Best Car Shipping Companies 2024

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, but there are some other great companies to consider.

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

Our top choices for the best car shipping companies in 2024 are AmeriFreight, SGT Auto Transport, Sherpa, and Montway.

The average car shipping cost is approximately $1,108. Move.org analyzed nearly 700 car shipping quotes to calculate industry averages. We found that costs range from about $510 for shipping vehicles a few hundred miles away on an open carrier to around $1,580 to ship a car across the country in an enclosed truck. 

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 shipping providers.

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

• Low 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 auto transport industry. So we recommend looking for a car transport company that’s been around for a while.
• Extra coverage. Accidents are rare—but in logistics, anything can happen. The best car shipping companies will offer you more than a bare-bones insurance policy. Keep in mind though, most policies will cover damage to the vehicle, and is 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 shipping service that has above-average customer reviews of at least 4.6 out of 5 stars when you're looking to ship a car.

This year, AmeriFreight wins our top spot. AmeriFreight is a top-rated car 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. We also like that AmeriFreight can help you in all 50 states. 

If reliability is what you're after, check out SGT Auto Transport. This car transport company has been delivering affordable car shipping 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. This car shipping company offers some pretty competitive pricing, delivers excellent customer service (and free car washes), and even promises to cover any cost increase within $300 with their Price Lock Promise.

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 guarantee your quote if you need the job done within 24 hours. Since car shipping costs notoriously 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).
3. Priority Preferred Rate. This is the best option if you don’t need to ship your car immediately but also 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:

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.
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.

Looking for low prices?

Read Our Review

SGT Auto Transport is one of the most reliable car shippers on the market, so it’s no surprise that it has made it onto our list of best car shipping companies. As a company that’s been in business for almost a decade (and boasts over 30K happy customers), we’ve got a lot of reasons to like SGT.

From offering extremely competitive prices, to providing fully customizable services and 24-hour customer service, SGT is a titan in its industry—and it’s here to stay.

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 price you’ll receive (whether using the online tool or by phone) are guaranteed, and good for 7 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 though, that this coverage does not 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 their 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.

It’s not hard to get in touch with someone at SGT, and that’s completely by design. The company prides itself on delivering happy customers, and we’d bet this has a lot to do with its emphasis on customer service. Its experienced car shipping advisors are able to assist you 24/7, 365 days a year, so you know your shipment is being monitored closely at all times. And although it 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. SGT is committed to providing a positive customer experience every time, and it's got the customer reviews to prove it.

While Sherpa has an impressive online quote calculator, it’s the Price Lock Promise that really sells its customers. With the Price Lock Promise, customers can rest easy knowing that Sherpa Auto Transport will cover up to $300 in potential price increases.

And if you’ve ever received a car shipping quote before, you know it’s not uncommon for your final price to be up to 25% higher than your initial quote. This is a big deal—especially because we don’t see any of Sherpa’s competitors offering something similar.

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 shipping company 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 policy holder on their insurance policies to make it easier for customers to file a claim if something happens to your 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. And as a result, Sherpa has maintained an average customer review rating of over 4 out of 5 stars for the last 3 years.

Like what you see?

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Montway Auto Transport has been on our top five list for some time, and it consistently proves that it belongs there. With Montway, you know you’ll be getting some of the lowest prices in the industry, and you won’t even have to worry about up-front payments.

It’s the innovator of an online price calculator that many of its competitors now use, and they even offer something many cannot: guaranteed pick-up dates . . . which means you don’t have to fret about last-minute changes to your travel plans.

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 transport 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.

Although Montway cannot 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, and as a result GPS tracking is not the easiest service in the industry to come by.

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.

Looking for low prices from an industry legacy?

Read Our Review

Ship A Car Direct has quickly risen to the top of the industry. Aside from a comprehensive carrier vetting process (to make sure you’re always getting the best drivers), Ship A Car Direct now offers some of the lowest car shipping prices around.

How low? Well, its pricing comes in around 11% lower than the industry average—which means around $130 in savings for the average customer. And pricing is even better for customers shipping with enclosed transport, which offers even more protection for your vehicle against damage in transit.

Not to worry though, Ship A Car Direct also provides a damage-free guarantee worth up to $500. Not bad at all.

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. 

In the auto transport industry, it’s not uncommon for a company to offer zero additional insurance for their customers, putting most of the liability on the carriers. But that’s not the case with Ship A Car Direct. The broker is so confident in the quality of their drivers that it offers a damage-free guarantee of up to $500 towards your insurance deductible in the unlikely event your car experiences damage during transit.

Ship A Car Direct receives high scores for customer service across multiple platforms, and for good reason. Customers usually refer to fast and helpful customer service in their reviews, and many negative reviews are even followed up by responses from the company’s owner. Ship A Car Direct cares for their customers, and their customer reviews reflect that.

Impressed by the damage-free guarantee?

Read Our Review

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 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.

Want a free rental car if your vehicle arrives late?

Read Easy Auto Ship Review

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.

Looking for control over your price?

Read our Review

AmeriFreight is our number one car shipping company, but each of these transport brokers brings something special to the table:

• AmeriFreight. Flexible pricing options. And one of those options includes guaranteed pricing.

• 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. The customer favorite. Low prices, no up-front payments, and guaranteed pickup availability are some of its most popular features.
• Ship A Car Direct. Lowest industry pricing. The average customer saves around $130, and they even offer a $500 damage-free guarantee.

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

1. Compare quotes. We collected nearly 700 quotes from 10 different companies. The car shipping quotes included prices for a motorcycle, car, SUV, and truck across 11 distances with both open and enclosed transport.
2. Mystery shopping. We contacted auto transport companies posing as customers to gather pricing data and learn how the brokers formulate their prices.
3. Site visits. We invited several industry leaders to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, and explain what goes into their pricing. We then compared their answers to information we independently obtained to verify accuracy.
4. Annual calendar. We repeat this process every year and save our data to compare trends over time.

• What’s the Cheapest Way to Move Cross Country?
• What’s the Cheapest Way to Ship My Car?
• Should I Hire a Commercial Mover?
• How Much Does it Cost to Move Internationally?

1. Sherpa Auto Transport, "Reviews," October 2, 2024. Accessed October 2, 2024.