If you own a car, you know that the convenience it offers comes with a hefty price. From car insurance and monthly payments to regular maintenance, fuel, and repair costs, owning a car can cost quite a fortune.
But it shouldn't be that way. Instead of it being a big liability, did you know that you can turn your car into a financial asset? It’s true—your car can pay for itself if you know how to use it to the optimum.
According to research by Toronto Star, the average lifespan of newer vehicles is 12.88 years,[1] which means you have more than enough time to figure out how to earn additional income with your car. To give you a leg up, here are a few car business ideas in the Philippines you can try out.
15 Car Business Ideas in the Philippines: How to Earn Money Using Your Car
Looking for a way to put more money in your pocket with your car as the primary income source? We give you some car business ideas in the Philippines for both full-time jobs and weekend side gigs.
🚗 Organize a Carpool Group
How to earn money with cars? It's easy if you're fine with opening your car doors to other people. If you use your vehicle to go to work every day, you can generate additional income by carpooling.
Offer this service first to your commuting neighbors and friends to establish trust. After securing good testimonials from them, join carpool networks online and look for passengers from social media and messaging platforms like Facebook, Viber, and Telegram.
Because public transportation is a big hassle and ride-hailing services are just outright expensive, carpooling is an attractive option for those who want comfort, safety, and convenience for a lower price. If you offer affordable rates and coordinate well with your passengers, you can establish yourself as a reliable carpool business.
🚗 Offer Delivery Services
Another idea on how to earn from using a private car is by offering delivery services to your neighbors. If you’re well-connected within your neighborhood, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Does your neighbor need to take their pet to the groomer? Offer to give them a lift for a reasonable price!
Do they need to pick up or deliver packages? If they don't have their own vehicle, offer to run errands in exchange for a fee. Use your car as an instant source of income by targeting neighbors who run a business delivering various products online.
Establishing yourself as your community’s resident service person comes in handy in emergencies. After all, plenty of people are willing to pay more for convenience.
🚗 Help People Haul Large Items
Wondering, "How can I use my car to make money without necessarily giving it up as a private possession?" Become a casual mover—one who lends a hand to people who need to move their stuff around.
This works best when you have a large car with a spacious cargo compartment and the capacity to handle heavier loads. If you have friends, relatives, or neighbors who need to move in or out of their residence, offer to help them haul larger items like furniture and appliances.
You'll earn a few bucks and in the process, ease the burden of those who really need a hand. Moving is a stressful experience, and offering a solution like this to people close to you can be just the support they need.
🚗 Create Car-Related Content
If you're into content creation, produce blogs or videos about your car that you can later monetize. Document your journey as a car owner and dole out insights about car topics such as buying guides, maintenance tips, how-to content, or even road trip reviews.
Need concrete ideas on how to make money with car content? Check out popular microbloggers and vloggers across different social media sites. For example, there are the likes of Joseph Valleser, a YouTuber who chronicles his car adventures.[2]
There are similar influencers on different platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Follow them and study how they make their content.
When you start your own website or channel, be as relatable and reachable as possible. If you make it big as a content creator, money will keep pouring in.
🚗 Wrap Ads Around Your Car
If you don’t mind wrapping brand logos and ads around your car for a quick buck, try using your car as an advertising space.
You can get paid for having car advertising stickers in the Philippines. For example, if you’re a Grab driver, you can register your vehicle to their GrabAds service and convert your car into a moving billboard.[3]
Aside from plastering ads on the sides of your vehicle, you can also offer your car’s interior to brands looking to put their name out there. Partner with advertising companies to gussy up your car's interior with marketing materials like pamphlets, branded water bottle holders, and even interior tablets.
This type of car advertisement in the Philippines is an easy way to make money without exerting too much effort.
🚗 Become a Driving Instructor
Another tip on how to earn money using your car in the Philippines is to offer private driving lessons. As long as you know what you're doing, you can unofficially dish out driving lessons to youngsters and anyone willing to learn.
For this, you just need a car, some free time, and a lot of patience to deal with inevitable mistakes from your students. Take note that you’re dealing with amateurs who most likely have zero driving experience.
You can start with people you know, such as friends, colleagues, and your neighbors' kids. Driving school fees range from ₱3,000 to ₱15,000, but you can offer a cheaper and more personal alternative.
If you choose to turn this side gig into a serious business in the future, you can grow your network by letting word of mouth be your best marketing tool. Just make sure to also officially register as a business and obtain certification to establish your credibility.
🚗 Organize Trips for Tourists
If you're an expert navigator who can spew out interesting trivia about tourist spots or popular destinations, try your hand at tour guiding.
You can start small with just a close circle to see how well you fare. If you have family, friends, or acquaintances visiting, offer to show them around for a small talent fee. Make sure the itineraries you create are unique, reasonable, and fun.
This is something you can just do occasionally or when the opportunity arises. But if you do it right and do it often, this can even be the start of a new travel agency or tourism enterprise.
🚗 Become a TNVS Driver or Operator
One of the popular and proactive car business ideas in the Philippines is learning how to be a TNVS driver or operator. TNVS (Transport Network Vehicle Service) encompasses the likes of Grab, Joyride, and Toktokgo, among others. The great thing about being a TNVS operator is you don’t need to be the one driving the vehicle to earn money.
Also, becoming a TNVS driver or operator allows you the freedom to do other things. Remember Francis John "Ax" Valerio,[4] who became viral for attending online classes between deliveries? And don’t forget Albert Gagaboan, who was able to realize his dream of becoming a school teacher by working part-time as a Grab delivery partner.[5]
The registration process may take a while but it’s a good trade-off for what you’ll get in return. Check out this professional license guide for Grab drivers to help you ease into this profession.
🚗 Start a Shuttle Service Business
Got a huge vehicle? Then you wouldn’t have that much of a problem figuring out how to make money with your car. To start a shuttle service, just find a company looking for what you have to offer.
Pitch your services to people looking to travel back to their provinces. Also, if you have balikbayan relatives and friends, save them the trouble of using public transport by offering to take them and their luggage straight to their preferred destination.
Airport shuttle services are generally pricey, so people would most likely be happy to take you up on your offer if you name a reasonable price.
🚗 Rent Out Your Car
Looking for an earning option where you don’t need to do a lot of work? A rent-a-car business in the Philippines may just be for you.
Earn passive income by listing your car for rent online. Just learn the basics of how to start a car rental business in the Philippines, and you’re good to go.
Set your own competitive rates to avoid getting lowballed. Remember to be extremely careful when renting out your car.
As much as possible, rent it out only to people you know and trust. If you’re opening your car rental to the public, make sure to conduct rigorous background checks.
🚗 Launch a Mobile Food Business
A food business in a car is an innovative idea. Sure, we have our share of jollijeeps and food trucks, but they’re not a very common sight in the country.
Mobile food businesses such as Harakiri's Kamikaze Truck,[6] which offers ramen on wheels to hungry customers; and Kape Kalye, a mobile coffee shop that operates through the back of a Toyota Wigo, became very popular since they brought the products straight to the customers without being summoned.
If you have a business idea and a car that you want to put to good use, try this car business idea in the Philippines. Set up and operate your business at the back of your vehicle.
🚗 Convert Your Vehicle into a Bridal Car
One of the unique car business ideas in the Philippines is to transform your vehicle into a bridal car. Offer to drive the car yourself if you’re hesitant to entrust it to someone else.
Just make sure to immerse yourself in the role so as not to underwhelm the bride and the wedding party at large. Be careful on the road and humor the bride—it’s a big day for her.
Look up the complete steps on how to rent out your car for use at weddings. To give you a glimpse of what to expect, automotive journalist James Deakin shared an account of his experience as a bridal car driver in the Philippines.[7] Technically, he didn’t use his own car—he was provided one (and a luxurious one at that!) by a sponsor.
🚗 Set Up a Car Wash and/or Auto Detailing Business
Do you have the funds to set up a full-blown business? Consider setting up a car wash and/or auto detailing business. Through these ventures, you can restore a car to its former glory.
This is one of the best car business ideas in the Philippines. There are around 1.27 million private cars registered in the country[8]—and not all owners have the time and ability to clean or restore their vehicles themselves.
You won't be necessarily using your car for this one, but you can use it to market your business. Flaunt your squeaky clean, good-as-new car to friends and family and invite them to avail of your services themselves.
🚗 Set Up a Car Buy-and-Sell Business
If you have the passion and knowledge for it, buying and selling used cars is a potentially lucrative business. Just make sure to research relevant laws, brands, and price ranges thoroughly.
Aside from studying what your target market needs, the key to a profitable buy-and-sell business is great mechanic know-how. With this skill, you can identify which cars to buy and which ones to avoid, and how to repair and replace parts properly before selling a unit. Start by flipping your own car and see how it goes from there.
🚗 Sell Your Vehicle
If you need a huge sum for more pressing matters, a quick way to turn your car into cash is to sell it and either downgrade to a more affordable model or give it up altogether. If you stay mostly at home anyway and don’t need to go anywhere in the near future, just get rid of your car and make money in the process.
While you won’t be able to sell your car for the same price you bought it, the instant profit you’ll get can still provide a significant boost to your finances. You can easily sell your car online via car-selling platforms, car forums, and even social media. Don't forget to look up different guidelines for selling your car.
Final Thoughts
You may not know it yet, but your car can be a money-making machine when used to its fullest potential. As early as now, explore these car business ideas in the Philippines.
Whether you’re looking for a full-time income source, a weekend side hustle, or just a random earning option while waiting for the next job opportunity, try out some of the opportunities above to turn your car into a cash cow.
Sources
- [1] Vehicle Life Expectancy (Toronto Star, 2018)
- [2] Joseph Valleser on YouTube
- [3] Earn Additional Income with Grab Ads
- [4] Grab Driver Attending Online Classes (Top Gear Philippines, 2020)
- [5] Grab Championing Its Driver and Delivery Partners (Manila Bulletin, 2021)
- [6] Harakiri Kamikaze Food Truck (Preview, 2021)
- [7] Day in the Life of a Bridal Car Driver (James Deakin, 2015)
- [8] Number of registered private cars in the Philippines from 2020 to 2022 (in millions) (Statista, 2023)
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