Playing the role of neither carrier nor broker, uShip connects you with potential transporters who bid on your auto transport job. It’s a fascinating shipping model that, according to uShip reviews, places control into customers’ hands.
While many view this flexibility as a positive, uShip reviews sometimes reveal overwhelmed individuals who want auto transport companies to take care of the details. If that might be you, check out our full review of the country’s best car shipping companies. If you may be interested in uShip, this review rates the company based on cost, services, reputation, and customer experience.
uShip Rating: 4.5 Stars
Though uShip reviews call its bidding and shipping processes somewhat intimidating at first and a few customers report having issues with its carriers, many love the flexibility and savings that make uShip our choice as the Best Shipping Marketplace.
Reputation |
4.5 |
|---|---|
Price |
4.5 |
Services |
5.0 |
Customer Experience |
4.2 |
Overall Rating |
4.5 |
uShip Overview
Year Founded: 2003
Location: Austin, Texas
Service Area: All 50 states and international
Since 2004, the uShip marketplace has connected over 6 million clients with car transporters who fit their budget and needs. The marketplace doesn’t have a dedicated shipping fleet, and instead, lets independent carriers bid for your business. The Austin, Texas-based company is a longtime partner of eBay and a regular on the TV program “Shipping Wars.”
The uShip marketplace lets you post jobs for various shipping services, including vehicle shipping to all 50 states as well as RV, motorcycle, and boat shipping. The company has many positive uShip reviews, including an A+ rating and an average customer rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.0 on the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
In our car shipping survey, uShip was the fourth most popular company used by respondents, with 80 people out of 1,000 saying they used the marketplace for their auto transport needs.
For these reasons and more, we name uShip the Best Shipping Marketplace of 2022.
Car Shipping Cost: uShip
Since uShip allows for an unlimited number of bids on each shipment, prices in the company’s marketplace can vary widely from one bid to the next. Offers for cheap car shipping are usually easy to find, though pricier bids often provide extra assurances of your vehicle’s protection.
The overall theme, according to uShip reviews, is personal choice. You can generally choose as many or as few benefits as you’d like, since there are countless shipping options available in the uShip marketplace. Expect uShip to meet your budget needs, whether you’re looking for a low-cost delivery or one that includes all the bells and whistles.
uShip Instant Quotes
In addition to posting to the shipping marketplace, you can request uShip instant quotes on uShip.com. While some people may prefer to skip the usual uShip bidding process, they’ll find above-average shipping rates when using the instant quote feature. The provider’s top benefits come via the online marketplace, so it may be best to pass on uShip instant quotes.
However, to give you some idea of instant quote prices, we’ve included a few in the table below. Quoted rates are for an operable vehicle shipping in November.
uShip Quote
Shipping Distance |
Vehicle |
Open/Enclosed Transport |
uShip Instant Quote Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte, North Carolina to Cleveland, Ohio (515 miles) |
2018 Hyundai Elantra |
Open |
$638 |
Rapid City, South Dakota to Atlanta, Georgia (1,504 miles) |
2018 Hyundai Elantra |
Open |
$1,596 |
Rapid City, South Dakota to Atlanta, Georgia (1,504 miles) |
2018 Hyundai Elantra |
Enclosed |
$2,118 |
Washington, District of Columbia to Seattle, Washington (2,761 miles) |
2018 Hyundai Elantra |
Open |
$1,614 |
Prices in the table reflect instant quote estimates, so expect considerably lower prices if you let carriers bid on shipping your vehicle in the uShip marketplace. Because uShip does not offer guaranteed pricing, your car shipping costs could unexpectedly increase under the wrong conditions.
uShip Auto Shipping Cost Factors
Rates received from uShip could also rise due to a range of outside factors, including:
- Time of year: Summer months and January tend to be more expensive
- Vehicle size: The larger the car, the more expensive it will be to move
- Urgency: The sooner you need the delivery date, the more it will cost
- Transport type: Open car transport is cheaper than enclosed car transport
- Distance: Coast-to-coast car shipping costs more overall than regional routes but less per mile
- Delivery location: It costs less to deliver vehicles to major cities like New York than more rural areas
- Delivery method: Door-to-door shipping is pricier than terminal-to-terminal
- Price of fuel: If fuel prices are higher, expect your car shipment rates to be as well
Some of the best ways to keep delivery costs down are to send your shipment using open transport and to choose terminal-to-terminal delivery. Leaving a wide-open window for potential delivery dates can also contribute to lower shipping prices.
Car Shipping Services: uShip
Due to the vast scale of its online marketplace, there’s very little that can’t be delivered through uShip. Though challenging orders lead to increased prices, uShip can generally cover:
- Cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks
- Motorcycles
- All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
- Boats, campers, and recreational vehicles (RVs)
- Heavy equipment
- Inoperable vehicles and some bulky household items
- Collector and classic cars
- Open or enclosed transport
- Door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal transport
- Expedited shipping
- Shipping a car to Hawaii, Alaska, and international long-distance delivery locations
- Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping
One major advantage mentioned in uShip reviews is its real-time vehicle tracking service, which comes at no extra cost and can be pulled up anytime via the uShip mobile app. Another great feature is the “Ship with Confidence” guarantee, through which uShip offers to pay up to $500 if items in your shipment are damaged, lost, or stolen and you can’t get compensated through the carrier’s insurance company or the optional policy you purchased from uShip.
Where uShip falls short is in its approval of all car carriers, regardless of customer reviews or shipping standards. Some transporters on the uShip marketplace may offer no cargo insurance whatsoever, so be extremely careful when selecting a carrier.
uShip Reviews
uShip reviews are generally impressive, especially considering that its marketplace is open to providers with varying track records. The company holds an A+ rating from the BBB and gets overall rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.0 from the website’s users. It also has a rating of 4.3 out of 5.0 stars from more than 11,000 customers on Trustpilot.
uShip Customer Satisfaction
According to our survey, we found that 59 percent of respondents who used uShip were satisfied with their vehicle transport. The most common complaints about uShip from customers regard shippers missing their pick up dates and poor communication with truck drivers.
Here’s a closer look at how uShip customer satisfaction broke down in our survey:
Positive uShip Reviews
Positive reviews of uShip mention the ease of using uShip’s marketplace, the excellent car tracking services provided, and low overall uShip costs.
“As a first-time user of uShip I found the process fairly easy. The estimate and listing process was straightforward. I found excellent drivers within one to three days of my listing. The drivers were experienced and friendly. I got up-to-date reports on their status.”
– Susan G., BBB
“Well designed and easy to use. Within two days I had multiple bids on my shipment. The shipper I went with was professional and on time–at less than half the price of quotes I received when I directly contacted large providers.”
– Joe R., BBB
Negative uShip Reviews
Less satisfied patrons leave uShip reviews mentioning the hassle of dealing with irresponsible carriers and a hands-off approach to conflict resolution.
“Worst customer service I have ever dealt with. Refuse to take responsibility for the companies that haul for them. Pass the buck seems to be the way.”
– Mike R., Trustpilot
“Beware. uShip brokered a delivery job and their service provider took my money without doing the job. uShip has been nothing but unresponsive and unhelpful in getting my full refund.”
– Dozie A., Trustpilot
Keep in mind that uShip pairs customers with drivers, so your final experience will depend largely on the mover that books your shipment.
uShip Car Shipping: Conclusion
While you can find competitive prices on uShip, it’s worth comparing prices from brokers too.
uShip Auto Transport Competitors: Our Top Picks
We recommend reaching out to Sherpa Auto Transport and Montway Auto Transport for car shipping quotes.
Sherpa Auto Transport: 4.6 Stars
If you’re looking for some of the industry’s highest customer service standards, consider Sherpa Auto Transport. Though its rates are slightly more expensive than those from other providers, few car moving companies can match Sherpa’s customer focus.
Various Sherpa Auto Transport reviews praise the company’s transparency, even during shipping. Perhaps the top advantage of Sherpa Auto Transport, though, is the Price Lock Promise, which promises that the cost for your shipment won’t increase once a quote has been accepted.
Read more: Sherpa Auto Transport reviews
Montway Auto Transport: 4.7 Stars
It’s hard to find a better bang for your buck than what’s offered by Montway Auto Transport. Rates from the provider are consistently some of the cheapest around.
Customers seem happy with Montway Auto Transport overall, giving it a 4.6-star average out of 5.0 from more than 9,700 Google reviews. With a low average price and content customers, Montway Auto Transport earns our recognition as the Best Overall car transporter.
Read more: Montway Auto Transport review.
uShip Reviews: FAQ
We reviewed uShip and rate it 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. Below are some frequently asked questions about uShip:
How We Rate 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 drop-off 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.