This year, SGT Auto Transport is one of the most reliable car shippers on the market, offering extremely competitive prices, fully customizable services and 24-hour customer service. AmeriFreight is a close 2nd if SGT doesn't operate where you live. They have affordable prices, 16 years of experience, and availability in all 50 states.

There are lots of things that you should look for in a car shipping company:

• Low prices. Price matters. You can often save hundreds of dollars by taking an extra 10 minutes to gather and compare quotes from several of the best vehicle transport companies.
• Binding quotes. Car shipping prices often go up about 25% between your initial estimate and your final price. Keep your eye out for rare companies that guarantee a portion of your shipping quote.
• Years of experience. Longevity is a huge trust signal in the auto transport industry. Look for a car transport company that’s been around for more than a few years.
• Extra insurance. Accidents are rare, but they can happen. The best car shipping companies offer you more than a bare-bones insurance policy.
• Customer reviews. We carefully consider customer reviews and understand the varying degrees of subjectivity. However, we generally feel safe using a shipping service that has above average customer reviews of at least 4.6 out of 5 stars.

SGT Auto makes our list of best car shipping companies in 2023, and we’re happy to see them there. 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. 

Want a free rental car if your vehicle arrives late?

There’s a lot to like about AmeriFreight. Customers give the car shipping company an average review rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Plus, it's available in all 50 states. AmeriFreight even has military discounts. Oh yeah, and it has the lowest prices of any company on this list.

AmeriFreight carefully vets all of its drivers and maintains a “do not use” list for low-quality drivers. It also has 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. The company has given customers a safe shipping experience for more than 15 years and looks poised to do the same for many more.

Looking for low prices?

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.

Want a Price Lock Promise?

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.”

Anxious to keep your car safe on the road?

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.

Like what you see?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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