Thousands of South Africans apply to drive for Uber every month — and a surprising number get rejected. Not because they can't drive, but because they missed one requirement: an expired PrDP, a car that's two years too old, or the wrong licence code.
This article is the requirements checklist. No long stories, no fluff — just every box you need to tick in 2026, what each one costs, and how to get through the whole process without wasting money. If you want the step-by-step sign-up walkthrough instead, see our guide on how to become an Uber driver in South Africa.
To drive Uber in South Africa in 2026 you must: be at least 21 years old, hold a valid code 8 (B) or higher driver's licence with 1+ years of driving experience, have a valid PrDP (Professional Driving Permit), pass police clearance and background screening, own or rent a qualifying vehicle (2013 or newer for UberX), and pass a vehicle inspection at an approved centre.
Here is the full checklist in one table. Print it, screenshot it, work through it line by line — every item here is a hard requirement in 2026, not a suggestion.
| # | Requirement | The 2026 Standard | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minimum age | 21 years or older | — |
| 2 | Driver's licence | Code 8 (B) or higher, valid, 1+ year driving experience | Renewal ~R150–R250 if expired |
| 3 | PrDP (Professional Driving Permit) | Valid PrDP — requires police clearance + medical certificate, valid 24 months | ~R336 application fee |
| 4 | Police clearance / background check | No serious criminal record; Uber runs its own screening too | ~R150 |
| 5 | Medical certificate | Doctor-issued fitness certificate (part of PrDP application) | ~R300–R500 |
| 6 | Vehicle year | 2013 or newer for UberX (max ~10 years old) | — |
| 7 | Vehicle inspection | Pass at an Uber-approved inspection centre | ~R150–R350 |
| 8 | Vehicle documents | Valid licence disc, roadworthy status, proof of ownership or rental agreement | — |
| 9 | Driver profile documents | ID or passport, photo, bank account in your name | — |
| 10 | Smartphone + data | Android/iPhone capable of running the driver app | ~R200–R500/month data |
That's the whole list. Below we unpack each item — because the details are where applications fail.
Uber requires drivers in South Africa to be at least 21 years old with a valid code 8 (B) licence or higher and at least one year of driving experience. A code 10 (C1) licence is only needed for larger vehicles like UberXL minibus categories.
You must be 21 or older to drive for Uber in South Africa. This is a platform rule, not a national law — you can legally hold a licence at 18, but Uber won't activate an account under 21. There is no official upper age limit, but the medical certificate required for your PrDP effectively screens fitness to drive professionally.
A code 8 licence — shown as code B on the new card format — is fully sufficient for UberX and Uber Go, which together make up the vast majority of trips in South Africa. A code 10 (C1) licence only becomes necessary when the vehicle exceeds ordinary passenger car limits, such as minibus categories like UberXL.
Two things to check before you apply:
Not sure which code you hold or what yours allows? We break it down further in our article on the code 8 licence for Uber in South Africa.
⚠️ Driving for reward without a PrDP is illegal. An ordinary licence lets you drive privately — but carrying passengers for payment requires a Professional Driving Permit under the National Road Traffic Act. Traffic authorities in Gauteng and the Western Cape actively check e-hailing drivers, and fines plus impoundment risk are real.
A PrDP (Professional Driving Permit) costs about R336 to apply for in 2026, is valid for 24 months, and requires three things: a valid driving licence, a police clearance (fingerprints checked for criminal record), and a medical certificate confirming you are fit to drive. Apply at any Driving Licence Testing Centre.
The PrDP is the single biggest hurdle for new drivers, so here's exactly how it works:
✅ Do these three steps in parallel. The medical certificate and police clearance can be done in the same week. Drivers who run them sequentially lose two to four extra weeks before earning their first rand. Your PrDP is valid for 24 months, so once you have it, diarise the expiry — an expired PrDP means instant deactivation.
For the full document list, common rejection reasons and provincial quirks, see our dedicated PrDP requirements guide for Uber drivers.
Uber requires UberX vehicles in South Africa to be 2013 model year or newer in 2026 — a maximum age of roughly 10 years. Bolt allows vehicles up to 15 years old, and premium tiers like Comfort require newer cars still. Your car's model year, not its registration date, is what counts.
Vehicle age is where most rejections happen. Here's the 2026 landscape by platform and tier:
| Platform / Tier | Oldest Vehicle Accepted (2026) | Max Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber Go | 2013+ | ~10 years | Compact hatchbacks (Polo Vivo, Swift) |
| UberX | 2013+ | ~10 years | Most sedans and hatchbacks; the core tier |
| Uber Comfort | ~2018+ | ~5–7 years | More legroom, newer cars, higher fares |
| UberXL | 2013+ | ~10 years | Minibus/7-seaters; code 10 (C1) licence needed |
| Bolt (all standard tiers) | 2011+ | 15 years | More lenient than Uber |
Three practical takeaways:
We track the exact cut-offs per tier in more detail in our vehicle age limit guide.
The Uber vehicle inspection is done at approved centres for roughly R150–R350 and checks roadworthiness items: brakes, tyres, lights, seatbelts, wipers, body condition, and that the vehicle matches its registration documents. It takes 20–30 minutes, and your account won't activate without a pass.
The inspection is deliberately basic — Uber is confirming the car is safe and legal, not showroom-new. What gets checked:
Most cars pass first time. The failures we see are cheap fixes: a blown globe, worn wipers, or a cracked number plate lens. Walk around your car the day before and fix the small stuff — a re-inspection costs you another R150–R350 and another week's delay.
Booking is done through the Uber app or website once you start driver sign-up; the inspection result is uploaded electronically. For a printable pre-inspection walkthrough, see our vehicle inspection checklist.
Uber's document checklist for South African drivers in 2026: ID or passport, valid driver's licence (both sides), valid PrDP, vehicle registration papers or rental agreement, vehicle inspection certificate, licence disc, a profile photo, and bank account details in your own name for payouts.
Upload everything as clear, uncropped photos. The most common upload rejections are:
If you're a non-South African citizen, the rules differ — passport, work/study permits and additional documentation apply. See our guide for foreign nationals driving Uber in South Africa.
If you already own a qualifying car, expect R1,100–R1,500 in once-off compliance costs to start driving Uber in South Africa in 2026: PrDP application ~R336, police clearance ~R150, medical certificate R300–R500, and vehicle inspection R150–R350. Add monthly running costs of fuel, data and maintenance on top.
Here's the full once-off startup picture, assuming you have a qualifying vehicle:
| Item | Cost (2026) | Once-off or Ongoing? |
|---|---|---|
| PrDP application fee | ~R336 | Every 24 months (renewal) |
| Medical certificate | R300 – R500 | Every 24 months with PrDP renewal |
| Police clearance | ~R150 | Every 24 months with PrDP renewal |
| Vehicle inspection | R150 – R350 | Once-off at sign-up (recheck if failed) |
| Licence renewal (if expired) | ~R150 – R250 | Every 5 years |
| ID photos | ~R50 – R80 | Once-off |
| Total once-off (car already owned) | ~R1,100 – R1,500 | — |
| Data (driver app + maps) | ~R200 – R500/month | Ongoing |
| Fuel (1,000–1,500 km/week) | ~R8,000 – R11,000/month | Ongoing |
Context for those fuel numbers: inland petrol 93 is running at about R26.76/litre as of September 2026, according to the AA of SA. At that price, a 1,200 km week in a mid-consumption sedan is R900+ in fuel — which is exactly why we tell every new driver to model their numbers before spending a cent on compliance. South Africa's minimum wage in 2026 is R27.58/hour; if your projected net per hour after fuel and commission isn't comfortably above that, the compliance costs will take months to recover.
The fastest way to check: run your car, city and target hours through the FleetCalc profitability calculator. It takes two minutes and tells you whether getting started makes financial sense for your situation.
🧮 Calculate My Driver Profit →With documents in hand, most South African drivers go from sign-up to first trip in one to three weeks. The PrDP is the long pole: police clearance and the testing centre appointment together typically take one to three weeks, while the vehicle inspection itself takes under an hour once booked.
Realistic 2026 timeline if you start from zero:
The drivers who activate fastest treat it like a project: parallel applications, documents photographed properly the first time, and the inspection booked early. The drivers who take three months are the ones who discover their car is too old only after paying for everything else — so make the vehicle age check your very first step.
Uber and Bolt share the same core legal requirements in South Africa — 21+, valid licence, PrDP, police clearance — but Bolt is more lenient on vehicle age (15 years vs Uber's ~10 years for UberX in 2026). Commission differs too: Uber takes 25%, Bolt 15–20%.
If you're choosing which platform to onboard with first, the requirement differences are minor — the economics matter more. We compare earnings head-to-head in our Uber vs Bolt comparison, and if you're specifically building a Bolt-first plan, read the Bolt driver requirements for 2026. And once you're live, running both apps simultaneously is the standard play — here's how to drive Uber and Bolt at the same time legally.
The bottom line: meeting the 2026 Uber requirements costs roughly R1,100–R1,500 and one to three weeks of admin if your car already qualifies. Tick the checklist in order — vehicle age first, PrDP in parallel, inspection booked early — and you'll be earning within a month. Then make sure the hours you drive actually pay: check your real numbers with FleetCalc before you commit your weekends.
You must be 21 or older, hold a valid code 8 (B) licence or higher with at least one year of driving experience, have a valid PrDP (Professional Driving Permit), pass police clearance and background screening, own or rent a qualifying vehicle (2013 model year or newer for UberX), and pass an inspection at an approved centre. Total once-off compliance cost is roughly R1,100–R1,500.
Yes. A code 8 (code B) licence is sufficient for UberX and Uber Go, which use ordinary passenger cars. A code 10 (C1) licence is only required for larger vehicles such as UberXL minibuses. Regardless of code, you also need a valid PrDP to carry passengers for reward.
UberX vehicles must be 2013 model year or newer in 2026 — a maximum age of roughly 10 years. Bolt allows vehicles up to 15 years old, so a car that no longer qualifies for Uber may still qualify for Bolt. Premium tiers like Comfort require newer vehicles.
With a qualifying car already owned, once-off costs total roughly R1,100–R1,500: PrDP application ~R336, police clearance ~R150, medical certificate R300–R500, and vehicle inspection R150–R350. Ongoing costs include fuel (petrol 93 inland is ~R26.76/L in September 2026), data (~R200–R500/month) and maintenance.