Top 5 Best and Affordable Electric Vehicles for Food Delivery and Rideshare Drivers

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Have you been looking for new ways to earn more gig work? In many cases, we focus heavily on increasing the value of orders we complete. However, this isn't always the case, and sometimes, a better approach is to optimize your working style. With this thought in mind, today, we're looking at some of the key things you need to know about changing your delivery driving efforts by focusing on using electric vehicles instead. Hopefully, this might help you decide whether delivery driving and ridesharing with an electric vehicle might be the right option for your needs.

WHY INVEST IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE FOR YOUR FOOD DELIVERY AND RIDESHARING?

If you've been looking for ways to optimize your delivery driving efforts as a Para driver, you may have considered switching from a gas car to an electric vehicle (EV). EVs are rapidly becoming more popular. As such, if you've thought about this, you may enjoy the following benefits of investing in an electric vehicle for your food delivery and rideshare work.

There are many benefits of electric vehicles. However, we strongly recommend that you consider the features of each vehicle. Don't worry ' we'll soon cover some of the best five affordable electric vehicles for food delivery and rideshare drivers.

Of course, before getting started with investing in an electric vehicle, it's still crucial that you've considered some of the different ways to optimize your delivery efforts. One such option is to use the Para gig driver app, which offers many benefits for gig drivers. From showing the total distance, mileage, earnings per hour, and dollar-per-mile estimates when you accept an offer to a flag feature for bad customers after the delivery and more, it's a highly versatile tool for any gig driver ' EV or otherwise. Auto decline offers, track your earnings and find out if the address is a house/apartment with the Para app!

How Much Can Electric Vehicles Save Me?

One of the main benefits of changing to an electric vehicle (EV) is that it could save money. However, it's not clear how much you could save with an electric vehicle ' if any. As such, we have outlined some of the key things you should know about electric vehicle costs as follows. But remember: every different model of electric vehicle (EV) runs differently. So, these figures are only based on average values. We'll get into model-specific data later on.

Now, it's worth considering that, according to Elmo Drive, using an electric vehicle may save around 30% less to run and service. And, if you're a regular user of the Para delivery app, you'll be able to enjoy countless additional benefits for your delivery driving efforts, such as food ready by times, the ability to streamline multiapping and track earnings, and more!

How Much Do EVs Cost to Purchase?

Cost is one of the first factors you will need to consider when running an electric vehicle. Unfortunately, this is one area where electric vehicles fall down substantially. Indeed, according to Cision, prices for new electric vehicles are climbing steadily. As such, the average price for electric vehicles currently is over $50,000.

So, if you're looking to buy an electric vehicle for your delivery driving efforts, keeping this cost in mind is hugely important. However, buying a second-hand used car can save money on your new electric vehicle.

As with all vehicles, EVs tend to lose value the fastest during the first few years of their life. As such, if you can buy a second-hand EV that's already gone through the worst of its depreciation, you may save a vast sum of money. In fact, EVs may fall in value by over half within the first three years. So, based on this figure, you can easily pick up a used electric vehicle over three years of age for around $20k. However, it's still worth remembering that EVs still depreciate quicker than gas-powered cars.

Could I Hire an Electric Vehicle for Delivery Driving?

As we can see above, buying an electric car can be expensive. So, what about hiring an electric car instead? Well, this may not be a good option if you're only planning to do a few weekly deliveries. However, if you're looking to work on a full-time or high part-time basis with DoorDash, this could be a good option to consider.

Consumer Gravity explains that renting a car for your delivery driving efforts can be a great way to manage your deliveries. Not only does renting a car prevent your own vehicle from getting worn out, but it may be more affordable on a short-term basis. However, in the long term, the costs of hiring an electric vehicle may still be higher than the costs of buying one second-hand.

Do I Need to Pay More for an Electric Vehicle Charger?

If you're planning on delivery driving regularly, you may want to consider paying more to have a specific fast EV charger installed on your property. However, this is entirely optional and may not represent a good economy.

Instead, you will likely save a lot more money by charging your electric vehicle during off-peak electricity hours and planning your time. Ensuring your electric vehicle is fully charged before you begin delivery driving for the day is a great option in this regard.

Can Electric Vehicles Reduce my Delivery Driving Carbon Footprint?

A growing number of people are investing in electric vehicles (or hybrids) to reduce their carbon footprint. Compared to gas vehicles, electric vehicles overall produce just under half the greenhouse emissions throughout their lifespan. This accounts for manufacturing, end-of-life, fuel, and in-use emissions.

However, it may be worth considering that even the best electric vehicles aren't carbon-free. In particular, mining materials for electric vehicle batteries can be highly damaging to the environment. For example, when comparing manufacturing emissions electric vehicles produce almost twice as much greenhouse gas emissions in grams. Moreover, in most cases, the power you use to charge your electric vehicle will still come from non-green sources. However, in the future, as green energy continues to become more widespread, this may change.

Do I Get Compensated for Power With an EV?

When delivery driving with a standard gas car, tracking the miles you've driven is integral. This is something that the Para drive app can help with if you struggle to keep track. After all, most delivery drivers can claim a mileage allowance for their vehicles.

Based on a traditional gas vehicle, the current rate of compensation is roughly $0.585 per mile. However, when driving with an electric vehicle, the costs per mile are potentially different. Data Basics recommends that the cost per mile of an electric vehicle may be around $0.04. As such, calculating compensation for mileage is much harder.

THE TOP 5 AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR FOOD DELIVERY AND RIDESHARE DRIVERS

If electric vehicles sound like the right option for your delivery driving goals, there are numerous options you could consider. Of course, finding the optimal vehicle may not be easy. Nevertheless, we'd recommend the following five models of electric vehicles if you're looking for an EV to get started with.

#1 Nissan Leaf

Nissan is a pretty well-regarded brand in terms of reliability and durability; as such, the Nissan Leaf could be a great model to consider. For one thing, compared to many other electric vehicles, its new purchase price is incredibly inexpensive at around $27,000. That's roughly half the average purchase price for an electric vehicle. Better yet, you can get it substantially cheaper after a few years, so this is worth considering.

The Nissan Leaf has a 110 kW electric motor and has an impressive fuel economy of between 99 and 123 MPGe, based on highway and city driving, respectively. Additional features of the Nissan leaf include Android Auto compatibility and the 360 Nissan Safety Shield. The four-door design also makes it highly effective for use with food deliveries and rideshare drivers.

#2 Mini Cooper SE

Don't want to give up the old car styles you know and love but feel like switching to an electric vehicle? Then why not consider the Mini Cooper SE, a wonderful adaptation of traditional designs into a modern electric style?

The Mini Cooper SE comes in several different designs, but we'd recommend choosing (at least) the 5-door hatch style to make delivery driving a little easier.

The Mini Cooper SE is packed with all the power you need to get from place to place easily and effectively. It offers a maximum torque of 199 lb per foot and 181 horsepower in total ' not shabby. Plus, it can reach 100km/hr in just over 7 seconds, with a total driving range of around 180km on average (varying between 125km and 275km in total).

#3 Fiat 500 Electric

It's not quite as nippy as the Mini Cooper SE, but don't let anyone tell you that the Fiat 500 Electric is anything other than a great model of car. Indeed, it offers a slightly greater range on a single charge of 199km (on average), but the car also delivered a respectable naught to 60 mph in around 9 seconds, with a fuel economy of roughly 4.5 miles per kWh.

It's slightly more expensive than some of our other picks, unfortunately. A Fiat 500 Electric will often cost around $30,000, but it's still nevertheless a worthwhile contender for affordable electric vehicles overall.

#4 Mazda MX-30

If looks mean a lot to you, then the breathtaking Mazda MX-30 might be an amazing vehicle to consider investing in. It's not got as much range as some of the other EVs we've listed, so if you're planning to use it for delivery driving, it's probably best suited to inner-city driving situations as a result.

Smaller distances are best suited due to the 100-mile driving range; nevertheless, for most delivery drivers around city locations, that should be more than suitable for part-time work. Plus, with incredibly smooth and sharp handling ' as is iconic for many Mazda vehicles ' it'll make your delivery driving experience more pleasant.

Overall, the Mazda MX-30 typically starts at around $30,000 new, and unfortunately, there aren't big discounts to be had on second-hand models yet as the car is still very new. Nevertheless, as Mazda's first all-electric model, it's undeniably a game changer for the much-loved auto brand. Plus, ��it delivers 143 horsepower and 200 lb/foot of torque and automatic transmission for even easier driving and handling ' so you can focus on where you're going for your next delivery.

#5 Hyundai Kona Electric

Distance is vital if you're the sort of person who spends a great deal of time on the roads during a delivery driving shift. Fortunately, this is where the Hyundai Kona Electric comes in. We'll say it now: it's likely to be the most expensive model on this list, at least brand new. However, if you're looking for a more affordable electric vehicle, there are plenty available second-hand. Plus, this excellent model is still firmly under the average price for an electric vehicle, so you'll still enjoy great value.

With a total driving range of up to 189 miles on a single charge ' around 305km ' you can count on this Hyundai to do the job when you need it to. It also features a 64 kWh battery in some models.

The Hyundai Kona Electric can reach 62mph in an impressive 7.6 seconds, making it an excellent model to consider if you're looking for a car that can get you where you need to go quickly ' an excellent option for delivery drivers. After all, the time between collection and drop-off directly impacts your hourly rate accordingly!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Have you been looking for a simple and effective way to optimize your delivery-driving efforts? If so, then you may want to consider driving with one of today's top picks for the best affordable electric vehicles for food delivery and rideshare drivers. Indeed, in many cases, delivery driving can offer many benefits as a career ' but there's a catch. Indeed, as a delivery driver, you are responsible for your own fuel costs. And while you can write off some of your fuel bills as a delivery driver through taxes to save some money, this still eats into your profits.

As such, cutting your driving costs is crucial to keep your earnings optimal. There are numerous ways you can go about this. Of course, you could work on multiple apps with multi-apping to increase the efficiency of your drives. However, you could also help optimize your delivery work by ensuring you have the most effective delivery-driving vehicle. Electric vehicles could be good investments to consider if you're looking for ways to optimize your delivery-driving efforts. When used alongside the best delivery driver tools, this can substantially bolster your delivery-driving efforts.