Rideshare in an EV: Which Miles Count, and Why the Platform's Tax Summary Isn't Your Log
General information, not tax or legal advice. Talk to your tax preparer about your situation.
For rideshare drivers, trips with a passenger and driving to an accepted pickup are generally treated as business miles. Many driver tax guides also count miles driven while logged in and waiting for requests; the IRS doesn't address those miles specifically, so ask your preparer. The platform's tax summary may not include every business mile, so keep your own log with date, miles, places and purpose (IRS Pub 463). Ask your preparer about your setup.
Three kinds of miles drivers ask about
- Passenger or delivery miles: the trip itself.
- Pickup miles: driving to the rider or restaurant after accepting a request.
- Online, waiting miles: driving while logged in and available, between requests.
Driver-facing tax guides (for example, Stride's guide and TurboTax) commonly treat all three as business miles while you're working. That is the guides' position, not an IRS rule: IRS Publication 463 sets out what records to keep, not a rideshare-specific list of which miles count. Online, waiting miles are the most debated of the three. The drive from home to your first request and back is the gray area; ask your preparer how your situation is treated.
Why the platform summary and your tracker disagree
Drivers regularly report that "online miles" on a platform's annual summary differ from their own tracker (r/lyftdrivers thread). Summaries cover what the platform measured while you were logged into that app. They don't know about miles in another app, trips to a charger, or miles you drove before logging in.
Two apps at once: count each mile once
If you run two platforms at the same time, the same mile can show up in both summaries. Your log should count each mile once.
What your own log should show
IRS Publication 463 asks for the mileage of each business use, total miles for the year, the date, destination and business purpose. Pub 463 lets you record uses that form a single uninterrupted business use with one record, so a rideshare shift can be one entry with start and end odometer readings, plus a note of the platforms you drove for. Keep personal stops out of it.
EV-specific notes
If you use the standard mileage rate, the 2026 rate is 72.5¢ per mile for January 1 to June 30, 2026 (IR-2025-128 / Notice 2026-10) and 76¢ per mile for July 1 to December 31, 2026 (IR-2026-29 / Announcement 2026-11) (IRS standard mileage rates page); it applies to EVs and already covers electricity, so charging isn't added on top. Under actual expenses, charging counts as a vehicle cost for the business share (Topic 510).
Example: 1,000 hypothetical business miles in October 2026 × 76¢ (IR-2026-29) = $760 at the standard rate. Estimates, not tax advice.
For records for small rideshare fleets, see Tesla Rideshare Mileage Log.
CyberDeduct builds a mileage log around IRS Pub 463 from your Tesla's own trip and odometer data. You connect your Tesla account once through Tesla's standard account sign-in (OAuth); CyberDeduct never sees or stores your password. You confirm each trip's purpose and export a PDF or CSV log plus a Form 4562 Part V worksheet for your tax preparer. See how the log is built or see plans.
Frequently asked questions
Can I deduct miles driven between rides?
Many driver tax guides treat them as business miles, but the IRS doesn't address waiting-online miles specifically. Keep them in your log, marked separately, and ask your preparer.
Is the platform's annual summary enough as a mileage log?
It may not cover every business mile. The IRS asks for your own records of business miles, total miles, dates, places and purpose (Pub 463).
I drive for two apps at once. Do I add both summaries?
No. Count each mile once in your own log.
Can I deduct charging and the standard rate?
No. The standard rate already includes fuel or electricity costs (Rev. Proc. 2019-46).
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Talk to your tax preparer about your situation.
CyberDeduct is an independent product of LIKE LLC and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tesla, Inc. Tesla is a trademark of Tesla, Inc.