Understanding car shipping prices

Are you moving and wondering how much does it cost to ship a car?

As you research your car transport options, you may have questions like: Do moving companies ship cars? 

What is the average cost to ship a car or what is the cheapest way? 

How is the price calculated?

In this article, we're going to be transparent about what car transport companies will provide shipping quotes based on factors like cost, delivery time, insurance, and time of year.

Most importantly, when shipping cars, there is a lot to think about such as the size of the car, make and model.

Average car shipping cost

It costs about $1,290 to ship a car—but that’s a ballpark figure. Car shipping companies let truck drivers (called carriers) bid on your transport.

Prices can go up or down depending on factors like the size of your vehicle, the distance of the transport, and how busy they are.

There are many different shipping companies out there to move and or ship your vehicle. Some companies specialize in just auto transport.

There are towing companies that offer transport services. Some moving companies also offer options to ship your car along with your household goods.

Cars can be transported by shipping containers, trailers, and tow trucks. These auto shipping options have different price tags, so you need to figure out the suitable option that works best for you.

Expenses that come up during the transport are fuel costs, insurance, mileage expense, and lodging for the driver, depending on the transport company. Post-trip expenses are going to be paying the transporter for their time.

What's The Cheapest Way To Ship My Car?

One of the cheapest ways to ship a car is transporting on an open trailer compared to an enclosed trailer which is about $400 more expensive per trip for the same vehicle and mileage to be traveled.

Most people getting shipping quotes do not need an enclosed transport which on average cost $1,120. Enclosed trailer is much safer though and should be the preferred method of shipment if your car is an expensive one.

Speaking of expensive, let's talk about how the price of the car affects shipping costs.

The Price of Your Car

The retail price of your automobile plays a huge factor in the shipping price. These cars require a specific set of tools necessary to transport them safely.

For instance, if you're shipping a low-clearance supercar like a Ferrari, you might have to get a truck that can support a low clearance. Otherwise, you might end up scraping the bottom of your car.

 Rare and supercars do require some extra expertise and usually, the crew from auto transport companies have to be specifically trained to ensure that they have the skill set required to ship them without any damages.

Pro-tip: If you're transporting a regular sedan, you can expect to pay less as compared to a more expensive car.

Is Shipping A Car Worth It?

On average, most DIYers can get this done with proper research and equipment.

For instance, using a car dolly is the easiest way people can ship a car. The average homeowner can provide their own car transport.

When doing this, the homeowner does need the knowledge and skills to tow a trailer with a car and safely drive from the origin to the destination.

When the homeowner does this, it can sometimes save them money or sometimes be more expensive because if they are inexperienced and something goes wrong, then they will be liable.

There are situations where there are some people that ship cars only a couple of miles to 1,000 miles or across the globe. When shipping locally, it's not as expensive as shipping around the country or even to another country.

Local auto transport

Local car shipping can range on the distance and the company you want to hire. When shipping nationally or internationally, it gets harder to find a company that offers auto transport because there are fewer ways to ship cars over longer distances.

By the same token, local shipping is trailering the car somewhere within a couple of hundred miles which is call open transport.

Then when it comes to nationwide shipping it will be a great option to hire an auto transport company which could be expensive and can take long periods. 

Long distance auto transport

Across the country or international car shipping cost is the most expensive. The cost to ship can add up pretty quickly. It is a tough task to undertake by transport carriers which, by the way, should be properly licensed, bonded, and insured.

International shipping is generally done by shipping containers and boats. People mainly do international shipping if they buys nicer collector cars, has a nice car, and or the car has sentimental value to the person and they do not wait to leave it in behind.

You see, today, people use international shipping as a way to move cars overseas because it needs to be properly stored and secured well before it is transported.

One final thing to leave you with is sometimes is it worth taking a car so far and even paying more than the car is worth to move it somewhere versus just buying a new car after the move.

The vehicle shipping industry is very important in today's economy for shipping your car, family van or SUV.

READ MORE: Moving cost calculator

In the end, shipping a car can be a pretty expensive ordeal. There is quite a bit of research you have to do as a shipper.

Sometimes, with the shipping expenses and customs involved (for cross-border shipping), the cost may exceed the actual price of the car.

So, you must take a look at a car shipping calculator and watch the numbers and determine whether shipping your current vehicle is a good idea.

If the cost of shipping  is exceeding the price of the car, you might be better off just selling the current car and purchasing another one after moving to the new location.