I’ve been driving for Amazon Flex on and off for a few years now (UK based), and I wanted to share some actual numbers because I see a lot of new drivers getting surprised by their real take-home.
The Reality Check:
Everyone sees the £14-18/hr advertised rates and thinks “decent money for flexible work.” What they don’t tell you upfront is how much gets eaten by:
- Petrol/fuel costs
- Insurance (you need hire & reward in UK, which isn’t cheap)
- Vehicle wear and maintenance
- Time driving to/from depot (unpaid)
My Typical 3-Hour Block Breakdown:
- Block payment: £54 (£18/hr rate)
- Fuel for ~75 miles: £13-14
- Insurance (hourly breakdown): £3
- Maintenance costs: £6
- Actual take-home: ~£32
- Real hourly rate: £10-11/hr
That’s not even close to minimum wage once you factor everything in. And this assumes you’re getting decent block rates - base pay is often lower.
Things That Actually Affect Your Real Pay:
- Vehicle efficiency - I drive a petrol that does 34 mpg on a good day. If you’re in a diesel car doing 45 mpg, your fuel costs are way cheaper.
- Surge blocks - Waiting for surge can bump you to £20+/hr gross, but you’re gambling on availability.
- Distance from depot - If you’re 30 mins away, that’s an hour of unpaid driving per block UK weekly cap - You’re limited to 24 hours/week maximum, so this can’t be full-time income.
The US Seems Better:
From what I’ve seen, US drivers have it better - $25/hr blocks, cheaper fuel, no weekly hour caps. In most cases, their net hourly rates seem to stay above $18/hr even after costs providing you don’t pick low base rates.
Typical 3-Hour Block Breakdown for a US Driver:
- Block payment: $75 ($25/hr rate)
- Fuel for ~75 miles: $7.06
- Insurance (hourly breakdown): $0.00
- Maintenance costs: $6.00
- Actual take-home: ~$60
- Real hourly rate: $18-20/hr
My Take: Is it worth it? Depends entirely on your situation. For me, it’s supplementary income with good flexibility. But if you’re expecting to build a sustainable living from it in the UK, the math doesn’t really support that. Drivers in the US on the other hand, seem to have it way better, though I’m sure there may be other factors at play like taxes etc that I am unaware of. Grass is always greener right?
If you want to see a full breakdown of how much Amazon Flex really pays after fuel, insurance, and maintenance, I recently wrote a detailed post on it. It goes step by step through both UK and US examples and gives you the real take-home numbers for a typical block. Check it out here: [How Much Does Amazon Flex Really Pay]