is the lexus IS 300h good for private hire?

[Vlad_M]

Hello, I would like to ask for some opinions on whether the Lexus IS 300h is a suitable car for private hire/ UBER, I want to buy one and make the right choice!

Thank you very much.

 

[cruisermark]

28 minutes ago, Vlad_M said:

Hello, I would like to ask for some opinions on whether the Lexus IS 300h is a suitable car for private hire/ UBER, I want to buy one and make the right choice!

Thank you very much.

 

There is definatley one member on here who uses it for private hire and he has done quite high mileage in it - IIRC approaching 200k - just have a look through the posts

[Vlad_M]

Thank you

 

[Thackeray]

1 hour ago, Vlad_M said:

Hello, I would like to ask for some opinions on whether the Lexus IS 300h is a suitable car for private hire/ UBER, I want to buy one and make the right choice!

Thank you very much.

 

Have a look at this thread . Jayw13702 reported that his IS300h had reached 230,000 miles using it for private hire.

[cruisermark]

20 minutes ago, Thackeray said:

Have a look at this thread . Jayw13702 reported that his IS300h had reached 230,000 miles using it for private hire.

thats the member i was thinking about!

[IS300FSPORT]

I have a friend who has used the IS300H in private cab & then decided to switch to a Corolla Estate Hybrid. 

The primary reasons were:

- Corolla is far more economical 

- Boot space more convenient for a Taxi

- Cheaper to service & on parts 

- Infotainment system is better for Sat nav/ audio in comparison

- Newer models means you can get a later plate to stay in service 

To add the Suzuki Swace is exactly the same car running gear & cheaper to buy if the Corolla interests you.

 

[Notamech]

You can use it. But might not be the best option. You can squeeze more revenue + invest less on something toyota instead. Plus maintenance and repairs wont cost as much with something like a prius or Corolla vs an is300h. 

[Scotlex]

As said, I would go for an older Toyota or as suggested Prius or Corolla.

Unless of course you are getting a good deal on the Lexus then it might be worth a try.

Good luck 😀 

[steve2006]

The Lexus ES is the primary taxi in Dubai or the Camry, the only place I’ve been where I leave mine at the airport and get to sit in the back of another.

[Vlad_M]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Very much appreciated. 

[Mincey]

14 hours ago, steve2006 said:

The Lexus ES is the primary taxi in Dubai or the Camry, the only place I’ve been where I leave mine at the airport and get to sit in the back of another.

It's good to see a brace of ES's being used for their intended role.

[Linas.P]

IS300h is perfectly adequate for private hire, low tax I am sure is bonus, MPG is good especially in the city, it is also exempt from most of pollution taxes (except of ridiculous London CC, I think they are now charging even BEVs). If there would by anything to improve, then I would say rear headroom/legroom is not perfect. Depends what you compare it with - compared with say Prius, it is similar, so if Prius is considered adequate, then IS300h is also adequate. 

For that reason I believe ES300h and GS300h would be far better cars as private hire. GS overall better car, ES much newer and slightly better on fuel. As personal car I hate it, because it is FWD, but I assume that is not important for private hire and as a passenger that is probably best car out of the three to be a passenger in the back.

So I would say they go in this order ES300h > GS300h > IS300h. The only caveats - ES will be on new tax system after 2018 (so £180 instead of £25), and ES has CANBUS weakness, so insurance is anyone's guess. Otherwise it is basically Prius (as far as reliability goes) with nicer looking body and better built quality (especially GS).

[PRT68]

Have you already been a Private Hire driver, or is this a new venture? I did it for nearly 25 years.