What is the average cost to ship a car? On our 20-lane basket, shipping one running sedan on an open trailer averaged $758, or $0.73 per mile, in the week of October 19, 2026. That is the average of our own quotes, not a national figure, and it is updated every Monday. The Transportli Car Shipping Price Index tracks those quotes across ten corridors in both directions, so you can see whether car shipping is getting more expensive and where, and what the enclosed-trailer premium is. Each lane is quoted for one running sedan on an open trailer and on an enclosed trailer. This is the baseline week, so the index starts at 100 and the change from the week before begins next Monday.
Transportli Car Shipping Price Index
Week of October 19, 2026 · sedan, open and enclosed, 20 fixed lanes
This is the baseline week. We run the same 20 lanes every Monday, so week-over-week changes and the index chart begin next Monday. The first week sets the index at 100.
Southbound to Florida Northbound from Florida Other lanes
| Lane (sedan) | Miles | Open | Per mile | Enclosed | Premium | Open, week change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY → Orlando, FL | 1,083 | $1,100 | $1.02 | $1,496 | +36% | — |
| Orlando, FL → New York, NY | 1,082 | $706 | $0.65 | $1,239 | +75% | — |
| Boston, MA → Miami, FL | 1,501 | $1,011 | $0.67 | $1,811 | +79% | — |
| Miami, FL → Boston, MA | 1,498 | $896 | $0.60 | $1,415 | +58% | — |
| Chicago, IL → Atlanta, GA | 690 | $531 | $0.77 | $910 | +71% | — |
| Atlanta, GA → Chicago, IL | 690 | $732 | $1.06 | $1,018 | +39% | — |
| Dallas, TX → Houston, TX | 239 | $250 | $1.05 | $543 | +117% | — |
| Houston, TX → Dallas, TX | 239 | $250 | $1.05 | $612 | +145% | — |
| Los Angeles, CA → New York, NY | 2,794 | $1,485 | $0.53 | $2,599 | +75% | — |
| New York, NY → Los Angeles, CA | 2,800 | $1,409 | $0.50 | $2,434 | +73% | — |
| Los Angeles, CA → Seattle, WA | 1,143 | $1,011 | $0.88 | $1,346 | +33% | — |
| Seattle, WA → Los Angeles, CA | 1,143 | $780 | $0.68 | $1,426 | +83% | — |
| Chicago, IL → Dallas, TX | 969 | $816 | $0.84 | $1,106 | +36% | — |
| Dallas, TX → Chicago, IL | 969 | $685 | $0.71 | $1,264 | +85% | — |
| Baltimore, MD → Atlanta, GA | 697 | $710 | $1.02 | $1,113 | +57% | — |
| Atlanta, GA → Baltimore, MD | 697 | $600 | $0.86 | $887 | +48% | — |
| Denver, CO → Phoenix, AZ | 823 | $610 | $0.74 | $1,295 | +112% | — |
| Phoenix, AZ → Denver, CO | 822 | $784 | $0.95 | $1,421 | +81% | — |
| Atlanta, GA → Orlando, FL | 440 | $400 | $0.91 | $731 | +83% | — |
| Orlando, FL → Atlanta, GA | 439 | $400 | $0.91 | $574 | +44% | — |
Cite this: Transportli Car Shipping Price Index, week of October 19, 2026. https://transportli.com/auto-transport/price-index/
Download the data: CSV · JSON · How we calculate the index
What the numbers show this week
- Price per mile varies widely by lane. Atlanta to Chicago (690 miles) was the highest at $1.06 a mile and New York to Los Angeles (2,800 miles) the lowest at $0.50 a mile, and short and medium trips cost more per mile than cross-country ones.
- Southbound to Florida costs more than northbound. A sedan from New York to Orlando was $1,100 against $706 the other way, and from Boston to Miami $1,011 against $896. Across the two corridors, southbound averaged $1,056 and northbound $801, a gap of 32%.
- Enclosed costs a median 74% more than open. The premium ran from +33% to +145% by lane, and the basket averaged $1.22 a mile enclosed against $0.73 open. See our open vs. enclosed guide for the detail.
- Direction matters on other corridors too. Atlanta to Chicago was $732 against $531 for Chicago to Atlanta (38% more); Los Angeles to Seattle was $1,011 against $780 for Seattle to Los Angeles (30% more); Phoenix to Denver was $784 against $610 for Denver to Phoenix (29% more).
Treat single-lane moves of a few dollars as noise. Each quote carries a confidence score between about 70% and 90%, and the same lane can move a few dollars between runs, so the index averages 20 lanes to smooth that out.
Average cost to ship a car per mile
The price per mile falls as the trip gets longer, because the driver’s loading, unloading and repositioning costs are spread over more miles. Here is the basket for the week of October 19, 2026, grouped by distance:
| Distance | Lanes | Average per mile | Average sedan price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 500 miles | 4 | $0.96 | $325 |
| 500 to 1,000 miles | 8 | $0.86 | $684 |
| 1,000 to 1,500 miles | 5 | $0.76 | $899 |
| 1,500 miles and up | 3 | $0.55 | $1,302 |
So the average cost to ship a car per mile was $0.96 on trips under 500 miles and $0.55 on trips of 1,500 miles and up. A quote that looks cheap per mile on a short trip is not necessarily a good deal, and a long trip is cheaper per mile but costs more in total.
How to read the index
- Price index. The first week (October 19, 2026) is 100. Each later week is the average of every lane’s price divided by its first-week price, so 103 means the basket is about 3% above where it started.
- Average per mile. Total price of the 20 lanes divided by their total miles. It is a basket average, not what a single trip costs, because short lanes cost more per mile than long ones.
- Average sedan price. The simple average of the 20 quotes.
- Enclosed price index. The same calculation for the enclosed-trailer prices, with the first week at 100, so you can compare how open and enclosed prices move.
- Enclosed premium. For each lane, the enclosed price divided by the open price, minus 1. The headline figure is the median of the 20 lanes.
- Southbound vs. northbound. The average of New York to Orlando and Boston to Miami against the same two corridors in reverse, a rough read on the snowbird season.
The numbers describe one running sedan. An SUV or pickup costs more, and a car that does not run adds about $100 on our platform. For your own route, use the car shipping cost calculator or see the quotes for your state in our auto transport guides.
How we calculate it
Every Monday we ask our platform’s pricing tool for one running sedan on an open trailer on the same 20 lanes, record the price and distance it returns, and add them to a public data file. Nothing is adjusted or smoothed except by the averaging described above. The full method, its limits and how to cite it are on the methodology page, and the data is free to download as CSV or JSON.
Frequently asked questions
How much more does enclosed car shipping cost than open?
In the week of October 19, 2026 the enclosed sedan price was a median of 74% higher than open across our 20 lanes, ranging from +33% to +145% by lane, and the basket averaged $1.22 a mile enclosed against $0.73 open. We re-measure it every Monday, and our open vs. enclosed guide explains when enclosed is worth it.
What is the average cost to ship a car?
On our 20-lane basket, shipping one running sedan on an open trailer averaged $758, or $0.73 per mile, in the week of October 19, 2026. Trips under 500 miles averaged $0.96 a mile and trips of 1,500 miles and up $0.55. This is the average of our own quotes rather than a national figure, so use the car shipping cost calculator for your own route.
What is the average cost to ship a car per mile?
It was $0.73 a mile across our 20 lanes in the week of October 19, 2026, ranging from about $0.50 on the longest cross-country lanes to about $1.06 on short trips of a few hundred miles.
What is the Transportli Car Shipping Price Index?
It is a weekly reading of what it costs to ship one running sedan, on an open trailer and on an enclosed trailer, across 20 fixed U.S. lanes, taken from real quotes on the Transportli platform every Monday. The first week, October 19, 2026, is set to 100 so later weeks show the change.
How often is the index updated?
Every Monday. The week-over-week change, the charts and the data files update at the same time.
Can I cite the index or use the data?
Yes. Please credit it as Transportli Car Shipping Price Index with the week and a link to this page. The CSV and JSON files are linked above, and the methodology page explains exactly what each number is and what it is not.
Is this what I will pay to ship my car?
Not exactly. The index describes one sedan on 20 specific lanes, and your price depends on your pickup and delivery points, your vehicle, whether it runs, the trailer type and your dates. Use the car shipping cost calculator or request a quote for your route.
Why do prices differ by direction?
Carriers price the empty miles. A lane where many cars move one way and few the other way costs more in the busy direction, which is why southbound lanes to Florida cost more than northbound ones in the fall.
Why is the price per mile lower on long trips?
The driver’s loading, unloading and repositioning costs are spread over more miles, so the price per mile falls as the trip gets longer.
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