Is DoorDash driving worth it?

Driving for DoorDash is well worth it, provided you fulfil the right conditions. If you’re looking for a side hustle, are a confident driver, and live in an area with a fair few popular restaurants nearby.

Whether it’s worth it for you in particular depends on your circumstances, but as someone who’s worked as a delivery driver, I’m here to give you the pros and cons of riding for DoorDash, along with some alternative side hustle options for those it doesn’t suit.

How Much do DoorDash Drivers Earn?

On average, a DoorDash driver (or “Dasher”) can expect to earn around $15-25 per hour.

Rate of pay is probably the most important question when looking into side hustles. It’s worth keeping in mind that DoorDash rates vary depending on a whole host of factors, from the area you live in and on-the-day promotions, to time of day and tips.

Also, remember that this is your gross pay as a Dasher. You’ll have to pay for fuel and other expenses as you drive and deliver, eating into those profits, so remove about $5 an hour for a net pay of $10-20.

If you are working in a rural area, this amount will of course be lower.

Pros of Driving for DoorDash

There are plenty of reasons this side hustle might fit your lifestyle.

Flexibility

Driving for DoorDash can be done in your own time, at your own pace. This is perfect for people who work sporadic hours or don’t know when they’ll be called into work at any given time. 

When I was doing food deliveries in the UK, it worked perfectly for me - I would reach for my phone when I happened to have the time and start making some money.

If you’re looking for a side gig that doesn’t require a lot of commitment, DoorDash could be the move.

Quick Start, Quick Cash

DoorDash can be a perfect opportunity to make money fast. The joining-up process is easy on DoorDash’s dedicated Dasher site. All you need is a car, insurance, and a background check - it’ll take about 5 minutes to sign up and less than a week to get your background check done. Some applicants are even lucky enough to get it sorted within just a few minutes.

For most applicants, it only takes a few days in total to get from zero to dashing.

As long as you’re out on the road earning, you can get paid once a week. Alternatively, if you’ve had a debit card linked for a week already, you can set up Fast Pay, which allows you to get paid on the same day for a fee of $1.99. Perfect if you need that cash sooner rather than later.

Guaranteed Active Hourly Rates

If you don’t want to be paid per order, DoorDash allows US Dashers the option to guarantee an hourly rate. This ensures you’ll be paid regardless of traffic or wait time, lowering the potential stresses and letting you deliver worry-free.

You’re paid this rate for “Active Time”, which means any time you spend on a delivery. This includes accepting the offer, driving to the store, waiting for the order to be completed, and dropping it off to the customer.

You also get to keep 100% of your tips, and DoorDash claims the hourly rate takes into account that tips might be more variable for deliveries you take.

Cons of Driving for DoorDash

Driving for DoorDash might not be for you, though. Here are a few reasons why a different side hustle might be more suited!

Flexibility… To an Extent

You can technically work whatever hours you want when Dashing. However, in practice, this won’t always be the case. You don’t order food every hour of every day, do you? Nope, the most popular times to order DoorDash are going to be lunch and dinner, and if you’re not free at those times, it’s likely you won’t earn a great deal.

Of course, this is changeable, and if your driver rating is high and you know the best places in your neighbourhood to situate yourself, this isn’t a huge problem at all. However, if mornings are the only times you’re able to DoorDash, you might find yourself out of luck.

You Don’t Keep All The Money

Your car needs fuel. You’re also using your own personal vehicle, a depreciating asset that will wear out faster when you use it for Dashing. Hidden costs like these, as well as insurance and maintenance, are not factored into the DoorDash payment scheme, so you could end up making a lot less than you thought you were.

DoorDash doesn’t reimburse these costs, and you also have no benefits, as you aren't an employee. No health insurance, no sick pay - if you’re ill, you just won’t make money.

As a side hustle, this might be just fine. But if you’re looking for a more stable way of earning extra cash, you could definitely do better than DoorDash.

High Competition

In big cities, you might be one of a legion of Dashers. In smaller areas, there might just be two of you, but still not enough orders to go around.

It depends on where you live, but there might be far better opportunities with lower competition. DoorDash can also keep you under their thumb with their rating metrics - if your acceptance rate goes down, you’ll get punished for it, further decreasing your chances of getting assigned orders.

Savvy Dashers can maximise their chances by hovering around the right locations and smartly declining orders when necessary, but it’s a real challenge if you’re new.

Earn By Time’s Value Varies

It’s hard to quantify the value of DoorDash’s Earn By Time scheme. For some Dashers, it’ll be the most efficient way to drive, but others fear that it makes you less likely to get higher-value, tipping customers.

Earn By Time also limits the amount you can reject deliveries. This might not matter as much as you’re getting paid by the hour, you might get assigned a delivery to a location you really don’t want to go to. Maybe it’s miles away and you wanted to end up in a different location after the delivery. Maybe it’s your mother-in-law’s house. I don’t know. I don’t have a mother-in-law, but I always hear people saying they don’t like theirs.

Well, you can only decline one order an hour before you’re kicked off of the Earn By Time mode. You gotta take what you can get, and that might not be your cup of tea! 

Alternatives to DoorDash Driving

If any of these cons make you less keen to be a Dasher, here are a few potential alternatives to DoorDash, perfect for drivers and people looking for flexible work: