Taxi & vehicle advertising formats
Every way to put a brand on a moving vehicle, in one place. "Taxi advertising" strictly means the tops, wraps and interior screens on licensed cabs — but advertisers use it for the whole moving-vehicle category, so this hub covers both: the taxi-specific formats (taxi top, Taxi TV, taxi wrap) and the broader vehicle formats (car top, car wrap, rideshare). Each links to a full guide with costs, specs and how to buy.
Taxi top advertising
The rooftop unit on a licensed cab — static (printed, backlit) or digital LED. The classic "taxi ad", dense-urban and always-moving.
Full guide → Interior · captiveTaxi TV & interior screens
The seat-back screen inside a cab — a captive, long-dwell audience for 10–30 minutes per ride. Sold by spot length.
Full guide → Exterior · full bodyTaxi wrap advertising
Branded vinyl over the cab body — full, partial or lite. The boldest, most saturating exterior format.
Full guide → Exterior · rooftopCar top advertising
Rooftop units on everyday and rideshare vehicles (not just licensed cabs) — the digital-LED versions daypart and geo-target across a wider footprint.
Full guide → Exterior · full bodyCar wrap advertising
Vinyl wraps on a fleet of everyday rideshare, delivery and commuter vehicles, billed by miles/impressions — one of the cheapest CPMs in advertising.
Full guide → Interior + exteriorRideshare advertising (Uber & Lyft)
In-car tablets (Octopus/JourneyTV), in-app placements and — where allowed — cartops on Uber/Lyft vehicles. Wider, more suburban spread than cabs.
Full guide →Taxi-specific vs broader vehicle formats
If your audience is downtown, at airports or in nightlife districts, the taxi-specific formats concentrate there. If you want wider, more suburban, targetable reach, the vehicle formats (car tops and wraps on rideshare and everyday cars) spread further and — on digital — daypart and geo-target. Many campaigns run both. Compare them head-to-head in the companies comparison and price them in the cost guide.
Formats: FAQ
Does "taxi advertising" mean only licensed cabs, or any vehicle?
Both — and that's why this page exists. Strictly, taxi advertising is the tops, wraps and interior screens on licensed cabs. But most advertisers use the term loosely for the whole moving-vehicle category — cabs, rideshare and everyday car tops/wraps — because they compete for the same budget and audience. This site covers all of it: the taxi-specific formats (taxi top, Taxi TV, taxi wrap) and the broader vehicle formats (car top, car wrap, rideshare). Pick by goal, not by label.
What's the difference between a taxi top and a car top?
A taxi top sits on a licensed cab; a car top can sit on any enrolled vehicle, including rideshare and everyday cars. Mechanically they're the same rooftop unit — static or digital LED — but car tops reach a wider, more suburban footprint while taxi tops concentrate in the dense city core and at airports. In cities that restrict rideshare cartops (like NYC), cartop inventory runs on yellow cabs.
Which format is cheapest?
Car and taxi wraps are the cheapest per impression (~$2.50–$10 CPM). Static taxi tops are the cheapest single-unit entry (from ~$150/cab). Digital tops, Taxi TV and rideshare tablets cost more per impression but add targeting, dwell time and measurement. Compare on cost-per-memory for your goal, not the sticker CPM.
Which format should I buy?
Broad awareness on a budget → a wrap. Targeted, dynamic, measurable messaging in the dense core → a digital taxi/car top. Deep, captive attention → Taxi TV or rideshare tablets. Widest suburban spread → rideshare/car wraps. Most strong plans mix one exterior format for reach with a digital/interior format for relevance.
Next: what each costs · how to buy · who sells it · how to measure it
Independent, unpaid guide — no company paid to appear. Formats, coverage and pricing change; verify with each company before buying. Updated 2026-08-07.