How Much is it Going to Cost Me to Ship My Car?
If you’re shipping your vehicle within the continental United States, then you might be interested to know that the average shipping price is around $950. Average prices on the low end for shipping this way come to around $700, while the most expensive shipments have topped out at around $1200.
Normally, you can expect to pay about $0.60 per mile when shipping your vehicle a distance of 1000 miles or more, but this can (and will) vary greatly depending on the vehicle shipping company you choose, so make sure you do your due diligence and shop around before settling on a shipping company.
Car shipping is one of the services where it is nearly impossible to nail down an exact price for someone without knowing the details of their needs. This is because all kinds of different factors go into determining the price of your car shipment, including the following.
1. The type of transport you choose
Would you like to save money with the open-air transport option or would you rather spend a little extra to be as safe as possible by choosing enclosed transportation? This is an important choice and one that will most greatly influence your final price tag.
2. How far your vehicle needs to go
Are you moving your vehicle locally or having it shipped across the country? The distance your vehicle will have to travel is another huge factor that will go into determining your final shipping cost.
3. The size of your vehicle
The size of your car is another big factor that will go into how much it will cost for shipment. The smaller your car is, the less you will be charged for its shipping, so you will naturally be paying much less to ship a compact economy car than you would if you were shipping a pickup truck or a minivan, so keep the size of your vehicle in mind when you are looking for vehicle shipping companies.
These are the main factors that your car shipping company will take into account when figuring up the final price estimate for your shipment. While it is impossible to determine what your exact vehicle shipping price will end up being, you can always take a look at some average prices for the sake of comparison.
Can I Save Money Based on the Time of Year?
With some smart planning, you could definitely save some money by choosing to ship your car at a certain time of year. You see, every moving company and vehicle shipping company has a busy season and an offseason. During the offseason, the companies see much less work, and as such, charge less per job.
Typically, you can expect the busiest times of the year for state to state moving companies and car shipping companies to be around the spring and summer seasons, as well as most weekends. People tend to move when they are off work, and these are the main time’s folks find themselves off work and planning moves and shipments.
If you can plan your move or shipment around the moving and shipping offseason, then you might be pleasantly surprised at the amount of money you could possibly save when compared to the amount of money you would be spending if you chose to have your car shipped during the busier times of the year.
Other Fees and Charges
There are a few other fees you could be looking at paying when shipping your car, as well, so make sure you are aware of these fees and inquire about them before you sign a contract.
Insurance
Do you need extra insurance for your vehicle’s shipment? If you’d like to make sure your car is extra protected, you can always purchase additional insurance options for it from the shipping company.
Express shipping
If you’d like the shipment of your car to be prioritized, you can usually make this happen by paying a little extra for express shipping, which can cut down on the amount of time it takes for your car to reach its new destination drastically.
Added space
If your car is rather large, then it will take more room for the shipping company to accommodate it. Expect to pay a little more for space if your car is bigger.
Being aware of potential added fees ahead of time can be a good way to anticipate them and plan around them for folks on a budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping your vehicle is not always the most cut and dry process, and many folks are left with questions about it. If you still have questions unanswered, check here to see some of the most frequent questions regarding this topic, along with their answers:
1. How can I save the most money on car shipments?
To save the most money on your car shipment, you should do a few things. You should probably choose open-air shipping, as this is always going to be the cheapest shipping method for most people. You should also try to get quotes from more than one shipping company so that you can compare quotes and find the best one for your particular budget.
2. How long should it take to ship my car across the country?
This answer can vary a lot depending on the company you choose, how busy they are, and how far your car needs to travel. On average, however, most vehicle shipments in the continental United States are complete in anywhere between two to seven days.
3. What information do I need to ship my car?
Before you can ship your car, you will need the title, proof of registration, insurance, and your photo identification proving you are the car’s owner.
Ship Your Car and Save Money, Too
With smart planning, you can save a good amount of money on the shipment of your car to your new home. You shouldn’t just settle for the first price that is thrown at you, so make sure you do plenty of research into shipping companies and options so you can save as much money as possible on shipping your car to its new destination.
