Cheap car shipping is mostly decided before you ask for a quote: by the trailer you pick, how many cars you ship, whether the car runs and where the truck can pick up and drop off. Most guides say “book early and be flexible” and stop there. We tested the levers instead. Using real quotes from our platform on October 19, 2026, here is what each one did to the price of shipping a sedan, so you can cut the cost of car shipping where it actually moves. Cheap car shipping, cheap auto transport and cheap car transport all describe the same service, and the same levers apply. For the full price of a route, start with our car shipping cost calculator, and for how prices move week to week, see the Car Shipping Price Index.
What does cheap car shipping cost?
“Cheap” depends on distance, because a driver has to load, unload and reposition whatever the trip length. Across our 494 real lanes the median open-trailer sedan price was $270 for trips under 250 miles ($2.16 a mile) and $1,366 for trips of 2,000 miles or more ($0.56 a mile). The longer the trip, the less it costs per mile, so a cross-country move can be the cheapest car shipping you buy per mile and the most expensive in total.
| Distance | Lanes | Sedan, median | Per mile, median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 250 miles | 108 | $270 | $2.16 |
| 250 to 500 miles | 79 | $445 | $1.20 |
| 500 to 1,000 miles | 127 | $701 | $0.99 |
| 1,000 to 1,500 miles | 89 | $941 | $0.76 |
| 1,500 to 2,000 miles | 33 | $1,119 | $0.65 |
| 2,000 miles or more | 56 | $1,366 | $0.56 |
These are open-trailer prices for a running vehicle, taken from real quotes on our platform. They are estimates and can move between runs, so use them to judge whether a quote is in the right range. The calculator further down shows the closest real lanes for your own route.
Seven things that change the price of shipping a car, measured
We priced the same lanes with one setting changed at a time, using the same tool and the same session, and counted what moved. Each result below shows how many lanes it is based on, so you can judge how far to trust it.
| What you change | What we measured | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Open instead of enclosed trailer | Enclosed was a median +74% (open is the cheaper option on every lane) | 20 lanes |
| Ship two cars together | −10% per car for two cars (range −2% to −21%), −15% per car for three | 9 lanes |
| Make sure the car runs | A car that does not run added a median +15% (+$78), from +$11 to +$398 | 9 lanes |
| Drop off in a big city | A small-town drop-off cost a median +14% more than the nearest big city, and was higher in 6 of 7 pairs | 7 pairs |
| Check both directions | The pricier direction cost a median +18% more than the cheaper one, up to 56% | 10 routes |
| Vehicle size (if you have a choice) | An SUV was a median +5% over a sedan, a pickup +47% and a van +47% | 494 lanes |
| Distance (price per mile) | Price per mile fell from $2.16 under 250 miles to $0.56 at 2,000 miles and up | 494 lanes |
1. Ship open, not enclosed
Open is the standard and the cheapest option, and on every one of our 20 lanes it cost less than enclosed. The median enclosed premium for a sedan was +74%. For example, a sedan from Chicago to Atlanta cost $531 open and $910 enclosed. Most cars ship open without trouble, so unless the car is a classic, an exotic or something you want to arrive untouched, open is the sensible default. See our open vs. enclosed comparison and the open auto transport guide.
2. Ship two cars together
The pricing tool lets you add more than one vehicle to the same route. For two sedans the price per car was a median 10% lower, though on some lanes it was only 2% lower and on others 21% lower. For three cars the median was 15% lower per car, and up to 22% lower on the best lane. The pattern is plausible, since the carrier makes one stop for both cars, but it is not a promise: ask for a quote with all the cars on it rather than quoting them one at a time. Example on Chicago to Atlanta: one sedan $531, two sedans $960 in total, which is $480 each.
3. Make sure the car runs
A car that does not start, steer or brake normally needs a winch and extra handling, and quotes reflect it. On our 9 lanes the same sedan marked as not running cost a median $78 more (15%), from $11 on a short hop to $398 on a coast-to-coast trip. A battery, a flat tire or a stuck brake is worth fixing before pickup if it is cheap to do. If the car really does not run, say so when you quote, because a driver who arrives without a winch may refuse the load and your pickup slips.
4. Pick up and drop off in a big city
We quoted the same sedan from one origin to a small town and to the nearest big city in the same direction. In 6 of 7 pairs the small-town drop-off cost more, even when the big city was farther away. The median gap was 14%.
| From, to small town | Small-town price | Nearest big city | Small town vs. city |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Duluth, MN | $530 (468 mi) | Minneapolis: $496 (409 mi) | +7% |
| New York → Asheville, NC | $818 (691 mi) | Charlotte: $700 (644 mi) | +17% |
| Houston → Santa Fe, NM | $819 (876 mi) | Albuquerque: $902 (884 mi) | -9% |
| Atlanta → Bangor, ME | $940 (1,349 mi) | Boston: $826 (1,123 mi) | +14% |
| Los Angeles → Bend, OR | $1,057 (822 mi) | Portland: $907 (963 mi) | +17% |
| Dallas → Fargo, ND | $1,471 (1,081 mi) | Minneapolis: $809 (941 mi) | +82% |
| Miami → Burlington, VT | $1,006 (1,582 mi) | Boston: $896 (1,498 mi) | +12% |
The biggest gap was Dallas to Fargo, $1,471 against $809 to Minneapolis, which is 140 miles closer to Dallas than Fargo is. One pair went the other way: Houston to Santa Fe was $819 against $902 to Albuquerque. A likely reason is that carriers fill trucks where there are cars to pick up and drop off, so a drop-off on a busy corridor is easier to fit into a route. If your destination is a small town, ask for a quote to the nearest big city as well and compare it against the extra miles you would drive to pick the car up. Ask the carrier too whether the truck can reach your street, because a large carrier cannot always turn into a narrow road.
5. Look at both directions and nearby cities
The same route can cost very different amounts in each direction, most likely because carriers load more cars on the busy side and drive back with a thinner load, although our data cannot confirm the cause. On October 19, 2026 the pricier direction of ten routes cost a median 18% more than the cheaper one:
| Route | Price, first city to second | Price, second to first | Pricier way costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York ↔ Orlando | $1,100 | $706 | +56% |
| Chicago ↔ Atlanta | $531 | $732 | +38% |
| Los Angeles ↔ Seattle | $1,011 | $780 | +30% |
| Denver ↔ Phoenix | $610 | $784 | +29% |
| Chicago ↔ Dallas | $816 | $685 | +19% |
| Baltimore ↔ Atlanta | $710 | $600 | +18% |
| Boston ↔ Miami | $1,011 | $896 | +13% |
| Los Angeles ↔ New York | $1,485 | $1,409 | +5% |
| Dallas ↔ Houston | $250 | $250 | Same |
| Atlanta ↔ Orlando | $400 | $400 | Same |
New York to Orlando was $1,100 while Orlando to New York was $706. You cannot reverse your own route, but if you are flexible about the pickup or the drop-off city you can compare nearby options, and if you are moving into the busier direction, expect a higher number. Our Price Index tracks the same ten routes every Monday, so you can see how these gaps move over time.
6. Vehicle size
You usually cannot pick a smaller car, but it helps to know where the price steps are. Across 494 lanes an SUV was a median 5% above the same lane for a sedan, while a pickup and a van were each about 47% above. A lifted truck, a dually or a vehicle with a roof rack or oversized tires can cost more again, so describe the vehicle accurately when you quote. A wrong description is a common reason a price goes up on pickup day.
7. Dates, timing and how to compare quotes
We could not measure the effect of the pickup date, because the pricing tool we use does not take a date, so we cannot put a number on it. What carriers and brokers consistently say is that a flexible pickup window of a few days lets a driver fit your car into a route, which can mean a faster match and a lower price, and that busy seasons such as summer moves and winter in the Northeast and Florida push prices up. Treat that as guidance, not a measured result. What you can do is:
- Get more than one quote for the same details. Use the same trailer type, vehicle description and dates, or you will compare different services.
- Compare what each quote includes. Ask whether the price is for door-to-door pickup, whether the cargo insurance is included, what the deposit is and what is due at delivery.
- Ask for a pickup window, not a date, and check how many days the window covers.
- Re-check the quote if the date moves. The same lane can be priced differently two weeks apart, which is why the Price Index re-measures every Monday.
The cheapest and most expensive lanes per mile in our data
Here are the cheapest lanes per mile among our 494 real lanes of 1,000 miles or more, and the most expensive per mile among lanes of 600 miles or more. They are all open sedan prices.
| Cheapest per mile | Miles | Sedan, open | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami → San Francisco | 3,042 | $1,352 | $0.44 |
| Miami → Seattle | 3,307 | $1,480 | $0.45 |
| Kansas City → New York | 1,197 | $536 | $0.45 |
| Houston → Los Angeles | 1,551 | $719 | $0.46 |
| Miami → Los Angeles | 2,738 | $1,300 | $0.47 |
| Des Moines → New York | 1,109 | $529 | $0.48 |
| Chicago → Los Angeles | 2,019 | $1,000 | $0.50 |
| Chicago → Long Beach | 2,030 | $1,015 | $0.50 |
| Most expensive per mile | Miles | Sedan, open | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Louisville | 738 | $1,145 | $1.55 |
| Baltimore → Chicago | 703 | $960 | $1.37 |
| Atlanta → Des Moines | 907 | $1,177 | $1.30 |
| Baltimore → Jacksonville | 758 | $970 | $1.28 |
| Richmond → Chicago | 783 | $962 | $1.23 |
| New York → Birmingham | 962 | $1,169 | $1.22 |
| Los Angeles → Denver | 1,019 | $1,228 | $1.21 |
| San Francisco → Portland | 636 | $757 | $1.19 |
The cheapest lanes are long runs between big cities, and the most expensive are shorter runs with a higher cost per mile. Even among lanes of 600 to 1,000 miles, a sedan ranged from about $550 to $972 (the middle 80% of the lanes), so a quote that looks high or low for the distance is worth a second look. Our data cannot tell you why a particular lane costs more, only that two lanes of the same length can differ by a lot.
Cheap car shipping calculator
Enter two ZIP codes for a price range built from real car shipping quotes, then use the levers above to move toward the low end.
Why the lowest quote can cost you more
The lowest quote is not always the cheapest outcome. A price far below the others may not find a driver, which leaves your pickup stuck or leads to a re-quote at a higher number. Before you take a very low price:
- Check the company. Every interstate carrier or broker needs a USDOT number and operating authority. Look them up on the FMCSA company snapshot and ask whether you are dealing with a broker or a carrier.
- Ask what happens to the price. Find out whether the quote is fixed, whether a driver has accepted the job and what it costs to cancel.
- Ask for the insurance certificate and read the limit and the exclusions.
- Document the car. Wash it, take dated photos of every side and the odometer, and inspect it against the bill of lading at delivery before you sign.
Is there a cheapest car shipping company?
No company is the cheapest on every route. The price of a lane depends on the direction, the week and which driver is already heading your way, and we saw gaps of up to 56% between the two directions of the same route. Transportli is a freight marketplace, not a carrier: you describe the car and the route, and we match it with carriers on our platform that have been checked for active operating authority, insurance and safety rating. Compare the prices and the pickup windows, and use the levers above on every quote. We do not publish a ranking of carriers by price, because it would be out of date within days.
Cheap car shipping by route and state
Prices differ a lot by route. Our state auto transport guides show real lanes, real jobs and local facts for each state, and the cross-country guide covers the long routes where the price per mile is lowest. If you are shipping to Hawaii or Alaska, the cost is set by the ocean leg, so see the Hawaii and Alaska guides. For a long move, read cross country and long distance car shipping.
Cheap car shipping: frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to ship a car?
Ship it on an open trailer, door to door or to a big city, with a flexible pickup window, and make sure it runs. In our quotes enclosed was a median 74% more than open, and shipping two cars together cut the price per car by a median of 10%.
How can I ship a car cheap?
Choose an open trailer, compare more than one quote with the same details, pick up and drop off in or near a big city, fix a car that does not run if it is cheap to do, and ship two cars together if you have them. Each of these moved the price in our tests, and the sections above show by how much.
How much does cheap car shipping cost?
It depends on the distance. In our real quotes a running sedan on an open trailer had a median price of $270 under 250 miles, $701 at 500 to 1,000 miles and $1,366 at 2,000 miles and up. Use the calculator for your own route.
Is it cheaper to ship a car or drive it?
It depends on the distance and your time. Add up fuel, hotels, meals, tolls, wear on the car and the days you would spend driving, and compare the total with the quote. For long moves shipping is often competitive once you count everything, and for a short trip driving usually wins.
Is shipping a car cheaper in some months?
Probably, but we have not measured it yet. Brokers and carriers say demand rises in summer and in the winter snowbird season on Northeast to Florida routes. Our Car Shipping Price Index re-measures 20 lanes every Monday, so the trend will show up there.
Is shipping two cars cheaper per car?
In our tests it was, by a median of 10% per car for two cars (from 2% to 21% depending on the lane), and 15% per car for three. Quote all the cars on one request to see the price.
Does it cost more if the car does not run?
Yes. An inoperable car cost a median of $78 more (15%) in our quotes, from $11 to $398. Tell the carrier so it brings a winch.
Is open car shipping safe enough?
For most cars, yes. Most cars ship on open trailers, and carriers carry cargo insurance. The risk is exposure to weather and road debris, so check the insurance certificate, photograph the car before pickup and inspect it before you sign at delivery.
Why is one direction cheaper than the other?
Carriers load more cars on the busy side of a route and drive back with a thinner load, so quotes differ by direction. On our ten routes the pricier direction cost a median of 18% more, and up to 56% more.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car across the country?
An open trailer on a busy corridor, with a flexible window. Long routes cost the least per mile: our median sedan price per mile was $0.56 at 2,000 miles and up against $2.16 under 250 miles. See our cross country car shipping guide.
Is the cheapest car shipping quote the best?
Not always. A quote far below the others may not find a driver, which can mean delays or a re-quote. Compare what each quote includes, check the company on the FMCSA site and ask for the insurance certificate.
Is there cheap car shipping for military moves?
Some carriers and brokers advertise military discounts, so ask when you quote and ask for it in writing. If you have official orders, ask your installation’s transportation office what the orders cover before you pay for shipping yourself. We cannot promise a discount.
Where can I find cheap car shipping near me?
Car shipping is a route-based service, so what matters is the pickup and delivery points rather than where the company is. Enter your ZIP codes in the calculator for a real price range, then request a quote and compare carriers that run your route.
Did you know?From real quotes on October 19, 2026
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+74% median extra to ship enclosed
Open was cheaper on every lane
On 20 lanes a sedan cost a median of 74% more enclosed, for example $531 open against $910 enclosed from Chicago to Atlanta.
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$706 a sedan, open, Orlando to New York
The same route cost $1,100 the other way
New York to Orlando was $1,100 open on October 19, 2026, 56% more than the return trip.
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−10% median price per car, two cars together
Two cars cost less per car
Chicago to Atlanta: $531 for one sedan, $960 for two.
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+14% median small-town premium
Small-town drop-offs cost more
Dallas to Fargo was $1,471, while Minneapolis was $809.
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