In the next section of our guide, we will reveal 40 genuine passive income side hustles that you could consider in 2024. It is important to note here that there is no guarantee that you will make money from any of the options listed below.
We chose these passive income streams after conducting hours of research and testing out many popular side hustles for ourselves. We narrowed the list down based on whether or not they were suitable for beginners and whether or not they actually worked during testing.
1. Rent Your Car
At the top of our list of passive income ideas in the UK is car renting which is one of the best side hustles for beginners.
If you have a car that's sitting idle most of the time, you could rent it out on Turo or Getaround and earn money passively. These peer-to-peer car rental platforms allow you to earn money by renting out your car to others when you're not using it.
This is a great option for students who may not be able to bring their car to university or for anyone who takes alternative transport to work and only uses their car for leisure. You could easily earn 100s a month and all you really need to do is hand over the keys each time a new person rents your vehicle.
Learn how to rent out your car.
2. Invest in Dividend Stocks
Dividend stocks are a type of stock that make regular payments to share holders. For example, you may receive $1 for each stock that you own every 3 months. If you own 20 stocks, that would be $20.
It is possible to turn this into a viable second income stream by building up a large portfolio and diversifying your investments so that you receive payments every single month. The best dividend stocks UK offer monthly payments that make it easy to generate regular income.
If you don’t know where to start, eToro have a great ready made dividend portfolio that could help you to start making regular income with dividends.
Some people may argue that investing isn’t a side hustle. However, to maximize profits you will need to spend hours researching the stock market to find the best dividend stocks.
3. Sell Ebooks On Amazon
Selling eBooks on Amazon is a great way to earn passive income as a writer or content creator. With Amazon's self-publishing platform, you can easily upload and sell your book to millions of potential readers. Plus, you have control over pricing and can earn up to 70% royalties on your sales. It's a great option for anyone looking to monetize their writing skills.
If you’re not a writer yourself, you could hire a ghost writer from Fiverr. Then, all you need to do is create a good-looking cover and publish your eBook to the platform. It is possible to find writers who charge as little as $75 for 10,000 words. You can easily make this back when you start selling!
Selling eBooks on Amazon is a great side hustle for introverts and anyone who wants to make money from the comfort of their laptop screen.
4. Create Faceless YouTube Videos
A faceless YouTube video is a video that does not show your face! These videos can be anything from tutorials to music and can be created in less than 1 hour. Creating faceless YouTube videos is a great way to earn passive income. You can create videos on topics you're knowledgeable about and monetize them through ads or sponsorships.
To get started, you will need to download a basic video editing tool and choose the type of video that you would like to create. If you choose to create music videos, make sure that you don’t break any copyright rules!
Making money through faceless YouTube videos is a free side hustle that is fairly easy to start in the UK. The most successful creators upload multiple times per week consistently. It may take time for your channel to attract enough traffic to start making money however, it is very possible to earn a full-time wage with the right effort and persistence.
5. Sell Online Courses
If you have expertise in a particular subject, you could create an online course and sell it on platforms like Udemy or Skillshare.
Anyone can sign up and start selling courses in minutes. Courses sell from around $5 which can easily turn into a good income stream if you receive positive reviews. This is a good option for professionals who have a spare few hours to create a course.
Read: How To Create an Online Course For Free
6. Sell Digital Products On Etsy
A digital product is any product that can be consumed or delivered electronically. Examples include downloadable templates, desktop backgrounds, music, software, images and online courses.
You can easily sell these types of products on platforms such as Etsy and make a passive income stream. If you have no experience, Canva is a great tool that you can use to make anything from simple graphics to digital guides. Amongst the simplest digital products to sell are digital backgrounds, which take minutes to create and can be sold from $1.
7. Switch Your Bank
Banks offer sign-up bonuses to attract new customers. By signing up for bank accounts and credit cards, you can earn cash or rewards points passively. It is possible to switch banks multiple times each year. While this side hustle may not be purely passive, you can earn great rewards for very little effort.
You can find new bank sign up offers online. To switch, simply phone the new bank to create an account and double check that you will receive the bonus for doing so. It is a good idea to keep track of the bonuses that you sign up for so that you don’t accidently open the same bank account twice. If you have a few free hours each week, bank switching could be one of the best side hustles to consider.
8. Invest in Real Estate REITs
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a great way to invest in real estate without the hassle of owning property. REITs allow you to earn passive income through dividends and appreciation. Investors are paid a percentage of rental income on a regular basis.
You can find REITs on investment platforms such as eToro and IG.
9. Sell Print on Demand Products
Print on demand is the process of using third-party companies to print your designs onto products as and when they are purchased by customers. It is one of the easiest ways to build your own ecommerce business as there is no need to hold any inventory and shipping is taken care of.
Print on demand products like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases are a great way to earn passive income. Once you've designed your product, you can sell it on platforms like Shopify or Etsy. Once you have created designs and set up your ecommerce site, this small business can be run in the background of your day to day.
10. Own a Vending Machine
Owning a vending machine is a great way to earn passive income. You can place your vending machine in high-traffic areas and earn money from sales without having to actively manage it.
This side hustle requires some significant start up costs but can generate huge profits with very little effort. In fact, starting a vending machine business is one of the best side hustles that pay well in 2024.
Read: How to start a vending machine business in the UK
11. List Your Home on Airbnb
This is a good passive side hustle for anyone who has a spare room or even owns a second home that could be rented. You can list your space on Airbnb and earn passive income when visitors book to stay.
You may need to conduct regular maintenance or hire a cleaner to look after your space between guests. However, this income stream can be very easy to manage as a side hustle.
It is even possible to start an Airbnb business without owning property in the UK. In fact, Airbnb is an excellent passive income side hustle opportunity for anyone that can easily cover the costs of your bills, rent, or even replace your full-time income.
Read our guide on how to Airbnb your house in the UK.
12. Sell Stock Photos Online
If you're a talented photographer, you could sell your photos on platforms like Shutterstock or iStock and earn passive income from downloads. This is a great way to make money from your phone in 2024.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not be a professional to monetize this income stream. It is possible to sell photos that are taken on your phone- as long as they look great! This is one of the most low-cost side hustle ideas to start with many platforms allowing photographers to sell their images for free.
Read our guide on how to make money selling photos online.
13. Wrap Your Car in Advertisem*nts
Another for car owners! If you're comfortable with advertising on your car, you could wrap it in advertisem*nts and earn passive income from simply driving around.
Companies are willing to cash out for drivers who are willing to drive around with their advertisem*nt on their vehicle. The amount of money that you can earn depends on the area that you live in, how long you plan to drive around for and the type of car that you have. Wrapify is a good place to start if you want to give this passive income stream a go!
Read: How to make money by putting ads on your car in the UK
14. TikTok Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing allows you to earn passive income by promoting other people's products. You'll earn a commission on each sale that you refer which makes it one of the most lucrative side hustle ideas if you know what you’re doing.
One of the easiest ways to get started with affiliate marketing in 2024 is to leverage the power of TikTok. Through TikTok, it is possible to get your content in front of millions of viewers with very little effort. Simply sign up to an affiliate program that supports products that you want to promote create an eye-catching video that promotes the product and put your affiliate link in your profile.
You can follow this same process to make money with Pinterest affiliate marketing.
Also read: How to make money on TikTok
15. Invest in Peer-to-Peer Lending
Peer-to-peer lending platforms allow you to lend money to others and earn interest on your investment. This is a good income stream for anyone who has spare cash and is willing to risk lending it to another person.
The best platforms for peer-to-peer lending include UpStart and LendingClub.
Important note: This is not investment advice. Peer-to-peer lending comes with a high level of risk. This is not suitable for people who can’t afford to lose money.
16. Create a Mobile App
If you have programming skills, you could create a mobile app and earn passive income from in-app purchases or advertising. Mobile apps can be created in minutes if you know what you’re doing and can make you regular income for years to come.
To be successful, try to create an app that solves a problem, is unique and has multiple use cases. If you’re a complete beginner, you could use ChatGPT to assist you with mobile app creation. There are many ways to make money with ChatGPT including using the AI tool to code apps and websites.
17. Rent Out Your Storage Space
If Air BnB appeals to you but you don’t have a spare room or home, you could consider renting out a storage space instead.
This is a good passive side hustle option for anyone who has a spare cupboard and is willing to rent it to another person for a long period of time. Platforms like Stashbee allow you to rent your space easily and receive passive income for doing so.
18. Create a Membership Site
Next on our list of side hustle ideas is membership sites- one of the most overlooked side hustles in the UK. If you have expertise in a particular niche, you could create a membership site and earn passive income from monthly subscriptions. You could offer exclusive content, access to a community, or personalized coaching to your members.
Website creation tools such as Word Press allow you to lock areas of your website and make them exclusive to paying members. If you are a talented content creator, Medium is also an excellent platform to look into that doesn’t require any website building skills.
19. Become A UGC Creator
UGC stands for User Generated Content. User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content that is created and shared by users of a particular platform or website. This can include text, images, videos, and other forms of media. Examples of UGC include social media posts, product reviews, comments on blog posts or articles, and online forum discussions.
Read: What is a UGC creator?
UGC is quickly becoming one of the best forms of marketing for businesses. As a result companies are willing to pay UGC creators to create positive content about their products. You don’t need to have thousands of followers to start getting paid to make content for companies.
It is possible to become a UGC creator by signing up to websites such as Get Reviewed or by simply creating content videos on Instagram or TikTok. You can reach out to small brands and offer your content creation services in exchange for an affiliate link or a flat fee.
UGC content creation is one of the best side hustles for mums or busy people who have a creative side. You can create captivating content in minutes and work around your fulltime responsibilities.
20. Audiobook Narrator
If you have a clear voice and the ability to read, you could make some extra cash by narrating audiobooks. The narrating itself isn’t passive however, some companies make regular payments to narrators every time that an audiobook is bought. Making money as an audiobook narrator involves signing up to a voice over platform, applying to gigs and then recording yourself reading text. To be successful, you need a clear accent as well as the ability to tell a story in a compelling way.
The best websites to get started with this side hustle are Fiverr, ACX and Upwork. Simply sign up, create your profile and start applying to jobs. Voice over artists can make anywhere between $25 and $100 per hour, depending on how fast you can create a recording.
21. Create a Niche Website
Building a niche website is a popular passive side hustle idea in the UK that can generate income through advertising, affiliate marketing, or selling digital products. Choose a specific topic or niche that you're knowledgeable about and create valuable content around it.
As your website gains traffic and followers, you can monetize it by placing ads, recommending products as an affiliate, or selling digital products such as e-books or online courses.
22. Invest in Crowdfunded Real Estate
Crowdfunded real estate platforms allow you to invest in real estate projects with relatively small amounts of money. These platforms pool funds from multiple investors to purchase properties or participate in real estate ventures. As an investor, you can earn passive income through rental returns and potential property value appreciation.
Popular crowdfunded real estate platforms include Fundrise and RealtyMogul. Make sure to do your research and assess the risks before investing.
Important note: This is not investment advice. Investing comes with a high level of risk. This is not suitable for people who can’t afford to lose money.
23. Create and Sell Stock Videos
If you have videography skills, consider creating stock videos and selling them on platforms like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock. Many businesses and content creators are constantly in need of high-quality video footage for their projects. By shooting and uploading your videos to these platforms, you can earn passive income every time someone purchases or licenses your footage.
25. Rent Out Your Extra Space
If you have extra space in your home, such as a spare room, basem*nt, or garage, you can rent it out for storage purposes. Websites like Neighbor and Spacer allow you to list and rent your extra space to people in need of storage. This can be a great way to earn passive income without much effort once you've set up the rental agreement.
26. Create a Digital Course
If you have expertise in a specific field or skill, consider creating a digital course and selling it on platforms like Teachable or Thinkific.
Online learning has become increasingly popular, and people are willing to pay for valuable courses that can help them improve their skills or knowledge.
Once you've created and marketed your course, you can earn passive income from course sales. This is a particularly good side hustle for teachers who can use their natural talents to create high quality courses.
27. Rent Out Your Equipment
If you own equipment such as cameras, audio gear, or power tools, you can rent it out to others in need. Websites like Fat Llama and ShareGrid allow you to list your equipment and earn passive income when someone rents it. This is a great option for those who don't use their equipment regularly and want to make some extra cash from their investments.
28. Create and Sell Digital Art
If you have artistic skills, consider creating digital art and selling it on platforms like Etsy or Society6. Digital art can include illustrations, graphics, prints, or even digital paintings. Once you've created your artwork, you can sell it as digital downloads or print-on-demand products, earning passive income every time someone makes a purchase.
This is one of the best passive income ideas for creatives who want to make money whilst building a personal brand and showcasing their talent.
29. Rent Out Your RV or Camper
If you own an RV or camper that you don't use year-round, you can rent it out on platforms like RVshare or Outdoorsy. Many people are interested in experiencing the RV lifestyle without the commitment of owning one. By renting out your RV, you can earn passive income when others use it for their vacations or road trips.
30. Create a Subscription Box
Subscription boxes have become increasingly popular in recent years. If you have a passion for curating and creating unique products, you can start your own subscription box service.
Each month, subscribers will receive a curated selection of products related to a specific theme or niche. With proper planning and marketing, this side hustle can generate passive income as subscribers continue to renew their subscriptions.
31. License Your Photos for Stock
If you're a photographer, you can license your photos for stock on platforms like Getty Images or Adobe Stock. These platforms allow businesses, publishers, and individuals to purchase licenses for your photos, granting them the right to use your images in their projects. By uploading your photos to stock photography platforms, you can earn passive income each time someone licenses your images.
32. Invest in Index Funds
Investing in index funds is a popular passive investment strategy and one of the most underrated side hustle ideas. Index funds are mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track a specific market index, such as the S&P 500.
By investing in index funds, you can gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of stocks and earn passive income through dividends and capital appreciation.
Platforms like Vanguard, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab offer a variety of index funds with different risk levels and investment options. It's important to do thorough research and consult with a financial advisor to determine the best index funds for your investment goals.
Important note: This is not investment advice. Investing comes with a high level of risk. This is not suitable for people who can’t afford to lose money.
33. Create and Sell Stock Music
If you have musical talent or the ability to create catchy tunes, consider creating stock music and selling it on platforms like AudioJungle or Pond5. Many content creators, filmmakers, and advertisers are in need of high-quality music tracks for their projects. By creating and licensing your music on these platforms, you can earn passive income each time someone purchases or licenses your tracks.
As with all of our side hustle ideas, this side hustle requires time and effort however, you hard work will
34. Start a Dropshipping Business
Dropshipping is a business model where you sell products online without having to hold inventory or handle shipping logistics. With dropshipping, you set up an online store and partner with suppliers who handle the fulfillment process. When a customer places an order, the supplier ships the product directly to the customer. Your role is to market and promote the products, earning a profit on each sale.
Platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce offer user-friendly tools to help you set up your dropshipping business. Research trending products and target specific niches to maximize your chances of success.
Read: How to do dropshipping on Amazon in The UK
35. Invest in Peer-to-Peer Lending
Peer-to-peer lending platforms connect borrowers with individual lenders, allowing you to lend money to others and earn interest on your investment. These platforms act as intermediaries, facilitating loan transactions and managing the repayment process. By diversifying your investments across multiple borrowers, you can earn passive income through interest payments.
Popular peer-to-peer lending platforms include Prosper, LendingClub, and Peerform. However, it's essential to carefully evaluate the borrowers' creditworthiness and the associated risks before investing.
Important note: This is not investment advice. Investing comes with a high level of risk. This is not suitable for people who can’t afford to lose money.
36. Start A Blog
Blogging is one of the best passive side hustles to start in 2024 because it requires very little start-up costs or experience. Anyone can create a blog for free using sites such as Squarespace or Wix and monetize their content through ads, affiliate marketing, or sponsored posts.
If you follow the right process, blogging can be a very lucrative side hustle. However, it takes around 12 months of hard work for most blogs to see any kind of success. This is because it takes time for Google to index new blogs and websites which means that new blogs often struggle to gain traffic at the beginning.
To grow your blog into a passive income stream, you need to publish high-quality content consistently and be VERY patient. Blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Nevertheless, it is possible to make 6+ figures per year from blogging in 2024.
37. Buy an ATM Machine
It is possible to make passive income by owning ATM machines in the UK. An ATM machine is an electronic machine that allows banking customers to perform financial transactions such as withdrawing cash, checking their account balance or transferring funds. ATM machines are used by basically everyone who owns a bank account in the UK, which makes them a very lucrative passive income opportunity.
Every time that a customer uses an ATM machine, they are charged a small fee. This fee is paid to the owner of the ATM machine as profit. In busy cities and towns, ATM machines can receive hundreds of customers per day and ATM owners can easily make up to £5000 per month.
Owning an ATM machine is an entirely passive way of making money in 2024. Simply set up the machine in a busy area and empty the machine every few days. You could hire someone to manage the machine on your behalf to reduce the workload entirely.
The only drawback of this passive side hustle idea is that ATM machines are expensive to buy. In the UK, the average ATM machine will cost between £1000 and £10,000. However, it is easy to earn this initial deposit back over time.
38. Invest in Solar Panels
If you’re looking for a passive side hustle that is also good for the environment, you could consider investing in Solar Panels. It is possible to make passive income from the energy produced by solar panels that are installed on your property. Solar panel owners can earn money for every unit of electricity that they feed back into the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) in the UK.
The exact amount of money that you can earn from this side hustle will depend on the area that you live in. The most successful solar energy sellers are people with large solar plots who can generate a high amount of energy each day to feed back into the grid. This side hustle idea is most suitable for people who own large plots of land that can support a large solar energy system.
The initial cost of installing solar panels in the UK is quite high so it is important to conduct thorough research into this passive income idea before making any investment decisions.
39. Create and Sell Software
If you’re a tech-wizz who knows how to develop software, you could earn passive income by selling software to businesses and individuals online. There is a healthy demand for software that solves problems in 2024 which means that talented developers can earn a good income by selling their solutions to paying customers.
The easiest way to start selling software is to build an e-commerce store using a platform such as Shopify. Here, you will be able to create an efficient sales page and promote your software to potential buyers. The key to selling software successfully is to focus on the problem that your software solves. You could use social media to promote your side hustle and build a reputable brand.
Software is considered a high-ticket product which means that talented developers can easily make a steady stream of income with this side hustle idea. Once you have developed the software and created an online store, the product will sell itself and you will be able to make money in your sleep.
40. Rent Out Storage Space
Renting out space for storage is an innovative way to make extra money in the UK. This is a great passive income idea for people who have extra space in their home but do not want to rent to people through Airbnb. Instead, you can rent out your space to be used as storage.
The best platform to use for this passive side hustle idea is Stashbee, which rewards renters with up to £7000 per year for their extra space. To start, simply take photos of your space and create a listing. Stashbee will promote your space to customers who are in need of extra storage. This is a great alternative to Airbnb because it requires less management and upkeep.
This side hustle idea works particularly well for people who have spare garages or sheds. Once you have listed your space, it should take only a couple of days to find someone who needs it.
41. Rent Out a Parking Space
If you own a parking space that isn’t used, you could be sitting on a goldmine! Parking spaces in busy cities can be rented out to commuters for hundreds each month. In central London, for example, the average parking space can earn around £400 per month.
You do not have to live in London to take advantage of this side hustle idea. It is possible to make money by renting parking spaces in every part of the UK. However, the earnings for spaces in bigger cities are typically higher.
You can rent out your parking space on platforms such as Stashbee and start earning money within days. The process of listing your space is very easy and there is very little effort involved with managing this passive side hustle idea.
42. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a free side hustle that can easily turn into a stream of passive income by implementing automation. The side hustle involves promoting affiliate products via emails, which are sent directly to buyers’ inboxes. To start email marketing simply sign up to an affiliate program, build and email list, create an email campaign and automate the distribution of emails to the addresses on your list.
Every time that someone purchases through your affiliate link, you will make a commission. Email marketing is a effective way to promote affiliate products because it is possible to personalize each campaign, which is a great way to encourage people to buy. Write emails that provide value to your subscribers, whilst encouraging them to take action.
