Bolt has grown into one of the biggest ride hailing apps in the UK, and for a lot of drivers it sits right alongside Uber as a serious way to earn money, sometimes as a main job and sometimes as a way to top up income from other work. If you already have a private hire licence or you are starting from scratch, this guide walks through exactly what you need to do, in the right order, so you are not left guessing halfway through.
We will cover eligibility, the private hire licensing process, insurance, vehicle standards, how the actual sign up works, and what to expect once you are approved and driving.
Who Can Drive for Bolt in the UK
Before you spend time on paperwork, it is worth checking you meet Bolt’s basic requirements. These are broadly similar to Uber’s, since both companies operate within the same UK private hire licensing rules.
To drive for Bolt, you will generally need to:
- Be at least 21 years old
- Hold a full, valid UK or EU driving licence
- Have held that licence for a reasonable amount of time (this varies slightly by city, so check what your local licensing authority expects)
- Have a valid private hire vehicle licence, sometimes called a PHV licence or PCO licence in London
- Have access to a vehicle that meets Bolt’s standards
- Pass a background check covering your criminal record and driving history
If you already drive for Uber or another platform, the good news is that most of your paperwork, your private hire licence, your insurance, and your vehicle documents, can be reused for your Bolt application. Many drivers run both apps side by side rather than choosing one over the other, switching between them depending on which is busier at a given time.
Step 1: Get Your Private Hire Licence
Just like with Uber, you cannot legally carry paying passengers for Bolt without a private hire licence issued by your local council or, in London, by Transport for London (TfL). If you already hold this licence from driving for another platform, you can skip straight to the Bolt sign up. If not, this is the step that takes the longest, so start here.
To get your private hire licence, you will typically need to go through:
- An online application to your local licensing authority. In London, this goes through TfL and comes with a fee, currently around £124 for a new licence. Outside London, you apply through your own council, and fees vary.
- An enhanced DBS check. This is a detailed background check into your criminal record, arranged through an approved provider. It usually takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
- A medical examination. Carried out by your GP or another registered medical practitioner, this confirms you are fit to drive.
- A topographical or knowledge test, required by some councils to check you know your way around the local area.
- A safeguarding awareness course, since private hire drivers regularly carry vulnerable passengers.
Processing times differ a lot depending on where you live, so apply as early as possible rather than waiting until everything else is ready.
Step 2: Sort Out Your Insurance
Your normal car insurance will not cover you once you start carrying paying passengers, whether that is for Bolt, Uber, or any other platform. You need a private hire insurance policy, also called hire and reward insurance, which is specifically designed for people earning money by transporting passengers.
A few practical points:
- Prices vary significantly between insurers, so get several quotes rather than settling for the first one
- Some insurers offer pay as you go or pay per mile private hire policies, which can work out cheaper if you are not driving full time
- If you plan to drive for both Bolt and Uber, make sure your policy covers private hire work in general, rather than being tied to one specific platform
- Keep a digital copy of your certificate ready to upload during sign up
Step 3: Check Your Vehicle Meets Bolt’s Standards
Bolt has its own set of vehicle requirements, and while they overlap with Uber’s, they are not identical, so it is worth checking even if your car is already approved elsewhere.
Generally, your vehicle needs to be:
- A four door car with at least four passenger seats, not including the driver
- In good condition, without visible damage, dents, or significant cosmetic wear
- Under a certain age limit, often around ten years old, though this can vary by city
- Clean and comfortable inside, since Bolt takes passenger experience seriously in its ratings
You will also need the standard vehicle documents ready:
- The vehicle logbook (V5C), showing the car is registered in your name or that you have permission to use it commercially
- A valid MOT certificate, required for any vehicle over three years old
- Proof of your private hire insurance
If your own car does not meet these standards, some drivers choose to rent a PCO-ready vehicle through a rental partner instead of buying one outright. This can be a practical option if you want to start driving quickly without a large upfront cost, though it does mean an ongoing weekly rental fee that eats into your earnings, so it is worth doing the maths before committing.
Step 4: Register With Bolt
Once your private hire licence is sorted, or already in hand from another platform, you can move on to the Bolt sign up itself. This part is usually quick.
Here is what the process looks like:
- Go to Bolt’s driver sign up page or download the Bolt Driver app and start your registration
- Fill in your personal details, including your name, contact information, date of birth, and the city you plan to drive in
- Enter your National Insurance number and UK driving licence number
- Choose your licensing authority from the list provided, so Bolt knows which council or TfL issued your private hire licence
- Enter your vehicle details, including make, year, registration, and colour
- Upload your documents: driving licence, private hire licence, insurance certificate, MOT certificate, and vehicle registration
- Add a bank account in your name for payouts
- Upload a profile photo that meets Bolt’s requirements, well lit, face clearly visible, plain background, no hat or sunglasses
A quick tip that saves a lot of back and forth: take clear, well lit photos of every document, with no blurring, cropping, or glare. Poor quality uploads are one of the most common reasons applications get delayed or bounced back for resubmission.
After you submit everything, Bolt reviews your documents and runs its background check. Depending on your city, you may then be asked to book an appointment at a local Bolt driver hub to complete identity verification in person, or you may be able to finish the process entirely online. Once approved, you will receive your login details by email.
The first time you go online in the app, you will be asked to verify yourself again with a photo of your driving licence and a selfie. After that, you are ready to start accepting rides.
Step 5: Understand How Bolt’s Commission Works
One thing that often surprises new drivers is how much of each fare actually goes to the platform versus into their own pocket. Bolt has generally positioned itself as taking a smaller cut than some competitors, though the exact figure can vary by city and by vehicle type.
A few things worth knowing:
- Standard commission rates are often lower for electric vehicle drivers than for petrol or diesel drivers, since Bolt has been actively encouraging drivers to switch to EVs
- Commission is usually taken automatically before your payout, so what you see in your weekly summary is already your take-home amount
- Bolt occasionally runs promotional campaigns or bonus incentives for drivers in certain areas or at certain times, which can boost earnings temporarily
- Your actual weekly earnings depend heavily on how many hours you drive, the demand in your area, and the time of day you choose to work, so treat any average earnings figure you see advertised as just that, an average, not a guarantee
Step 6: Register for Self Assessment Tax
Whether you drive for Bolt, Uber, or both at once, you are self-employed for tax purposes, even though UK employment law gives private hire drivers certain worker rights like minimum wage and holiday pay. That means the responsibility for declaring and paying the right tax sits with you.
Here is what that involves in practice:
- Registering for Self Assessment with HMRC if this is your first year earning this kind of income, with a deadline of 5 October following the end of that tax year
- Filing a Self Assessment tax return every year, due by 31 January
- Paying income tax and National Insurance on your earnings, after deducting legitimate business expenses such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, private hire insurance, and any rental fees if you lease your vehicle
- Keeping clear, ongoing records of your earnings and expenses rather than trying to reconstruct everything at the last minute
If you drive for more than one platform, keep a single combined record of your total earnings across all of them, since HMRC taxes your overall self-employed income, not each platform separately. Many drivers open a dedicated business bank account just to keep this side of things simple.
Step 7: Stay on Top of Renewals
Getting approved is not a one time event. To keep driving legally, you need to stay on top of a few recurring requirements.
- Renew your private hire licence before it expires, since renewal periods and requirements vary by council
- Renew your enhanced DBS check, typically required every three years
- Keep your MOT and insurance valid at all times, since driving with either lapsed is illegal and will also get your Bolt account suspended
Set reminders a month or two ahead of each renewal date so nothing catches you off guard and stops you from earning.
Bolt vs Uber: Should You Drive for Both?
A lot of new drivers ask whether they should sign up for Bolt, Uber, or both. There is no single right answer, since it depends on where you are based and how you like to work, but a few practical points are worth considering.
Running both apps at the same time, sometimes called multi-apping, lets you accept whichever ride comes in first, which can reduce the amount of time you spend waiting between fares.
The trade off is that it takes a bit more attention to manage two apps at once, and you will need to make sure your insurance policy explicitly covers private hire work in general rather than being restricted to a single named platform.
Many experienced drivers treat this as a normal part of the job rather than a complicated decision. They keep both apps running, see which one is sending more requests on a given day, and adjust accordingly.