The Ultimate Guide to Transporting Your Luxury Car in 2025: A Journey in Elegance

A luxury car means a big investment and a valuable asset. For many, the prospect of trusting your luxury vehicle to an auto shipping company is enough to induce anxiety and nausea, but it doesn’t have to be that way! There are special ways of handling high-dollar vehicles to take the stress out of the picture.

Choosing the Right Transport Method 

At SGT Auto Transport, we offer a few different transport methods to get your luxury car from point A to point B:

• Open car transport: while this is the most cost-effective and popular system for automotive logistics, it might not be perfect for a luxury car. With open car transport, your vehicle is loaded onto a professional double-decker trailer along with several others. The upside is lower cost and better availability, but the downside is that your car is exposed to the elements and road grit. If you’re comfortable with that, though, this is a great option.
• Enclosed car transport: while this comes at a premium cost, it’s a preferred method for high-dollar, rare, fragile and luxury cars. Enclosed car transport gives you an enhanced measure of security and protection by loading your vehicle into a specially designed automotive trailer and then locking it in for the entire trip, away from curious onlookers and protected on all sides. This is a preferred choice for modified cars, or lowered vehicles that don’t have much ground clearance.  While enclosed car transport does give you that added security, it comes at a premium cost.
• White-glove car transport: this is the ultimate in top-shelf handling, with your vehicle being hauled only by specified drivers. White-glove car transport means a close inspection at the time of pickup and at delivery, with regular check-ins and monitoring along the route.
• Cross-country car transport: do you need to get your vehicle to a location that’s a few states away? If you need to cover several hundred miles, it can be expensive as much of the billing is calculated around distance and mileage. Cost/mile is a big part of that equation, but cost/mile goes down for longer runs, making cross-country car transport a better value proposition.

Researching Reliable Auto Transport Companies 

For any big outlay of money, whether it’s a new set of appliances, a remodeling project, a home theater setup or transporting a luxury car, any reasonable person would perform due diligence and do some comparison shopping. When you’re analyzing your options, be mindful of things like these:

• What do customer reviews look like? Research the company’s reviews on sites like BBB, Yelp, Google, Trustpilot and various logistics sites and forums, as well as testimonials on the company’s website.
• Look carefully at what the company’s shipping options are, sparing no detail and reading all the fine print. Make sure that the shipping methods will provide a level of security and protection that you’re comfortable with.
• Comparison shop for shipping rates, of course.
• What does the company’s driver network look like? Are their contract drivers accredited with the correct licensing, permits, DOT certifications and insurance coverage?
• What territories does each logistics company cover?
• Are you dealing with a carrier, or a broker? Carriers and brokers are two different models; carriers own and operate their own fleet of trucks and employ company drivers, while brokers connect customers with contract drivers (a more flexible system). Each has its own pluses and minuses.
• Does the company offer any special handling for luxury or high-dollar vehicles? How are their drivers tracked and monitored? Several systems and technologies are available for tracking.

Obtaining Multiple Quotes 

As mentioned above, you should try to gather as many quotes as you can when you’re analyzing your shipping options and comparing companies. Be sure to read the details and make sure you won’t be stuck with any surcharges or hidden fees (SGT Auto Transport promises there will never be any surprise charges tacked onto your quote - what you see is what you will pay).

Understanding Insurance Coverage 

Any reputable carrier or broker will offer carrier insurance, and in the case of brokers, contract drivers are required to carry their own insurance coverage for cargo. Look closely at terms and conditions for insurance coverage, and be sure that you understand what the monetary limits for damage are. If you’re still not comfortable with what you’re finding out, many logistics companies offer the option of purchasing extra coverage, just for your own peace of mind.

Preparing Your Luxury Car for Transport 

When it’s getting closer to time for your vehicle to be picked up for transport, here are a few ways to ensure that goes smoothly:

• Your transport driver will ask you to do an inspection and a condition report, and he will do the same to make sure they agree with each other. Give your car a good wash job, as it’s easier to spot any dings or scratches on a clean car. It’s a good idea to take a few pictures to document its condition, too.
• Remember that curb weight of the vehicle is a big part of shipping rates. If your car has a quarter tank or less of fuel, that helps keep weight down.
• It’s advised that you remove any personal items, as DOT regulations prohibit shipping a vehicle and personal goods together. It’s permissible, though, to put 100 lbs of personal items in a suitcase in the trunk.
• Don’t forget that the transport driver will need the ignition key, and don’t forget to get the driver’s cell phone number.
• If your car has any detachable external accessories like antennas, guards, cargo boxes or bike racks, they should be removed before shipping.

Scheduling and Timing 

It’s preferable that you give SGT Auto Transport a couple of weeks of lead time before your desired shipment date. It makes it easier to find the right driver and take care of scheduling and dispatch; expedited shipping is available, but at extra cost. Whatever your situation, SGT Auto Transport is ready to work with you to come up with the right solution for your car and your needs.

Communicating with the Transport Company

One of the things we pride ourselves on at SGT Auto Transport is our customer service; friendly, helpful and available 24/7/365. You can actually get your initial quote from SGT using the Quote Calculator feature on our website, but many customers with luxury cars prefer to get details sorted out with a customer service rep. Just let us know and we’re ready to talk anytime you are!

 

Tracking Your Luxury Car 

Remember you’ll have a copy of your transport driver’s phone number; you can check in with the driver while he’s en route, or the driver can give you regular updates if so requested. We do track our drivers and runs using GPS technology, ensuring accountability the whole way.

Receiving and Inspecting Your Luxury Car: 

• If possible we’d prefer that you be there in person to take possession of your car again. You can pass this task along to a relative, friend, neighbor or spouse, as long as we’re informed in advance, but for express car shipping the driver may ask you to pay the balance of what’s owed at time of delivery, via cash, cashier’s check or money order.
• If your neighborhood has narrow, congested or curvy streets, it could be difficult (or even prohibited) to get an 18 wheeler in to deliver your vehicle. Consider a more accessible spot for dropoff, like a large, open parking lot.
• The driver will ask you to perform an inspection to ensure the vehicle condition matches what’s on his own report and bill of lading.

Get a free, no-hassle quote on car shipping today.

If you’ve got a luxury car you need to ship across the country, SGT Auto Transport can help you do it safely and securely. Get in touch with our shipping advisors to ask any questions you might have. Call (864) 546-5038 or use our Live Chat.