High Mileage Instacart Orders: More Than 30 Miles?
Are you trying to calculate your exact vehicle depreciation costs, or are you simply looking to study terrible Instacart batches based on absurd delivery distances? Welcome to the data directory built to expose how the algorithm functions when sending shoppers far outside their local zones.
Experienced independent contractors understand that profit margins live and die by the dollar-to-mile ratio. The major trap with long-distance deliveries is that baseline Instacart batch earnings rarely scale to cover the true expense of fuel, wear-and-tear, and the unpaid “deadhead” miles required to drive all the way back to your home market.
Accepting these highway traps means trading your vehicle’s long-term health for pennies on the dollar. Browse our long-distance order archive below to see the extreme, high-mileage offers that most smart delivery drivers reject instantly.
Archive Of High Mileage Instacart Orders
Disclaimer: The images below are recreated screenshots featuring actual metrics from real delivery orders. Some visual elements are simulated to protect user privacy and comply with platform terms.
High Mileage Delivery FAQ
1. What is considered a high-mileage order?
Honestly, I consider anything over 30 miles a high-mileage order. You need to take into consideration what type of vehicle you have and what your gas mileage is. Personally, I get 45 to 50 miles to a gallon because I drive a hybrid, so really, I will take high-mileage orders if they pay about $0.85 to $1.50 a mile. This depends on how many items there are. I don’t like any orders over about 20 items, but I will do them for serious money. Like 35 items and 70 miles, I would expect at minimum $90. If there were 2 items, I would take a minimum of $60.
2. How do you handle the return trip from a high-mileage delivery?
First of all, if there is a somewhat large town that I go through on the way back with a grocery store that uses Instacart, I may sit awhile in their parking lot. Really, in rural areas, though it is hard to find this. Another option is just taking long-distance orders that will lead you back close to your home if you live on the way back. I take orders that are about 30 miles from the store sometimes, but only 20 miles from there back to my home. In that circumstance, I just call it a day and save 10 miles.
3. Should you accept a long-distance Instacart order in heavy city traffic?
Certainly not. I require, at a minimum, a 60-mile-per-hour speed going out of the city if I accept a long-distance order. I like to avoid stoplights and bumper-to-bumper traffic if I am going anything over 10 miles. I prefer interstate travel, but it’s not a requirement. It’s much easier to pass a slow driver if you are on an interstate when compared to other types of state and county roads.
Explore Other Instacart Order Archives
Bad Instacart Orders – The worst of the worst Instacart orders
Double Order Instacart Batches – The reality of bundled, multi-order routes.
High Item Count Instacart Orders – Exposing the massive list traps and unit multipliers.
No Tip Instacart Orders – The zero-tip hall of shame.
Triple Order Instacart Batches – Triple the work for basically the same pay.