Where to find the rating screen and what happens after you submit
DoorDash shows you a rating prompt on your phone within a few minutes after your order arrives. The screen appears in the DoorDash app under your active order — you'll see a five-star scale with a text box below it. You can rate the driver without writing anything, or you can add a comment explaining your rating. Once you submit, that rating is recorded when ready and becomes part of the driver's average.
The rating stays visible to you in your order history, but you cannot change it after submission. If you close the rating prompt without rating, DoorDash will send you a reminder notification later, but you're not required to rate every delivery. Ratings from all customers are averaged together to create each driver's overall score, which DoorDash displays to customers when they're deciding whether to accept an order.
Key Takeaways
- The rating prompt appears in your DoorDash app a few minutes after delivery arrives, and you rate on a five-star scale with an optional comment box.
- Five stars typically means the driver arrived on time, handled the food carefully, and communicated clearly; one star usually means the order was very late, damaged, or the driver was rude.
- Your rating is permanent once submitted and contributes to the driver's overall average, which affects which orders they see.
- DoorDash does not remove ratings based on customer complaints, but drivers can dispute ratings they believe are unfair through their own support channel.
What each star rating means in practice
A five-star rating means the driver arrived within the estimated time window, the food was handled carefully and arrived in good condition, and communication was clear if there were any issues. You don't need a perfect delivery to give five stars — minor delays of a few minutes or a small item missing from a large order don't typically warrant a lower rating if the driver was responsive.
A four-star rating is appropriate when the delivery was mostly good but had a noticeable problem: the driver arrived 10 to 15 minutes late, the food was slightly damaged but still edible, or the driver didn't respond to a message for a while. Four stars signals "acceptable but not ideal" and doesn't damage a driver's standing significantly.
A three-star rating means the delivery had a real problem that affected your experience: the driver was 20+ minutes late without explanation, the food arrived cold or significantly damaged, or the driver was difficult to reach when you needed to contact them. Three stars puts downward pressure on a driver's average and may affect their access to orders.
A one or two-star rating is reserved for serious failures: the driver delivered to the wrong address, the order arrived more than 30 minutes late, the food was inedible, or the driver was rude or unsafe. These ratings have the most impact on a driver's score and can affect their ability to continue working on the platform.
When to rate low and what DoorDash does with that information
Rate below five stars when the driver's actions directly affected your order or experience. This includes arriving significantly late, handling food carelessly, not following delivery instructions (like leaving food in a specific spot), or being unresponsive when you tried to contact them. You should also rate low if the driver delivered to the wrong address or if you had safety concerns.
DoorDash uses ratings to identify patterns in driver behavior. A driver with consistently low ratings may be deactivated from the platform, meaning they lose access to orders. However, a single low rating won't remove a driver — DoorDash looks at overall trends. If you rate a driver low, you can add a comment explaining why, which helps DoorDash understand the context.
Do not rate low because of issues outside the driver's control, such as the restaurant being slow to prepare the order or DoorDash's system showing an inaccurate delivery time. The driver's job is to pick up the order and deliver it safely and on time; they cannot control how long the restaurant takes. If the restaurant was slow, that delay usually shows in your order timeline, and DoorDash can see it.
How to write a comment that DoorDash will actually read
Keep your comment short and specific. Instead of "Driver was terrible," write "Driver arrived 40 minutes late with no update and didn't respond to messages." Instead of "Food was bad," write "Food arrived cold and the container was crushed." DoorDash support staff review comments attached to very low ratings, and specific details help them understand what happened.
Avoid insults or language that attacks the driver personally. Comments like "Driver was rude" are less useful than "Driver honked repeatedly instead of knocking and seemed annoyed when I answered the door." Specific behavior is easier for DoorDash to act on than general character judgments.
If the problem was serious — the driver went to the wrong address, you had a safety concern, or the food was completely inedible — you can also contact DoorDash support directly through the app rather than relying only on the comment. Support can sometimes issue refunds or credits even if the driver's rating is otherwise acceptable.
What drivers see and how ratings affect their work
DoorDash shows each driver their current average rating, usually updated daily. Drivers can see which orders they've completed and what rating each customer gave, though they don't always see the comment when ready. A driver with a rating below 4.2 stars may start losing access to orders — DoorDash prioritizes showing new orders to drivers with higher ratings first.
Drivers care about their ratings because their livelihood depends on it. A low rating can mean fewer orders offered, which means less income. Some drivers will contact customers after receiving a low rating to ask what went wrong, though DoorDash discourages this. You're not obligated to respond to a driver who messages you about a rating.
Drivers can dispute ratings they believe are unfair by contacting DoorDash support, but this process is not transparent to customers. DoorDash rarely removes ratings based on driver disputes alone, though they may investigate if a pattern of unfair ratings emerges.
Rating issues and what to do if you can't find the prompt
If you don't see the rating prompt after delivery, open your DoorDash app and go to your order history. Find the completed order and tap on it — you should see a "Rate your delivery" option. If the order is very old (more than a few weeks), DoorDash may no longer allow you to rate it.
If you accidentally closed the rating prompt and want to rate later, DoorDash will send you a notification reminder, usually within a few hours. You can rate from that notification or from your order history anytime. There's no important date for rating, though DoorDash stops allowing ratings after a certain period.
If you had a serious problem with the delivery — wrong address, missing items, or safety concerns — don't rely only on the rating. Contact DoorDash support through the app and describe what happened. Support can investigate and may issue a refund or credit regardless of the rating you give.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the driver see my name when I rate them?
Yes, drivers can see which customer gave them each rating, though they see it as an order number rather than your full name. They know it came from that specific delivery. This is why some drivers may contact you after a low rating — they know which order it was.
What if I rated a driver low by mistake?
You cannot change a rating after you submit it. If you made a genuine mistake, contact DoorDash support through the app and explain what happened. Support may be able to remove or adjust the rating, though this is not may provide. It's more likely they'll help if you contact them when ready after the mistake.
Does a low rating hurt the driver permanently?
No. A driver's rating is an average of all their deliveries, so one low rating gets diluted as they complete more orders. A driver with 500 deliveries and one one-star rating will barely notice the impact. However, if a driver receives many low ratings over time, it will affect their average significantly and may lead to deactivation.
Should I rate low if the restaurant forgot items in my order?
No. The driver's job is to pick up what the restaurant gives them and deliver it. If items are missing, that's the restaurant's mistake, not the driver's. Contact DoorDash support about the missing items — they can refund you or reorder. You can rate the driver five stars even if the restaurant made an error.
What happens if I rate a driver five stars but leave a negative comment?
DoorDash sees the five-star rating as your official rating, and the comment is secondary. If you want to report a problem, rate accordingly — don't give five stars and then complain in the comment. If you had a real issue, use a lower rating and explain it in the comment, or contact support separately.