How much does it cost to ship a car?
In the year 2026 an average cost to ship a car across the country is 0.95$ per mile, to 1.5$ per mile, the per mile cost of longer distance is always lesser as compared to shorter distance because fixed cost per mile decreases with every increasing mile. On other hand, the total cost of shipping a car in the country is $300 to $2500.
To calculate an accurate cost to ship a car within the country, a number of factors should be considered where distance is the most important factor that is a major determinant in calculating the cost of car shipping along with some other factors.
How do I ship a car?
Before calculating the cost of shipping a car first you should know how auto transport works.
Get a Quote & Book an Order
Get quote from an auto transport company and complete or confirm your car shipping order so the auto transport team can make a schedule for pick-up of your vehicle.
Pickup Schedule
When you book an order with an auto transport company, they make a schedule for pickup of your vehicle at your mentioned date.
Get the Vehicle ready for Pickup
when you get a call for a pick up schedule, make sure your vehicle is ready for pick up and all the provided information’s are correct.
Pickup & Delivery
This is the last step in auto transportation. At the stated date of pick-up an auto transport company driver will pick up your vehicle to deliver on customer stated destination in standard time.
Factors to consider for calculating car shipping cost
There are a number of factors to be considered while you are going to ship cars. If you do not go to more complexity you can get a free quote from All State to state auto transport. Our car shipping prices are most cost efficient as compared to others, you need to just book with us, it will be our responsibility to ship your vehicle once you get a book with us.
Carrier type and distance:
Carrier type has a deep impact on car shipping cost as Open carrier service is cheap as compared to enclosed carrier, but enclosed carrier is considered more safe than open, so both have their own benefits.
Similarly Distance also has a direct impact on the total and per mile cost of shipping. The total cost increases and per mile cost decreases in case of long distance.
Average shipping prices per mile by carrier type and distance.
| Miles | Carrier type open | enclosed |
|---|---|---|
| Short distance: 450 | 0.99 per mile | 1.81 per mile |
| Medium distance 950 | 0.92 per mile | 1.41 per mile |
| Long distance: 1450 | 0.62 per mile | 1.19 per mile |
Vehicle type and condition
While you want to calculate the price of car shipping the vehicle type and its condition have a direct impact on the cost of car shipping.
If you are going to ship a sedan category vehicle, the cost of shipping will be low as compared to shipping a small SUV to the same distance. The shipping price of a large size SUV is high as compared to transport price of a midsize SUV. Vehicle size has a direct impact on the price of car shipping.
Vehicle condition is another factor that has a direct impact on the price of shipping a vehicle, if you are going to ship a non-running vehicle it will cost more as compared to a run and drive vehicle. Running means the vehicle whose stares and wheel are not working so pick up of non-running drivers need to pick it up so it’s an additional effort that why it charges high as compared to normal one.
Date and Season
Date and season directly impact the price of car shipping. If you are flexible about the pickup date of your vehicle, you have a chance that your vehicle will be picked up at a low price as compared to expedite shipping or any fixed date for pick up. If you are looking for vehicle shipment in summer, you are lucky to have a great chance to get a vehicle picked up at a low price as compared to winter.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car?
There are three factors that can help you to get the cheapest car shipping price.
Flexibility In Date
If you are searching for a cheapest way to ship a car then you should be flexible to pick up the date of your vehicle, this is cheaper than expedited shipping . Flexibility in pickup date can cause delay in your vehicle pick up but this is one of factors considered as the cheapest method to ship a car.
Terminal to Terminal
If you are searching for the cheapest way to ship your vehicle than choose terminal to terminal shipping, its cost is low as compared to door to door, because terminal exists at highway junctions while door to door car shipping carriers move to district and residential areas so it requires more cost as compared to terminal to terminal shipping.
Open Carrier
Open auto transport service is the most cost efficient method of car shipping as compared to enclosed auto carrier service. Open carrier carries 12 vehicles at time due to its body shape while enclosed auto carrier carries 6 vehicles at time. While enclosed carrier is considered most safe as compared to open carrier but expensive both methods have their own advantage.