Car shipping questions and answers

Most people pay somewhere between a few hundred dollars for a short trip and $1,500 or more to cross the country. Distance matters most, then the size of the vehicle, whether it runs, open or enclosed transport, the time of year and fuel prices. Our shipping cost page shows what reviewers actually paid, by route and carrier type.

Post your trip: the vehicle, the pickup and delivery cities, and when it’s ready. Sponsoring companies send their prices to your request page, where you can compare them and read each company’s reviews. We email you as prices arrive. You don’t need to give a name or phone number, and your email address is never shared. You contact the company you choose.

A carrier owns the trucks and moves your vehicle. A broker takes your booking and finds a carrier that is running your route. Many companies do both. Brokers can give you more pickup dates to choose from; booking a carrier directly means one less company in the middle. Either way, ask who will actually pick up your car and check that company too.

Open carriers are the long double-deck trucks you see on the highway. They are the most common and the cheapest choice, and suit everyday cars. Enclosed trailers protect the vehicle from weather and road debris and usually cost 30 to 60 percent more. People choose them for classic, exotic or freshly restored cars.

Pickup usually happens within one to seven days of booking, sooner if you are flexible. Once loaded, a coast-to-coast trip takes about one to two weeks, and shorter routes a few days. Each route page shows the average transit time reviewers reported.

Search for it on our company list and read its reviews, especially the most recent ones and the critical ones. Look at its MC and USDOT numbers and use the “Check FMCSA record” button on its page to confirm it is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Be wary of a quote far below the others: it can mean your car waits weeks for a carrier willing to take that price.

Carriers must carry cargo insurance. Ask the company for a copy of the certificate and how much it covers before you book. Note any existing damage on the inspection report (the bill of lading) at pickup, take dated photos, and inspect the vehicle again before you sign at delivery.

Wash it so damage is easy to see, photograph every side, remove personal items and toll tags, leave about a quarter tank of fuel, and tell the driver about anything unusual, such as a car that does not run or an alarm that is hard to switch off.

Most carriers do not allow it, or allow a small amount in the trunk, because their insurance does not cover personal items and extra weight can bring fines. Ask before you pack anything.

Anyone who shipped a vehicle with the company. Write one review per shipment, after the job is finished. Write a review here; it takes about five minutes.

Yes. A person reads every review before it is published. We look for signs that it was not written by a real customer: copied text, several reviews from the same person, advertising, or a company reviewing itself or a competitor. Your email address and order number are never shown; we only use them if we need to confirm the review.

See our review guidelines. The most common reasons are: the writer was not a customer, it was a duplicate, it contained someone’s phone number or other personal details, it was abusive or threatening, or it was really about something other than the shipment.

No. A company cannot pay to remove, hide, reorder or edit reviews, and sponsorship has no effect on ratings or rankings. Companies can reply publicly to any review of them.

No. Transport Auto Reviews LLC is an independent review site and is not owned by any auto transport broker or carrier. Some companies sponsor the site; sponsors are marked with a “Sponsor” label and are treated exactly like every other company when it comes to reviews and ratings.

It is the plain average of the overall scores in its published reviews. Nothing is weighted or hidden. Keep in mind that people with a problem are more likely to write a review than people whose shipment went smoothly, so read what the reviews say, not just the number.

Contact us with a link to the review and why you think it is not genuine. We look into every report.

Open your company’s page and choose “Claim this listing”. We confirm the request with your company, usually by phone, and then email a link to set up your username and password. If your company is not listed yet, add it first.

Yes. Once signed in you can reply to any review of your company. Replies appear under the review after a quick check. A calm, factual reply that explains what happened and how it was resolved helps future customers more than an argument.

Contact us with the review link and anything that shows the person was not a customer, such as a search of your booking records by name, date and route. We will investigate and remove the review if it breaks our guidelines.

Listings and genuine customer reviews stay on the site, because they help people decide who to trust with their vehicle. We do correct wrong details and hide listings for companies that have closed. Contact us if either applies.

Ask every customer to leave a review once their vehicle is delivered, not only the ones you expect to be happy. Do not write reviews yourselves or offer rewards for positive ones; reviews that break our rules are removed, and paying for reviews can break federal law.

Quote requests are a sponsor feature. Sponsors with a login see open requests on the Quotes tab of their company account, get an email for each new one, and post a price, pickup window and note. The customer sees every price next to each company’s reviews. Customers’ contact details are never shared, so the customer contacts you if they choose your price.

See becoming a sponsor. Sponsors get a “Sponsor” label and a place on our sponsors page. Sponsorship never changes a rating, a ranking or which reviews appear.