Do you tip a black car driver, and how much? What a chauffeur is, how gratuity usually works, and why Elite Rides builds the 15% into every price so there is nothing to work out at the curb.
Short answer: in the United States, chauffeurs are tipped, and 15 to 20 percent of the fare is customary. The longer answer is that many car services, including ours, already include the gratuity in the quoted price, so the first thing to do is read the quote. This post explains how tipping works for black car service, what a chauffeur actually is, and what to look for on a receipt.
A black car service is a pre-booked ride in a late-model black sedan or SUV with a licensed, insured, professional driver, called a chauffeur. You book ahead with a fixed time and address, the price is agreed before the ride, and the same company is responsible for the car and the driver. That is the difference from a taxi (hailed, metered) and from a ride app (an independent driver matched by software, with a price set by demand at that moment).
Where the gratuity is not included, 15 to 20 percent of the fare is the norm, the same as a restaurant, and more for exceptional help: a chauffeur who carries bags up a stoop, waits through a delay with good grace or installs three child seats at 5 am. Cash or a line on the card receipt are both fine.
Often, and this is where people get confused. Many companies add a fixed gratuity (commonly 15 to 20 percent) to every booking and show it as a line item; some show one all-in number; a few leave it entirely to you. The receipt tells you which. If a gratuity line is already there, you have tipped, and anything more is a gift rather than an obligation.
At Elite Rides a 15% gratuity is part of every booking. Airport flats and point-to-point fares include it in the price you see; airport fares also include tolls, the airport fee and the Manhattan congestion charge, so the number on the booking page is the number on your card. Hourly charters and event bookings are priced per hour with the 15% added on top and shown as its own line before you pay: a Suburban for 3 hours is $300 plus $45 gratuity, $345 in total. Our chauffeurs are paid that gratuity in full. If you want to add more for exceptional service, you can, and it goes to the driver, but nothing is expected.
Three reasons. Riders told us the awkward moment at the curb (how much, cash or card, did the app already add it?) was the part of the ride they liked least. Companies and executive assistants want one number to expense. And a guaranteed gratuity means a chauffeur is never tempted to rush a ride to get to the next one.
Not really; the percentage is the same. The amount grows with the fare: 15% of a $179 Newark-to-Manhattan Suburban is already in the $179; on a four-hour Suburban charter at $100 an hour the gratuity is $60 and is shown on the quote before you pay. Weddings and events work the same way, which is why our event quotes are one figure for the organiser.
If the gratuity was included in the prepaid amount, no. If the booking shows no gratuity, 15 to 20 percent in cash is the kind thing to do.
Waiting that comes from flight tracking is already handled. If you add stops, errands or heavy lifting, a few dollars more is appreciated and never required.
No. That is the point of including it.
The rates page lists every fare and what it includes, and the booking page shows your exact price before you pay.
Get an instant all-in quote and book online, or call or text (848) 666-3358, 24/7.