How Much Does Enclosed Car Shipping Cost?

Enclosed Shipping: How Much Is It?

Enclosed car shipping is the preferred option when you’re shipping a car that requires an extra layer of protection during transport. While standard car shipping is done on an open air carrier that hauls several cars at once, an enclosed carrier only moves between one and four cars at a time. The advantage being that your vehicle is covered and protected for the duration of the trip, preventing any damages from weather, dirt, or road debris.

When you opt for enclosed car shipping, there is an additional charge associated with the service. Since enclosed carriers cannot move as many cars as an open carrier, the per-car cost will be slightly higher. Another service which could potentially add to the price of enclosed shipping is door-to-door delivery (as opposed to shipping to a transport terminal). Since enclosed carriers tend to be smaller, they can more easily accommodate delivery to a specific location.

Speaking generally here, you can expect to pay an additional 25 to 50 cents per mile for enclosed shipping. Of course, that can be mitigated on longer shipments since the per mile cost is lower to begin with. If you’d like a more precise cost estimate tailored to the particulars of the service you need, we encourage readers to call us at the number at the top of the page for a free estimate.

Other Considerations With Enclosed Car Transport

Though it does come at an additional cost, here are a number of reasons why someone might prefer to use an enclosed carrier when shipping a car. Most of those reasons revolve around the protection, security, and discretion of moving a particular type of vehicle. Most often, they fall into one of these categories:

• Luxury cars & high value vehicles
• Exotic cars
• Custom & modified cars
• Vintage vehicles & collector cars
• Muscle cars
• Racing vehicles

Saving Money With Enclosed Car Shipping

Even though it tends to cost slightly more to ship a vehicle in an enclosed carrier, there are still ways to save money. Many car shippers have discount programs available for a number of customers.

Some examples of common discounts from car carriers include military and student discounts, as well as multiple vehicle discounts. There are also certain seasonal discounts that may apply, particularly if you’re a “snowbird” shipping your car to a warmer climate for the winter. You can view the full listing of our discount program by clicking here.

One of the best ways of saving money is to plan ahead properly. If you need a car shipped in two weeks and you haven’t yet contacted any shippers for a price quote, you’ll likely be paying more than you would if you had booked further in advance. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to research companies and compare prices!