The Empty Space in Your Car is Costing You $300/Month

I used to look at my car the same way most people do – a tool to get from point A to point B, and a money pit for gas, insurance, and repairs.

Then, about eight months ago, I stumbled on something that completely flipped that thinking.

I was sitting in my driveway, staring at the massive empty trunk of my old Honda CR-V. My wife had just asked me, “Why do we even have such a big car if you never carry anything?”

That question annoyed me at first. But then it got me thinking.

What if that empty space… could pay me?

Turns out, it can. And it’s so simple that I felt stupid for not doing it years earlier.

Let me walk you through exactly what I discovered, how much I’ve made, and how you can do the same starting tomorrow – without driving a single extra mile.

The Moment I Realized My Car Was a Wasted Asset

I’m a pretty practical guy. I track my spending, I coupon for groceries, and I side-hustle whenever I can. But never once did I consider my car as anything other than an expense.

Then I saw a random Reddit thread about “cargo space arbitrage.” Weird term, I know. But the idea was simple:

Companies and individuals will pay you to store or transport stuff in your car’s unused space.

Not drugs, not anything illegal. Just normal, everyday items – packages for local delivery, promotional materials, even seasonal gear for people who don’t have room in their apartments.

One guy on the thread mentioned he made $250 one month just by letting a small local business store extra t-shirts in his trunk. He dropped them off twice a week on his way to work.

I was skeptical. But I decided to try.

My First $50 – It Felt Like a Glitch

I signed up for a platform called LUGG (there are others, I’ll list them later). The concept is stupid simple: people or businesses near you need temporary storage or same-day delivery of something small. Your trunk becomes their mini-warehouse.

Within two days, I got my first request: a woman two miles away needed a box of books picked up from a donation center and held in my car for 48 hours until she could grab them. She was moving and had no garage.

Pay? $18 for 10 minutes of work. I literally just put the box in my trunk, drove home, and handed it over the next evening.

That week, I got three more requests:

A florist needed extra vases stored for a wedding weekend – $25
A guy selling on Facebook Marketplace used my trunk as a temporary pickup spot – $12
A local coffee roaster asked me to deliver 5 bags of beans to two addresses – $20

Total for week one: $75. And I didn’t drive one extra mile beyond my normal errands.

That’s when I realized: every cubic foot of space in my car was previously earning $0. Now it’s earning. And the best part? You don’t need a truck or a van. A sedan’s trunk works fine. A hatchback? Even better.

How Much Can You REALLY Make?

I’ve been doing this for about eight months now, and my average is 280–280–340 per month. Some months are lower (January was slow – $180), s o m e a r e h i g h e r (O c t o b e r h i t$ 180),somearehigher(Octoberhit460 because of Halloween deliveries).

Here’s a realistic breakdown based on what I and others in a Telegram group I joined are seeing:

Vehicle Type	Avg Monthly Earnings	Time Spent (hrs/week)
Small sedan (Civic, Corolla)	$150 –$ 150–250	1–2
Midsize SUV (CR-V, RAV4)	$250 –$ 250–400	2–3
Minivan or large SUV	$350 –$ 350–600	3–5
Pickup truck (with bed cover)	$400 –$ 400–800	3–6

The empty space under your cargo cover? That’s silent rent.

Where to Find These Opportunities (No BS)

I’m not going to hype you with “click my link for a secret app.” Here are the real places I’ve used that work in the US right now.

1. LUGG

Best for: Storing boxes or items for people nearby. You set your own availability. They take 15%, but it’s worth it for the insurance.

2. Neighbor (yes, the storage app)

People list empty space in garages, basements… and cars. You can list your trunk as “secured vehicle storage.” One guy paid me $40/month just to keep his camping gear in my back seat. I never even saw him – he had a key code to a lockbox I hung on my side mirror.

3. Roadie (owned by UPS)

This is on-demand delivery for oversized or odd items that don’t fit in normal shipping. Think tires, furniture, lawnmowers. You use your trunk space. I’ve done 12 Roadie gigs – average pay $22 each, never more than 6 miles.

4. Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace (under “labor” or “transport”)

Search for: “need pickup truck” or “help moving small item.” Message them and say, “I don’t have a truck, but I have a large trunk/SUV – will that work?” About half say yes. I got a recurring $60/week gig driving medical supplies from a clinic to a nursing home – 4 miles each way.

The “Invisible” Method That Pays $300/Month by Itself

Here’s the one that surprised me most – and it’s 100% passive.

Car-top advertising.

Not the cheesy vinyl wraps that look ridiculous. I’m talking about small, magnetic signs on your rear side windows or rear windshield. There are companies that pay you to just leave the sign on while you drive normally.

I signed up with Carvertise and Free Car Media. Here’s what happened:

Carvertise: I got accepted after a month on the waitlist. They sent me a small decal for my rear quarter window. Pay: $150/month for a 3-month campaign. All I do is drive. No extra trips. No reporting. I literally forget it’s there.
Free Car Media: Lower pay ( $60 –$ 60–100/month) but easier approval. They use a small suction-cup sign on the inside of your rear window. I stacked both on my car (one on each side). That’s $210/month from just letting ads sit on my glass.

Combine that with a few LUGG or Roadie gigs per week, and you’re well past $300/month – without ever delivering a single pizza.

But Wait – Doesn’t This Wear Out My Car?

That’s the first thing I worried about too.

Here’s the truth: most of these methods use zero extra miles. Storing a box? The person comes to you. Window ads? You’re already driving to work. The only thing that adds miles is on-demand delivery like Roadie – and you pick gigs that are on your route.

I track every mile for taxes (yes, you can deduct them). In eight months, I’ve added only 412 extra miles specifically for gigs. That’s about $25 in gas and negligible wear.

Compare that to Uber or DoorDash, where you’re putting 100+ miles a day on your car. This is the opposite of that.

Step-by-Step: How to Start Tomorrow

You don’t need to sign up for 10 things. Start small.

Day 1:

Clean out your trunk. Remove the jumper cables, the old sweatshirt, the random sports equipment. You want empty, usable space.
Take 3 photos of your trunk from different angles. Also one photo of the back seat area.

Day 2:

Sign up for LUGG (free) and list your trunk space. Price it at $1.50 p e r c u b i c f o o t p e r d a y . F o r a m i d s i z e t r u n k (15 c u f t), t h a t ’ s$ 1.50percubicfootperday.Foramidsizetrunk(15cuft),that’s22.50/day if fully booked – but you’ll start slower.
Apply to Carvertise. It can take a few weeks, so set a calendar reminder.

Day 3:

Browse Roadie for gigs within 5 miles of your home. Pick one that pays at least $15. Do it. You’ll feel the rush of getting paid for something you used to do for free.

Within 2 weeks:

Join Facebook groups like “Trunk Space Renters (US)” and “Car Delivery Gigs.” People post local needs there that never hit the apps. I found a recurring $40/week gig for delivering organic produce to three senior citizens – all within a 2-mile loop.

Real Talk: The Downsides (So You’re Not Surprised)

I’m not going to sell you a dream. Here’s what’s annoying:

You’ll get weird requests. One guy wanted me to store “art supplies” that turned out to be 50 lbs of clay. I said no. You can always decline.
Some weeks are dry. Especially around holidays when people travel. That’s fine – the passive ad income covers the slow weeks.
You need basic common sense. Don’t store anything that smells, leaks, or looks suspicious. Most platforms have insurance, but I still take photos of every item.

One time, a woman asked me to hold a “small box” that ended up being a full-sized guitar amp. It barely fit. I charged her an extra $10 on the spot. She paid. Don’t be afraid to negotiate.

What’s Stopping You?

Honestly, the only real barrier is thinking your car is “just a car.”

We’ve been conditioned to see vehicles as expenses. But once you flip that switch – once you realize that every cubic foot of empty space can earn – you’ll start looking at parking lots differently. Every idle car is a mini storage unit losing money.

My neighbor has a minivan that sits in his driveway 6 days a week. He’s losing over $400 a m o n t h . I t o l d h i m a b o u t t h i s l a s t w e e k . H e ’ s a l r e a d y m a d e$ 400amonth.Itoldhimaboutthislastweek.He’salreadymade80.

You don’t need a new side hustle. You don’t need to learn a skill. You just need to open your trunk and say, “This space is for rent.”