Ask most new drivers what driving costs them and they’ll say gas. In this video from The Rideshare Guy, host Chris walks through the expenses that quietly eat into your pay long after you’ve filled the tank, and why a $25 ride doesn’t mean you made $25.
He starts with depreciation, the cost he says drivers overlook most. Put 30,000 to 40,000 miles a year on a $30,000 car and in a few years it can have well over 100,000 miles. Nobody sends you a depreciation bill every Friday; you find out when you go to sell, and the car you thought was worth $15,000 is worth $9,000. Next comes insurance: a rideshare endorsement or different coverage can add $20 to $50 a month, and skipping it to save money can backfire badly after an accident. Then maintenance: with oil changes every 5,000 miles, a 30,000-mile year means six of them, and brakes, rotors, alignment, and suspension wear out faster too. His advice is to treat maintenance as a cost per mile, such as setting aside 10 cents a mile, instead of waiting for the repair bill.
From the driver’s seat, this is exactly why full-time rideshare is such a tough living. The app shows you a fare, but your car is paying part of it, and you don’t feel that loss until it shows up all at once as a repair or a trade-in offer. The platforms don’t pay for any of it; you do.
If you drive full-time, run the numbers per mile, not per trip. Once you subtract depreciation, insurance, and maintenance, a lot of “good” rides stop looking good.
Follow Rideshare Sean on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (username: Rideshare Sean) for more real talk about driving rideshare.