Sherpa Auto Transport Review
When you’re moving, it may be cheaper to ship your car to your new home than to drive it there. If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable way to ship your car to your new home, Sherpa Auto Transport can be a smart choice.
In this review, the This Old House Reviews Team examines Sherpa Auto Transport reviews, costs, and services to help you decide if this car transport company is right for your shipping needs. We recommend getting quotes from some of the best car shipping companies to compare services and rates and find the best moving company for your relocation.
Our Take on Sherpa Auto Transport: Best for Locked-In Rates
Founded in 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sherpa Auto Transport has quickly gained an excellent reputation in the car shipping industry. By offering locked-in pricing through its Price Lock Promise and bonuses like its Clean Car Guarantee, Sherpa has earned the trust of thousands of customers.
Sherpa offers open and enclosed auto transport services to the continental United States as well as Hawaii. The auto transport company ships standard vehicles and classic cars, but it doesn’t offer shipping services for alternative vehicles such as ATVs or motorcycles.
| Overall Rating | 4.5 |
|---|---|
|
Price |
4.4 |
|
Services |
4.5 |
|
Industry Standing |
4.5 |
|
Customer Experience |
4.7 |
Sherpa Auto Transport Pros and Cons
In our Sherpa Auto Transport review, we found the following pros and cons of working with the company:
✔ Locked-in rates
✔ Reimbursement for a car wash with every transport
✔ Vast network of vetted carriers
✘ Doesn’t offer instant online quotes
✘ No terminal-to-terminal shipping option
Sherpa Auto Transport Cost
Since you’re already considering the cost of the best moving companies to get your things to your new home, you should also consider the costs of auto transport. While researching car shipping costs across the industry, our review team found that Sherpa Auto Transport is a good option for cheap car shipping.
We requested shipping quotes for an operable 2018 Honda CR-V. Here’s what Sherpa quoted:
Pickup Location | Delivery Location | Distance | Transport Type | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virginia Beach, Va. |
Atlanta |
520 miles |
Open transport |
$850 |
|
Las Vegas |
Miami |
2,566 miles |
Open transport |
$1,575 |
Price Lock Promise
To ensure your vehicle shipping experience is stress-free, Sherpa Auto Transport offers its Price Lock Promise, which says the price you’re quoted is the final price you’ll pay. The company will pay up to a $300 difference if your initial quote isn’t enough to secure a shipper. This means you won’t have to worry about hidden fees, sudden rate hikes, or bait-and-switch pricing when booking your car shipment.
Added perks like these help you get the best service possible throughout your move.
What Affects Car Shipping Costs?
Even if you chose a cheap moving company, car shipping can be expensive and potentially max out your budget. Getting quotes from car transport companies is important for price comparison and finding the best deal, but knowing what affects the cost of your shipment can help you save on your auto transport and your move to your new place.
Several factors can impact the price of your vehicle transport, including:
- Vehicle size and weight: Larger vehicles, such as trucks and SUVs, are more expensive to ship.
- Operability: Inoperable vehicles require more time and labor to load onto trucks.
- Type of transport: Shipping in an open carrier is much less expensive than shipping in an enclosed trailer.
- Shipping distance: Long-distance shipments cost less per mile but more overall.
- Fuel costs: As gas and diesel prices increase, so does the cost of car shipping.
- Season: Demand for car shipping services increases during January and the summer, so you’ll find higher prices during those times of year.
Sherpa Auto Transport Services
Sherpa provides a number of car shipping services, including:
- Door-to-door shipping
- Open carrier shipping
- Enclosed carrier shipping
- Expedited transport
- 24/7 real-time location updates
Sherpa Auto Transport also includes its Clean Car Guarantee with all shipments. Once your car is delivered, you can take it to a car wash, mail Sherpa your receipt, and receive a reimbursement of up to $20.
Sherpa Auto Transport Process
As an auto transport broker, Sherpa doesn’t ship cars itself. Instead, the company arranges transport by finding carriers in its network that suit each customer’s shipping needs.
If this is your first move where you need to ship your car to your new home, knowing this company’s process can help you decide if it’s right for you. Here’s an overview of how car shipping with Sherpa Auto Transport works:
- Call for a quote or request a car shipping quote online: Once you complete the free quote request, a Sherpa agent will contact you via phone call or email.
- Book your order and put down the initial payment: You can pay the deposit with any major credit card. The amount is a percentage of the total shipping cost.
- Once the trucker arrives, the two of you will inspect the vehicle for damage: After you complete the inspection, your car will be loaded onto the carrier.
- The driver will deliver your vehicle: During delivery, you and the driver will again inspect the vehicle to ensure it didn’t get damaged during the shipping process. You’ll sign a bill of lading and pay your remaining balance to the driver with cash or a certified check.
Sherpa will charge a $25 dispatch fee if you cancel before a carrier is assigned to your shipment. If you cancel after Sherpa assigns your carrier, you won’t get your shipping deposit back.
Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
Sherpa Auto Transport is known for its excellent customer service, which is reflected in its positive reviews. On the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site, the shipping broker holds a near-perfect 4.9-star rating out of 5.0 from over 250 customer reviews.
Sherpa has closed only seven customer complaints through the BBB in the last three years. To top it off, the provider is accredited by the BBB and has an A+ rating from the organization.
Positive Sherpa Auto Transport reviews often mention a smooth, hassle-free pickup and delivery process. Many customers also highlight Sherpa’s accurate pricing. Those who were unsatisfied with their shipping experience with Sherpa mentioned poor communication. Learn more from the reviews cited below.
“I appreciate and highly recommend the company to others. They gave ample information about the process and made me feel secure. My driver also picked up the vehicle the same day and delivered it before the estimated date Sherpa provided.”
– Sonya C. via BBB
“We have had a terrible experience before with shipping a car cross country, but Sherpa’s service was 100% excellent. Our cars were picked up and arrived when they said they would, [and] payment was simple, transparent, and not shady.”
– Grover W. via BBB
“We had an order in for 36 days and nothing happened. What a waste of time.”
– Anjelika T. via Google
“Horrible experience. As a military move, we have used them once before in 2020. This time, we never got updates on our shipment when our window was closing and they never returned our refund when they couldn’t find a driver. Emailed multiple times and no one has ever responded.”
– Cheyenne via Google
Our Conclusion
There are many reasons to recommend Sherpa Auto Transport, including excellent communication and customer service. Sherpa Auto Transport’s prices are some of the lowest available, and the company’s Price Lock Promise is a great benefit. We give Sherpa the Best for Locked-In Rates award in our review of the auto transport industry.
Choosing this company to transport your car to your new home could be the right choice for all the reasons above. But keep in mind that Sherpa provides shipping services in the Lower 48 states as well as Hawaii, but doesn’t ship internationally or to Alaska. Also, it only provides door-to-door shipping, which is more expensive than terminal-to-terminal transport.
Other Recommendations for Auto Shipping
When deciding on a transport company, it’s best to compare car shipping quotes. The This Old House Reviews Team did a deep dive on the best car shipping companies, examining costs, service options, and customer reviews. Along with Sherpa Auto Transport, we ranked Montway Auto Transport and uShip among the top providers.
Montway Auto Transport: Best Shipping Company
Montway Auto Transport is an auto transport broker that works with over 15,000 carriers across the nation. The company offers shipping services to and from anywhere in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii.
Montway has an A+ rating from the BBB, as well as customer ratings averaging 4.6 out of 5.0 stars on both the BBB’s website and Trustpilot. Positive Montway reviews often mention timely delivery and excellent communication.
Discover more in our full Montway Auto Transport review.
uShip: Best Transport Marketplace
Rather than a shipping broker, uShip is a shipping marketplace that puts pricing control into the hands of consumers. Customers post their shipping requests on uShip’s platform, and carriers bid on the shipments.
Like both Montway and Sherpa Auto Transport, uShip has a strong reputation. It carries an average BBB customer review score of 4.6 out of 5.0 stars and holds an A+ rating from the organization.
Read more in our full uShip review.
Additional Things to Consider When You Move
Even though choosing a company to ship your vehicle might be on the top of your moving to-do list, there are plenty of other factors to consider. It can be overwhelming to coordinate every aspect of relocating, especially if you’re making a long-distance move.
Our reviews team created a guide to moving to help you through the process. Here are some other things to consider when you’re moving:
- Setting a budget
- Planning your timeline
- Deciding between using a moving company or doing it yourself
- Buying or renting packing materials
- Taking time off of work
- Asking friends and family to help pack and move
- Researching the new area you’ll be living in
- Preparing children and pets for the move
- Completing administrative tasks, such as a change of address
FAQs About Sherpa Auto Transport
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ship my car in a PODS container?
No, you cannot ship your car in a PODS container. These containers have weight limits that most vehicles exceed, meaning they cannot be shipped that way. Additionally, PODS doesn’t allow motor vehicles to be shipped in its containers.
Can I ship my car full of my belongings?
Some auto shipping companies allow customers to pack up to 100 pounds of personal belongings in their cars being shipped. However, it’s best to use a moving company to transport your household goods, not your car shipper.
Is Sherpa Auto Transport a broker?
Yes, Sherpa Auto Transport is a car shipping broker. It manages the booking and payment of your shipping services and arranges pickup and delivery of your vehicle.
What is the best auto transport company?
Based on our review team’s research, we named Montway Auto Transport the No. 1 auto transport company in the U.S. We gave it the title of Best Shipping Company for its low average prices and high customer satisfaction scores.
Does Sherpa Auto Transport offer any discounts?
Yes, Sherpa Auto Transport offers discounts to members of the military as well as all returning customers. The company also offers a discount to customers who ship more than one vehicle at a time.
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House reviews team is committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers. This means earning your trust through transparent reviews and having the data to back up our ratings and recommendations. Our rating system for auto shipping service providers is based on four categories:
- Price (30% of total score): Many factors affect car transport rates. To determine our price score, we secret shop with providers across a variety of cars and routes.
- Services (25% of total score): Our team of experts looks at available services, guaranteed pickup and drop-off dates, and insurance coverage.
- Industry Standing (20% of total score): Providers with a high rating from the BBB score best in this category. Reputable providers with a history of reliable service and timeliness also receive strong marks.
- Customer Experience (25% of total score): We learn about consumer experiences by reading through reviews on sites including the BBB. Auto shipping companies with a low volume of complaints score highest in this area.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.