On this page (7)
869 Toyota Corollas held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). It is the smallest of the 20 most common TLC models, and the fourth most common sedan, after the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Tesla Model 3.
Small does not mean old. The typical TLC Corolla is a 2023 model, and 46% are model-year 2024 or newer, a younger fleet than either the Camry or the Accord. Yes, you can drive a Corolla for Uber or Lyft in NYC, but only on an FHV license you already hold.
How we counted
TLC's FHV – Active list and Medallion Vehicles – Authorized list don't have a make or model column. We matched each VIN to a model with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. All Corolla body styles and versions are counted together. The counts are a one-day snapshot.
Model years: a young, small fleet
Corollas from before 2020 are rare (only 101 cars across 2010–2019). The fleet really starts at model-year 2021 (153 cars) and peaks at 2024 (208), with 166 for 2025 and 26 so far for 2026. Only 5.3% are model-year 2016 or older, compared with 18.7% of FHV Camrys and 17.9% of FHV Accords.
The data does not say why drivers who pick a Corolla tend to pick a newer one. For any age rules that apply to TLC vehicles, see TLC vehicle retirement age.
Hybrid vs gas
219 Corollas (25.2%) decode as hybrid and 650 as gas. Among sedans in the fleet, that puts the Corolla below the Camry (38.1%) and Honda Accord (32.8%), and well below the Ford Fusion (58.8% hybrid). vPIC's fuel data is not perfect, so check the window sticker or title of the exact car. To compare fuel against electricity, read EV vs hybrid for Uber in NYC.
Base types
862 Corollas (99.2%) are at black car bases, the base type that dispatches app trips. 5 are at livery bases and 2 at luxury limousine bases. None are marked wheelchair accessible; 8 carry the "PILOT" label in TLC's list, which the dataset does not define.
There are no Corolla yellow taxis, and there can't be new ones: since October 18, 2024, TLC's hack-up page requires an accessible vehicle for every hack-up.
Can I use a Corolla for Uber in NYC?
Yes, if you meet these TLC conditions:
- You hold an FHV vehicle license already. New ones are only for approved wheelchair accessible vehicles (TLC). See are new TLC plates available.
- Four doors. Rule 59A-28(c) in chapter 59 says no for-hire vehicle can be a two-door vehicle.
- Vehicle transfer. File within 15 days after DMV registration; TLC inspects the car before approval (rule 59A-09(a)). Steps: TLC plates for FHVs.
- A base. The car must stay affiliated with a base. Under rule 59A-08(c), 60 or more days without a base affiliation or without insurance means the license must be revoked for non-use. See FHV base affiliation.
- Inspections and insurance. Three inspections a year (TLC vehicle inspection) and FHV insurance.
The apps also have their own rules on which cars qualify for which ride types. Check those with the app before you buy.
See the Nissan Altima, Toyota Avalon and the full TLC fleet by make and model.
Try the lease-vs-buy tool or browse the vehicles topic.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Toyota Corolla: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Toyota Corolla, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Toyota Corolla in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Toyota Corolla vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Toyota Corolla: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Toyota Corolla vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 0 WAV, 8 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Toyota Corollas are licensed by the TLC?
869 in the October 12, 2026 snapshot, all for-hire vehicles, or 0.76% of all TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Can a Corolla be a TLC car?
Yes, 869 are. But you need an FHV license you already hold, because new FHV licenses are only issued for approved wheelchair accessible vehicles. TLC rules also ban two-door for-hire vehicles (rule 59A-28(c)), so the car must have four doors.
Are TLC Corollas hybrids?
219 decode as hybrid (25.2%) and 650 as gas. That is a little below the FHV average of about 30% hybrid.
How does the Corolla compare with the Camry in the TLC fleet?
The Camry is about 20 times as common (17,301 vs 869). The TLC Corollas are newer on average: median model year 2023 against 2021 for the Camry.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
- TLC: Yellow Cab Hack-Up nyc.gov
- TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License nyc.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.