Average Car Shipping Rates

What Is the Average Rate For Car Shipping Services?

The cost of shipping a car involves a lot of different elements. For example, a larger vehicle, or a longer shipping distance can both increase the cost of shipping, while choosing a certain type of carrier and method of transport can increase or reduce the amount you can expect to pay. The bottom line is that there is no simple answer to the question, “What is the average cost of a car shipping?”. There are so many different factors at play, that there’s no way to put a hard number on the average cost. But if we take the industry as a whole, and incorporate all types of shipments, vehicle types, and distances, the most common range tends to be $700 to $2,000. Naturally, if you only need a car shipped 200-300 miles, you can expect a lower rate, but most vehicles shipped are longer distances, which gives us the $700 to $2,000 price range.

As you might expect, the vehicle shipments that cost closer to the $2,000 range tend to be those being shipped all the way across the country, or coast-to-coast auto transport as we call it. In some cases, it may cost even slightly higher than that figure, but it largely depends on the mileage and type of vehicle. For those cars being shipped to a neighboring state and less than 1,000 miles, you’re more likely to be quoted a price in the $500 to $700 range. Keep in mind that there’s not a flat per-mile rate for auto transport services, but a sliding scale that’s used by most companies. In simple terms, this means that the per-mile cost goes down as the distance of the shipment increases.

What Affects The Cost of Auto Transport?

We’ve already discussed the fact that distance is the major determining factor in how much you’ll pay to have a vehicle shipped, but let’s take a look at some of the finer points. Here’s a general breakdown of what determines car shipping rates.

• Distance & location: Sometimes it’s not simply the miles between where your car is located and where you want it shipped. If your car is in a location that’s difficult to access, typically in more rural areas, that can also increase the price. Vehicles closer to larger cities tend to be less expensive to ship.
• Vehicle type: Size and weight are the main things to consider here, but vehicles with nonstandard dimensions can also cost more to ship. For most pickups, sedans, and coupes, you can expect them to fall into the general price range mentioned above.
• Nonoperational vehicles: Cars that are not in running condition typically carry a small additional fee since they’re not able to be loaded as easily and may require a winch to get them onto the carrier.
• Fuel costs: Just like everyone else, the price of gas affects car shipping companies. Depending on the cost of fuel at the time, you may see higher or lower prices from a shipper you contact.