Ola · Tax Guide 2025/26

Ola drivers: here's every expense you can claim in 2026.

Most Ola drivers underestimate their mileage deduction. On 180 business miles a week, that's £4,212 in allowable deductions HMRC expects you to claim. GigShield logs every trip at 45p/mile automatically.

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180 miles/wk

Typical Ola driver business mileage per week

£4,212

Annual mileage deduction at 180 miles/week, 45p/mile

£842

Tax saved at 20% basic rate on £4,212 of deductions

Everything an Ola driver can claim

Most workers miss at least half of these.

✓

Mileage on every Ola trip45p/mile, first 10,000 miles

✓

Fuel costsonly if NOT using mileage rate — never both

✓

Vehicle insurance (private hire proportion)

✓

Vehicle servicing and repairsbusiness proportion

✓

Private hire vehicle licence

✓

TfL or local authority PHV licence fee

✓

Ola service fee (commission taken)platform fees are a business cost

✓

In-car phone mount and charging cables

✓

Portion of phone bill% used for Ola work

✓

Dashcam (purchase and fitting)

✓

Air fresheners and car cleaning suppliesused to maintain the vehicle for passengers

✓

Parking fees during trips

✓

Congestion charge / ULEZpaid while working

✗

Personal food and drinkNOT claimable

✗

Fines, PCNs, or speeding penaltiesNOT claimable

✗

Personal travel unrelated to Ola tripsNOT claimable

How much are you leaving unclaimed?

Drag the slider to see your estimated annual mileage deduction.

Miles per week150 miles

£3,510

Annual mileage deduction

£702

Tax saved (20% basic rate)

Start logging your miles for free →

How GigShield works for Ola workers

1
Log every Ola trip mile
Add trips manually or in bulk after each shift. GigShield applies the HMRC 45p/mile rate automatically and tracks your running total — so you know exactly when you hit the 10,000 mile threshold where the rate changes to 25p.
2
Track vehicle and running costs
Photograph receipts for insurance, servicing, your PHV licence fee, phone mount, and other equipment. GigShield deducts the correct amounts and stores everything for your self-assessment return.
3
Export for self-assessment or file via MTD
Download an HMRC-ready expense report for your accountant, or use GigShield's MTD submission to file your quarterly figures automatically.

Important — HMRC

Ola treats its UK drivers as self-employed contractors. Your earnings are subject to self-assessment, and if you earn over £1,000 from self-employment in a tax year you must register with HMRC and file a return. Under DAC7 platform reporting rules, Ola is required to share annual driver earnings data with HMRC — which means HMRC already has your income figure. Your documented deductions are what reduce your taxable profit. GigShield builds that evidence automatically.