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Door-to-door transport is the most convenient way to ship your car. Our guide explains the process, the costs and why door-to-door shipping might be right for you. Outbound Transportation
Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.
Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics.
When shipping a vehicle, you’ll need to decide on your pickup and delivery locations. The best car shipping companies offer both door-to-door transport and terminal-to-terminal shipping, but which car shipping service is the most convenient?
This guide will focus on door-to-door shipping. We at the MarketWatch Guides Team have thoroughly researched this transport method and will give you an overview and the pros and cons. We’ll also recommend shipping companies that offer door-to-door transport. When you’re looking for door-to-door auto transport services, it’s best to compare free quotes from a few providers.
The MarketWatch Guides Team is committed to providing reliable information to help you make the best possible decision about shipping your vehicle. Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car shipping companies. We collected data on dozens of auto transport providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. After 200 hours of research, the end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Learn more about our methodology and editorial guidelines .
Door-to-door transport service allows your car to be picked up from and dropped off at specific addresses. This means you can have the carrier come to your preferred location, like your driveway or a street in your neighborhood, as long as it’s safely and legally accessible.
It can be difficult for car carriers to load cars in areas with narrow streets or low-hanging trees. To make things easy for the truck driver, some customers choose an easily accessible location, such as a popular street, a less dense residential area or a nearby parking lot. For the most part, however, customers ship their cars to or from their homes.
One thing to keep in mind is that depending on your location, door-to-door transport can be more expensive than terminal-to-terminal shipping. Delivery to rural areas can require more driving time and fuel, which will increase the price of your shipment. However, shipping to or from a terminal can be much less convenient, as you’ll have to arrange travel to the pickup location and be more flexible with your schedule.
When you’re researching car transport services, it’s best to weigh the positives and negatives of your shipping options.
Some of the advantages of door-to-door auto transport are:
Disadvantages of door-to-door car shipping include:
With door-to-door transport, your vehicle is delivered as close to your chosen address as possible. To understand exactly how door-to-door shipping works, it’s important to understand the car shipping process as a whole. Here’s how car shipping works, from start to finish:
According to Montway Auto Transport, car shipping costs range from 58 cents to $1.96 per mile. Below is a table of per-mile cost ranges for various transport distances.
There are eight main factors that determine car shipping costs. They include:
We’ve researched the top shippers in the auto transport industry and found that Montway Auto Transport and Easy Auto Ship are among the most reputable. Both companies offer door-to-door transport.
Montway Auto Transport works with over 15,000 drivers to deliver an average of more than 49,000 vehicles each year. Over the past 15 years, Montway has built an excellent reputation in the car shipping industry by offering affordable prices and stellar customer service.
The company holds accreditation and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Customer reviews on Trustpilot rate Montway an average of 4.6 out of 5.0 stars . We give Montway 9.3 out of 10.0 and the title of Editor’s Choice.
Learn more in our full Montway Auto Transport review .
Easy Auto Ship offers a discount of up to $150 on your transport service if you pay the driver with cash on delivery. Also, Easy Auto Ship will pay for a rental car if your auto transport takes more than 14 days to complete. The company will also pay for a car wash if your car arrives dirty.
Easy Auto Ship holds an A+ rating and accreditation from the BBB, and customers on the organization’s website rate the company an average of 4.6 stars out of 5.0.
Check out our Easy Auto Ship review for more details.
A reputable car shipping company with benefits like rental car coverage.
Door-to-door transport is a shipping method in which a car hauler picks your car up from and delivers it to specific addresses. If a car shipping company offers door-to-door shipping, it means your car can be shipped to and from any safe, legal and accessible location.
If you have a luxury vehicle or classic car that needs protection from road hazards and the elements, spending the extra money on enclosed transport may be worth it.
Door-to-door transport is the most convenient auto shipping option, as the truck driver comes to you. You don’t need to schedule extra time or find a ride to a shipping terminal.
Yes, car shipping is generally safe. Crashes and car thefts involving auto transport carriers are very rare.
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car shipping companies. We collected data on dozens of auto transport providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
*Data accurate at time of publication.
Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.
Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics.
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