Shipping a car across the country costs about $1,000 to $1,800 on an open carrier and $1,600 to $2,600 in an enclosed trailer. A standard sedan going coast to coast — roughly 2,400 to 3,000 miles — usually lands between $1,100 and $1,500 open, and takes 7 to 10 days on the road once it is picked up. Large SUVs and pickups add $150 to $400, a vehicle that does not run adds $150 to $250, and peak summer moving season pushes any of these up 10% to 25%.
Those are working ranges rather than one number, because cross-country auto transport is priced per load by the carrier who actually hauls the car. Here is what moves your number, so you can tell a fair quote from a lowball one.
Cross-Country Car Shipping Cost at a Glance
- Open transport, sedan, coast to coast: $1,000-$1,500
- Open transport, SUV or pickup, coast to coast: $1,200-$1,800
- Enclosed transport, coast to coast: $1,600-$2,600
- Cost per mile, 2,000+ miles: $0.40-$0.60
- Cost per mile, 500-1,500 miles: $0.60-$0.90
- Cost per mile, under 500 miles: $0.90-$1.60
- Transit time, coast to coast: 7-10 days, plus a 1-5 day pickup window
- Non-running vehicle surcharge: $150-$250 (winch loading)
Note the per-mile pattern: long distance is cheaper per mile, not the reverse. A 300-mile move can cost $450 while a 2,800-mile move costs $1,300, because the truck has to be dispatched, loaded and inspected either way, and short hauls spread those fixed costs over fewer miles.
What Actually Sets Your Price
Distance and route density
Distance sets the floor; the route sets the rest. Lanes connecting major metros — Los Angeles to New York, Chicago to Phoenix — see carriers weekly, and competition holds prices near the low end. A pickup two hours off the interstate costs a truck half a day for one car, which shows up as $100 to $300 extra. Meeting the driver at a shopping center nearer the highway often erases most of it.
Open vs. enclosed trailer
Open carriers — the ten-car haulers you see on the highway — move the large majority of vehicles in the U.S. and are the cheaper option. Enclosed auto transport runs roughly 30% to 60% more, because the trailer holds two to seven cars instead of ten and those carriers generally carry higher cargo limits. For a daily driver, open is the sensible choice; for a collector car or low-clearance exotic, enclosed earns its premium.
Vehicle size, weight and condition
Carriers sell space and weight. A three-row SUV or crew-cab pickup takes the room of about one and a half sedans and prices accordingly. Lifted trucks, roof racks and oversized tires can push a vehicle out of standard dimensions and into a custom quote. Always disclose a car that will not start, steer or brake: it needs a winch, and a driver who arrives to a surprise non-runner can refuse it.
Season and timing
May through August is peak moving season and the most expensive stretch of the year. January through March, southbound lanes into Florida, Arizona and Texas tighten as snowbirds head south, then reverse in April and May. Holidays and month-end run tight because household moves cluster there. If your dates flex by a week, ask what shifting them does — it often saves $100 to $200.
Fuel
Diesel is the largest variable cost in the business. A loaded car hauler gets 5 to 6 miles per gallon, so a coast-to-coast run burns 450 to 550 gallons. When diesel moves 50 cents a gallon, every long-haul quote moves with it — which is why a quote should carry an expiration date.
What Popular Cross-Country Lanes Cost
Typical open-carrier ranges for a standard sedan:
- Los Angeles to New York: $1,200-$1,700
- Los Angeles to Chicago: $950-$1,400
- Seattle to Florida: $1,200-$1,800
- New York to Los Angeles: $1,100-$1,600
- New York to Florida: $700-$1,000
- Texas to California: $800-$1,200
Opposite directions on the same lane often differ by $100 or more, because carrier supply is unbalanced — in some months more cars leave California than enter it. Compare city pairs on our popular car shipping routes page.
How Long Does It Take to Ship a Car Across the Country?
Plan on 7 to 10 days of transit coast to coast, plus a pickup window of 1 to 5 days after your first available date. The driving time is fixed arithmetic: federal hours-of-service rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration cap a driver at 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour on-duty window, with a 60- or 70-hour limit per week. In practice a car hauler covers 400 to 500 miles a day, before loading and unloading other customers along the way.
Shorter runs scale down: 2 to 4 days for 1,000 to 1,500 miles, 1 to 3 days under 500 miles. If you need a firm date instead of a window, expedited service buys priority dispatch, usually 25% to 50% above standard pricing. Our cross-country auto transport service page explains how long-distance dispatch and delivery scheduling work.
What's Included in the Price — and What Isn't
Included: door-to-door pickup and delivery within legal access limits, cargo insurance while the vehicle is in the carrier's custody, and a written condition report — the bill of lading — signed at both ends. Olympic Auto Transport has been arranging vehicle shipments for over 15 years, is licensed and bonded, and includes cargo insurance on every move, open or enclosed.
Not included, and worth planning for:
- Personal items. Most carriers allow about 100 lbs in the trunk, below the window line, at the owner's risk. Auto carriers are not licensed as household goods movers, and excess weight exposes the truck to DOT weight violations. Nothing inside the car is covered by cargo insurance.
- Coverage above the carrier's limit. Cargo limits are set by each carrier, not by a federal minimum for autos. Open haulers commonly carry $100,000 to $250,000 in total cargo coverage; enclosed carriers often carry $500,000 or more. Ask for the certificate of insurance and confirm it covers your vehicle's value.
- Terminal storage. Terminal-to-terminal can shave $75 to $150 off a quote, but storage fees accrue fast if you cannot collect the car immediately.
Payment is normally a deposit at dispatch, with the balance due to the driver on delivery in cash or certified funds.
What About Shipping a Car Overseas?
Overseas shipping is a different service from domestic trucking and prices differently. Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo), where the car is driven onto a vessel's car deck, is the cheaper method — typically $1,000 to $2,500 port to port from the U.S. to Europe, with routes to Australia, the Middle East or Asia running higher. Sole-use container shipping commonly costs $2,500 to $5,000 or more. Those figures are port to port only: add inland trucking to the departure port, marine insurance, and destination duties, VAT and clearance, which in some countries exceed the freight itself. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also requires the vehicle and proof of ownership to be presented for export at least 72 hours before the vessel sails.
How to Pay Less Without Picking a Bad Carrier
- Give a wide pickup window. A five-day window lets a dispatcher fit you into a truck already half full. A one-day demand prices like expedited service.
- Book 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Last-minute loads pay a premium, and booking months out saves nothing extra, because carriers dispatch on a rolling basis.
- Be honest about the vehicle. Modifications or a dead battery disclosed upfront get an accurate quote; discovered at pickup, they get a price increase or a refused load.
- Verify licensing yourself. Every legitimate broker and carrier has a USDOT and MC number you can look up free in the FMCSA's public database, and federal rules require licensed brokers to hold a $75,000 surety bond.
- Distrust the lowest bid. A quote hundreds below every other offer was priced below what carriers will accept. The car sits unassigned, then you are asked for more money.
To replace these ranges with a real number, price your exact route, vehicle and dates and get a free car shipping quote with no obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to ship a car across the country?
Expect $1,000 to $1,800 on an open carrier and $1,600 to $2,600 enclosed for a coast-to-coast move of roughly 2,400 to 3,000 miles. A sedan on a busy lane typically lands between $1,100 and $1,500. Vehicle size, season, distance from major highways and diesel prices account for most of the variation.
Is it cheaper to ship a car or drive it across the country?
Driving a sedan 2,800 miles costs roughly $300 to $450 in fuel, plus 4 to 5 days of hotels and meals, about 45 hours behind the wheel, and 2,800 miles of wear. Once lodging and time off work are counted, shipping is usually comparable or cheaper — and clearly cheaper if you would otherwise fly back.
How far in advance should I book cross-country car shipping?
Two to three weeks is the sweet spot — enough time for a dispatcher to place your vehicle on a truck already heading your direction at standard pricing. Inside a week you are competing for leftover space and paying for it. From May through August, add a week.
Does my own insurance cover the car, or the carrier's?
The carrier's cargo insurance covers the vehicle while it is in their custody, and that is the coverage that matters in transit. Personal auto policies generally do not cover damage while a car sits on a commercial hauler. Request the certificate of insurance, confirm the limit, and photograph the vehicle from every angle before signing the bill of lading.