Muhammad Naveed, 41, was sentenced in Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday for raping the young woman in October 2015.

The woman was on a night out with friends in Kings Cross after a day at the Randwick races and was heavily intoxicated when she was picked up by Naveed.

The court heard the woman had leant up against a street sign to remove her shoes and began walking along Bayswater Road.

She did not order an Uber and did not remember getting into the car.

The woman came to believe she was in a taxi and gave Naveed her address but instead of driving her home, he stopped at a service station to buy condoms and a bottle of water.

"Hey, baby I've got some condoms," Naveed told the victim, the court heard.

The Pakistani national pulled off New South Head Road into a side street and moved the victim into the back seat where he raped her.

The victim tried to push Naveed off her but he continued to rape her.

"She tried to say 'No, go away, get off'," Judge Deborah Payne said but she didn't have the strength to get the words out.

The woman fell back asleep after the incident and was woken by Naveed after he had arrived at her home.

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

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

Naveed received a maximum sentence of nine years but he'll be eligible for parole in June 2023.

He'd pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming the sex was consensual.