This year, AmeriFreight is our top pick for car shipping. They have affordable prices, 16 years of experience, and availability in all 50 states. SGT Auto Transport is a close second. Being one of the most reliable car shippers on the market, they offer extremely competitive prices, fully customizable services, and 24-hour customer service.
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What is the best car shipping company?
The 5 best car shipping companies
- : Move.org's pick
- : Best value
- : Low prices
- : Guaranteed quotes
- : Customer favorite
What should you look for in a good car shipping company?
1. AmeriFreight—Move.org's pick: best overall
AmeriFreight Auto Transport is Move.org's top pick for car shipping because it maintains an excellent reputation for reliability and customer service while offering accurate, competitive quotes.
AmeriFreight is a car shipping broker that thoroughly vets its network of carriers across all 50 states, maintaining a “do not use” list for low-quality drivers, which ensures that only the best-of-the-best can bid on your job. Customers appreciate AmeriFreight's responsive customer service and reliable timelines, and most say their final price is close to the original quote. The company boasts a star rating of 4.8 out of 5 across more than 9,500 verified reviews.
AmeriFreight stands out as one of the best car shipping companies for extra insurance coverage. Carriers in their network tend to carry more than the bare minimum in liability insurance, and you have 48 hours to inspect your car for damage after delivery. You can also secure up to $2,000 toward your insurance deductible with an optional AFTA plan. The company has given customers a safe shipping experience for more than 15 years and looks poised to do the same for many more.
Pros
Low prices
Guaranteed price option
Gap coverage (up to $2,000)
Exceptional carrier vetting
Positive customer reviews 
Cons
Confusing pricing Looking for low prices?
2. SGT Auto Transport—Best value
SGT Auto has been among our top picks for car shipping companies for the past two years with prices averaging $1.08 per mile — are nearly 50 cents cheaper than the next most affordable option and almost twice as affordable as the industry average. Not only are you going to find some of the lowest guaranteed prices in the industry, but you’ll also find that their ability to innovate provides their customers with some of the best and most customizable service around. From the launch of an online quoting tool to the promise of full insurance coverage with each shipment and competitor price-matching, you can rest assured you’ll be getting the best bang for your buck. And we haven’t even mentioned their numerous other offerings, like 24-hour customer service, no-upfront payments, and guaranteed pick-up dates, to name a few.
Pros
Below average prices
No upfront fees
Full insurance coverage
Price-matching & online quoting tool
Motorcycle shipping
24-hour customer services Cons
No GPS/real-time tracking available
No terminal-to-terminal (or port-to-port) shipping options
No shipping to Alaska Want a free rental car if your vehicle arrives late?
3. Ship a Car Direct—Low prices
Ship a Car Direct is fantastic. Not only does the company have low prices, but it also doesn’t require an upfront deposit. Ship a Car Direct carefully vets its truck drivers and gives you extra insurance just in case of a problem. You can’t get guaranteed quotes or online estimates, and the website could use some work. Still, the company’s weaknesses aren’t enough to detract customers: Ship a Car Direct has an average review score of 4.8 out of 5 stars. The company lives up to its unofficial motto, “We make the process of shipping your car suck less.”
Pros
Low prices
No upfront deposit
Excellent carrier vetting
Additional insurance
Positive customer reviews Cons
No guaranteed quotes
No online quotes
Frustrating website Anxious to keep your car safe on the road?
4. Sherpa Auto Transport—Guaranteed quotes
Sherpa Auto Transport has something almost no one does: guaranteed quotes. If the cost goes up after your initial estimate, Sherpa will cover the difference up to $300. The transport company also performs intense background checks of potential carriers so that you get the best drivers. Throw in a free car wash and some near-perfect transport reviews, and you can see how a company that is only four years old landed a top spot on our rankings.
Pros
Low final prices
Guaranteed prices (up to $300)
Excellent carrier vetting
Free car wash
Impressive customer service Cons
Newer company
No online quotes
Misleading “start chat” feature Want a Price Lock Promise?
5. Montway Auto Transport—Customer favorite
Montway Auto Transport is one of our favorite car shipping companies. In addition to low prices, the auto transport broker also offers guaranteed pickup dates. Montway even tries to find GPS-enabled drivers so you can check on the whereabouts of your vehicle. The shipping company’s stellar online reviews might have something to do with its attention to detail. Montway puts each potential carrier through an exhaustive background check to ensure you get the best drivers. All told, Montway sets the standard for the rest of the industry.
Pros
Low prices
GPS tracking
Carrier vetting
Guaranteed pickup dates
Positive customer reviews Cons
No guaranteed quotes
Annoying pop-up ads Like what you see?
How we review the best car shipping companies
When we first started researching car shipping companies, we noticed an alarming trend: every brand seemed to have irate customers warning others to never use them. Type any car shipping company into Google and you'll find people complaining about lapses in communication, no-show carriers, surprise price increases, and scratched vehicles.
Such widespread dissatisfaction seems to suggest that the problem isn't necessarily with the companies themselves, but with the car shipping industry as a whole. Brokers provide a popular service by streamlining the hiring process and allowing multiple carriers to bid on each job, which helps lower the final price. Some brokers offer additional perks like extra insurance coverage and quick access to a back-up plan when a carrier drops the ball, but the fact remains that they're middlemen and have little control over the carriers' schedules or communication skills.
Still, there are companies that successfully deliver cars and customer satisfaction more often than others. It's our job to figure out how they do it and who has the best track record.
1. Grading car shipping companies
We started by reading hundreds of customer reviews to identify common complaints. We determined people care most about the following four things:
- Accurate, transparent pricing with no surprise fees upon delivery.
- A reliable service with on-time pickup and delivery and responsive customer care.
- Carriers who communicate about schedule changes and take good care of the vehicle.
- Some kind of protection or guarantee, often in the form of gap coverage or a damage-free guarantee.
We developed a four-part grading system based on these criteria. Companies earn points in each category, and points equal grades on a scale from A+ to D. We'll adjust our grading criteria as we continue to gather more nuanced information and data, but here's what we currently consider:
- Price transparency: Online quote calculator functionality and privacy, easily accessible fee explanations, guaranteed quotes, price matching, customer satisfaction regarding the final price. 14 points possible.
- Reliability: Guaranteed pickup and/or delivery, customer satisfaction regarding timeliness, and customer satisfaction regarding broker's ability to quickly solve problems. 11 points possible.
- Carrier quality: Transparency regarding carrier vetting process, quality of carrier vetting process, and customer satisfaction with carriers. 6 points possible.
- Insurance coverage: Bare minimum vs. extra liability coverage, optional gap coverage, and extras like claim assistance, damage-free guarantees, and time to inspect for damage. 11 points possible.
2. Mystery shopping and analyzing customer reviews
To grade a company, we collect information by mystery shopping and analyzing customer reviews on third-party websites like the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.
Mystery shopping allows us to experience the brand's website, sales process, and customer service from the perspective of the buyer. For example, some brokers have easy-to-use online quote calculators, while others collect your information and provide a quote over the phone.
Customer reviews give us insight into real experiences, but we tread carefully here because reviews can often be faked. We look for trends that have occurred in the last 12 months and consider warnings from the Better Business Bureau. We calculate a weighted star rating based on all the reviews we can find online. This average customer rating is shared under each brand section but is distinct from the Move.org star rating, which is an editorial score we create to help readers understand the relative value and quality of each company.
3. Interviewing industry leaders
We've also conducted online and in-person interviews with company leaders to learn behind-the-scenes information that sets each one apart. We find these interviews especially helpful in understanding the carrier vetting process.
We've published our car shipping leadership interviews below:
- Asadullah Sameer Ismailzada, AmeriFreight Auto Transport (coming soon)
- Mark Scholl, Montway Auto Transport
- Jack Savov, SGT Auto Transport
- Terry Williams, Auto Shipping Group
4. Gathering sample quotes
To date, we've collected more than 800 quotes from more than 13 car shipping companies to find industry and company averages. The car shipping quotes include prices for a motorcycle, car, SUV, and pick up truck across multiple distances with both open and enclosed transport and running and non-running vehicles with a one-week lead time. We use the same criteria when gathering quotes so that we can easily compare prices across brands.
We've published many of our quotes on this page and in our individual brand reviews so you can get a sense of how much it might cost to ship your car without having to share your private information.
However, we take cost data with a grain of salt when ranking and reviewing companies that don't guarantee their quotes. Our research shows that the final car shipping price can increase by 25% when all is said and done.
5. Repeating the process
Car shipping is a competitive industry, and companies make changes all the time. We repeat our review methodology at least once per year to ensure we publish up-to-date price averages, customer ratings, and proprietary grades.
Best car shipping companies FAQ
With open car shipping, cars aren't protected from the weather or flying debris. Enclosed car shipping protects the car inside a trailer. Open car shipping tends to be the most affordable option, but enclosed car shipping is the best way to ensure the car isn't dinged by rocks or hail on the road.
The cheapest auto transport company is Ship A Car Direct. The car transport company’s average price of $981 to ship a car on an open car carrier is about 11% cheaper than the vehicle shipping industry average.
The best tips for preparing to ship your car include emptying it of personal belongings and making sure the gas tank isn't more than one-quarter full. The size and weight of your vehicle affect the price to ship a car, so the less it weighs, the less you pay.
You should look for several things in a car delivery service, including low prices, guaranteed quotes, and insurance coverage options.
Car shipping and auto transport are synonyms that refer to shipping a vehicle from one location to another.
You don't need to have auto insurance to ship a car. Carriers (drivers) must have liability insurance.
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