How to use your car or van to make money

Many people have a side gig to make ends meet or to fulfill a savings goal and there are plenty of options to make a bit of extra cash if you have a car or van.

Some of the following might need you to upgrade your insurance, so have a chat with your insurance company before diving in.

Ride sharing

You’ll need a clean, tidy car and the ride sharing platform will provide you the software to get going. The hours can be unsociable, but if you have a 9-5, then the evening hours might work for you. Just be careful of fatigue and not working over the maximum number of hours.

Food delivery

If you don’t want to deal with people in your car, or it doesn’t meet the requirements, food delivery might work for you.

Chauffeur or wedding cars

If you have the right standard of car, you can become a chauffeur with a company like Wheely. Classic cars, expensive European cars and American muscle cars (new and old) are in demand for weddings, with you driving as the chauffeur.

Rent it for movies and TV

Classic cars are often required for TV and movies. You can use a platform such as BookAclassic to list your car. This could be anything from an ’80s and ’90s boxes like an Austin Maestro (check out the cars in Sex Education, for example), through to hypercars.

Rent it to other drivers

Companies like Hiyacar enable you to rent your vehicle to regular people, just like a car rental company.

Advertise on your car

If you drive specific routes or leave your car parked in areas where it’s very visible, companies like Adverttu will wrap your car and pay you per month. There are minimum requirements for the type of car. Other than that, it’s passive income all the way.

Be a courier

Cars and vans can be used for courier work. You’ll need to be fit and active yourself as there will be lifting involved.

Run a mobile business

There are many businesses that can be mobile from dog washing to saw sharpening. You’ll need some specific tools and equipment for the job you have in mind.