Soon she was in a car, which she thought was a taxi delivering her home after a day partying with friends at the races, the casino, and bars in Sydney.

The car was actually an Uber, driven by Muhammad Naveed, who picked up the young woman while he was taking a break.

Naveed, 41, stopped at a service station in the eastern suburbs to buy condoms, before parking in a dark side street and moving the woman to the back of the car.

The woman, who was drifting in and out of sleep, woke to find Naveed on top of her, raping her in the early hours of October 18, 2015.

She told the NSW District Court she tried to tell Naveed to get away.

"I didn't have any strength in me, and nothing was really working."

Naveed then drove her home, where she texted a friend: "I had a pretty horrific night."

A jury found Naveed guilty of sexual intercourse without consent in February, and on Tuesday, Judge Deborah Payne sentenced Naveed to at least six years and four months' jail, with a maximum term of nine years.

"He clearly took advantage in the most terrible way of a vulnerable young lady," Judge Payne said.

The judge said the victim could not stay awake, was alone, and did not have access to public transport, all of which made her particularly vulnerable.

"To take advantage of that situation ... is a very serious matter indeed. She was assaulted in the vehicle, which she thought was a taxi, and taken to a location in which she was assaulted.

"Her vulnerability is a matter which aggravated the offence."

Judge Payne said Naveed's choice of victim was "spontaneous", but there was some degree of planning, which made the crime even worse.

"He must have been very aware very early on of her intoxicated and sleepy state. I'm of the view he formed the intention to have sexual contact with her with or without her consent," she said.

"She was entitled to feel safe in the taxi."

Judge Payne said Naveed had written a letter saying he realised he made a "mistake", and accepted the jury's verdict.

But she found Naveed had not accepted what happened to the victim, and the lasting impact it had on her.

"The community ... completely abhors this sort of predatory behaviour."

Naveed, who sat expressionless in the dock as he was sentenced, will be eligible for parole in June 2023.