How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car?

In general, the farther the journey, the more it costs. Car shipping costs an average of $2.35 per mile. 

The cheapest way to ship your car is always on an open carrier. Our research found that enclosed auto transport is about 50% more expensive per trip for the same car type and distance traveled. 

• Open transport costs $914 on average, or $1.89 per mile
• Enclosed transport costs $1,342 on average, or $2.82 per mile.

Most people don’t need enclosed transport. This premium shipping option is primarily for customers with custom vehicles, like antique, custom, classic, or luxury cars. 

Larger vehicles cost more to ship because they weigh more. Transport carriers have weight limits, so even if it's possible to fit 8 cars on the trailer, it may be possible to only haul 5 if they tend to be heavier vehicles like pick-up trucks. The semi driver misses out on potential income from the three empty slots, so they'll apply a surcharge for heavier vehicles to make up the difference.

Pick-up trucks generally cost 38% more to ship than cars. 

The vehicle's running status also affects the total price. Cars that can steer, roll, and brake can go on any trailer, cars that can do none of the above require a special trailer with a winch. Our data suggests it costs an additional $100 to $300 to transport an inoperable vehicle. 

There's one big thing you should know car shipping quotes: they're all ballpark estimates. Your final price might be higher or lower unless you work with a company that offers a price guarantee.

Here's why:

• Bookings go through a bidding process. Auto transport brokers connect you with car shipping carriers that bid on your booking request. Brokers then come back to you with the carrier that offered to do the job for the lowest price (usually). Because car shipping is a supply-and-demand business, you’ll get a better deal some days than others.
• There are tons of cost factors. Your price can change based on your car’s size, how far it’s traveling, and even the time of year. Carriers use these factors to figure out how much to charge.

Your booking starts when you call an auto transport broker. You ask how much it costs, and the broker gives you a quote. Then it asks carriers to bid on your shipment.

But how does it give you an instant quote if the carriers haven’t started bidding?

That’s the rub. Except in rare instances where a company offers a guaranteed ship car price, your quote is a starting point for the bidders—not your final price.

If an auto transport company puts a price of $1 into the computer for a cross-country transport, it technically has a lower price than the competition. But no truck driver in the world is going to accept that job.

However, a carrier might bid on the job for $2,000. Another company might see that and say it can ship your car for $100 less. And so on.

The bidding continues until the auto transport broker picks a car carrier — usually about a week before you have to ship your vehicle.

Experienced companies know what the market is likely to pay for auto transport, so they can usually give you a quote that’s pretty close to what you’ll end up paying.

Less reputable companies just want your business. They’ll give you prices that seem too good to be true. By the time you realize the cost to ship a car will be more, they’ve taken a nonrefundable deposit (sometimes hundreds of dollars).

You’re trapped.

Car shipping can feel a bit like the Wild West, but it’s possible to get a reputable company and a low price. You just have to know where to look.

That’s what we're here for.

Want us to do the work for you?

Learn more about the best car shipping companies.

Car shipping prices can change from one day to the next depending on several factors:

• Carrier bidding process. Carriers bid on how much your shipment costs. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Mostly, it’s unpredictable.
• Distance. More miles means more money.
• Extra services. Extra insurance or expedited shipping costs more.
• Number of vehicles. Two cars cost more than one.
• Pick-up location: Carriers love picking up cars close to their existing routes, and that attracts more bidders. Going off the beaten path to more rural areas tends to cost more because fewer carriers bid on the job.
• Infrastructure: Road closures, traffic jams, and restricted routes all influence the cost to ship a car.
• Time of year: Pricing heats up in spring, summer, and fall.
• Transport type. Open transport is cheaper than enclosed transport.
• Vehicle type and condition. Costs go up as your vehicle gets bigger. It’s also more expensive if your car isn’t in working condition.

The result is that the ship car price you see now may not be the same price you can get next week—or even later today. But if you know what goes into your price, you can also take steps to get a better deal.

When we first started researching car shipping companies, we noticed an alarming trend: every brand seemed to have irate customers warning others to never use them. Type any car shipping company into Google and you'll find people complaining about lapses in communication, no-show carriers, surprise price increases, and scratched vehicles. 

Such widespread dissatisfaction seems to suggest that the problem isn't necessarily with the companies themselves, but with the car shipping industry as a whole. Brokers provide a popular service by streamlining the hiring process and allowing multiple carriers to bid on each job, which helps lower the final price. Some brokers offer additional perks like extra insurance coverage and quick access to a back-up plan when a carrier drops the ball, but the fact remains that they're middlemen and have little control over the carriers' schedules or communication skills.

Still, there are companies that successfully deliver cars and customer satisfaction more often than others. It's our job to figure out how they do it and who has the best track record.

We started by reading hundreds of customer reviews to identify common complaints. We determined people care most about the following four things:

• Accurate, transparent pricing with no surprise fees upon delivery.
• A reliable service with on-time pickup and delivery and responsive customer care.
• Carriers who communicate about schedule changes and take good care of the vehicle.
• Some kind of protection or guarantee, often in the form of gap coverage or a damage-free guarantee.

We developed a four-part grading system based on these criteria. Companies earn points in each category, and points equal grades on a scale from A+ to D. We'll adjust our grading criteria as we continue to gather more nuanced information and data, but here's what we currently consider:

• Price transparency: Online quote calculator functionality and privacy, easily accessible fee explanations, guaranteed quotes, price matching, customer satisfaction regarding the final price. 14 points possible.
• Reliability: Guaranteed pickup and/or delivery, customer satisfaction regarding timeliness, and customer satisfaction regarding broker's ability to quickly solve problems. 11 points possible.
• Carrier quality: Transparency regarding carrier vetting process, quality of carrier vetting process, and customer satisfaction with carriers. 6 points possible.
• Insurance coverage: Bare minimum vs. extra liability coverage, optional gap coverage, and extras like claim assistance, damage-free guarantees, and time to inspect for damage. 11 points possible.

To grade a company, we collect information by mystery shopping and analyzing customer reviews on third-party websites like the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.

Mystery shopping allows us to experience the brand's website, sales process, and customer service from the perspective of the buyer. For example, some brokers have easy-to-use online quote calculators, while others collect your information and provide a quote over the phone. 

Customer reviews give us insight into real experiences, but we tread carefully here because reviews can often be faked. We look for trends that have occurred in the last 12 months and consider warnings from the Better Business Bureau. We calculate a weighted star rating based on all the reviews we can find online. This average customer rating is shared under each brand section but is distinct from the Move.org star rating, which is an editorial score we create to help readers understand the relative value and quality of each company.

We've also conducted online and in-person interviews with company leaders to learn behind-the-scenes information that sets each one apart. We find these interviews especially helpful in understanding the carrier vetting process.

We've published our car shipping leadership interviews below:

• Asadullah Sameer Ismailzada, AmeriFreight Auto Transport (coming soon)
• Mark Scholl, Montway Auto Transport
• Jack Savov, SGT Auto Transport
• Terry Williams, Auto Shipping Group

To date, we've collected more than 800 quotes from more than 13 car shipping companies to find industry and company averages. The car shipping quotes include prices for a motorcycle, car, SUV, and pick up truck across multiple distances with both open and enclosed transport and running and non-running vehicles with a one-week lead time. We use the same criteria when gathering quotes so that we can easily compare prices across brands.

We've published many of our quotes on this page and in our individual brand reviews so you can get a sense of how much it might cost to ship your car without having to share your private information. 

However, we take cost data with a grain of salt when ranking and reviewing companies that don't guarantee their quotes. Our research shows that the final car shipping price can increase by 25% when all is said and done.

Car shipping is a competitive industry, and companies make changes all the time. We repeat our review methodology at least once per year to ensure we publish up-to-date price averages, customer ratings, and proprietary grades.

Check out our reviews of some of the lowest-priced car shipping companies:

• Best Car Shipping Companies
• Best Enclosed Auto Transport Companies
• Best Classic Car Shipping Companies
• Best Motorcycle Shipping Companies
• Best Car Shipping Companies for Your Military Move
• Best Moving Companies
• Best Cross-Country Moving Companies

• What is the average cost of motorcycle shipping?
• Should I sell my car or ship it?
• Do I really need an enclosed carrier?
• Is my car safe during shipment?
• How does car shipping work?