Montway Auto Transport Review

We examined Montway Auto Transport in four key areas when crafting our review: reputation, cost, services, and customer experience. The following sections provide further details on these methodology categories and how Montway performed in each.

Reputation

Participants in our latest vehicle shipping survey conducted in August 2023 made it clear – company reputation was the most important to them when choosing a shipping provider. Close to a quarter of our 1,000 contributors felt this way.

We gauge a company’s industry reputation based on its state availability, years in business, and Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. Montway is available in all 50 states and has been in business since 2006. The company also holds an A+ rating from the BBB. Taking all these factors into account, we give Montway a healthy 4.8 out of 5.0-star rating for reputation.

Cost

Cost was the second most important factor to our latest survey participants. We give Montway 4.5 out of 5.0 stars in the cost category. Our team gathered quotes to ship an operable 2018 Toyota RAV4 along various routes using open and enclosed shipping services to analyze the company’s rates. We found that Montway tends to offer lower prices than many of its competitors. Montway also offers a discount for paying in cash, which is somewhat rare for the car shipping industry.

Services

Montway shines in this category. Transit time is typically on the lower end of the normal range due to the wide network of carriers the company uses. Montway also ships to and from Hawaii and Alaska, which isn’t a given in the auto shipping world. The company offers cargo insurance, which protects your vehicle from damage during transit, of up to $100,000 for on-land shipments with no deductible. Overall, we rate Montway 4.8 out of 5.0 stars in this category.

Customer Experience

Customer reviews across multiple platforms paint a positive picture of Montway Auto Transport. The company has a 4.6 out of 5.0-star rating from customers on the BBB and a 4.3 out of 5.0-star rating from over 1,300 reviews on Trustpilot. Combined with its easy-to-use online quote tool, these ratings fuel our team’s 4.6 out of 5.0-star customer experience rating for Montway.

Founded: 2006

Headquarters: Schaumburg, IL

Service Area: All 50 U.S. states, including Hawaii and Alaska

Montway Auto Transport is a well-established auto shipping broker with over 15 years of experience. Inc. 5000 included Montway on its list of the fastest-growing companies in 2015 and again in 2021. Montway moved 140,000 vehicles in 2020, according to Inc. 5000. Montway also ranked in Crain’s Chicago Business 50 fastest-growing businesses in 2017.

Montway Auto Transport ships to and from anywhere in the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. The company offers both open shipping, meaning your vehicle is loaded onto a trailer that’s exposed to the elements, and enclosed shipping, where your car is hauled in a trailer with walls and a roof. Note that enclosed shipping can cost 30 to 40 percent more per mile.

After your vehicle ships, the company offers a live chat service you can contact between 6:00 AM and midnight CST to ask about the location of your vehicle. In Montway Auto Transport reviews, many customers mention live chat as a standout feature of the company’s shipping process.

Note that Montway doesn’t offer shipping services for RVs or trailers but only passenger cars (including SUVs and pickups).

Montway Auto Transport Extras And Add-Ons

Montway offers a few additional auto transport services that may improve your shipping experience:

• Expedited shipping (guaranteed pickup dates)
• Door-to-door delivery (your vehicle is delivered as close to your home address as possible, offered standard)
• No fee for shipping up to 100 pounds of personal items in your vehicle’s trunk

The shipper provides insurance, which is part of your shipping cost. Montway also offers contingent cargo insurance up to $250,000. This can be thought of as extra protection for your vehicle while it’s being shipped. It goes beyond basic cargo insurance to pay for damages if your trucker’s policy fails to cover a valid claim fully.

In our latest car shipping survey, respondents stated that delivery speed and insurance coverage were the third and fourth most important considerations for choosing an auto shipping company. Montway satisfies these requirements with its expedited shipping service and extra insurance coverage.

In late 2022, Montway quoted our team $1,369 to ship a Toyota RAV4 1,500 miles from Los Angeles, CA, to Houston, TX. This is cheaper than the average rate of $1,425 across 18 major car shipping companies for that same route.

Our latest survey data shows that almost half of all respondents paid between $1,000 and $2,000 for their shipping services. This is an increase from our previous shipping survey’s data, which showed that just over 41 percent of respondents paid between $1,000 and $1,999 for their vehicle shipment.

Montway Auto Transport Quotes

To give you an idea of what it might cost to ship your car with Montway Auto Transport, we reached out for quotes to ship an operable 2018 Toyota RAV4 through open transport. Note that your rates may vary based on time of year, vehicle, route, and other factors. 

Here are the car shipping rates Montway quoted us in 2022:

For some added context, here are the quotes we received from Montway for the same shipments in 2021:

Our car shipping cost research revealed that Montway Auto Transport is one of the cheapest options in the U.S. The auto broker also offers discounts for returning customers as well as active and former military members.

What Affects Car Shipping Costs

According to Montway’s website, auto shipping prices are usually around $1.96 per mile for distances under 500 miles, 93 cents per mile for distances between 500 and 1,500 miles, and 58 cents per mile for distances over 1,500 miles. However, as noted earlier, multiple factors can impact your shipping price. Here’s a more comprehensive list:

• Vehicle size and weight: Most car shipping services will charge based on weight, so larger vehicles cost more to transport than smaller vehicles.
• Vehicle operability: Inoperable vehicles will cost more to haul than operable vehicles because they add more labor.
• Shipping distance: Shipping a car over a long distance will cost more overall, but less per mile than shorter trips.
• Type of transport (open versus enclosed trailer): Open transport is cheaper than enclosed transport.
• Destination and pickup locations (urban versus rural): Typically, shipping to a rural location will cost more than shipping to an urban area. Along the same lines, door-to-door transport is more expensive than terminal-to-terminal transport.
• Season: Summer months and January tend to be more expensive.

Montway offers instant quotes online, taking the hassle out of budgeting for your move.

If you’re wondering how to ship a car with Montway, use the online quote tool and enter the following information:

• Departure and delivery locations (door-to-door shipments available only)
• Transport preference (open or enclosed)
• Vehicle info (year, make, model, and operability)
• Shipping dates
• Urgency (as soon as possible, within two weeks, within 30 days, or more than 30 days)

Shippers will bid once you post your job, and Montway will match you with the best offer. After being paired with a car shipper, you schedule a pickup date and location with your driver. At pickup, you and the driver inspect your vehicle and sign a bill of lading. After the car arrives, you will examine it again and sign the bill of lading if you don’t see any damages.

Any order is fully refundable if you cancel before you are assigned a carrier. After being assigned a carrier, you’ll pay a minimum $249 cancellation fee. You can pay for your shipment one of two ways: either a partial deposit and the rest of the payment in cash at the time of delivery, or the full cost up front by credit card.

What To Know For A Successful Auto Shipment

Shipping a car isn’t as easy as mailing a package, and you should be aware of the following to make your experience a smooth one.

• Rates can change: Supply and demand significantly influence shipping prices. If enough carriers aren’t available for your shipping time and route, you may pay more to secure the shipment.
• Flexibility is key: If you can be flexible with your pickup date, you can avoid paying for expedited shipping and find the best price. You can also authorize a friend or family member to meet the motor carrier with your vehicle if you have a tight time frame.
• Plan for delays: A lone trucker usually drives an auto carrier and doesn’t have other trailers readily available if something happens on the road. It’s common to get your car a few days after the original estimated drop-off date.

Montway Auto Transport is diligent about replying to positive and negative reviews. It has replied to 92 percent of negative reviews on Trustpilot, with response times clocking in at less than a week. This is impressive for the industry and highlights Montway’s dedication to providing a good customer experience.

Positive Montway Auto Transport Reviews

Satisfied Montway customers say the company provides timely deliveries and excellent customer communication. Seventeen percent of reviewers positively mention the customer service at Montway Auto Transport.

Montway Auto Transport Complaints

Not all customers have enjoyed timely delivery, and some Montway Auto Transport reviews mention final rates above the original cost. Other reviews cite difficulty canceling a shipment, and many customers don’t like the minimum $249 cancellation fee.

Montway doesn’t offer guaranteed pricing, and, as mentioned, some users have complained about the cancellation fee. But these are the only real drawbacks we’ve found in our research. Most customers are pleased with Montway’s service and praise the high level of communication the company provides.

Montway Auto Transport is an excellent place to look for cheap car shipping, but it’s not the only place. SGT Auto Transport and Sherpa Auto Transport are two other shippers in the auto transport industry we recommend checking out. Learn more about their vehicle transport services below.

SGT Auto Transport: 4.6 Stars

SGT Auto Transport stands out for its price-match guarantee, which is a unique benefit in the industry. Under this guarantee, SGT Auto Transport will match a written quote from a direct competitor if you find a better rate elsewhere.

The company offers car shipping to 49 states, including Hawaii, and provides a wide selection of transport services. SGT Auto Transport also has a positive customer service reputation. In our 2023 car shipping survey, the provider tied with Montway Auto Transport for the highest percentage of customers very satisfied with their shipment.

Learn more about the company in our SGT Auto Transport review.

Sherpa Auto Transport: 4.6 Stars

Unlike Montway Auto Transport, Sherpa Auto Transport offers locked-in pricing, meaning Sherpa guarantees quoted prices and will pay the difference if a shipper charges more. The company’s car shipping services are available in the continental U.S. but not in Alaska and Hawaii.

Sherpa receives high marks for customer satisfaction, with an A+ rating with accreditation from the BBB and a near-perfect 4.9-star rating from customers on the BBB website.

Read more in our complete Sherpa Auto Transport review.