How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car?

When you’re moving across the country, you may need to have your car shipped to the new destination, most often as a result of you owning more than one vehicle or deciding to fly to the new place instead of driving for many, many hours, or even days.

Once you make up your mind to get your car transported by one of the best car shipping companies in the country, your very first concern is likely to be about the price to ship a car.

Seriously, how much is it to ship a car across the country? Will it be a price that’s perfectly agreeable with your moving budget? Or will it be a price that you won’t be able to afford at the moment?

Knowing the average price to transport a car to another part of the country will help you set your budget accordingly. Also, being aware of the average car transport prices will eliminate any last-minute surprises when you do get in touch with a top-rated car shipper.

So, how much does it cost to ship a car across the country? Read on to find out.

What’s the average car shipping cost?

The average cost to ship a car across the country is approximately $1,300.

Of course, the above-mentioned average cost to transport a car will depend on a number of variables – see below for the full list of factors that will affect the car shipping cost.

Average cost to ship a car (DISTANCE)

Logic dictates that the greater the distance that your car needs to travel, the higher the vehicle shipping price will be in the end.

On average, the car moving price ranges from around $600 to ship a car a few hundred miles on an open carrier to about $1,800 to transport a vehicle cross country on enclosed transport.

Distance	Average car shipping cost
<500 miles	$780
500 – 1,000 miles	$960
1,000 – 1,500 miles	$1,290
1,500 – 2,000 miles	$1,530
2,000 – 2,500 miles	$1,600
>2,500 miles	$1,600

To get a rough idea about the average cost to ship a car to another state, take a look at the example car shipping prices below:

• East Coast to West Coast / West Coast to East Coast: $1,100 for a sedan; $1,300 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• East Coast to Midwest / Midwest to East Coast: $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• West Coast to Midwest / Midwest to West Coast: $900 for a sedan; $1,100 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• North to South / South to North: $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.

Average cost to ship a car via OPEN TRANSPORT

The most popular way to ship a car in the United States is via open transport – roughly 95% of all automobiles are shipped this way.

It is the preferred transportation method for vehicles that have high road clearance and are worth under $100,000.

The good news is that because of its popularity, there are many open auto transport providers in the country, meaning that the high competition in the market brings down the car shipping cost, making the price fairly reasonable for customers.

On average, it costs about $400-$500 less to ship your vehicle with an open car carrier:

Distance	Average open transport cost
<500 miles	$630
500 – 1,000 miles	$790
1,000 – 1,500 miles	$1,070
1,500 – 2,000 miles	$1,320
2,000 – 2,500 miles	$1,360
>2,500 miles	$1,360

Average cost to ship a car via ENCLOSED TRANSPORT

Enclosed car carriers do provide the best protection for high-end vehicles since the weather conditions outside will no longer be a factor during the cross-country trip. Enclosed transport is the preferred transportation method for super-expensive vintage cars, classic cars, sports cars, and luxury cars.

Naturally, shipping a car via enclosed transport will be more expensive – on average, the price difference between open transport and enclosed transport is somewhere between $400 and $500.

In addition to the higher cost, the pickup time is usually longer because there are fewer enclosed car carriers to choose from.

On average, it costs about $400-$500 more to ship your vehicle with an enclosed car carrier:

Distance	Average enclosed transport cost
<500 miles	$930
500 – 1,000 miles	$1,120
1,000 – 1,500 miles	$1,510
1,500 – 2,000 miles	$1,730
2,000 – 2,500 miles	$1,850
>2,500 miles	$1,850

Average cost to ship a car by VEHICLE SIZE

When you wish to ship a larger vehicle across the country (bigger than a regular sedan), then you should know that it’ll cost approximately $150-$200 more to transport an SUV or a pickup truck due to their larger size.

It’s easy to guess that larger vehicles will take up more space on the car carrier, meaning that fewer automobiles can be transported at a given time. To compensate for any losses, car shipping companies charge more for those bigger and heavier vehicles.

Here are the average automobile shipping rates by vehicle size:

Vehicle type	Average car shipping cost	Average cost for open transport	Average cost for enclosed transport
Sedan	$1,150	$970	$1,340
SUV	$1,280	$1,080	$1,480
Pickup truck	$1,450	$1,210	$1,680

Ship Your Car or Drive It When Moving Across Country?

Factors that affect the car shipping cost

Undoubtedly, a number of variables will affect the average cost to ship a car across the country.

And this, of course, is the main reason why it’s almost impossible to know the exact price to transport your car to another part of the country – the car shipping cost will go up or down depending on critical factors such as the size of the vehicle, the distance traveled, and the time of the year.

Here’s a list of the major auto transport cost factors that will determine the car hauling cost in your specific case:

• Distance. The distance between the pickup and drop-off locations is one of the most important factors that will influence the final car shipping cost. Needless to say, the greater the distance that your vehicle needs to travel, the higher the car transport cost will be. Different car shipping companies have different mileage rates so it’s important to get quotes from several top-rated auto shippers before choosing the one you’re going to work with.
• Vehicle size. As a rule of thumb, larger and heavier vehicles such as pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans cost more to transport than sedans simply because they take up more space on the transport truck and affect seriously the carrier’s gas mileage.
• Vehicle condition. Usually, it’ll cost more to transport a car that isn’t in working condition since getting it on and off the carrier will require more time, effort, and resources by the car hauler – the said vehicle can’t be just driven onto the shipping platform, can it? So, non-operable vehicles are more expensive to ship than operable ones.
• Type of transport (open or enclosed). The cheapest way to ship your car cross country is on an open carrier. On average, enclosed auto transport costs roughly $400-$500 more than open auto transport. Furthermore, enclosed transport is not really necessary in most cases. In fact, enclosed car transport is a great option for people who are shipping antique, classic, exotic, or luxury cars.
• Time of year. Seasonality plays can influence greatly car shipping costs. As a rule, you should expect to pay more money when shipping your car during the peak moving season (May – September) because car shipping companies are much busier then and spaces on car transport trucks are more limited. On average, car shipping prices in the summer are $200-$300 higher per trip.
• Location. Pickup and drop-off locations will affect the cost of transporting a vehicle. Not surprisingly, you should expect to pay more when shipping a car from or to a more rural area (compared to big cities) because the car shipper will have to steer off the main transport route to pick up or deliver the car.
• Extra services. Of course, extra services such as additional insurance or expedited shipping will increase the car shipping price. On average, it’ll cost anywhere between $200 and $500 for the additional service of expedited shipping.
• Price of fuel: If gas prices are higher than their normal values at the time you’re shipping your vehicle, car shipping companies are likely to charge more to compensate for the extra fuel costs. This is known as a fuel surcharge.
• Auto shipper. The cost to have a car shipped will depend heavily on the concrete car transport company that you choose to work with since different auto haulers have different car shipping rates. Make sure you collect several car transport quotes before choosing one of the best car shipping companies in the country.
• Unforeseen circumstances. There might be a bunch of unforeseen factors that can affect the final car shipping cost – from delays due to inclement weather to road closures, traffic jams, detours, or even road accidents.

How to Prepare a Car for Shipping: Car Shipping Checklist

How to find the best car shippers in the country

Now that you have a pretty good idea about the average cost of shipping a car across the country, the next step is to get in touch with the best auto shipping companies in the United States.

Your ultimate goal should be to pick a car shipper with years of experience, a high level of professionalism and reliability, and of course – greater affordability than its competitors. How do you do it?

Just follow these 5 simple steps and you should be able to find a reputable car shipping company you can trust with your treasured automobile.

• Step 1. USE our Car Shipping Cost Estimator, indicating the make and model of your vehicle, the preferred car shipping method (open or enclosed), the current condition of your automobile (running or not running), and the shipping date;
• Step 2. GET auto shippers quotes from the top-rated car shipping companies near you;
• Step 3. COMPARE the car transport quotes carefully and inspect closely all car shipping conditions;
• Step 4. ACCESS our database of car shippers reviews to check the reputation (customer reviews and performance ratings) of the car shipping companies that have contacted you;
• Step 5. PICK the car shipper that best satisfies your car shipping needs and suits your budget. Then, contact the selected car hauler to discuss all vehicle transport details.

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