Overseas Car Shipping Best Practices & Tips

The first thing you should know about shipping a vehicle to another country is that it will likely cost mor than shipping a car anywhere in the continental U.S. Shipping a car from California to New York could easily cost $2,000 and that’s often the starting cost for shipping to another country. Since distance is such an important factor in the car shipping industry, this probably isn’t all that surprising.

Overseas Transport Process & Options

The vast majority of international auto shipping occurs on boats and ships that have regular delivery routes between the countries involved. While there is another option, air freight, the cost is significantly higher than it would be to ship a car on a boat. To give you an idea, it often costs more than the value of the car, even a new one, to ship by plane.

These are the reasons that the bulk of vehicle transport to other countries takes place on a boat. Even still, there are different methods for this type of shipment. For smaller vehicles that can fit, they can be shipped inside of a shipping container like any other type of cargo. This is known as containerized auto transport and is a cost-effective way of shipping between countries. Another benefit of container shipping is that you can put personal items in the container along with the car—something that’s not allowed with the other method.

Roll on, roll of shipments, also known as “RORO”, is a method of transporting a car by ship that doesn’t involve a container. Effectively, your car is driven into a cargo area on the ship, where it is then secured and delivered to the destination port. Since it’s not in a container, the car can be driven off the boat and is ready for pick up. Generally speaking, there is less prep work and time involved when using RORO shipping.

Comparing Overseas Shipping Prices & Companies

The first step in shipping your car overseas is finding the right company for the job. If you’ve done a cursory internet search, you’ve probably found that there are a seemingly endless number of companies offering international shipping. So what should you look for when trying to find a company to work with?

The first thing you’ll want to determine is how much experience a company has, particularly in the country or region you’re shipping to. Some companies may offer overseas shipping, but it may not be a regular part of their business. While this isn’t always a red flag, it generally speaks to their understanding and ability when it comes to shipping to a particular country.

Once you find a couple options that seem to have the experience and know-how to do the job, you should call them up for a cost estimate. You’ll get different prices and that can be a way to find a cheaper option if you’re looking to save some money on an overseas vehicle shipment.

Call or email us today if you’re considering shipping a vehicle to another country from the U.S.! We offer FREE price quotes to all interested parties, regardless of vehicle type or destination! Contact us today to learn more or if you have questions!