Best Car Shipping Companies In Pennsylvania
While the best Pennsylvania car shipping company is Montway Auto Transport, we’d also recommend Sherpa Auto Transport, SGT Auto Transport, and American Auto Shipping.
From our #1 rated provider, 
If you need to move temporarily or permanently, shipping your car to or from Pennsylvania should be easy. In this article, we’ll provide a look at the five best auto transport companies in Pennsylvania that offer peace of mind and competitive costs. In addition, we will explain the cost estimates for both open and enclosed transport services and provide guidance on how to easily ship your car.
The Gist:
- Our team found that Montway Auto Transport is the best Pennsylvania car shipping company, though it’s best to compare rates with those from Sherpa Auto Transport, SGT Auto Transport, American Auto Shipping and AmeriFreight.
- The average cost to ship a car to or from Pennsylvania is $1,020 for open car shipping services and $1,428 for enclosed auto transport.
- Your car shipping cost in Pennsylvania depends on factors like a city’s size, nearby traffic patterns, and weather conditions.
5 Best Car Shipping Companies In Pennsylvania
We have dedicated more than 300 hours to studying the auto transport industry in order to give an unbiased evaluation of the top car shipping companies. If you’re moving a car to or from Allentown, Erie, Philadelphia, or beyond, check out our list of the best Pennsylvania car shipping companies.
1. Montway Auto Transport: Best Reputation
Montway Auto Transport is our top choice for the best auto transport companies of 2024 because they offer reliable service and reasonable rates. While they may not have the lowest prices, their excellent customer service and variety of options make them stand out from the competition.
Montway Auto Transport is a big and well-liked company that moves cars. They work in all 50 states and ship cars internationally too. Because they have lots of carriers to help them, Montway can give customers prices that are lower than what is usually expected.
Read more: Montway Auto Transport review
2. Sherpa Auto Transport: Best For Locked-In Rates
According to our research team’s own rating system, Sherpa Auto Transport receives a score of 4.6 out of 5.0 stars due to its consistent rates, high customer satisfaction, and range of services. Moreover, Sherpa provides a $20 reimbursement for car washes as part of their Clean Car Guarantee.
Sherpa Auto Transport makes shipping your vehicle convenient and guarantees a fixed price with their Price Lock Promise. This means that the quote you receive initially will remain the same, and they will even cover up to $300 if there are any additional charges.
Read more: Sherpa Auto Transport review
3. SGT Auto Transport: Best Price-Match Guarantee
SGT Auto Transport has been given a rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 stars. This is because the company provides different shipping choices that have reasonable prices. They have received a high score for their services, which include open, enclosed, and door-to-door auto transportation. They also offer expedited delivery and guaranteed pickup dates.
You don’t have to pay for SGT Auto Transport until they send someone to pick up your vehicle. If you find a cheaper price from another company, SGT Auto Transport will offer the same price. Our team discovered that most customers have good things to say about this provider.
Read more: SGT Auto Transport review
4. American Auto Shipping: Best Service Availability
American Auto Shipping provides various services for transporting vehicles to their desired destinations. With an excellent rating of 5.0 in the services category, this provider offers convenient door-to-door shipping, both open and enclosed auto transport options, shipping to Hawaii, motorcycle transportation, military vehicle shipping, heavy equipment transport, and more.
American Auto Shipping strives to offer customers a pleasant experience with perks like a covered rental car if your shipment is delayed over 14 days past the delivery date. Another benefit is your choice of pickup times from three different options–standard, priority, or expedited.
Read more: American Auto Shipping review
5. AmeriFreight: Best For Discounts
AmeriFreight has prices that are normal for the industry, but customers can pay less with AmeriFreight’s discounts and different pricing options. Some of the ways to get a discount include lower rates for customers who have used the service before, shipping multiple vehicles, being a first responder or medical personnel, being a senior or student, and more.
AmeriFreight is one of the best five car shipment companies because it offers various discounts, price-matching, and great customer service. As a middleman between customers and over 10,000 car transporters, AmeriFreight makes sure that each transporter is licensed and insured by doing a background check.
Read more: AmeriFreight review
Other Pennsylvania Car Shipping Companies
Although we mentioned five well-known car shipping providers on a national scale earlier, there are also excellent regional options available in Pennsylvania. Take a look below for an additional provider worth considering.
United Freeway Transportation
United Freeway Transportation is headquartered in Allentown, PA. Learn more about this provider on the United Freeway Transportation website.
Pennsylvania Car Shipping Costs
The price of shipping a car in Pennsylvania can vary a lot based on certain factors. Some of these factors depend completely on what you need, like the type of car transportation you choose. Most people use either open or enclosed trailers to transport their vehicles, so we have given the average costs for both methods in the sections below.
Open Car Shipping Costs In Pennsylvania
Open car shipping means using a trailer without walls or a roof to transport multiple vehicles together. It is a cheaper way to ship cars, but it carries more risks compared to enclosed transport services.
The average cost to ship a car to and from Pennsylvania using open auto transport is $1,020, which is 1 percent more expensive than the national average of $1,010. We gathered cost estimates for open car transport along popular Pennsylvania car shipping routes, which you’ll find below:
| Auto Shipping Route | Total Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia to New York | $409 |
| Pittsburgh to New York | $609 |
| Pittsburgh to Chicago | $649 |
| Allentown to Miami | $749 |
| Philadelphia to Miami | $769 |
| Philadelphia to Chicago | $799 |
| Pittsburgh to Miami | $919 |
| Erie to Dallas | $1,049 |
| Pittsburgh to Los Angeles | $1,159 |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | $1,229 |
| Pittsburgh to San Francisco | $1,299 |
| Erie to San Francisco | $1,399 |
| Philadelphia to San Francisco | $1,449 |
| Allentown to Los Angeles | $1,449 |
Enclosed Car Shipping Costs In Pennsylvania
Enclosed auto shipping services utilize an enclosed carrier that provides the ultimate level of protection from road hazards during transport. While it makes Pennsylvania car shipping much pricier than open auto transport services, owners of classic or luxury cars should consider it.
The average cost to ship a car to and from Pennsylvania using enclosed car shipping is $1,428, which is 40 percent more than the average cost of open car shipping in Pennsylvania. The table below has average costs of popular Pennsylvania car shipping routes using enclosed transport.
| Auto Shipping Route | Total Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia to New York | $569 |
| Pittsburgh to New York | $849 |
| Pittsburgh to Chicago | $909 |
| Allentown to Miami | $1,049 |
| Philadelphia to Miami | $1,079 |
| Philadelphia to Chicago | $1,119 |
| Pittsburgh to Miami | $1,289 |
| Erie to Dallas | $1,469 |
| Pittsburgh to Los Angeles | $1,619 |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | $1,719 |
| Pittsburgh to San Francisco | $1,819 |
| Erie to San Francisco | $1,959 |
| Philadelphia to San Francisco | $2,029 |
| Allentown to Los Angeles | $2,029 |
What Affects Car Shipping Costs In Pennsylvania?
Your exact auto transport expenses for Pennsylvania will likely depend on various factors. When you ship a car, factors like the type of transport, delivery location, fuel prices, shipping distance, type of vehicle, and car condition can all influence how much you end up paying.
How To Ship A Car To And From Pennsylvania
Are you trying to send a car in Pennsylvania but don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry, we’ve listed all the steps below to make it easy and stress-free for you.
Choose Your Shipping Method
To begin, you must choose how you will transport your vehicle. As previously mentioned, enclosed and open carrier car shipping are the most common types used across the industry. Both have their pros and cons, so comparing open vs. enclosed car shipping will help you determine which best fits your needs.
Compare Pennsylvania Car Shipping Quotes
Once you have decided on how you want to transport your vehicle, it is time to compare the different quotes for auto transport in Pennsylvania. It’s easy to get online quotes for car shipping, and we recommend providing vehicle details to various car shipping companies to find the best price.
Remember that while certain companies promise to keep your quoted price for transporting your car in Pennsylvania, others may raise their shipping rates due to changes in the market. If having a guaranteed price for your car’s transportation in Pennsylvania is important to you, select a provider that offers this assurance.
Select A Transport Provider
Once you have compared quotes for auto transport from different providers, you will probably have fewer options for Pennsylvania car shipping services to choose from. This is when you need to decide if you prefer a car shipping broker or an online shipping marketplace. Brokers will help you find a car carrier, while shipping marketplaces expect you to communicate with carriers yourself.
Make sure to look up information on online review websites and discussion boards before making a decision. It’s really helpful to hear directly from other people who have used shipping providers when deciding on one for transporting cars in Pennsylvania.
Prepare Your Car And Meet The Carrier
After you’ve scheduled a service to transport your vehicle, you need to prepare your car for shipment. Remove any personal items from your vehicle because some transporters in Pennsylvania take the weight of the vehicle into account when calculating the costs. It’s also wise to leave your gas tank no more than a quarter full.
It’s now time to meet your carrier at a predetermined time and location. Whether you opted for door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal shipping, you’ll inspect your vehicle for prior damages such as dents, scratches, and dings. Before your car is put onto the trailer, make sure to take pictures of it to have the necessary documentation. All you need to do now is sign the bill of lading, which is a receipt that follows your vehicle as it travels to or from Pennsylvania.
Pick Your Car Up
If the car hauler you select has GPS tracking, you can watch your car’s journey to or from Pennsylvania live. If not, the carrier will reach out to you to let you know the date when they will pick up your vehicle.
After you arrive at the agreed meeting point and time, check your vehicle for any signs of damage. This is particularly crucial for individuals who use open auto transportation. If you find any damages, report them on the bill of lading and take photos for potential claims. However, if everything looks good, you’ll just sign the bill of lading one last time and drive the car away.
What To Expect With Pennsylvania Car Shipping
When you ship a car to or from Pennsylvania, different things specific to the state might affect your experience. The size of the city, the number of people, how traffic moves, and bad weather can all impact how long it takes for your car to arrive. It’s a good idea to know about these things in advance so that you’re not surprised while your car is being shipped.
Population density can also have an impact on the availability of door-to-door transport. Pennsylvania is less densely populated than other states in the U.S., which may make door-to-delivery less of a hassle. However, availability may differ in major cities such as Allentown and Erie.
In addition, many cities in Pennsylvania have higher-than-average rainfall and greater chances of extreme weather. To avoid delays in shipping cars in Pennsylvania, it’s important to be prepared for bad weather like storms or flooding. This means being flexible with delivery times and planning ahead.
Pennsylvania Car Shipping: FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions customers have about Pennsylvania car shipping.
Why would a person want to ship their car?
If you’re moving more than a few hundred miles away, a long-distance road trip might not be worth it. Cross-country car shipping can provide peace of mind while offering protection from risks associated with long drives, such as mechanical breakdowns and car accidents. Getting your car to Pennsylvania from far away states is much easier with auto transport.
What are the benefits of car shipping?
Car shipping is a safe way to get your car to and from Pennsylvania without wasting the time and expenses associated with a long road trip. Choosing to ship your car rather than drive it will also protect your car from the wear and tear that comes along with extended driving periods.
How do I ship a car to Pennsylvania?
You’ll start the shipping process by researching various car shipping companies and getting free quotes online. Next, you’ll choose a provider, book your shipment, and prepare the car for transport. Once your car has made it to or from Pennsylvania, you’ll meet the car carrier for pickup.
How We Rate Pennsylvania Auto Shippers
Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of car shipping companies. While there are multiple qualities that make an auto transport provider successful, our review team focuses on those we believe are the most important for consumers:
- Cost: Cost can be difficult to compare between providers because so many factors impact auto shipping rates. To determine our cost score, we perform a secret shopper analysis for a variety of vehicles and routes.
- Services: Our team of experts looks at the types of services available, as well as insurance coverage and the ability to guarantee pickup and dropoff dates. Ratings also take into account whether the transport company is a broker or a carrier.
- Reputation: It’s important that a car shipping provider is able to deliver your vehicle in a safe and timely manner. Companies with a strong rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) score well in this category. Established providers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.
- Customer Experience: We comb through consumer reviews on sites like the BBB to learn about customer experiences. Car transport companies with a low volume of complaints score well in this area.
*Data accurate at time of publication.
*Read more about our methodology.
