SelectDrive vs Car Driveaway: an honest comparison
Last updated: June 2026
SelectDrive and Car Driveaway are both real driveaway services, so a vetted professional drives your operable car on its own wheels, with insurance, live GPS, and photo inspections. The honest difference is who drives it. Car Driveaway dispatches a driver from a national pool and prices by distance band. SelectDrive is owner-operated, so the same named driver, Dan Ketelsen, handles every job at a flat 0.75 USD per mile.
This is one of the few comparisons where both companies share the same model and even publish pricing, so we will be specific about where each one actually wins.
What Car Driveaway is
Car Driveaway, part of OnPoint Associates LLC (which also runs Cross Country Driver and DriveCarToFlorida.com), is a national driveaway service. It is notable as one of the few in the category that publishes per-mile pricing bands rather than quote-only, with rates that step down on longer routes and example trips commonly cited in the several-hundred to roughly 1,800 USD range. It states that it runs driver background checks and a multi-year driving-record review, includes insurance in the quote, provides real-time GPS and photo inspections, and serves individuals, snowbirds, military, students, and dealers across cars, SUVs, trucks, and RVs nationally. These facts come from Car Driveaway's own site as of mid-2026.
| SelectDrive | Car Driveaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Owner-operated, one named driver | National service, driver dispatched from a pool |
| Who drives your car | Dan Ketelsen, every job | An assigned vetted driver |
| Pricing | Flat 0.75 USD per mile, 500 USD minimum, itemized | Published per-mile bands that step down by distance |
| Long-haul cost | Same flat rate at any distance | Lower per-mile band on long routes |
| Driver vetting | Owner drives; insured, documented | Background check and driving-record review |
| Tracking | Live GPS plus photo inspection | Real-time GPS plus photo inspection |
| Vehicle types | Cars, plus RV driveaway quoted separately | Cars, SUVs, trucks, RVs |
| Point of contact | The driver, directly, the whole trip | Dispatch and the assigned driver |
Where Car Driveaway fits
Car Driveaway is a solid choice when you want national reach and a deeper bench of drivers. Because it dispatches from a pool, it can be easier to staff tight timelines or move several vehicle types, and its distance-banded pricing means that on very long hauls its per-mile rate can come in below a flat rate. If you are moving an RV or a truck, want the lowest possible long-distance per-mile number, or simply prefer a larger national operation, it is a credible, transparent option, and one of the few that shows its pricing.
Why customers pick SelectDrive
When both services do GPS, inspections, and insured driving, the deciding factor is usually accountability. With SelectDrive you always get the same person, Dan, and you talk to the human actually driving your car, not a dispatcher routing it to someone you will never meet. Pricing is a single flat rate, 0.75 USD per mile with a 500 USD minimum, fully itemized, which is easy to verify and predict. For people who care more about knowing exactly who has their car and dealing with one accountable person than about shaving the last few cents off a cross-country per-mile rate, the owner-operated model is the better experience.
The honest trade-offs
We will not pretend SelectDrive is always cheapest. On a long route, Car Driveaway's lower long-haul band can beat our flat 0.75 USD per mile, and a national pool has more drivers than one person does. SelectDrive is one driver based near Des Moines, so capacity is finite and our strongest lanes run through the Midwest. If you need maximum capacity, the lowest long-haul price, or a large mixed fleet moved fast, a bigger national operation may serve you better, and we will tell you that honestly.
Frequently asked questions
Are SelectDrive and Car Driveaway the same kind of service?
Yes, both are driveaway services where a vetted professional drives your operable car on its own wheels, with insurance, live GPS, and photo inspections. The difference is that Car Driveaway dispatches a driver from a national pool, while SelectDrive is owner-operated, so the same named driver handles every job.
Who is cheaper, SelectDrive or Car Driveaway?
It depends on distance. Car Driveaway publishes per-mile bands that drop on long routes, so on very long hauls its rate can fall below SelectDrive's flat 0.75 USD per mile. On shorter and mid-length routes the two are close. SelectDrive's advantage is a single flat published rate and one accountable driver, not always the lowest long-haul number.
Does Car Driveaway vet its drivers?
Car Driveaway states it runs background checks and reviews a multi-year driving record, includes insurance in the quote, and provides real-time GPS and photo inspections. SelectDrive does the same, with the difference that your driver is always the owner, Dan Ketelsen.
Can both move RVs or trucks?
Car Driveaway markets cars, SUVs, trucks, and RVs through its national network. SelectDrive handles cars and also offers an RV driveaway service quoted individually. For a large mixed fleet, a bigger dispatch operation may have more capacity.
Why choose an owner-operator over a dispatch team?
With an owner-operator you always know exactly who has your car, you talk to the person driving it, and one individual is accountable for the whole trip. A dispatch team offers more drivers and capacity, but you may not meet your assigned driver.
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