# Caramel: Car Checkout Platform — user reviews > 26 indexed App Store user reviews of Caramel by Caramel, Inc., rated 4.09/5 from 67 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caramel-car-checkout-platform/id1638897768/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caramel-car-checkout-platform/id1638897768.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 50 · 4★ 0 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 12 ## Newest reviews (6 of 26) ### 3/5 — Link bank *2024-10-24, version 1.3.17* Link to bank won’t work. On app or online. Emailed support and they said they forwarded to clerq and then I got nothing back. They are holding up my transaction. ### 3/5 — Slow slow slow *2024-10-04, version 1.3.16* The idea is fantastic. Execution is clunky. The app has almost no value. You must log into their website for a more detailed status of your transaction. Even with that you really have no idea how long the transaction or step in the process is going to take. Expect the entire process to take at least a week. Longer if you do not have the title. The peace of mind this service brings is worth three stars alone. The frustration of not knowing how the process is playing out or when you can transfer the car is beyond irritating. The big kicker is there is no call in number to speak with someone. Everything is done through their customer service email. I will the say the customer service reps are quick to respond but I wish you could just call and get the full rundown on the process from an expert. ### 5/5 — Lifetime Customer *2023-04-27, version 1.0.2* Caramel made my out of state private party purchase safe and simple. The product is 10/10 but the people that I worked with were 11/10! It’s rare that you ever get to talk to someone behind an app, and it’s even more rare that they ever reach out to assist you! Caramel made sure everything went smoothly all the way through delivery of my car. The best part is they took care of all of the paperwork like a dealer would at no charge. You get the benefits of buying private party with many of the benefits of buying from a dealer. I can’t speak highly enough about the above and beyond experience. Thank you Caramel, and thank you Andrew! ### 5/5 — I wish I had this last time I bought a car *2023-03-27, version 1.0.2* Ever tried buying a car from a person? (Not a dealer) Well I have, and it was a lot of high-stakes trial and error. Neither I nor the seller really knew how to handle it. Thankfully he was a good dude but I’m pretty sure either party could have scammed the other. I’m looking to sell my car now and this app seems to help the exact things that seemed sketchy doing it the old fashioned pen and paper + visits to the DMV method. ### 5/5 — Easy to use - great tool *2023-03-03, version 1.0* This app is a godsend! I’m about to buy a car off Craigslist and I’m excited to use this app to make it feel safer! It’s easy to use, smooth interface! ### 5/5 — Fills a much needed gap in the marketplace *2023-03-02, version 1.0* I love this app. As someone who has purchased multiple vehicles from private parties, this app does all the legwork and takes the risk of fraud out of play. It’s also incredibly easy and takes the frustration out of dealing with the other party and the DMV. 5 stars!! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Won’t even open *2026-03-04, version 1.3.35* I have an iPhone 12 pro fully updated and I just get a message that my device is not supported due to security issues. Website has no place to get support for the app. ### 1/5 — Would give 0 stars if I could *2025-06-03, version 1.3.25* They don’t have anyone on the phone who can help with anything! Terrible customer service and terrible app will never be using them again ### 1/5 — Horrible Service *2024-12-02, version 1.3.19* I had a truly frustrating experience with Drive Caramel. I listed my car on eBay with the option for full payment within 3 days. By the 7th day, I had received zero communication from Caramel, so I decided to reach out. They informed me they were still waiting on the buyer to make the payment, which was disappointing, but it got worse. When I asked if there was a deadline for payment, they told me there were no deadlines—this immediately raised a red flag. Thanks to eBay providing the buyer's email, I decided to take matters into my own hands and contact the buyer directly. To my surprise, the buyer told me they no longer wanted the car. If I hadn’t reached out, Caramel would have kept waiting indefinitely with no deadlines in place. This lack of urgency and clear rules is unacceptable. I lost potential buyers on other platforms who were ready to purchase because I was waiting on Caramel to process a payment that never came. I will never use Caramel again and will avoid listing cars on platforms where it's an option for payment. Their approach is unprofessional, and I would not recommend them to anyone. ### 1/5 — Second time as bad as the First *2024-10-31, version 1.3.17* Won an auction on BaT and their verified checkout is drivecaramel. I knew better after my first bad experience a few months ago, but thought I’d give them another try. Bad execution top to bottom. The buyer and the seller have to constantly email their support team to get things done, so be ready for that. I picked up the car a week late because it took them that much longer to get temp tags to me and for them to get the title picked up from the random FedEx location. I thought I was done… four days later I get a check, the title, and some paperwork left at my door by FedEx (no signature) and instructions to go to the DMV for registration, taxes, and title transfer. I paid $149 for that service two weeks ago! So their response is, send it back and then they’ll take care of it. Not willing to refund me my money, no just take them at their word they won’t goof it up again or that the title won’t get lost. If they had any integrity they’d issue me an immediate refund and an apology. Use anybody else, hard to imagine it being worse. ### 1/5 — Stay away *2024-10-29, version 1.3.17* Terrible experience. Bought my car in August, it’s now almost November and I’m no closer to getting my registration and plates ### 1/5 — Do not use this company! *2024-09-25* Do not use this company! Im currently in possession of a vehicle I will not be able to legally operate due to delays in registration process which allegedly were going to be handled by Caramel. It’s been 5 weeks since purchase. I was initially provided with a temporary registration however that will expire in a matter of days. Caramel customer service has provided various explanations and timeframes regarding when permanent registration/plates will be received; the latest is within another 2-3 weeks (7-8 weeks after purchase!). ### 1/5 — What a Mess *2024-08-12* Came in 2nd place on Bring A Trailer and when the winning bidder backed out we we given the option to purchase the vehicle from the seller but without the BaT checkout option. Bring a Trailer suggested Drivecaramel so we thought it would be okay. Total cluster from start to finish. They do a really poor job executing the basics of coordinating the sale. They want my money transferred before they’ve received the title. The title gets sent to a random Walgreens where they don’t pick it up for 4 days. Before they’ve verified the title they let you know to arrange transportation. They have limited DMV options and can’t update their own app dashboard with the correct information. They tell me the buyer I should expect payment into my account when it should be going to the seller. They don’t have a phone number. The apps chat feature doesn’t work. They close the transaction and stop replying to emails before I have a vehicle or title and before the seller has money. I’m not sure why BaT wouldn’t suggest Keysavvy but beware the drivecaramel is a total pain and not worth the stress or frustration until they fix a whole lot of issues. ### 1/5 — Yikes… *2024-03-16, version 1.3.10* I’ve had issues with the process since I started my purchase and honestly I am really regretting not just doing a private sale. The vehicle I purchased was in a different state so I thought it would be easier to go through a company for safety and efficiency. Boy, was I wrong about it being either of those things! I am now on my second temp tag and my bank has yet to receive the title from Caramel so I may get charged extra. I find the lack if answers from Caramel concerning and really can’t condone them as a business period. Having said that, the app is awful as well. It crashed constantly when I was going through the steps to purchase a vehicle and now I can’t even log in with Google to contact support AGAIN since nothing has been done in MONTHS. If you are considering doing a private sale, I suggest not using this company/app. While some team members were helpful along the way, the app is glitchy and nothing has actually been done to rectify my situation. I am regretting using this app and company BIG TIME. Please please please consider going a different route if you can. I wish I had just driven over the state line and done all the DMV paperwork myself for reference…so yeah, it’s pretty bad. I cannot recommend this app or company to anyone in good faith; please try to find a different route. ### 1/5 — Buyer or seller ? *2023-07-19, version 1.2.15* Worst app ever. I was a buyer and it appeared that I was selling a car. Waste of time. I’m sure I’ll be getting spam messages for a year now. ### 3/5 — Can’t open the app now! Requires Update and its Updated *2025-11-02, version 1.3.31* Can’t even open the app now after the newest update, app says you need an update even though I updated it. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Made it easy *2024-10-04, version 1.3.16* They pretty much did everything just asked a few questions and photos of documents and that’s it ### 5/5 — Amazing!!! *2024-08-30, version 1.3.16* I'm thrilled to share my very satisfying experience with Caramel! Initially, I was skeptical due to limited feedback, but I took a chance and trusted their service - no regrets! I primarily used their website and interacted daily with their efficient customer service, receiving prompt answers to all my questions. It's essential to trust the process and let them do their job. However, I did encounter some challenges. With a negative equity on my car loan and a tight deadline, I was pushy. I wished they provided more updates on the process and supporting paper for each step. I had to ask questions about temporary registration, license plates, car pickup, payments which weren't immediately clear. Caramel relies on seller-buyer communication, but this can be tricky since they're strangers. Honestly, I was concerned about potential scams, especially during the car pickup. The buyer had the same concern 😅, he told me. While my experience was overall positive, I believe Caramel can improve by providing more guidance and reassurance through simultaneous communication to both seller and buyer. With some refinements, their service can be even more exceptional! ### 5/5 — Easy, fast, confident. *2023-11-07, version 1.3.7* Using Caramel was a dream. I had to sell my late fathers car for my mother and the Caramel app and team made it incredibly easy. Customer service was extremely responsive and everything went as planned. Where do I invest in this?! ### 5/5 — Bringing Private Auto Sales into the 21st Century! *2023-08-28, version 1.3.1* 5-Star Customer Service! The primary reason to recommend! Andrew smoothed out the entire process and assuaged any buyer concerns. I am so thankful for Caramel, I can’t believe in this day & age that private auto sellers (whether still leasing or title in-hand) have been relegated to FB Marketplace listings and Cashiers Check scams… until Caramel! Caramel, a free vehicle escrow middle-man, made my auto sale above-board, legal, legitimate, and financially secure. No trips to the DMV, bank, or shady uncertain meet-ups required. I posted my listing for free on Cars.com and created a free unique-URL DriveCaramel.com “listing” which I then shared on Cars.com & AutoTrader, which allows interested parties to verify the vehicle’s VIN & legitimacy and make an offer. There’s so much confidence & assurance to be had by bringing a 3rd party to the table, for both buyer and seller. Once my car listing generated interested party emails, I then forwarded the buyer to Caramel via my unique URL to initiate the purchase. Caramel had me take many photos to verify my car, it’s condition, and legitimacy, DocuSign some legal paperwork, send them my current lender’s information & loan payoff quote, then the buyer got to see the listing’s legitimacy, make the offer I then accepted, then sent Caramel their bank information & customer service phone number, and Caramel stepped in and coordinated the rest! The buyer’s bank wanted to send physical paper 2-party Checks via snail-mail, and Caramel was able to act as the escrow middle-man and essentially buy my car from my lender, sell it to the buyer’s credit union, and direct-deposit me the equity difference. All went as I was promised. It did require a few quick phone calls to Caramel’s customer service, which they answer the line directly & immediately (with very broad working hours!). Andrew was amazing, 11/10! Their customer service agents are excellent communicators, quick-learners who care to understand the situation of both buyer & seller and actively & efficiently work to ensure the legitimate & secure transaction runs smoothly… and it did! Both banks were happy, all legalities were handled, and both buyer & seller were happy—although routinely surprised by the novelty of this private-sell transaction system. Caramel truly brings modern-dealership process & procedure (ie technology, financing, legal know-how, & escrow legitimacy) to the 21st Century private-sales market! They are going to take off, it’s only a matter of time before their a household name for car sales! Within days, once buyer’s credit union was satisfied, they next-day sent the payment to Caramel, who then payed off my loan with my lender same-day, transferring the title and releasing the keys to be safely handed over! I received a transaction complete notification via email, website confirmation, and phone call by Andrew! This also came with a very legitimate, home-printable temporary Tag & vehicle registration slip for the buyer. The next day after handing over the keys, I received the exact amount agreed upon in my bank’s direct deposit. I was surprised that it was completely free for both me the seller & for the buyer, but Caramel does offer solid buyer options such as extended warranties, auto transport, and discounted insurance plans, so I imagine they’re able to make some profit off of these enticing purchase add-on options. So smooth, easy, secure, legitimate, and SMART! Thanks again, Andrew! 11/10–would do again and will recommend to everyone! ### 5/5 — Sold Car *2023-07-26, version 1.2.15* I sold my car through Caramel and had a great experience. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the process was very easy. I would definitely recommend them to any friend. Thank you for such great service. ### 5/5 — Great service, easy process! *2023-06-20, version 1.2.7* Caramel made it easy and stress free when buying my dream car from a private seller. They answered all my questions and made an extra effort to make sure the deal went through smoothly and that both parties were happy. Great service, great people, Thank You! ### 5/5 — Best Customer Service *2023-06-16, version 1.2.7* I financed a private sale through them and had a couple issues on my part with banking and such and they still were able to help get the deal done very quickly ### 5/5 — Bought new Tesla ! *2023-06-09, version 1.1.3* Best experience ever to finance my new car ! Very streamlined and automated process made biying this car PAIN FREE. Thanks Andy for getting it done so fast and smooth ! ### 5/5 — The best! *2023-06-06, version 1.1.3* Super easy! GREAT customer service! I have referred many people to Caramel! I will only use this service! Everything worked as they said it would. Very happy in my new wheels!! ### 5/5 — Amazing team and platform *2023-05-23, version 1.1.2* I had a fantastic experience with the team at Caramel. This was my first time buying a car private party and out of state which at first was stressful. The team at Caramel (Special thanks to Andrew) provided myself and the seller a personalized experience and were extremely responsive and made sure all aspects of the transaction were handled correctly. They went above and beyond for us and I would 1000% use them again. The website and app were extremely easy to use and straight forward, adding to the amazing experience!! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-17.*