Sherpa Auto Transport: 2024 Car Shipping Prices and Review

Sherpa Auto Transport is one of the top car shipping companies in the industry today. Car Talk researchers looked into costs, services and complaints for 2024. Here’s what we found.

Pros and Cons

Sherpa Auto Transport is a vehicle shipping broker. They set up door-to-door transportation of your vehicle, but they are not the actual shipping company. They’re a shipping broker. However, they do stay actively involved throughout the process and Sherpa Auto Transport goes the extra mile to make your vehicle delivery stress-free. Sherpa Auto Transport also has a novel payment method that the company says, “ensures you won’t pay more than what you’re quoted.” But why would you pay more than the contract price? Sherpa Auto Transport explained to Car Talk that some brokers under-price the quotes and later cancel the shipment if the price they quoted can’t be profitable for them.

We asked for sample quotes to ship a 2015 Toyota RAV-4 to several locations around the country. Here’s what Sherpa Auto Transport provided:

Please note: The above prices are for reference only. They represent the cost to ship an operable Toyota RAV4 in an open trailer. Sherpa Auto Transport asked us to make clear that prices may change due to many factors (See below).

Sherpa Auto Transport comes very highly rated from respected sources. Sherpa Auto Transport will appeal to a person shipping a vehicle who wants a great price and who prefers to have the flexibility to do the transaction by phone or online.

Sherpa Auto Transport Car Shipping

Sherpa Auto Transport is simple to work with. If you prefer a phone call to filling out a long form on the internet, Sherpa can help you with that providing personal assistance. Sherpa also now offers an instant quotes process on their website. So if you would rather get everything done online, they have that option for you as well.

Sherpa Auto Transport Price Quotes

Getting a price quote from Sherpa Auto Transport is very simple. You can go online and use their instant quote process. Or you can give them a ring. We first phoned Sherpa Auto Transport at a time we felt would be challenging for the company. We called after business hours at 5:30 pm on a weekday. The Sherpa Auto Transport phone system was very easy to use. A message asks you to help Sherpa Auto Transport direct your call. We were calling to get a price quote, so we tapped “1.” We were then quickly connected to a very helpful Sherpa Auto Transport employee. We phoned a second time during what we felt might be a very busy time, at 10 am on a weekday. Again, we were connected very quickly and the agent spoke clearly and was very positive and friendly.

Sherpa Auto Transport is going to want some information from you and it is stuff you already know. They will ask you the year make and model of your vehicle. For example, 2015 Toyota RAV4. They will then ask you if the vehicle is able to run on its own reliably and if it has had any modifications. They need this information so they can arrange the correct type of transportation. We picked a common vehicle for the example pricing in our matrix, but if yours is very special Sherpa Auto Transport is still a great choice. They can handle custom and vintage vehicles without a problem. However, you should contact Sherpa Auto Transport for pricing on such vehicles since the circumstances will impact pricing.

Next up, Sherpa Auto Transport will ask you to tell them when you’d like the vehicle picked up and from which location. Finally, the Sherpa Auto Transport folks will ask you where you want it to be delivered. Unlike some transport companies, Sherpa Auto Transport primarily provides door-to-door service, as opposed to one transit hub to another transit hub. We think the majority of Car Talk readers want door-to-door service, so Sherpa Auto Transport seems like a good match.

Sherpa Auto Transport considers themselves “travel agents” for your vehicle. As such, they are focused on personal conversations. We like that personal touch at Car Talk. If you prefer a personal touch, Sherpa Auto Transport will be a company you like speaking to. But if you'd rather handle everything online, Sherpa can help you there too. The choice is yours.

How Does Sherpa Auto Transport Determine Car Shipping Rates?

The car shipping prices in the table atop this page represent the cost to ship an operable Toyota RAV4 in an open trailer. Sherpa Auto Transport asked us to make clear that prices may change due to many factors (See below).

Here are some factors that influence the price you pay from Sherpa Auto Transport:

• Whether the vehicle is customized, special, or a standard daily driver. These require special attention starting with an enclosed trailer. Best to phone for prices on these special examples.
• The size and type of vehicle (Expect to pay more for very large vehicles)
• How soon your pickup time is approaching. Shipping tomorrow costs a bit more
• The distance your vehicle will travel.
• The season may play a role in pricing.
• Note that Sherpa Auto Transport offers a Price Lock Promise: the price you are quoted is what you will pay. Some other brokers do not.

Sherpa Auto Transport Payment Process

Sherpa Auto Transport has a two-step payment process. The first step is you provide a credit card for an initial payment. The initial payment is only charged once a carrier is assigned to transport your vehicle. When the vehicle is delivered, you will pay the carrier with either cash or a certified check. Sherpa Auto Transport may also be able to accommodate a full credit card payment depending on your shipment specifics.

Sherpa Auto Transport Cargo Insurance

Sherpa Auto Transport takes insurance seriously. In fact, they require carriers to add them as a certificate holder on the insurance policy. That enables Sherpa to be your advocate if a claim is warranted, though the claim must be filed by you. That’s the ultimate downfall of third parties like Sherpa: You’re working with a middleman, rather than the carrier, and when things go wrong, you’re filing a claim yourself, with a carrier that you really didn’t know much about before you signed up to ship your car.

How Sherpa Compares to Other Shipping Companies

Sherpa Auto Transport is one of the most popular car shipping companies in the industry. Their most common competitors are Montway Auto Transport and AmeriFreight.

You can read more about our full recommendations and review comparisons of these reputable companies here, all of which are reviewed and recommended by the Car Talk research team.

Sherpa Auto Transport Clean Car Guarantee

Sherpa Auto Transport offers what it calls a Clean Car Guarantee. Car Talk always suggests planning to have a car detailed after shipment. We dug into Sherpa’s Clean Car Guarantee. Sherpa Auto Transport offers to reimburse you up to $20 for the cost of a car wash. Here’s how it works: If you feel your vehicle needs a cleaning post-delivery, you can take your vehicle to the car wash. You make certain to get a receipt. You then mail your car wash receipt to Sherpa Auto Transport along with a copy of your Bill of Lading, which is the delivery receipt you’ll receive from your carrier. Sherpa will reimburse your card on file for the price of the car wash, up to $20. We’ve researched other shipment brokers and this was a unique benefit we feel could come in handy, but its of dubious value if you’re shipping a vintage car that you’re not going to run through a car wash.

Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews

Car Talk looked closely at the reviews available from third-party sources for Sherpa Auto Transport. We like to start at the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Sherpa Auto Transport has been accredited by the BBB since 2018. It earns an “A+” rating from the BBB and has an average of five stars from almost 400 reviewers. A recent review from Anna T at BBB was a good example of what we found there. Anna said,* “The service was outstanding! My car was transported with no difficulties from Washington to Illinois. I had frequent updates of the location of my car. The customer service was incredible. I highly recommend this company.”*

At Yelp, Sherpa Auto Transport earns a 4.3 out of 5 star rating on average based on over 200 reviewers. We sorted the reviews by newest first and found that the reviews were all 5-star. Yelper David R had this to say about Sherpa Auto Transport; “This week I used Sherpa to transport my car from NY to CA and was beyond pleased. The pick-up of the car was hassle-free, the driver was professional and was available by phone during any portion of the trip. The folks at Sherpa were top-notch brokers. I highly recommend Sherpa for your transport needs.” At Yelp, there were a few 1-Star reviews. Each had a response from Sherpa offering more help. Most seemed to end in a fair resolution.

The most impressive reviews were on Google. There are over 1700 Google Reviews for Sherpa Auto Transport. They average an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars. This number of reviews has doubled since we first looked at Sherpa and most of the newest reviews are all positive. Frequent Google reviewer Greg H left this overview of his experience with Sherpa,“I went with Sherpa because of their good reviews and I wasn't disappointed. They were on call at all times during the process, and the delivery of my car from Pennsylvania to South Carolina went smoothly. The Sherpa folks were in touch with the driver and I got updates along the way. The car arrived in great shape and the remainder of the balance was either given to the driver in cash or Cashiers check upon delivery. Thanks, Sherpa for a good delivery and nice customer service.”

Overall, the reviews we found for Sherpa Auto Transport on third-party sites indicate a very positive customer experience. As with any service, there are a few folks who reported a complaint, but those reports were few and far between.

Sherpa Auto Transport Review in Summary

Sherpa Auto Transport is a bit different from some competitors in that it focuses on personlized service over the phone, but you can choose to book online if you like. Sherpa also primarily ships door to door since this is most convenient for customers. The reviews for Sherpa Auto Transport are overwhelmingly positive based on our independent review of third-party review sites like Google and Yelp. If you are looking for a full-service shipping company, and if you like to do your business with a person live on the phone, Sherpa Auto Transport is the place to start.

Our Methodology

Some shipping companies are aggregators that work across multiple car transporters and will help you price shop across them. The aggregators are responsible for vetting the individual carriers and often will show you the consumer ratings and individual price quotes so you understand exactly who will be moving your vehicle. They also tend to offer standardized insurance packages that work across their carrier network.

We selected good companies based on over 30 data points and an extensive secret shopper initiative to ensure unbiased and clear results. Our main focus is obtaining the most useful information for our readership based on the central ideas below.

• Reputation - Companies that maintain a strong rating score and industry reputation on trusted review platforms.
• Cost - There are many individual factors that can impact the cost of car shipping including location, timing and worth of the car. We took all these into account when examining the cost structure of each company.
• Consumer Reviews - Individual reviews from current and past customers who have used the business and have personal experience to draw from.
• Longevity - How many years a company has been in business, growing their company, gaining reviews and establishing trust within the industry.
• Services Offered - These services can range from international shipping, enclosed options, open container options and more.

You can also take a look at Car Talk’s extensive review of the Best Car Shipping Companies in 2024.

For more on this topic, see our detailed guide on how to ship a car.

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