Spent $53.81 (Gas went up 70 cents a gallon after Hurricane Harvey) on Gas (My New Buick averages 21.1 miles per gallon which is as good as most Mini-Vans on the Market except the 2017 Hybrid Pacifica . The weekend before (Fri. and Sat.) with my other Buick I made $272.62 in 11 rides in about 10 hours of which 4 were Select Pax which accounted for half the total. I could of made more this weekend, but Uber are such idiots that they didn't approve my new car for Select even though it is on the list and the Same Year and Model as my other one which is approved. I have to go to the HUB for them to put it on today.

I have also only been driving for a few months and originally had a very nice 2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited (X Only). Here is a comparison of the last weekend driving the Toyota from Thursday - Sunday. I made $389.09 over 57 trips over 38 hours vs. last weekends $418.00 over 12 hours and the weekend before making @272.62 over 10 hours. This is why I don't do X rides. You can get as many as you want, but I only averaged $6.83 per ride where as with XL and Select I made $22.28 per ride. I'm not picking up people who are at the Grocery Store or going a mile to get a Pax to work for $2.62. So as far as gas and tires are concerned I was getting killed on the X rides. The question of tires is a valid one, but if you look on Craigslist or local tire shop. I can get a set of 8/32 (10-11/32 is new) tires for $200 installed. The person I go to gets his from dealers who get in higher end vehicles (SUVs) and always puts new tires on them for resale. Since the 2011 Buick I drive is virtually identical to the 2008-2012 Acadia, Traverse, and Outlook it is easy to get good used parts as well.

Another factor is depreciation and I calculated that I lose $10 for every 100 miles I drive. I think that would a consideration as well. So driving X drives are not great money for me. That is why it is imperative to get a good deal when buying a vehicle.

I do want to point out that in San Antonio, as with many cities are limited on the time of week when to drive XL or higher end rides. Late Sunday thru Wednesday are not great and you could sit at the Airport and Downtown. Early morning is better during the week.

If you don't have Select or Premiere in your area I believe you only need a 2004 or newer vehicle to qualify for XL. I bought mine to get the LUX and LUX SUV from Lyft and Uber Select. I have to travel to Austin to get Lyft rides and am planning a weekend trip to see what happens. Like everyone I am trying to figure out the best ways to maximize my profits made from driving. I will say since driving a nice vehicle (I keep spotless) my tips have gone up significantly. I've more than doubled the number and at usually a higher dollar value.

I'm sure there are people who make a lot more and drive less, but it's just trial and error for me right now.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Sounds like it's working out well for you. In my area if all I did was xl I could go hours between pings. The demand just is not here. I like your depreciation numbers, I think they are pretty accurate.


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## rebutfyl (Jan 11, 2016)

Slingbladekarl said:


> I own (2) 2011 Buick Enclaves both CXL. One white CXL-2 and one black CXL-1 They both qualify for Uber X, XL, and Select and Lyft Regular, Plus, and Premier. I just purchased the Black Enclave because it also qualifies for Lyft Lux and Lux SUV. Your qualifications may be different, but they a nice vehicles and pretty easy to maintain. I got the white one for 10.5K and the black one for 10K. I'm in the process of selling the white one. If your patient and look around you can find them pretty reasonably priced. You could even get a 2008 or 2009 for a little less.


for Uber select anf Lyft Premier, 2009 Enclave qualify? does uber/lyft state how old is the vehicle?


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## Slingbladekarl (Sep 10, 2017)

Uber Select is 2008 or newer and Lyft premiere is 2009 or newer. Uber cars seems to vary from city to city whereas Lyft has a universal acceptance. Not all cities have these services, but Lyft has all of them now in San Antonio and Texas. My problem is that Lyft is not near as popular in San Antonio, so I will drive in Austin which has one of the highest percentage of Lyft Rides in the country. Fortunately it's only a little over and hour drive and the rates are also higher. In Texas you can drive in any city in the State. Another factor is the month these come out. So since the Lyft Premiere was updated on August 24, 2017 I would assume the qualifications would be a 2010 vehicle for Lyft around August 24, 2018. Not sure how accurate that is, but think it would be somewhat of a guideline. Every Uber and Lyft service has Year requirements. It's just the Select, Premiere, Lux, and Lux SUV that require the newer vehicles.



ShinyAndChrome said:


> Sounds like it's working out well for you. In my area if all I did was xl I could go hours between pings. The demand just is not here. I like your depreciation numbers, I think they are pretty accurate.


XL and Select is only a weekend surge for me. If I drive during the week it is pretty meager around here, but still get a few XL rides at the airport. Trying to figure areas to work for maximum profits in Austin and other surrounding cities. I would say that about half of the XL rides are for people needing the extra seats, but more for larger people who don't want to ride in a smaller vehicle.


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## azndriver87 (Mar 23, 2015)

rebutfyl said:


> for Uber select anf Lyft Premier, 2009 Enclave qualify? does uber/lyft state how old is the vehicle?


qualified for the next 3 months, get 2010+

Acura MDX
GMC Acadia Limited/denali
Buick Enclave

Black on black

You will get uber Select, uber XL, Lyft Premier, Lyft Lux, Lyft SUV, Lyft PLus.


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## Slingbladekarl (Sep 10, 2017)

Lyft Lux and Lux SUV require 2011 or newer and must be black exterior only. Doesn't require interior black. I think Uber Black and SUV is the only one that requires it be black interior. Thats what I've been told.


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## Donshonda (May 3, 2016)

ShinyAndChrome said:


> Depends on city. In mine uber has only x and xl. As for doubling revenue with xl in my city? Ahahaha. Not even close. Maybe a quarter more at the best I would say--most of my rides are x anyway.
> 
> SUV is a crazy choice for xl in this city. I drive a minivan and to match its interior space you need a full size SUV which means guzzle more gas, more tires, more brakes, more cost/higher depreciation. Oh and it doesn't have sliding doors and easy access for customers anyway. There is a reason why all the taxi cabs here are minivans and not suvs. As it is most people who get in my van are single people who ordered an x. Carting them around in a big SUV would be even crazier!


I drive a '15 Honda pilot. Seats 7 plus me. Yes 7 seatbelts plus me. that's more room than most minivans for passengers. You may have more cargo room with passengers for suitcases and such, but the drunk college kids love the fact that I can get them all in. Not more money in tires, not more money in gas (24mpg) not more money in brakes, And its all wheel drive. All black leather, 5 charging stations, HVAC controls throughout. Premium sound system.

I would think this vehicle matches your interior space quite well.... when it comes to seatbelts anyway. And its not a "minivan" or "full size SUV"


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

Most markets have locked out new accounts for SUV and Black. 

I haven't driven out here in DFW area but you can ask in the Dallas forum. I hear there are a ton of Suburban types running around, between XL, Select, SUV, Black and private clients. 

Also remember that Select is much more lenient here in DFW. I believe an Explorer qualifies and if you get a 3rd row version, now youre doing XL. dont spend extra money on black on black, the likelihood of you ever going SUV or Black is slim, whether its brcause of new applications being closed or the commercial insurance will price you out. 

If you want to do full time, it may be worth the investment but part time? Forget SUV and Black. 

I wouldn't count on a double income ratio. It certainly helps but it ia very market dependent. I upgraded to a select vehicle and it paid off at first but then Atlanta started to die. Select demend dropped by 70% almost overnight.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Donshonda said:


> I drive a '15 Honda pilot. Seats 7 plus me. Yes 7 seatbelts plus me. that's more room than most minivans for passengers. You may have more cargo room with passengers for suitcases and such, but the drunk college kids love the fact that I can get them all in. Not more money in tires, not more money in gas (24mpg) not more money in brakes, And its all wheel drive. All black leather, 5 charging stations, HVAC controls throughout. Premium sound system.
> 
> I would think this vehicle matches your interior space quite well.... when it comes to seatbelts anyway. And its not a "minivan" or "full size SUV"


Without checking edmunds I'd say your interior capacity is lower than on my 2013 sienna, but I am familiar with the pilot and it's close. I can seat 7 passengers, too  Pilot is a good car, though it depreciates a bit more per mile than the Sienna (sienna is a cheaper vehicle).

I've thought in the past of buying a pilot from time to time.


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## Spotscat (May 8, 2017)

I have a Lincoln Navigator and drive X and XL - those are the only two options here. The passengers love the Navigator, it's roomy, comfortable, and has a solid feel to it. The gas stations also love the Navigator, because it gets about 11mpg in city and drinks 91 octane fuel.

My advice is that before you go spend a bunch of $$ on a vehicle that will let you operate Select, Black, and SUV, that you buy an older minivan that will let you operate XL and see how it goes.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Spotscat said:


> I have a Lincoln Navigator and drive X and XL - those are the only two options here. The passengers love the Navigator, it's roomy, comfortable, and has a solid feel to it. The gas stations also love the Navigator, because it gets about 11mpg in city and drinks 91 octane fuel.
> 
> My advice is that before you go spend a bunch of $$ on a vehicle that will let you operate Select, Black, and SUV, that you buy an older minivan that will let you operate XL and see how it goes.


Do a double oil change and clean up your injectors or something....

V8 expy/navi should get 13-18 mpg on REGULAR


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## TheRook (Sep 9, 2017)

Had a Ford Expedition (silver color so was stuck in XL), and drove mostly during the day-wasn't into 6 drunk idiots jumping in and thrashing the vehicle during late night bar rush.
Traded it in, as the little money earned didn't really justify the expense of fuel $$$ and lack of consistent daytime surges.
Also Lyft doesn't have exclusive Lyft plus so you are refusing 95% of Lyft runs which are regular Lyft for peanuts, and the Uber XL runs weren't all that steady.

Switched to a new CMax Energi plug in electric/hybrid into a Über X and so far so good. 460 miles on the new vehicle and gas tank says 3/4 full still. Lower pay, but with surges, not that much, and it's steady, steady trips....ping, ping, ping.
Haven't even driven for Lyft with the new vehicle, as they don't offer free inspections and on principal, I ain't paying them to work for slave earnings, and also pay to inspect a brand new car-


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