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“I made €300 today”: no — you took in €300

It is the most common sentence between drivers — and the most misleading one. Let us break it down once and for all, line by line.

3 questionsUpdated on September 8, 20263 min read

In this guide — 3 questions

01 / 03

Why is €300 taken in not €300 earned?

Because four lines still come out of it: the day's fuel, the wear on the vehicle, social contributions computed on what you take in, and later income tax. The figure the app displays is revenue. Mistaking it for pay means believing you are better paid than you are — and setting every threshold too low.

The illusion comes from the cash: the money is there, visible, credited. The charges land later — tomorrow's tank, the quarterly contributions, the next service, the vehicle's replacement in three years. A day is judged with all its lines, not just the one showing on the screen at night.

02 / 03

How do you break down a €300 day?

Three subtractions, in order. €300 taken in, minus the day's charges — fuel, plus a per-kilometre share of wear and maintenance —, minus €63.60 of social contributions (21.2% of takings, the 2026 Urssaf micro-enterprise rate in France). Divide what is left by your real hours, first pickup to last drop-off: that is your hourly rate for the day.

The full scenario, to redo with your own figures: €300 taken in, €45 of fuel, €30 of wear for 250 km (a €0.12/km variable cost, given as an example). Minus the €63.60 of contributions, €161.40 is left before income tax. Over eleven real hours, that is just under €15 an hour.

The wear line is not theoretical: it is the value your vehicle loses by running — the one you discover when it has to be replaced. The cost-per-kilometre guide shows how to compute it precisely.

03 / 03

Which figure should you track instead of revenue?

Your hourly rate net of charges: what is left, divided by the hours actually mobilised. It is the only figure comparable from one day to the next — revenue rises with hours and hides everything else. Two €300 days can be worth €20 and €12 an hour depending on kilometres driven and total amplitude.

And it is a figure you defend ride by ride: every ride below your threshold drags down the hourly rate of the whole day. Sorting upstream — a per-kilometre threshold, a minimum fare — is the most direct lever to raise it. That is what the verdict in the application is for.

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