5 Essential Uber Vehicle Requirements in London

If you're looking to become an Uber driver in London, ensuring your car meets Uber’s official vehicle requirements is a crucial step. Apart from obtaining your PCO licence, your car must comply with both Uber and TfL’s (Transport for London) specifications to be eligible for private hire work.

Uber car requirements in 2025

To operate as an Uber driver in London, your vehicle must meet the following key criteria, which cover both Uber and TfL’s specifications.

1. Vehicle Model & Age

• Your car must be a four-door vehicle with independently opening doors.

• It must be licensed to carry a minimum of 4 passengers.

• The vehicle must meet the age requirements set by TfL. As of 2025, private hire vehicles must be under 10 years old to qualify for UberX and UberXL.

• Vehicle requirements vary depending on the service:

  • UberX: Minimum of 5 seats and 4 doors.

  • UberXL: Minimum of 7 seats and 4 doors.

  • Uber Exec & Comfort: High-end vehicles with additional comfort and space requirements.

Popular electric models on the streets of London include the spacious Kia Niro 2 EV or the Congestion Charge-exempt MG5 EV.

If your car doesn't meet the requirements, you can opt for our Flexi Try Plans so you can try before you buy. You can also use your Uber Clean Air EV Assistance to get a discount on your rental of choice.

2. Emission Requirements

London has some of the strictest emission requirements in the UK. As of January 1, 2023, TfL requires all new private hire vehicles to be Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) and meet Euro 6 emission standards. This means:

• Fully electric cars qualify automatically.

• Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles must meet ZEC specifications.

TIP: Choosing a fully electric vehicle ensures compliance with all emission requirements and provides savings on Congestion and ULEZ charges.

3. Vehicle Condition and Appearance

To meet TfL’s safety and operational standards, your car must:

• Be in good condition with no cosmetic damage.

• Not be a black cab or resemble a London taxi.

• Not have commercial branding or advertisements.

• Not be salvaged or rebuilt.

You can still make some modifications to your car’s appearance, like adding a partition screen, an incident recording device, or even an electronic payment device. However, they all have to be within TfL’s guidelines.

4. Right-hand drive only

TfL doesn’t licence left-hand drive cars, so you can only use your car if the steering wheel is on the right-hand side.

If needed, it’s possible to convert your car to a right-hand drive, but it’s not only a complex procedure, it’s also pretty expensive.

5. Valid PHV licence

When you want to become an Uber driver in London, having a valid PHV licence for your car is a must. It goes hand in hand with the PCO licence for you, as a driver.

All Splend cars have a valid TfL PHV licence, are new-model and Uber-ready, so you don’t have to worry about any of the car paperwork.

Additional Uber Vehicle Guidelines

What is the oldest car allowed for Uber?

The oldest cars allowed for UberX and UberXL must be 10 years old or newer in London.

Does Uber provide a car?

No. It's your responsibility to have an eligible car to drive for Uber. However, Uber partners with vehicle solution companies like Splend to offer their drivers flexible access to Uber-ready cars.

At Splend, we offer two all-inclusive car subscription plans, Flexi Try and Flexi Own,  tailored for rideshare drivers, providing you everything you need to get on the road and start earning.

Is my car eligible for Uber?

• If your car meets all the above requirements, it is suitable for Uber.

• You can check Uber’s official vehicle eligibility checker or contact Splend to explore Uber-ready vehicle options.

About Splend

At Splend, we believe in drivers. We know their vehicles need to work harder than most; that they drive more miles than most; that their insurance is hefty; their maintenance costs high and that they can face unreasonable finance rates – which is a heavy load to carry on their own.

That’s why at Splend, we exist to support rideshare drivers with a new model, that takes all those car ownership costs, and provides them for less, with lower purchase prices, better rates, lower servicing and insurance costs – all for one weekly repayment, all in one place.