Over recent years, Uber rider ratings have become part of our culture. Whether it’s a competition between mates, in dating app bios, or office small talk, Kiwis’ Uber ratings have become a tongue-in-cheek indication of what kind of person someone really is.

After first launching our city-by-city rider rating ranking last year, the ranking is officially back by popular demand! But which City reigns supreme as the most polite this year? Will Hamilton keep the crown? Will Auckland redeem itself from last place? Let’s find out how your City stacks up against the rest of Aotearoa.

How does your city stack up against the rest of New Zealand?

In 2023, the average Kiwi rider rating came in at a respectable 4.88/5 stars – perfectly on par with 2022, and beating out their Australian neighbours at 4.82. But not all cities are equal. See how your city fared in this year’s rankings:

Average Rider Rating in Metro Areas

  1.  Dunedin – 4.93
  2.   Hamilton – 4.91
  3.   Tauranga – 4.90
  4.   Napier-Hastings – 4.90
  5.   New Plymouth – 4.90
  6.   Palmerston North – 4.90
  7.   Nelson – 4.90
  8.   Christchurch – 4.89
  9.   Wellington – 4.88
  10.  Queenstown – 4.88

—————————————– National average 4.88

  1. Auckland – 4.86

How to find your Uber Rider Rating 

  •         Make sure you have the latest version of the Uber app
  •         Open the app, click ‘account’
  •         Check out your star rating in the top left corner

Last year, as part of our ongoing commitment to data transparency, we also launched our in-app Privacy Centre, where users can review their past trip information, payment details, and lift the lid on their rider rating breakdowns. This provides access to a history of all your rider ratings, and an insight into exactly how many times you’ve received a 5 – or perhaps more alarmingly, a 1-star rating.

To access the Privacy Centre and ratings breakdown in the app:

  1.   In the settings menu, tap privacy and then Privacy Centre
  2.   In the Privacy Centre, swipe to the right and click on the “would you like to see a summary of how you use Uber” tile
  3.   Scroll down to the “browse your data” section and tap on “View my ratings” to see the breakdown 
  4.   In addition to viewing your ratings, users can also review their past trip information, payment details, control marketing preferences and more in the Privacy Centre.

How to boost your rider rating

We all have that one friend that ends a trip basically best friends with the Uber driver partner. It starts with the usual “been busy?”, and before the end of the trip they’ve already had three deep and meaningful conversations about the meaning of life, their family drama and the best place for a late night kebab.

But does their ride chat really impact how their driver scores them, or does it have the opposite effect? We asked a handful of driver partners for the inside scoop on what gets them dishing out those five stars, and collated these top tips:

  1. Beat the clock: Driver partners love it when riders are ready to go from the moment they arrive and when the pick-up location you entered is actually where you’ll be. No one likes to be left waiting, and respect for their time goes a long way.
  2. More mess, more stress: There’s nothing worse than a messy vehicle. We’re used to the clean and tidy standards Uber driver partners hold themselves to, so make sure you take your rubbish and any other belongings with you to keep it that way for the next rider to enjoy.
  3. Be polite and say hello: It never hurts to spread a little kindness, and many Uber driver partners cite the unique conversations they have with riders as one of their favourite parts of their day. A simple “Hello, how was your weekend?” can really go a long way.
  4. Don’t slam the door! With the excitement of arriving at your destination it’s easy to accidentally slam a door if you aren’t thinking about it. Driver partners have consistently cited door slams as a reason why they deduct stars so remember to close things gently.
  5. All I’m askin’ for, is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Just like the almighty Aretha Franklin, drivers want their vehicle, and their time to be respected. Try to treat them how you’d like to be treated. As outlined in our Community Guidelines, we want riders and driver partners to feel safe, respectful, and positive on every trip. 

In a world of numbers, sometimes it’s easy to get fixated on getting the perfect score. But if you haven’t achieved that 5-star status just yet, your rating is only based on your last 500 trips, so there’s still time to improve it! Driver-partners typically rate riders at the end of each trip, but it is optional and they are not required to. You can read more information about Uber’s two way rating system here.