Best Car Shipping Companies in 2025

Shipping your car is an important part of a long-distance move—and you don't want to risk things going wrong. So, what is the best car shipping company?

Our top pick is AmeriFreight, due to their fantastic reviews, availability, gap coverage, and quality drivers. Our top runners-up include SGT Auto Transport, Sherpa Auto Transport, Montway Auto Transport, and Ship A Car Direct.

We got nearly 700 quotes from 50 companies and compared them all to pick the best car transportation companies, then surveyed the top seven to get average shipping costs. To land in our recommendations, these companies need to have a great user experience, including straightforward pricing, helpful customer service, a good reputation, and extras that make moving easier. 

AmeriFreight wins our best overall spot as a top-rated auto shipping company that gets a lot of love from customers for reasonable prices, highly vetted drivers, and customer-first policies like military discounts and an exceptional gap coverage option for damage. 

If reliability is what you're after, check out SGT Auto Transport. This auto transport company has been delivering affordable services you can count on for the past decade. And they don't nickel and dime you—there's no upfront payment, free cancellation for missed pickup, and guaranteed instant quotes.

We also like Sherpa. They offer some pretty competitive pricing, deliver excellent customer service (and free car washes), and even promise to cover any cost increase within $300 with their Price Lock Promise.

-AmeriFreight is our choice for best overall car shipping company because it carefully vets all of its carriers and drivers, offers same-day pickup and door-to-door or terminal shipping, and has some of the lowest prices for out-of-state moves of any company on our list. It's also one of the few companies to offer a gap coverage plan that lets you take two days to look for damage and pays up to $2,000 toward your deductible if you need to file a claim. 

Ultimately, AmeriFreight has given customers a safe shipping experience for more than 20 years, and it's clear that’s a promise they’ll continue to deliver on for many more years to come.

• Book with AmeriFreight if you take comfort in knowing each driver has been rigorously screened or if you value easy cancellation.
• Keep looking if you want a guaranteed price without paying a premium.

AmeriFreight has three car shipping pricing options that help you fine-tune your shipment. The lone downside is that it can be confusing to know which one you need. Thankfully, we’re about to clear that up for you:

1. Economy Saver Rate. This is the best option if you’re determined to get the lowest price (even if it takes a month). AmeriFreight lets thousands of carriers bid on your shipment for several weeks. It starts with a super low rate and gradually increases the amount until an affordable driver comes along.
2. First Class Rate. This is the best option if you need your car shipped fast. AmeriFreight can even guarantee your quote if you need the job done within 24 hours. Since our mystery shopping reveals shipping costs can rise upwards of 25% by the time your final bill arrives, this guaranteed option can save you hundreds of dollars on the average shipment. However, it’s also likely to be your most expensive option (rush jobs don’t come cheap). You can expect to pay $200 to $500 more for expedited shipping with AmeriFreight.
3. Priority Preferred Rate. This is the best option if you don’t need to ship your car immediately but can’t wait several weeks for the lowest possible price. It’s the way most car shipping companies estimate your costs. You give AmeriFreight the details of your shipment, and it lets the carriers bid against each other to drive down the price. When a few days have passed, AmeriFreight picks the lowest-priced shipping option.

AmeriFreight puts each of its carriers through a rigorous vetting process. The company’s five-pronged approach weeds out the bad drivers, so you end up with a car carrier that will keep your car safe on the road. We talked to AmeriFreight to learn exactly what that entails: 

1. License and registration. AmeriFreight does a background check on every carrier to ensure your drivers are appropriately licensed and registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
2. Interstate authority. Since many drivers can only transport cars within a single state, AmeriFreight verifies that carriers crossing state lines have the appropriate interstate authority—a great fit if you're also using a long-distance moving company.
3. Insurance. AmeriFreight won’t use a carrier unless it meets minimum liability insurance requirements. While the federal government requires carriers to have at least $750,000 in coverage, AmeriFreight says that most of its drivers are in the neighborhood of $1 million–$2 million.
4. Driver rating. AmeriFreight uses only those carriers with a rating of at least 95 percent on Central Dispatch.
5. “Do not use” list. A bad apple occasionally sneaks through even though AmeriFreight carefully vets its carriers. When that happens, AmeriFreight tosses it faster than you can say, “Annie ate eight Arctic apples.” The company keeps an internal “do not use” list for rotten carriers to make sure you work with only the best drivers.

We found more than 5,000 AmeriFreight reviews on third-party websites like Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot, and Consumer Affairs. Across these sites, AmeriFreight has earned an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars, which is the highest of our top five picks. 

Positive reviews tend to say the company is good about communicating with clients, takes the time to find the right carrier for the job, and doesn't charge hidden fees.

Negative reviews are few and far between but tend to mention constantly changing delivery dates or quotes that increase in price closer to the pickup date. AmeriFreight only guarantees prices if you purchase the First Class Rate, so that's an important thing to keep in mind as you shop around.

Bottom line: AmeriFreight is a reliable car shipping company with a variety of options to meet your needs and budget. 

Read Our Review

We think SGT Auto Transport has the best customer service of any car shipping company because their customer service line is open 24/7, they provide full insurance coverage at no extra charge, and our team has had nothing but positive experiences with representatives. 

Our mystery shoppers have called SGT Auto Transport many times, and they've never had a problem getting in touch with someone. That's completely by design because the company prides itself on delivering happy customers, and we’d bet this has a lot to do with its emphasis on customer service.

And although SGT doesn’t offer GPS tracking like some competitors, its 24/7 availability makes it easy to check in on your vehicle’s progress throughout the shipment process. 

• Book with SGT Auto Transport if you're new to car shipping or you feel a bit overwhelmed and want a lot of support along the way.
• Keep shopping if you want services like terminal-to-terminal shipping (see AmeriFreight above) or real-time tracking (see Montway below).

Online quoting tools are not necessarily a given in the auto transportation industry, so we find this to be a pretty incredible feature—especially because SGT stands by the pricing offered in those quotes. We’ve been able to confirm that the prices you’ll receive (whether using the online tool or by phone) are guaranteed and good for seven calendar days.

Additionally, you can expect your quote to be all-inclusive … meaning you won’t have to be on the lookout for hidden fees. You can ask for discounts, including ones for the military. And the cherry on top? It price matches any direct competitor as long as you can provide the written quote.

You know your vehicle is in safe hands with SGT, because it provides full-coverage insurance at no additional cost for each of its door-to-door shipments. Insurance is not a given in this industry, so the fact that SGT will guarantee coverage for any damage incurred during transit is a big deal. Keep in mind that this coverage doesn't  apply to items inside the vehicle, so it’s best to remove any possessions that could be damaged during transit.

SGT Transport offers many services that its competitors shy away from, including guaranteed pickup dates and express shipping and delivery. Plus, its dedicated shipping advisors can help you customize your quote to match your needs and your budget. SGT even allows their customers to ship up to 100 lb. of personal belongings in their vehicle.

SGT Auto Transport is committed to providing a positive customer experience every time, and it's got the customer reviews to prove it. We found over 15,000 reviews on third-party websites like BBB, Trustpilot, Consumer Affairs, and Google Places. SGT has earned an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars across these four platforms. 

Positive reviews tend to say that the service was fast, reasonably priced, and that their car arrived in the same condition it left. People appreciate being able to contact the driver directly for updates.

A few people mention hiccups like late deliveries or deliveries in the middle of the night. Cancellation also seems to be a common pain point, as many people are caught off guard by the $149 cancellation fee.

Bottom line: Overall, SGT Auto Transport is a reliable, service-oriented car shipper with plenty of customization options to meet your needs. 

We think Sherpa Auto Transport offers the best price lock guarantee in the industry because it'll cover any price increase up to $300—and in an industry where final prices are often 25% higher than the original quote, you could be saving yourself the headache of a last-minute payment during your move by choosing Sherpa.

Sherpa is also known for reasonable prices and perks like free car washes. And as if that’s not enough, it puts each potential carrier through an exhaustive background check to ensure you get the best drivers.

In sum, Sherpa Auto Transport isn't afraid to innovate and challenge the status quo—which has, in turn, made them one of the best auto shipping companies in the country. 

• Book with Sherpa if you like extra value for your money and don't want to be hit with hidden charges.
• Keep shopping if you want to keep costs as low as possible (see SGT above or Ship A Car Direct below).

Hiring the best drivers is one of Sherpa Auto Transport’s priorities. Between reviewing publicly available government and transportation records, and analyzing driver performance, this car transport service makes sure to avoid cutting any corners.

Plus, they actively maintain a “do not use” list of carriers who provide negative customer experiences. And Sherpa requires all of its carriers to add them as a policyholder on their insurance policies to make it easier for customers to file a claim if something happens to the vehicle in transit.

Sherpa prides itself on delivering exceptional customer service during the shipping process. Customers consistently rave about the Price Lock Promise, professional customer service reps, and free car washes—offers that many other companies are now trying to emulate.

But what we really appreciate is that many of the company’s innovations come straight from the company’s owner, who understands that a positive customer experience is the most important part. 

We found over 6,000 Sherpa Auto Transport reviews from third-party sites like BBB, Consumer Affairs, and Yelp. Overall, customers give the company an average rating of 4.7 out of five stars.

Five-star reviews tend to mention price satisfaction and a smooth, straightforward experience with regular communication and on-time delivery. 

One-star reviews often mention an increase in the quoted cost or issues with the delivery window. However, the majority of negative reviews weren't posted in the last year, which suggests the company has made improvements.

Bottom line: Sherpa Auto Transport takes its job seriously by vetting carriers and delivering excellent customer service. 

Read Our Review

Montway Auto Transport is our pick for best vehicle tracking during shipment because it's one of the few companies to offer this service. Although Montway can't guarantee GPS tracking for every shipment (because the carrier must first agree to be tracked), it does its best to find compliant drivers for each customer. This effort is more than most companies are willing to exert. GPS tracking isn't the easiest service to find in this industry. We appreciate the effort. 

Montway Auto Transport was also the first car shipping company to offer an online price calculator, and many of its competitors have followed suit. It continues to be an industry leader with guaranteed pickup dates, affordable prices, and no upfront charges. However, it may not vet its drivers as carefully as other brokers based on comments from unhappy customers.

• Book with Montway Auto Transport if you want GPS tracking for extra peace of mind.
• Keep shopping if you need same-day pickup (see AmeriFreight or Sherpa above).

A service that most other companies don’t offer, guaranteed pickup is something Montway offers to each one of its customers—at an extra price. That said, having control over your move timeline is an immense luxury in the car transportation industry, as prices and pickup/delivery dates are often subject to change. But with Montway, you can feel confident that your vehicle will be picked up on the day of your choosing, so you can keep your travel itinerary intact.

Montway has one of the most user-friendly online chat experiences around, because instead of connecting you to a bot, you’re likely to reach a real person within 60 seconds. From there, knowledgeable customer service reps can help you get an auto shipping quote, respond to inquiries about existing quotes or orders, and answer any other questions you may have.

We found more than 10,000 reviews of Montway Auto Transport on sites like BBB, Trustpilot, Consumer Affairs, and Yelp. Across all four sites, the company has earned an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, which is the lowest of our top five picks.

Positive reviews typically say their delivery was on time or early and that Montway communicated with them often throughout the process. People also say it's easy to reach customer service, even on weekends. 

Negative reviews tend to report the opposite experiences, saying their car was picked up or delivered late, that they could never reach customer service, or that communication was minimal. Some also say their car was damaged during transit. 

The Move.org team also personally interviewed several Montway customers. (Meet them in the What You Should Look For section below.) All reported a smooth pickup experience, communicative drivers, and a damage-free delivery. The only hiccup was that one person's vehicle was delivered a little bit late. 

Bottom line: Montway thanks to its GPS tracking assistance, accessible online representatives, and guaranteed pickup dates.

Read Our Review

Ship A Car Direct is our choice for a damage-free guarantee because it's one of the only auto shipping companies to offer this perk, and it's worth up to $500. Not bad at all. 

In the auto transportation industry, it’s not uncommon for a company to offer zero additional insurance for their customers, so we love that Ship A Car Direct offers this extra protection free of charge. In the unlikely event your car experiences damage during transit, the $500 is paid toward your insurance deductible. The damage-free guarantee shows just how much confidence Ship A Car Direct has in the quality of their carriers, which they vet extensively. 

• Book with Ship A Car Direct if you're nervous about scratches and dents during shipment, even in an enclosed trailer.
• Keep shopping if you want a price guarantee. 

Ship A Car Direct offers some of the lowest car shipping prices around. How low? Well, by our calculations, its pricing comes in around 11% lower than the industry average—that's around $130 in savings for the average customer. And pricing is even better for customers shipping with enclosed trailer transport, which offers even more protection for your vehicle against damage in transit.

Ship A Car Direct scrutinizes potential truck drivers to make sure your vehicle is in safe hands. The auto shipper operates with a “hire slow, fire fast” mentality, which means Ship A Car Direct takes its time hiring the best drivers and immediately cuts ties with those that produce negative experiences for its customers. With this method, you can rest easy knowing that the company works hard to protect you against disreputable drivers. 

We found over 6,000 Ship A Car Direct reviews on third-party sites like BBB, Trustpilot, Consumer Affairs, Google Places, and Yelp. Ship A Car Direct has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars across these websites. 

Customers usually refer to fast and helpful customer service, diligent drivers, and reasonable prices in their reviews.

Negative reviews sometimes mention surprise charges or difficulty finding a carrier. However, the owner of Ship a Car Direct, Michael Strickland, replies to many comments to make things right with a refund. 

Bottom line: Ship A Car Direct offers an excellent blend of value and customer service, but your final bill may be higher than your original quote.

Read Our Review

Auto Shipping Group has been in business since 2012 and specializes in shorter haul moves for folks in a time crunch. The company also offers long-distance auto and motorcycle hauling in all 50 states. 

The company assigns a dedicated shipping specialist to every order to give their customer a single point of contact for their shipment. They also offer a wide range of discounts. "Our goal is to provide affordable and efficient auto transport to the everyday consumer," an Auto Shipping Group representative told us.

This car shipping company has all the features we expect to see, including online quotes, $0 deposits, and multiple discounts.

Easy Auto Ship gives customers a free rental car if their vehicles don’t arrive within two weeks. The company fully guarantees its phone quotes (prices may change if you reserve online), kicks in an extra $100,000 in insurance coverage, and gets excellent customer reviews. Easy Auto Ship doesn’t even charge you until it assigns a carrier.

On the downside, the website is a hot mess. A pop-up ad gets in your way no matter where you seem to go, and the “live chat” is really just a way to start an email dialogue. But those are small details, and Easy Auto Ship is clearly a company with big aspirations. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Easy Auto Ship climb the rankings in future years.

uShip isn’t a transport broker as much as it is an online marketplace where you can find truck drivers. That makes it different from any other company on this list.

uShip gives you control over your pricing and lets you see each carrier’s driving history. It also reimburses you up to $500 if there’s an accident and is available in all 50 states. 

While uShip’s prices aren’t guaranteed, the company’s rates are lower than they’ve ever been. It takes a minute to learn how to use uShip’s website to find auto shipping services, but it’s worth the effort more often than not.

A car shipping company should fit into your budget and schedule, provide excellent communication, and take good care of your vehicle.

"I wanted a company I could count on," Johannes Hock told Move.org. He wanted to give his car to his parents and needed a way to deliver it safely. "I cared about communication, consistency, and track record. I wasn't looking for the cheapest option—I was looking for the one that was least likely to cause problems."

Hock also recommends avoiding shipping companies that are vague about their process or won't tell you who the actual carrier is. "Trust your gut. If a company seems sketchy at the beginning, they probably won't improve once they have your car." 

His number one piece of advice? "Skip the lowest quote. That almost always leads to headaches." 

Alex Black, another car shipping customer we interviewed, echoed that sentiment. "Cost played a factor, but I quickly found that the lowest price can be a headache." 

He recommends giving yourself plenty of time to plan out the details. "If I had to do it over, I'd book earlier—last-minute shipping can cost you more and limit your options." Black says being flexible about pickup and drop-off dates can also make the process less stressful. 

Finally, we spoke with Amra Beganovich about her experience shipping a car from New York City to Los Angeles. She believes preparation is key to a good experience.

"Take pictures before it's loaded, check insurance coverage, and ask about the pickup window," she said. "My best advice is to write it all down and ask all the questions early on." 

(Incidentally, Hock, Black, and Beganovich all ended up choosing Montway Auto Transport.)

Consider the following when choosing a car shipping company: 

• Reasonable prices. Avoid overpaying by taking the extra time to compare multiple quotes. Beware of pricing that seems too good to be true, though.
• Guaranteed quotes. We’ve often seen car shipping prices go up about 25% between the initial estimate and the final price. So consider it a green flag if a company guarantees even a portion of your shipping quote.
• Years of experience. Longevity is generally a huge trust signal in the car shipping industry. So we recommend looking for a company that’s been around for a while.
• Extra coverage. Accidents are rare—but in logistics, anything can happen. The best companies will offer you more than a bare-bones insurance policy. Keep in mind, though, that most policies will cover damage to the vehicle and are not considered 'cargo insurance' for items shipped inside the car.
• Customer reviews. We take customer reviews pretty seriously at Move.org, and though we understand reviews are subjective, we generally feel safe using a service that has above-average customer reviews of at least 4.6 out of 5 stars when you're looking to ship a car.
• Communication. If you're having a hard time getting a straight answer about a quote or can't get someone on the phone to ask an insurance question, don't expect things to change once you're a paying customer. A good car shipping company will prioritize communication. 
• Services. Do you need terminal-to-terminal shipping? Same-day pickup? GPS tracking? Help storing your vehicle? Some auto transport companies offer lots of premium services, while others stick to the basics. Service offerings can quickly narrow the playing field. 

We found that costs range from as low as $350 for shipping vehicles a few hundred miles away on an open carrier to up to $1,400 to ship a car across the country in an enclosed truck. The average cost to ship your vehicle is approximately $851. Move.org analyzed nearly 700 quotes and surveyed the top 7 car transportation companies to calculate industry averages. 

The large amount of competition in the industry also means that it's absolutely worth it to gather multiple quotes and push to negotiate lower prices from your car transportation providers.

Move.org calculates industry averages and identifies pricing trends by following a fivefold research approach:

1. Compare quotes. We collected nearly 700 quotes from 10 different companies to find industry and company averages. The car shipping quotes included prices for a motorcycle, car, SUV, and truck across 11 distances with both open and enclosed transport. However, we take this data with a grain of salt when ranking and reviewing companies that don't guarantee their quotes.
2. Mystery shopping. We contacted auto transport companies posing as customers to gather pricing data and learn how brokers formulate their prices. We preferred companies that were easy to reach and had friendly, attentive representatives.
3. Site visits. We invited several industry leaders to our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, for in-depth, face-to-face conversations—giving us a unique opportunity to explore not just how they structure their pricing but also to gain a deeper understanding of their company philosophies, operational practices, customer service standards, and what truly differentiates them in the car shipping industry. We then compared their answers to information we independently obtained to verify accuracy. 
4. Testimonials. We read hundreds of online customer reviews to look for recent positive and negative trends. We also interview real auto shipping customers to learn about their buying process and first-hand experiences. We prioritize companies with long-standing and positive reputations.
5. Annual calendar. We repeat this research process every year and save our data to compare trends over time.

AmeriFreight is our number one auto transport company because it offers a variety of services and price packages, but each of these transport brokers brings something special to the table:

• SGT Auto Transport. Money-back guarantee. Need we say more?
• Sherpa Auto Transport. The Price Lock Promise and free car washes keep customers happy.
• Montway Auto Transport. GPS tracking, low prices, no up-front payments, and guaranteed pickup availability are some of its most popular features.
• Ship A Car Direct. They offer a $500 damage-free guarantee.

The average shipping cost is calculated using average quotes for cross country and regional car shipping received from each company. Prices may vary by vehicle type and whether you choose an open carrier or enclosed truck to ship your car.

Star ratings: Star ratings reflect the editorial assessment of each company for the purposes of this particular article (e.g. Best Moving Companies for Military Moves, Best Cheap Moving Companies, etc.). These ratings may be different from star ratings found on other articles, such as Best Long-Distance Moving Companies, Best Moving Container Companies, etc.).