The 19 Best Men’s Driving Shoes for Every Budget

Driving shoes are super-comfortable, stylish and easy to slip on. Discover the best places to find these unique car shoes for your budget.

What Are Driving Shoes?

A driving shoe, also known as a car shoe or driving moccasin, is a soft, slip-on loafer, traditionally constructed from leather or suede, that was originally intended to help your feet retain their grip on the pedals of a car. Driving shoes typically feature rubber grommets on their outer soles to improve traction and grip.

Driving shoes are a casual and classy footwear option usually worn in warmer weather, and about a notch away from outdoor slippers slippers. The best of them are lightweight and feel soft and comfortable (like slippers).

History of Men’s Driving Shoes

Driving shoes emerged from 1960s Italian luxury fashion. Wealthy gentlemen with Ferrari roadsters wanted high-class footwear specialized for driving. These shoes would give their heels more protection and provide them with a steadier pedal grip than traditional dress shoes or loafers.

In 1963, Gianni Mostile, an Italian craftsman with a passion for fast cars, designed the first car shoe, a moccasin with small rubber nubs on the soles. However, it was under a different brand, Tod’s, that driving shoes became internationally famous and fashionable to wear in a larger variety of leisure settings, not just behind the wheel. Gianni Agnelli, who took over Fiat in 1966, was one of the wealthy icons who loved Tod’s footwear and popularized driver moccasins as casual upscale footwear.

Over the years, driving shoes have become more accessible as a variety of direct-to-consumer and mid-market producers have joined ultra-luxury brands to make them available at a greater range of prices. While some of my favorite luxury brands still produce expensive pairs, you can also find a solid pair of car shoes for less than $200.

While they’re not necessarily an essential piece of footwear, driving mocs add class and charm to many casual outfits, whether you’re meeting up for Sunday brunch, going out to a movie, or enjoying an outdoor party. (Or taking the dog out, which is where you’ll often find me wearing my driving shoes.)

The Best Men’s Driving Shoes for Every Budget

Here are my favorite driving shoes for every budget, starting with the company that started it all — The Original Car Shoe:

The Original Car Shoe

The Original Car Shoe dates to 1963, when Gianni Mostile founded the brand and produced his iconic driving moccasin, which has been credited as the first driving shoe. If you’re able to afford the prices, which fall between $500 and $900, you can enjoy a broad selection of deluxe car shoes from this Italian brand, which as been owned by Prada since 2001. They’re handmade with different silhouettes, colors, and materials, such as soft-grained leather and fur-lined suede.

Tod’s

Tod’s started in 1920 under shoemaker Filippo Della Valle, but it became an influential Italian fashion house under the founder’s grandson, Diego Della Valle, who released its best-known item: the Gommino driving loafer, a celebrity favorite. Made in Italy, these luxury shoes have a distinctive appearance, given their relatively large rubber nubs, their exposed stitching, and the brand’s monogram stamped elegantly on their soft suede or sleek leather. The privilege of owning a pair comes at a cost that ranges from roughly $500 to $1,000.

Oliver Cabell

Founded in 2018 by Scott Gabrielson, Oliver Cabell is known for using luxury-grade materials while still offering reasonable prices, which tend to fall between $150 and $300 for its affordable luxury footwear. You’ll find an array of men’s driving shoes made with different kinds of Italian leather, like suede, calfskin, and full-grain varieties. One thing I live is that, for each shoe, you can see a transparent breakdown of the production costs.

I adore my pair of Oliver Cabell driving shoes, and they’ve held up extraordinarily well over the years. As I noted in my review of Oliver Cabell’s driving shoes:

The high-end materials feel terrific. The upper, made from suede leather sourced from Marche, Italy, combines with the rubber outsole, Italian calfskin leather and microfoam footbed, and Italian calfskin leather lining to produce a remarkably comfortable shoe.

For a shoe that is intentionally soft and unstructured, my drivers feel sturdy and have held their shape well.

As for how to style them, Scott highlighted the classic look of drivers worn with no-socks.

I agree that’s a good look, but the reality is that drivers don’t always have to be styled.

Oliver Cabell’s drivers fill a gap in my closet — a pair of comfortable-yet-stylish slip-ons for short drives and walks and everyday tasks.

Review: The Lure of Oliver Cabell’s Affordable-Luxury Driving Shoes

Nordstrom

In 1901, John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin opened a shoe store in Seattle, and it developed into a major retailer with a fantastic collection of driving shoes for guys. These include footwear from Nordstrom itself and from many well-respected third-party brands, like Gucci, Minnetonka, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, and Valentino Garavani. With prices ranging from $60 to $900, you’ll almost definitely be able to find something that fits your budget.

Piloti

In 1999, Piloti launched as a footwear brand for professional drivers who regularly compete in car races. From race boots, the brand expanded to powerfully engineered driving loafers and slip-ons that are handcrafted in Europe, with some models containing proprietary Roll Control 2.0 heel technology and Onsteam antimicrobial lining. Made from Italian full-grain leather or suede, these shoes range from $140 to $225, making them some of the more affordable footwear on this list.

Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo, who launched his brand in 1927, became famous in large part for his bold innovations in shoe design, including the invention of the wedge heel. Driver shoes from this exquisite Italian brand come mostly in neutral colors, though some are a bold orange or blue, and the materials range from nubuck to alligator leather. Priced from $750 to $2,200, the shoes are also adorned with the brand’s signature Gancini ornament.

Donald Pliner

Through the stylish use of different colors and textures, such as cognac-colored snake-print leather or light blue nubuck with a metal bit, driver shoes from Donald Pliner will add flair to your casual outfits. Founded in 1989, the brand introduces various high-performing features into its funky shoes, such as high-traction soles and arch support. Prices typically fall between $200 and $300.

Rancourt and Co.

All the footwear from Rancourt and Co. is impeccably made by hand in Lewiston, Maine, where David Rancourt opened a moccasin factory in 1967. Priced at roughly $300, the brand’s preppy driving moccasins for men are crafted from Horween Chromexcel, a full-grain variety of American cowhide leather. The shoes are flexible and lightweight, and they display classy decorative touches, such as antique brass eyelets.

Allen Edmonds

As a classic American footwear brand with presidential clientele, Allen Edmonds has been manufacturing high-quality shoes in Wisconsin since 1922. Priced at around $300, the brand’s driving loafers are handcrafted and have durable Margom rubber-cup soles. For some of these shoes, the sleek leather or napped suede uppers are unadorned, while other models feature a decorative metal bit.

Barbour

Barbour is most famous for its iconic waxed jackets, but its impressive, durable craftsmanship is also apparent in other products, including the Jenson driving shoes, which are made from suede and exhibit beautiful stitching. Founded in 1894 and owned by the same family across five generations, this English brand keeps its driving shoes fairly affordable at $160.

Brunello Cucinelli

After Brunello Cucinelli launched his luxury fashion label in 1978, it became famous for superb craftsmanship and premium materials, particularly the cashmere transformed into beautiful garments at the brand’s workshops in Solomeo, Italy. Elegant driving moccasins from Brunello Cucinelli cost roughly $800 and are available in dark blue or light brown suede. The shoe’s lining is an exquisitely soft leather.

Gucci

From its founding in 1921 as a leather luggage business, Gucci has been a fashion trailblazer, and one of its achievements in footwear is the production of the first luxury sneaker. Gucci’s leather driving shoes for men exude refinement and cost several hundred dollars. They display design elements that are distinctive to the brand, such as horsebit details and an interlocking “G” pattern.

Versace

Men’s driving shoes from Versace have monochromatic uppers, but they still capture some of the brand’s flamboyant glamor by sporting the eye-catching Medusa logo in gold or silver hardware. The Milan-based brand, which Gianni Versace founded in 1978, uses beautifully crafted suede or calf leather for these luxurious shoes. Prices fall between $700 and $800.

Smathers and Branson

Driving shoes from Smathers and Branson display the brand’s signature hand-stitched needlepoint, which makes them look both classy and tastefully colorful. Founded in 2004 by Peter Smathers Carter and Austin Branson, who were college roommates, the brand uses Argentine leather for each of these handcrafted shoes. At $245, the shoes will give your outfits an upscale look without the steeper costs of the more extravagant luxury brands.

Crockett & Jones

Founded by James Crockett and Charles Jones, Crockett & Jones is the oldest brand on this list, operating out of Northampton, England since 1879 and still relying on traditional Goodyear welted construction for most of its footwear. For $350, you can indulge in the brand’s beautifully crafted driving loafers, which come in suede, calf leather, or grain leather and in rich, elegant hues of brown, dark blue, black, or earth green. The two available outer soles are Pederosa rubber and a cleated driving sole.

Quoddy

Dating back to 1947, Quoddy is a Maine brand known best for the beautiful construction of its handmade leather shoes, especially the moccasins. You can find a premium selection of men’s driving shoes at prices between $250 and $300. These drivers have lovely stitching, and most models possess Vibram Aircalla outer soles.

Samuel Hubbard

Bruce Katz, who founded Samuel Hubbard in 2013, named the brand in honor of his grandfather’s shoemaking legacy, and its footwear has become well-known for the quality of the materials and the wonderfully supportive soles. The men’s drivers come in full-grain leather or suede, and they have antimicrobial interiors with memory insoles. With a price under $200, the California brand offers some of the more affordable options on this list.

Minnetonka

One of the driving moccasins from Minnetonka is an original design made in tribute to Phillip W. Miller, who founded the Minnesota brand in 1946. Padded insoles and long-wearing, nubbed outer soles are characteristically comfortable features of these made-to-order shoes, which take four weeks to produce. The brand uses a variety of high-quality materials, including moosehide from Finland, and the shoes, which cost less than $200, are relatively friendly to your budget.

Swims

Swims launched in 2006 with reinvented rubber galoshes for men, and the Norwegian brand has since expanded its footwear offerings to include a highly comfortable and water-friendly driving shoe. This shoe, which is relatively affordable at $178, also has antimicrobial properties and comes in several different colors that go well with a variety of casual outfits.

What Are Your Favorite Driving Loafers or Moccasins for Men?

Share your favorite brands, including any that aren’t on this list, and discuss the kinds of features you’re looking for in your ideal driving shoe.