Toyota and Uber team up to put more hybrid and electric cars on the road

Toyota and Uber have announced a partnership in Europe to facilitate app drivers’ access to electrified cars, with special conditions for purchase, financing and insurance. The agreement, signed by Toyota Motor Europe on July 20, goes into effect this month in ten countries on the continent, including the United Kingdom, and is expected to be extended to other markets gradually.

Under the terms disclosed, drivers and fleet owners who are partners of the platform will have preferential conditions in the acquisition of new and used vehicles of the Toyota and Lexus brands, in addition to flexible financing options, leasing and insurance charged according to use. The proposal brings together four arms of the automaker, Toyota Motor Europe, Toyota Financial Services, Toyota Insurance Services and Kinto Europe, in a single mobility package.

Instead of betting only on 100% electric models, the manufacturer maintains its “multiple paths” strategy and offers hybrids, battery electric and approved used cars as gateways to electrification. According to the company, the design takes into account the differences in cost, work routine and charging infrastructure between European countries.

The initiative responds to a growing pressure on those who make a living from ride-hailing. Several European cities have been expanding low-emission zones and restricting the circulation of gasoline and diesel cars, which makes the electrified vehicle less of a differential and more a condition to continue working. At the same time, drivers face rising operating costs.

“Professional drivers need electrified vehicles that work for them from an economic and operational point of view,” said Leonardo Carluccio, vice president of sales at Toyota Motor Europe. For Uber, the goal is to reduce barriers to changing cars. “By lowering ownership hurdles, we are accelerating electrification and supporting drivers’ livelihoods,” said Raoul Philips Sr, the company’s director of core operations.

The European cooperation expands a relationship that the two companies already had in the United Kingdom, relaunched in 2024.