What Car Shipping Costs
Our actual price ranges on 62 routes, per mile and per lane — published on the page, not held back for a quote form.
- Rates per mile by distance
- 62 routes priced
- No hidden fees or charges
- No deposit until carrier assigned
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What Does It Cost to Ship a Car?
Most vehicle shipments run between $300 and $1,700. Where a given move lands depends mostly on distance — but not proportionally, because the per-mile rate falls as the trip gets longer. The tables below are our own lane pricing, so you can find a comparable route and see the number before you talk to anyone.
Why Choose Our Service
Distance
The biggest factor, and the per-mile rate drops as distance grows: about $1.15–$1.85 a mile under 500 miles, against $0.42–$0.60 a mile coast to coast. Loading and paperwork cost the same on a short move as a long one.
Vehicle Size & Type
Carriers sell trailer space and weight. A compact sedan is the baseline; a full-size SUV or pickup typically adds $100–$300 to the same route because it displaces more of the load.
Transport Type
Open transport is the standard and what every price here reflects. Enclosed costs 30–50% more, because an enclosed trailer carries 2–6 cars where an open one carries 8–10.
Seasonality
Snowbird season (October–February) tightens southbound capacity to Florida and Arizona, and summer is peak for everything. Off-peak booking on the same lane commonly saves 10–20%.
Vehicle Condition
A car that doesn't run needs a winch to load and limits which carriers can take it. Expect $100–$200 on top of the running-vehicle price.
Pickup & Delivery Location
Metro-to-metro is cheapest because carriers already run those lanes. A pickup an hour off the interstate can add $50–$150, since the driver burns hours collecting one car.
Open Transport Price Ranges by Distance
- Short haul (under 500 miles): $300 – $550
- Regional (500–999 miles): $400 – $900
- Long haul (1,000–1,499 miles): $600 – $1,200
- Cross-country (1,500–2,499 miles): $800 – $1,450
- Coast to coast (2,500+ miles): $1,100 – $1,700
- Enclosed transport: add 30–50%
- Inoperable vehicle: add $100–$200
- Expedited pickup: add 20–40%
- Oversized vehicle (truck, van, SUV): add $100–$300
Car shipping cost per mile
Car shipping is not priced by the mile at a flat rate, which is why per-mile quotes from different routes look inconsistent. A carrier spends the same time loading, inspecting and paperworking a 300-mile move as a 2,800-mile one, so that fixed cost is spread over far fewer miles on a short trip. The result is a rate that falls steadily with distance:
| Distance | Typical total | Cost per mile | Transit time | Lanes priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 500 miles | $300 – $550 | $1.15 – $1.85 | 1–3 days | 9 |
| 500 – 999 miles | $400 – $900 | $0.68 – $1.05 | 2–6 days | 21 |
| 1,000 – 1,499 miles | $600 – $1,200 | $0.59 – $0.89 | 3–7 days | 22 |
| 1,500 – 2,499 miles | $800 – $1,450 | $0.49 – $0.72 | 4–10 days | 6 |
| 2,500+ miles | $1,100 – $1,700 | $0.42 – $0.60 | 7–10 days | 4 |
Read this as a sanity check on any quote you receive. A 1,200-mile move quoted at $1,900 is well outside the market; the same move quoted at $400 usually means the price will be raised once no carrier accepts the load.
Prices on 62 routes we run
These are open-transport ranges for a running, standard-size vehicle, door to door, insurance included. Both directions on a lane are priced the same. Follow any route for its own page with transit detail and seasonal notes.
| Route | Distance | Open transport | Transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey to Pennsylvania | 150 mi | $300 – $500 | 1–3 days |
| New York to Delaware | 200 mi | $300 – $500 | 1–3 days |
| New York to Pennsylvania · reverse | 300 mi | $350 – $550 | 1–3 days |
| Georgia to Florida · reverse | 350 mi | $350 – $550 | 1–3 days |
| Ohio to Pennsylvania | 350 mi | $350 – $550 | 1–3 days |
| California to Nevada · reverse | 450 mi | $350 – $550 | 2–3 days |
| California to Arizona · reverse | 550 mi | $400 – $650 | 2–3 days |
| Ohio to North Carolina | 550 mi | $450 – $700 | 2–5 days |
| North Carolina to Florida · reverse | 600 mi | $450 – $700 | 2–4 days |
| California to Oregon · reverse | 650 mi | $450 – $700 | 2–4 days |
| Utah to California · reverse | 650 mi | $450 – $700 | 2–4 days |
| Tennessee to Florida · reverse | 700 mi | $500 – $750 | 2–4 days |
| California to Washington · reverse | 800 mi | $500 – $800 | 3–5 days |
| Virginia to Florida · reverse | 850 mi | $550 – $850 | 3–5 days |
| Arizona to Texas · reverse | 900 mi | $550 – $850 | 3–5 days |
| Georgia to New York · reverse | 900 mi | $550 – $850 | 3–5 days |
| Maryland to Florida · reverse | 950 mi | $600 – $900 | 3–6 days |
| Colorado to California · reverse | 1,000 mi | $600 – $900 | 3–5 days |
| Florida to Ohio · reverse | 1,000 mi | $600 – $900 | 3–5 days |
| Pennsylvania to Florida · reverse | 1,050 mi | $650 – $950 | 3–5 days |
| Florida to New Jersey · reverse | 1,100 mi | $650 – $1,000 | 3–5 days |
| Florida to Texas · reverse | 1,100 mi | $650 – $1,000 | 3–5 days |
| Illinois to Texas · reverse | 1,100 mi | $650 – $1,000 | 3–5 days |
| Illinois to Florida · reverse | 1,200 mi | $700 – $1,050 | 4–6 days |
| Texas to Ohio · reverse | 1,200 mi | $700 – $1,050 | 4–7 days |
| Florida to New York · reverse | 1,280 mi | $700 – $1,100 | 4–6 days |
| Florida to Michigan · reverse | 1,300 mi | $750 – $1,100 | 4–6 days |
| California to Texas · reverse | 1,400 mi | $800 – $1,200 | 4–7 days |
| Florida to Massachusetts · reverse | 1,500 mi | $800 – $1,200 | 4–7 days |
| New York to Texas · reverse | 1,800 mi | $900 – $1,300 | 5–8 days |
| Montana to Florida · reverse | 2,300 mi | $1,000 – $1,450 | 6–10 days |
| Florida to California · reverse | 2,700 mi | $1,100 – $1,600 | 7–10 days |
| California to New York · reverse | 2,800 mi | $1,200 – $1,700 | 7–10 days |
If your move isn't listed, find the closest distance in the first table — a lane of similar length prices similarly, whatever the states involved.
Why two quotes for the same car differ
Auto transport is a brokered market. A broker posts your vehicle to a national load board, and a carrier with space on that lane accepts it. The price has to be high enough that a driver takes the load — which is why the lowest quote is often the most expensive mistake.
A quote set below the market rate sits on the board unaccepted. The common pattern is a customer books at a headline price, waits a week past the pickup window, and is then asked for several hundred dollars more to make the load attractive. Nothing is technically broken: the original number was never a price a carrier would take.
The tables above are the range at which loads on these lanes actually move. We quote inside it, and we don't ask for a deposit until a carrier is assigned and the price is locked.
How to read a car shipping quote
Before you compare two numbers, confirm all four of these match:
- Open or enclosed. A 40% gap between two quotes usually means one is enclosed.
- Door-to-door or terminal. Terminal quotes look cheaper and then add your drive to the terminal, twice.
- Insurance included. Cargo coverage should be in the price, with a Certificate of Insurance available before pickup.
- When payment is due. A large deposit before a carrier is assigned is the sign of a price that may move.
Once those line up, the remaining difference is the real one — and the tables on this page tell you which quote is inside the market.