Uber Premier and Uber Black are two different promises. Uber describes Premier as "elevated rides with highly-rated drivers" and Black as "luxury rides with professional drivers". Premier is the step up from Comfort; Black is the luxury tier with its own vehicle list and stricter waiting rules. On Uber's own airport pages, Premier is usually the cheaper of the two, often by 20 to 25 percent where both appear.
Neither one is a reservation in the traditional sense. Both are priced by the app at the moment you request, both depend on a driver accepting the trip, and both pick up where the airport tells app rides to go. A chauffeur booked through Elly8.net is priced once, in advance, per vehicle, and meets you inside arrivals. This guide sets the three side by side with real numbers.
What is the difference between Uber Black and Uber Premier?
Uber Black is Uber's luxury tier: high-end, late-model sedans and SUVs from an approved model list, professional drivers, and short grace periods before wait fees. Premier is a newer step between Comfort and Black in some cities, described by Uber as elevated rides with highly-rated drivers. Where both appear, Premier's average airport price is lower.
The clearest public description of Black is on Uber's Uber Black page. It lists the eligible models, from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class to the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator and Chevrolet Suburban, and says specific eligibility varies by city and market. A standard Black seats up to four passengers and Black SUV up to six. The same page sets the waiting rules: a five-minute grace period at ordinary pickups and two minutes at airports, after which per-minute wait fees apply, with a possible cancellation fee if you have not boarded within five minutes at an airport.
Premier does not have a stand-alone page in Uber's US or Canadian ride-options lists, which show Comfort, Black and Black SUV as the step-ups. It appears instead on Uber's airport pages for particular cities, with a short description and an average price. That tells you two things: Premier is a local option rather than a universal one, and its exact rules are what your app screen says on the day. Uber's own footnote on its ride-options page is that options, requirements and features vary by country, region and city.
Where Premier shows up, and what Uber says it costs
Uber publishes average prices on its airport pages, calculated from real trips over the past month from a named neighbourhood to the airport. They are not fixed or guaranteed prices, and Uber says so. They are still the most honest public numbers available, because they come from the company itself rather than a fare calculator. When we checked them for this guide, four airports showed a Premier tier.
| Airport page | Route Uber measured | Comfort | Premier | Black | Premier SUV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (MIA) | Upper Brickell to MIA | US$32 | US$46 | US$58 | listed, no average shown |
| Tampa (TPA) | a Tampa neighbourhood to TPA | US$30 | US$46 | not listed | US$64 |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | Off-Strip to LAS | US$30 | US$33 | not listed | US$47 |
| Calgary (YYC) | Calgary to YYC | C$53 | C$85 | not listed | not listed |
Three patterns stand out. First, in Miami, the one city on this list where Uber shows both, Premier averaged US$46 and Black US$58, so Black cost about a quarter more. Second, in Las Vegas the gap between Comfort and Premier was only US$3 on a short Off-Strip run, which says more about the length of the trip than the tier. Third, in Calgary Premier averaged C$85 against C$53 for Comfort, a wider spread, and Uber describes it there as "premium rides with highly-rated drivers".
These are averages for trips to the airport. Trips from the airport add the pickup rules of the terminal, and at busy arrival times the app price is set by demand at that moment. Our post on why Uber Black is often cheaper than a car service explains why a one-month average can sit well below what you pay on a Friday evening.
Comfort: what each tier promises, and what it does not
Premier promises a better car than Comfort and a driver with a strong rating. It does not publish a model list in the places we checked, so the vehicle you get is whatever qualifies locally. For two people with carry-on bags heading home from a dinner, that is often exactly enough.
Black promises a luxury vehicle from a defined list and a professional driver, plus in-app preferences for cabin temperature, conversation and luggage help. It is the tier to choose in the app when the car itself matters, for example a client in the back seat. The trade-off is price, and the short airport grace period: two minutes after the driver arrives, the wait-time meter starts.
A pre-booked chauffeur promises something different again: a named vehicle class, a chauffeur who knows your flight number and your name before the day, and a price that does not move. At Elly8.net the Business Sedan is an E-Class, CT6, Continental or similar, and the First Class Sedan is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or similar, as listed on our fleet page. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary, so a slow baggage hall does not start a meter.
The luggage question neither app tier answers
Uber is candid about this on its airport pages: cargo space is not guaranteed and varies by vehicle body type, and its guidance assumes checked bags of up to 62 linear inches. It recommends contacting the driver after requesting to check whether everyone and everything will fit, and cancelling for a larger ride if it will not. For the heaviest loads, the Miami page points riders to the six-seat options: Black SUV, Premier SUV, UberXL and UberXXL.
That is fair advice, and it is also the moment many airport plans unravel. Two couples with four large cases may find that a Premier sedan works on paper and not in the trunk. Our fleet table is specific per vehicle: sedans carry up to three passengers and two bags, the Business SUV and First Class SUV up to six passengers and six bags, and the Executive Sprinter up to twelve passengers and twelve bags. Book the vehicle that fits the bags, not the headcount, and the question never comes up at the kerb.
When the app, or a taxi, is the smarter call
We would rather you choose well than choose us. These are the trips where we would open the app or walk to the rank.
- Short hops at quiet times. The Las Vegas Off-Strip numbers above show how little a premium tier costs on a short run. For two people with carry-ons, Premier at about US$33 is good value.
- Las Vegas taxis to the Strip. The Nevada Taxicab Authority publishes airport zone fares to the Strip of US$22.25, US$26.25 and US$30.25, plus a US$2.40 airport pickup fee, a US$3.00 card fee, a fuel surcharge and 3% excise tax. For one or two travellers with light bags, that is hard to beat.
- Solo travellers with one bag and no fixed appointment, landing in the middle of the afternoon.
- Spontaneous trips in a city with plenty of premium drivers, where you can see the price and decide.
When a pre-booked chauffeur wins
The averages above are calm-weather numbers. The trips below are where a fixed price and a named chauffeur earn their cost.
- Late or delayed arrivals. We track the flight. The chauffeur waits inside arrivals with a name board, and that waiting is complimentary after a tracked landing.
- Groups with real luggage. A Business SUV for up to six passengers and six bags, or an Executive Sprinter for twelve, priced once per vehicle.
- Families with child seats. Seats are fitted on request when you book, not negotiated at the kerb.
- Meetings and clients. A known vehicle class, a chauffeur briefed on the passenger and the address, and an invoice for the corporate account.
- Event nights and peak weeks. Art Basel in Miami or a fight night in Las Vegas pushes app prices up at the exact moment everyone leaves. Our fare does not move.
- Fixed budgets. The price you reserve is the price you pay, with tolls and parking billed at cost.
The same four cities, priced by Elly8.net
Here is how our fixed, all-in fares compare in the four cities above. Each price is per vehicle, not per person, and applies in either direction.
- Miami. MIA to Miami Beach is US$180 in a Business Sedan, US$315 in a First Class Sedan and US$470 in an Executive Sprinter. Uber's measured route, Upper Brickell to MIA, is shorter than MIA to Miami Beach, so the comparison flatters the app. The full price list is on our Miami car service page.
- Tampa. TPA to downtown Tampa is US$120 in a Business Sedan and US$160 in a Business SUV, against Uber's US$46 Premier and US$64 Premier SUV averages. See Tampa prices.
- Las Vegas. LAS to the Strip is US$125 in a Business Sedan and US$165 in a Business SUV. In Las Vegas we would point a couple with carry-ons to the taxi rank, and a group of five with golf bags to the SUV. See Las Vegas fares.
- Calgary. YYC to downtown Calgary is US$105 in a Business Sedan. Our fares are charged in US dollars, Uber's Calgary averages in Canadian dollars, so compare them at the day's exchange rate rather than face value. See Calgary prices.
The pattern is consistent and we will not dress it up: on an ordinary day, an app premium tier costs less than a chauffeur booked in advance. The difference pays for the things the app does not promise, which are a meeting inside arrivals, complimentary waiting after a tracked landing, a vehicle chosen for your luggage, a price that cannot surge, and a 24/7 desk that knows the booking. Our airport transfer service and meet and greet pages explain how the arrival works, and the Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur comparison covers the rest.
How to choose in thirty seconds
Ask three questions. How many bags, not people? If more than two checked bags per sedan, you need an SUV whichever service you use. How fixed is the time? If someone is waiting for you, or you are landing late, a booked chauffeur removes the uncertainty. And how much does the car itself matter? If it is just a comfortable ride home, Premier or Comfort will do; if a client is in the back, Black or a First Class Sedan.
If you need several cars for a group, see our guide to Uber Black SUV rates and the flat-rate alternative. Rides in Toronto and the GTA are operated by the Elly8 fleet; in every other city they are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network, with Elly8.net taking the booking, fixing the price and running the 24/7 desk.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uber Premier cheaper than Uber Black?
Where Uber shows both tiers, yes. On its Miami airport page, the average from Upper Brickell to MIA was US$46 for Premier and US$58 for Black. These are past-month averages, not fixed prices, and the actual fare is set by the app when you request. Premier is also not available in every city, so check the ride options in your app.
Is Uber Premier the same as Uber Comfort?
No. Uber lists them separately. Comfort promises newer cars with extra legroom and up to ten minutes before a cancellation fee. Premier is described as elevated rides with highly-rated drivers and averaged more than Comfort on every airport page we checked, for example C$85 against C$53 in Calgary.
How many people fit in Uber Black or Premier?
Uber lists a standard Black and Premier at up to four passengers, and Black SUV and Premier SUV at up to six. Uber also says luggage space is not guaranteed. Elly8.net sedans carry up to three passengers and two bags, SUVs up to six passengers and six bags, and the Executive Sprinter up to twelve passengers and twelve bags.
Can you book Uber Black or Premier in advance?
Uber Reserve lets you book up to 90 days ahead in select cities. Uber says the ride is confirmed once you receive driver details, and that cancellation fees for Reserve are higher than on demand. Our guide to Uber Black reservations covers the details.
What does an Elly8.net fixed price include?
The chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet inside arrivals. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and 100% within 24 hours or for a no-show.
Which should you choose for a business trip?
For a short, flexible hop between meetings, Black in the app works well. For an arrival with a client, a fixed itinerary or company billing, a pre-booked car is easier to plan and expense. Elly8.net offers corporate accounts with monthly invoicing, and NDAs on request.
