What does shipping a car involve?
Shipping your vehicle is like shipping anything else except the size of a car is bulkier which makes it a more technical process. Nonetheless, some companies specialize in shipping cars across the country, coast to coast, to any part of the world. As expected, this process costs significantly more money compared to other shipping items. Many shipping companies use trailer trucks for their shipping services; however, there are other shipping options available including ocean freight and trains.
Whenever you want to ship a car across the country, it is better to go through a professional shipment to save you a lot of time and stress.
Average Car Shipping Price
There are two main car shipping methods, and the cost to ship a car may depend on which one you choose. There is the Open Carrier and the Closed Carrier. Before we get into the pricing of the two options, let’s take a look at the difference between the two.
Open carriers are the most popular shipping method, 75% of customers use it and it’s easy on the wallet. However, this shipping method can expose your cars to different weather elements such as dust, rain, and snow. In addition, an open transporter can carry up to 6 other vehicles with your car.
Closed car carriers are more expensive than air carriers. This form of shipping is a closed transport that protects your vehicle from various elements and bad weather. Closed transport is generally the best option for high-end and luxury vehicles. It has four walls, carries fewer cars, and protects your car from damage.
The average cost of shipping a car across the country (2,750 miles) ranges from $ 1,200 if you use the open carrier option to up to $ 2,000 if you use the attached transportation option.
How to calculate the rough estimate of a car’s shipment
Determining the cost of shipping a car is not easy as there are many factors that affect the price. However, you can calculate the rough estimate of the cost of transporting a car.
The average cost of shipping a car is $ 1 per mile for up to 500 miles. So if you are shipping 600 miles it will cost you $ 600. However, the price per mile can drop from $ 1 to $ 0.75 after the first 500 miles. At the same time, it costs $ 0.6 after 1,000 miles and $ 0.40 for 2,500 miles. As we drive a longer distance, we see a drop in the average price per mile.
Below is a rough estimate of what it will cost to ship a car:
Distance Average price per mile Sample distance Sample price 1 to 500 miles $ 1,400 miles $ 400> 500 to 1,000 miles 0.75900 miles $ 675> 1000 miles 0.601 $ 500 miles $ 900> 2000 miles 0.502 $ 400 miles $ 1,200> 2,500 miles 0.404,000 miles $ 1,600
If you want to know a rough estimate of what it will cost you to ship a car, all you need to do is find a calculator and multiply the distance your car travels by the average price per mile. For example, if your car travels the country for 3000 miles. Then your rough estimate is 3000 x 0.40 = $ 1200.
Note: Cross-border transportation can be more expensive, especially if it is shipped via a less traveled route.
Why Car Shipping Costs Vary
As you may have already guessed, car shipping prices vary from company to company. Even a car transport company may charge different fees to different customers depending on some factors which we will discuss shortly.
There are two main reasons why shipping prices fluctuate. The first is that many car shipping services involve a bidding process where different car companies bid for your work. Business owners have to go through transport brokers to get in touch with car carriers. The brokers will contact different car transport companies and the companies will bid. Then the broker will come back to you with the automaker with the best deal or lowest price.
