Car Shipping Cost Calculator
Calculate your car shipping cost in seconds. Pick the pickup state, the delivery state, and the vehicle type, and your estimate appears on screen — no contact info needed. When you’re ready, get an exact quote priced to your addresses and first available pickup date.
Licensed & Bonded Auto Transport · MC# 1818917· USDOT# 4572370
Calculate your shipping cost
Car shipping prices How much does it cost to ship a car?
A short regional move runs a few hundred dollars. A coast-to-coast move usually lands well over a thousand. In between, the cost to ship a car comes down to one question: how many paid miles does the carrier drive between your pickup and your delivery, and how many deadhead miles does it take to reach you?
Distance sets the baseline. The vehicle, the exact pickup and delivery addresses, open or enclosed transport, the time of year, and how many carriers are running your lane that week move the rate up or down from there.
Understanding your estimate What the Calculator Estimate Means
The calculator gives you an estimate: the range most cars like yours ship for between those two states. It isn’t your quote yet.
Two identical sedans going California to Texas can price differently. One is in a Los Angeles driveway heading to a Dallas suburb; the other is 40 miles off the interstate heading to a town outside Dallas. Same states, different truck miles, different price.
Your exact quote is priced off your addresses, vehicle, transport type, and first available pickup date, using current carrier rates on the lane. You see what’s driving the number before anything is booked.
Car shipping prices How much does it cost to ship a car?
Carriers sell trailer space. A sedan takes one slot. A full-size SUV, a crew-cab pickup, or a van takes that slot plus weight the carrier has to account for against the truck’s gross limit – so the rate steps up.
Lifted trucks, roof racks, dually pickups, and anything taller or heavier than a stock passenger vehicle can need a specific trailer. Note it on the quote – it changes which carriers can take the load.
Transport options
Open vs. Enclosed Car Shipping Cost
Transport type is the biggest cost choice you control.
Open Auto Transport
How most cars in the country move, including new cars going to dealerships. Your car rides on an open multi-car carrier. Most trucks on the road are open carriers, so open transport is the easiest to dispatch and the lowest cost.
Enclosed Auto Transport
Your car rides inside a closed trailer, out of the weather and away from road debris. Fewer carriers run enclosed trailers, so it takes longer to dispatch and costs more. Worth it for collector, exotic, freshly restored, or low-clearance cars.
Popular routes Popular Car Shipping Routes and Prices
The more carriers running a lane, the tighter the rate and the faster the pickup. Off-corridor moves add deadhead miles for the carrier and usually price a little higher.
PRICING FACTORS What Affects Car Shipping Costs?
Route and Distance
Pickup access
Delivery access
Vehicle size and type
Open or enclosed
Pickup Timing
Vehicle condition Cost to Ship a Non-Running Car
If your car can’t drive onto the trailer, the carrier needs a winch – and not every car hauler has one. Fewer eligible carriers and extra loading time mean a higher rate.
Plan on a few hundred dollars extra for an inoperable vehicle. Running or non-running is the dispatch-board question; whether it rolls, steers, and brakes is the winch question. A car that rolls is cheaper to load than one that has to be dragged or forklifted on.
INTERACTIVE MAP Car Shipping Costs by State
Pickup and delivery states shape everything: lane volume, transit time, and what carriers charge to get in and out. Pick a state to see routes, transit times, and pickup and delivery notes.
HOW CAR SHIPPING WORKS How to Ship a car
Request Your Quote
Share your pickup and delivery locations, vehicle details, and first available pickup date.
Confirm the Best Option
Select open or enclosed transport based on your vehicle and shipping needs.
Carrier Assigned and Dispatched
We verify the carrier’s FMCSA authority and insurance certificate, then confirm your pickup window.
Pickup and Bill of Lading
At pickup, the carrier inspects your vehicle and records its condition on the Bill of Lading before loading.
Delivery Inspection
At delivery, inspect your vehicle again and compare its condition with the Bill of Lading before signing.
Estimate vs. exact quote Why Your Exact Quote Can Differ From the Estimate
The estimate is built from what cars like yours have shipped for between those states. The exact quote is built from what carriers on your lane are being paid the week you ship – and that rate moves. Snowbird season, holidays, fuel, weather, and how many carriers are heading your direction all push carrier pay up or down.
So the exact quote is priced to your two addresses, your vehicle, your transport type, and that week’s carrier rates. If the market moves after you’ve booked, you hear it from us and approve any change before a carrier is dispatched – never at pickup.
PRICING FACTORS What Affects Car Shipping Costs?
Licensed & Bonded
The Carrier Check
No Upfront Charges Until You Sign
One Coordinator, Quote to Delivery
Photo-Documented Pickup & Delivery
Car shipping questions Car shipping cost calculator FAQs
Ready to Ship Your Vehicle?
Get a free quote and let AutoHaul Direct help you review the right transport option for your route, vehicle, and timeline.