Uber Earnings: $483 in One Saturday Driving — But What Was the Real Profit?

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Uber Driver Profit per Hour

Enter your day’s numbers. We’ll estimate variable & fixed costs, tax, profit per hour, and your annualized take‑home.

Total Revenue ($)

Gross fares incl. tips & incentives (before your own costs).

Hours Worked

From leaving home to returning (your true workday).

Miles Driven (total)

Include pickup + trip + deadhead.

Fuel Type Gas EV

Switch to show relevant inputs.

Fuel Price ($/gal) Vehicle MPG

Fuel cost ≈ miles ÷ MPG × price/gal.

Electricity Cost ($/kWh) Efficiency (Wh/mi)

Fuel cost ≈ miles × (Wh/mi ÷ 1000) × $/kWh.

Maintenance ($/mi)

Tires, brakes, wipers, fluids, car wash, etc.

Depreciation ($/mi)

Vehicle value loss — Levi’s default is $0.30/mi.

Other Variable ($/mi)

Cleaning, phone mounts, small supplies per mile.

Fixed Costs ($/day)

Insurance, subscriptions, parking/garage, etc.

Tax Rate on Profit (%)

Effective combined tax rate for your situation.

Annualization Hours/Week

Used to compute annualized take‑home.

Reset Defaults Calculate

Pre‑Tax Profit

$0.00

= Revenue − (Variable + Fixed)

After‑Tax Profit

$0.00

= Pre‑Tax × (1 − Tax Rate)

Profit per Hour (After‑Tax)

$0.00/hr

Uses your total hours away from home

Annualized Take‑Home

$0

= Profit/hr × (Hours/Week × 52)

Revenue$0.00

Fuel$0.00

Maintenance$0.00

Depreciation$0.00

Other Variable$0.00

Fixed Costs$0.00

Total Costs$0.00

Tip Update defaults to match your car: for EVs, set $/kWh and Wh/mi. For gas, set MPG and $/gal.

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Last Saturday, September 6th, I earned $483 driving Uber and Lyft here in Central New York. On paper, that sounds good. But if you’ve been following me, you know I never stop at the surface number. I want to know my real profit after every cost is accounted for, and I want you to be able to do the same.

That’s why I built the Uber Driver Profit Calculator right here on this page. You can plug in your own numbers and see exactly how much you’re making per hour after costs. But before you do that, let’s break down my Saturday in detail.

The Top-Line Numbers

• Gross Earnings: $437 from Uber + $47 from Lyft (though $6 was from another day)

• Total Miles Driven: 368.2

• Time Away from Home: 15 hours, 52 minutes

• Trips Completed: 29 trips (12 tips, 9 surges, 4 priority rides, 3 reservations)

That works out to $1.31 earned per mile before costs.

The Cost Reality

Driving isn’t free, and I calculate three main variable costs:

1. Fuel – I drive a Tesla Model Y, so my “fuel” cost is electricity. I spent $28.17 on charging that day (split between Supercharging and home charging).

2. Maintenance – Even EVs have upkeep: tires, brakes, and occasional battery considerations. I estimate $0.05 per mile.

3. Depreciation – This is the big one most drivers ignore. Based on my purchase price, estimated lifespan, and salvage value, I calculate $0.15 per mile.

Variable costs totaled $100.83.

Taxes and Fixed Costs

• Estimated Taxes: $33.81 (15% on taxable income after deductions)

• Fixed Costs: $14.05/day for things like Tesla Full Self-Drive, car wash subscriptions, cell phone, Panera drink plan, and Tesla premium connectivity.

True Profitability

When you subtract variable costs, taxes, and fixed costs from my gross earnings:

• True Profit: $334.44

• Profit per Hour: $21.08/hour (based on time away from home)

• Annualized: ~$43,000/year if I worked the same way all year

When I Made the Most

My best hours for profit were 5 AM – 9 AM.

Why?

Even though Uber showed “low demand” during those times, driver supply was even lower, which meant I could catch surges and get short, high-paying trips.

My most profitable ride per hour? A 0.87-mile UberX surge that paid $18.84 in under 5 minutes — equivalent to $273/hour while the passenger was in the car.

Takeaways for Me

• Stack morning reservations and position yourself early.

• Look for surges, especially UberX Surge and UberX Priority Surge rides under 3 miles.

• Avoid midday long non-surge rides unless they strategically position you for better trips.

• Lyft, in my market, is usually only worth it for reserved airport trips.

Try the Calculator

Now that you’ve seen my breakdown, it’s time to calculate your own.

Enter your earnings, miles, hours worked, and cost estimates in the Uber Driver Profit Calculator below to see:

• Your true hourly profit

• Your annualized income

• A full cost breakdown