Cross Country Car Shipping: Cost Factors And How To Save

Driving a car from one side of the nation to the other side involves countless driving hours, efforts, risk, and many more factors, which is why cross country car shipping can become convenient. Your vehicle will be picked up and dropped off at your location without putting a mile on it. You may think it is a costlier service, but it is more beneficial than driving yourself.

Understanding Cross Country Car Shipping

There are many auto transport companies in the market, and most of them provide various shipping services because of unique demands from the customers. Cross country car shipping is one of them transporting vehicles from one side of the nation to another.  In this article, you will learn about shipping costs, factors influencing cost, and how to save money.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car Across the Country?

Shipping a car over such a long distance involves various factors, which is why transport companies offer an online tool named Car Shipping Cost Calculator to know the approximate cost. If you want to have an estimated average cost of shipping a car according to distance, the average estimated cost is mentioned below.

• Short Distance (e.g., 200-500 miles)

• Open Transport: $300 - $700
• Enclosed Transport: $600 - $1,200

• Medium Distance (e.g., 500-1,000 miles)

• Open Transport: $700 - $1,200
• Enclosed Transport: $1,200 - $1,800

• Long Distance (e.g., 1,000-2,000 miles)

• Open Transport: $1,200 - $1,800
• Enclosed Transport: $1,800 - $2,500.

The average cost of shipping a vehicle based on the vehicle type:

• Open Transport

• Sedan: $500 - $1,200
• SUV: $600 - $1,300
• Truck: $700 - $1,500
• Van: $600 - $1,300
• Luxury/Exotic Car: $800 - $1,500
• Classic Car: $700 - $1,500

• Enclosed Transport

• Sedan: $800 - $1,500
• SUV: $900 - $1,800
• Truck: $1,000 - $2,000
• Van: $900 - $1,800
• Luxury/Exotic Car: $1,200 - $2,500
• Classic Car: $1,000 - $2,000

Factors Affecting Car Shipping Cost Nationwide 

The cost of the transporting vehicles from one location to another depends on many factors, such as distance, vehicle dimensions, shipping methods, etc. By simply knowing these factors, you can understand the actual cost and save yourself from overpaying. Some of the major factors are mentioned here.

• Shipping Distance: Cross country shipping tends to be on longer routes but the more truck drives or more distance needs to be traveled, costlier the transport gets. Higher the shipping distance, more costlier the car transportation.

• Shipping Methods: If you are planning to ship your standard daily commuter vehicles, then open car shipping can be your choice with a lower price, and if you are planning to ship your luxury vehicle, then enclosed transport is the one you can choose to rely on its additional safety but its costlier then open transport.

• Vehicle Height & Weight: Shipping a bigger and heavier vehicle uses extra space and is harder to move, which is why they are costlier to ship compared to smaller and lighter vehicles.

• Vehicle’s Condition: Shipping a vehicle that is somehow not operational or movable is expensive because it requires additional help of equipment and special handling, which increases the cost.

• Time of the Shipping: Shipping your vehicles in a peak season like summer costs more than in peak season. The demand for car shipping fluctuates throughout the year, which makes the price difference.

• Insurance: Taking additional insurance coverage to ensure the safety of the vehicle, besides the standard one, which is already part of the shipment, can also increase the shipping cost.

• Fuel Price: Fluctuations in fuel prices also affect the car shipping cost. Higher fuel prices directly impact the running cost of the carrier truck, which is why transport companies increase the shipping cost.

• Additional Services: Any additional request from the customer side, such as any special instruction, shipping routes, or services like door to door, can increase the shipping cost.

How to Save Money on Cross Country Vehicle Shipping

Shipping a vehicle over different states or across the nation can be costlier in certain situations. This is why we have gathered some useful tips for you that can help you reduce the cost and get the best deal from a reliable shipping company.

1. Obtain Multiple Quotes: Get multiple quotations which will give you a better idea in terms of price and services. From multiple quotations, you can also compare these quotes by which you may compare them to ascertain which best offers of car shipping companies will be quite fitting for your needs.
2. Review Ratings: Collect the quotes of different companies and check the customer reviews and ratings of the company so that you may find a reliable auto shipping company for better security and services for your vehicle.
3. Early Booking: While planning for car shipping, you need to plan early and book your shipment one to two weeks in advance so that you would be able to get a good price for car shipping. It sometimes happens that spontaneous shipments do not give you time to look into various shipping options and may even land you with fewer options to choose from.
4. Flexible Dates: Being flexible about your dates, that way the transport company will be able to use their trailers as a cheaper means of getting there, which fits your budget.
5. Look for an open trailer: If you want to move your daily drive automobile or any other cheap car, then choose an open trailer to move. Moving your car via an open car shipping method is the most common and cheapest method that can let you transport your automobile cheaper and quicker.