How Strict is the Lyft Background Check?

When you sign up to be a Lyft driver, there isn’t a lot of information about what the Lyft driver requirements are. Lyft’s website doesn’t make clear what all the Lyft driver requirements are. Lyft are interested in leads and they will do what it takes to get your information, regardless of how suitable you will be as a Lyft Driver. They don’t purposely hide Lyft driver requirements, but they don’t make it easy to find. The Lyft driver requirements are on multiple pages buried in the Lyft Help section of their website.

The easiest way to know if you meet the Lyft Driver requirements is to sign up for Lyft. To get started, you need to sign up to be a Lyft Driver first. You can use the below referral link to get your signup bonus from Lyft:

Lyft Background Check

In order to drive for Lyft as a Lyft driver, the Lyft Driver Requirements are:

At least 18 years of age
Have your driver’s license for at least a year (3 years for applicants under 21 years old)
No major accidents or moving violations on your driving record
Clean background check
Have either Android or iOS Smartphone
Comply with local regulations, such as business permits or TNC permits

Most Lyft driver applicants won’t know if they truly meet the above Lyft driver requirements until they apply to be a Lyft driver. The first thing they do is run a quick background check and then an in-depth check on your driving record. Most people tend to pass, but there are a few who are rejected based on their background check, driving record or a combination of both. After they run the Lyft background check and Lyft driving record check, they will give you a copy of it so that you can review it, regardless of if you are approved with Lyft or not.

What about Lyft Vehicle Requirements?

Below are the Lyft Vehicle Requirements:

Meet your city’s vehicle age requirement
Have at least four doors, not including jump doors.
Offer five to eight seats, including the driver’s.
In-state registration
In-state insurance with your name as a listed driver
Must pass state safety inspection (if applicable), Lyft vehicle inspection or both.

Click the below link to see what the Lyft Vehicle requirements are in your state:

You can see an in-depth post about Lyft Vehicle Requirements

If your car doesn’t qualify, you can rent a car on Express Drive to drive on Lyft, but it is very expensive.

Lyft Driver Requirements:

Lyft driver must be over 18 years of age. A Lyft driver must also hold a valid US license and have a US driving record for at least a year if you are over 21, three years if you are below 21 years old. A driving record in another country doesn’t qualify, even if you bring proof of your clean driving record from another country. Your driving experience must be in the US and is reflected in the issued date of your driver’s license

For people who just moved to another state, Lyft will ask you for your second license information to pull your driving record from another state. You can use your other license to prove that you have at least one year of driving experience.

Lyft Vehicle Requirements – 4 Doors, 5 Seats

Lyft requires you drive at least a sedan that can hold at least 4 passengers. This means that a two door coupe will not qualify, even though it can legally hold 5 people. Lyft is fairly rigid on this rule. This has been a rule since they first started and there are no rumors about them allowing 2-door coupes to be on the platform.

Lyft Vehicle Requirements – Age requirements

A Lyft Vehicle must be newer than a certain model year. This requirement varies by state. Check the links above to see how old your car can be in your state. In Massachusetts, it has to be 2004 or newer. As a point of reference, Uber allows cars 2001 and newer in Massachusetts.

What if your car doesn’t meet these Lyft Vehicle requirements?

You will not be able to drive on Lyft, You may be approved to drive on the Lyft platform, you won’t be able to drive on Lyft since you don’t have a vehicle that meets their requirements. You can rent a car on their Express Rental program or through other companies such as Hyrecar and Maven.

Do I Really Need In-state Registration?

In most states, you don’t need to have in-state registration. The car can be registered and insured in a neighboring state. For example, Rhode Island and New Hampshire cars can drive in Massachusetts. However, you will need in-state registration in Washington State, New York City, Nevada and California.

Does The Lyft Vehicle Need to Be Registered in Your Name?

No, the vehicle does not need to be registered in your name. Your name doesn’t need to be on the car title either. Your name needs to be listed as an approved driver on the personal insurance policy. This allows you to drive your parents’ car or your friends car, as long as you are listed in their policy.

Is there a Lyft Vehicle requirement on condition?

Lyft will only allow cars that are in good condition, free from major exterior and interior damage. Most inspections will forgive exterior damage is smaller than your fist, but if you have body damage, you may need to get it fixed before driving on Lyft. Dented bumpers are ok, but half bumpers are not ok.

The interior needs to be clean with functioning seat belts. I have personally failed a few applicants with extremely dirty interiors. You don’t want to be driving passengers around with a dirty interior anyway so before the inspection, pay $50 to have an interior detail. Just vacuuming out your entire car will go a long way to making it look clean. If there are stains in the cloth, you may pass the inspection, but your reviews will reflect the condition of the car. It is best to pay for an interior detail to clean stains from cloth seats. You will get a higher rating and you won’t have to worry about the inspection.

What is the Lyft Insurance Requirement?

Part of the Lyft Driver requirements is that you need to have in-state insurance with your name listed as a driver that satisfies the state minimum liability limits. The Lyft driver requirements is that you have personal auto liability insurance but doesn’t require you to have collision or comprehensive insurance. If you have an accident on Lyft and you do not have collision insurance, Lyft will not insure you for damage to your own car, so beware. Lyft insurance will cover based on your personal insurance policy. This is a key Lyft driver requirements that is often overlooked.

In some states, the Lyft driver requirements allows drivers to have insurance in a neighboring state, along with a registration from a neighboring state.

What Insurance Does Lyft Provide?

Lyft’s $1 million commercial insurance is the level of coverage for their liability insurance. Liability insurance covers your passengers and anything you may damage while driving on Lyft. This insurance kicks in when you accept a Lyft ride. The liability insurance policy is much lower when you are online on the Lyft platform but do not have a passenger in your car.

Lyft commercial insurance also provides collision insurance to cover damage to your own vehicle, provided that you hold collision insurance on your own vehicle. However, there is a $2500 deductible that goes along with this insurance, which is very high.

What about the Lyft Vehicle Inspection?

Lyft requires a vehicle inspection from a certified mechanic in some locations as part of the Lyft Driver requirements. Lyft will send you information on where to get the inspection during your Lyft driver application process. In some states, there are specific locations to go while in other states, you are given a checklist for a certified mechanic to fill out.

The Lyft Vehicle inspection will inspect these items:

Tires
Doors
Windows
Brakes
Mirrors (side, rear view mirrors)
Lights (headlights, tail lights, turn signals)
Windshield Wiper
Windshield Spray
Functioning Climate Control (Heat, AC)
Seat Belts
Horn
Exterior condition (body damage, missing parts, etc)

These are the items that are part of a normal state safety inspection.

Lyft Drivers Background Check and Driving Record Check

A Lyft driver will need to submit to a background check and driving record check. Both of these checks surprise a few Lyft driver applicants, but most pass easily.

Here are the multiple levels in the Lyft background check:

Social Security trace
County courthouse records for the last seven years
Federal courthouse records for the last seven years
Mult-state criminal records for the past seven years
DMV motor vehicle records
National Sex Offender Registry

You will be ineligible to drive on the Lyft platform if, among other things, the background check results reveal convictions for any of the following in the past seven years:

No sexual offenses
No violent offenses
No property damage
No theft
No felonies
No drug-related offenses

Lyft also checks the National Sex Offender Registry and the State Sex offender registry. There is no time limit on this check.

You can see more information on the Lyft background check and driving record requirements in the below post:

What Does Lyft Look At in the Lyft Background Check and Driving Record?

Satisfy Local Regulations

There are various local regulations that Lyft drivers need to comply with in order to avoid penalty and fines from the state and local government. The biggest regulation in some cities is the TNC permit. In some cities, all Lyft drivers need to get a permit to operate as a rideshare driver. Typically, Lyft will apply on your behalf and you can pick it up from the local Lyft office when it is ready.

In addition to the TNC permit, some cities and states require you to have a business license. You will need to go to the state and city website to register your business.

You can see the all City and State regulations for Lyft drivers.

Will You Be Hired as Lyft Driver?

The application process is very easy and I have highlighted the Lyft driver application process in the below post:

How to Work for Lyft as a Lyft Driver

The only way to find out is to apply to be a Lyft Driver and go through the background check, driving record requirements, and vehicle inspection. If you pass the Lyft background check and driving record requirements, the vehicle inspection is pretty easy to pass. If you don’t pass, you can get your car fixed and pass the inspection on your next try.

To start the application, click the below link to get started!

You can also leave a comment below and I can try my best to answer any questions you may have about your background check or driving record requirements.