- John Goreham
- 2/28/2024
SGT Auto Transport is a highly rated car shipping company with a long track record of reliable service and excellent reviews. Whether you're a migrating snowbird, military member relocating to a new posting, or perhaps buying a vehicle out of state online, SGT Auto Transport can help get your vehicle where it needs to go.
Pros and Cons
- Long track record of service
- Zero upfront payments
- 100% money-back guarantee
- Solid Google reviews
- Easy, transparent quotes process
- BBB rating has dropped to a B
- Some reviews mention price increases after the agreement
About SGT Auto Transport
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, after having moved from Florida, SGT Auto Transport has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2020 and presently has a B rating as of 2024. The company has been in business for nearly a decade.
SGT Auto Transport has delivered about 26,000 vehicles and has many returning customers. Interestingly, SGT is a subcontractor to uShip, a company that also ranks well on our list of vehicle shipping providers. SGT says that it has at its disposal over 200K reliable carriers it can use to make your delivery a success.
SGT Auto Transport offers both open and enclosed carriers, common to most vehicle shipping companies. Open transport carriers will usually be the better priced service, but enclosed transport may offer more protection if your vehicle is unique, an antique, a classic, an exotic, or just very special to you.
Special services that SGT provides include express delivery, guaranteed pick up times, motorcycle shipping, in-transit tracking of your vehicle on its journey, and offers car shipping to Hawaii.
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How Does SGT Auto Transport Work?
SGT Auto Transport breaks down the process of shipping a car into three basic steps. First, you get your quote by phone, email, online, or via live chat and then you book your order. Step two is to have SGT pick up your vehicle. During this step you and the carrier will take pictures to ensure the vehicle’s condition is recorded. Last, step three, you meet the shipper at a location you decide upon to pick your car up.
How to Get a Quote From SGT Auto Transport
SGT makes getting a quote for your needs easy. You can get your pricing three ways. You can phone the company directly and speak to a customer service agent, you can chat online, or you can use an online price tool. When we phoned SGT Auto Transport to ask for pricing, the customer service person picked up immediately, was easy to communicate with, and provided the pricing both verbally while we were on the call, and then followed up with an emailed price quote.
SGT Auto Transport Insurance
SGT Auto Transport says that “...all vehicles are covered by the motor carrier’s cargo insurance.” However, SGT also points out that there are limitations that you’ll need to be aware of. Take note of any transport involving a ship (say to Hawaii) and ensure you are fully covered before you sign an agreement. One important step in shipping a car is to do a walk-around and take photos from at least four angles before the vehicle is loaded. This helps to establish the vehicle’s condition just before it leaves on the carrier’s truck, so that you can have excellent proof of any damage that may have happened during shipping.
Recently, SGT let us know that they have a new insurance offering. Beyond carrier insurance, SGT Auto Transport offers its own, up to $250,000 additional coverage for peace of mind, ensuring full protection when carrier policies fall short.
SGT Auto Transport Prices and Fees
Among its four beliefs, SGT Auto Transport lists the sentence below.
“Honesty: Providing fair and transparent rates to our customers.”
We asked SGT Auto Transport if they would provide our readers with some examples of pricing to ship a car and they were happy to do so. The pricing examples below are based on a 2018 Toyota RAV4 in good working order. We asked for pricing with four weeks lead time before pick up, and these prices are for open transport. Please let us emphasize these prices were provided by SGT Auto Transport, but are approximates only. Contact the company for your own personal quote based on your car, travel dates and market rates.
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When we researched how SGT prices its services we noticed that on its page summarizing the company’s benefits, SGT hedges a bit. Where it says “Guaranteed Pick Up” there is an info bubble that expands and says, “Price may vary.” In addition, next to “Express Shipping” there is the same “Price may vary” notice. See our reviews section below to close the loop on this odd price information. If you’d like to see SGT Auto Transport’s terms and conditions, you can jump to them here. However, always review your own contract closely.
Here are some suggestions to help you save money on car shipping.
SGT Auto Transport Ratings and Reviews
1012 customers of SGT Auto Transport have given the company a BBB score which tallies to an average of 4.59/5. On Google, SGT has earned a very solid 4.7/5 average over a whopping 6,748 reviews.
KS posted a Google review recently that said, “Great company and price for shipping our car! SGT was ~20% cheaper than the next best group. We called, got it set up easily, got our car 48 hours later, and had flexibility on how to pay the driver after putting down a deposit! Great auto transport company!” Another customer posted an image and this review, “My Toyota RAV4 was delivered within one week from California to Georgia in good condition. Highly recommended. We’d 100% use them next time.”
Car Talk likes to sort by “Most Recent” when we research reviews for any company we cover. When we did so for SGT Auto Transport we noticed that multiple customers at multiple review sites had indicated that there was a problem with pricing. The general theme is that the customer books a transportation agreement with SGT and then the price goes up at the last minute. Here is one example from BBB. “Paid in full $1,100 …Pick up day between 11/19-11/23, delivery day between 11/19 and 11/30. They called me on 11/27 to ask for more money for delivery. Which I declined.”
At Google there are other similar examples of prices changing. DC’s review was an example of this. DC wrote in part, “Hired this company to transport an SUV from Jersey to Colorado. They gave …a good price, about $150 cheaper than anywhere else….They will always call you asking for more money ‘we found a transporter but they are asking for more money for this vehicle’. That extra amount was always between $200-$250.”
Of the last 20 reviews of SGT Auto Transport posted to Google by customers, five were 1-star reviews. The balance were all 5-star reviews. It seems that the experiences are polar. Let us note that like all review pages, it is probably more likely that a person will post a negative review than a positive one. Having researched the reviews of all the major vehicle shipping companies in the U.S., Car Talk found SGT Auto Transport to be among the most highly rated by its customers.
Read our full recommendations for the Best Car Shipping Companies in the industry here.
Read more on How to Ship a Car here.
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Online or call us at (864) 565-9644.
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FAQ
- What forms of payment are accepted at SGT Auto Transport?
SGS accepts credit cards, but in some circ*mstances cash or money orders may be used.
- How is SGT Auto Transport rated?
SGT Auto Transport has solid customer ratings of about 4.7 on Google and a 4.5 on BBB. Car Talk found SGT Auto Transport to have respectable ratings.
- Does SGT Auto Transport offer enclosed transport?
Yes, SGT does offer enclosed transport. However, unless your vehicle is a classic, vintage, antique, exotic, or very special to you, consider open transport to save money.
- How can I save money when shipping a car?
Shippers have advised Car Talk that flexibility on timing and using open transport are the two best ways to save money when you need to ship a car.
- What is the best company to ship a car?
Car Talk has rated and ranked all of the major car shipping companies. In addition to SGT Auto Transport, Montway and AmeriFreight have the highest scores, but see our full listings for more options for the Best Car Shipping Companies here.
- How much does it cost to ship a car?
Shipping a car varies in price depending on many factors including the car itself, what form of transport you opt for, when you ship it, how far, and the current cost for fuel in America. If we had to pick one answer it would be “About $1,300.” Read more on How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car here.
Editor's note and disclaimer: Car Talk is supported by our fans, readers and listeners. When you click on some of the links on our website, we may receive referral compensation. However, you should know that the recommendations we make are based on our independent editorial review and analyses.
