Car shipping cost
How much does it cost to ship a car in 2026?
In October 2026, shipping a sedan on an open carrier costs about $620–$775 for 500 miles, $895–$1,115 for 1,000 miles and $1,370–$1,700 for 2,500 miles: roughly $1.64–$2.04 per mile on 250-mile runs and $0.52–$0.65 coast to coast. Enclosed adds about 42%, a non-running vehicle $150, and summer and with-the-flow snowbird months cost more. Source: HaulFare price model, October 2026 edition.
Updated October 2026
October 2026 prices at a glance
Running sedan, door-to-door, from the same price model that powers the free calculator and every route page.
$895–$1,115
Open carrier, 1,000 miles, October 2026
$620–$775
500 miles, open carrier
$1,370–$1,700
2,500 miles, open carrier
$1.64–$2.04
per mile on short runs
$0.52–$0.65
per mile coast to coast
+42%
for an enclosed trailer
$150
for a non-running vehicle
Car shipping cost by distance
Sedan, running, door-to-door. The per-mile rate falls as distance rises because loading and unloading, not miles, are the expensive part of a carrier’s day.
| Distance | Open carrier | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|
| 250 miles (about $1.82/mi) | $410–$510 | $585–$730 |
| 500 miles (about $1.38/mi) | $620–$775 | $880–$1,100 |
| 750 miles (about $1.13/mi) | $765–$950 | $1,090–$1,355 |
| 1,000 miles (about $0.99/mi) | $895–$1,115 | $1,270–$1,580 |
| 1,500 miles (about $0.81/mi) | $1,095–$1,360 | $1,555–$1,940 |
| 2,000 miles (about $0.69/mi) | $1,240–$1,545 | $1,765–$2,195 |
| 2,500 miles (about $0.61/mi) | $1,370–$1,700 | $1,945–$2,420 |
| 3,000 miles (about $0.57/mi) | $1,535–$1,910 | $2,180–$2,710 |
Estimated ranges for October 2026, HaulFare price model 2026.09-seed. Estimates, not quotes; the licensed transport partner confirms the actual price.
Cost by vehicle type (1,000 miles)
Bigger and heavier vehicles take more trailer space and weight allowance. Multipliers are relative to a mid-size sedan.
| Vehicle | Open carrier | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|
| Compact / coupe | $870–$1,080 | $1,235–$1,535 |
| Sedan | $895–$1,115 | $1,270–$1,580 |
| Small SUV / crossover | $970–$1,205 | $1,375–$1,710 |
| Full-size SUV | $1,070–$1,335 | $1,525–$1,900 |
| Pickup truck | $1,090–$1,355 | $1,550–$1,925 |
| Minivan / cargo van | $1,115–$1,390 | $1,590–$1,975 |
| Oversized (dually, lifted, long-bed) | $1,295–$1,615 | $1,840–$2,290 |
| Motorcycle | $715–$890 | $1,015–$1,265 |
1,000-mile example, October 2026. Oversized covers duallies, lifted trucks and long-bed pickups.
What actually drives the price
Distance and lane
Long, busy lanes between major metros are cheapest per mile; see what 1,000 miles costs and cross-country car shipping; weighing it against driving, the ship vs drive study compares 25 routes. Rural endpoints more than 50 miles from a carrier lane add $50–$175 per end, even on door-to-door shipping; run your own trip in the shipping vs driving calculator.
Vehicle size and weight
Compact 0.97×, sedan 1.0×, small SUV 1.08×, full-size SUV 1.20×, pickup 1.22×, van 1.25×, oversized 1.45×, motorcycle 0.8×. EVs add 5% for weight. Check a VIN with the vehicle transport class lookup, or price several cars at once with the multi-vehicle estimator.
Open vs enclosed
Enclosed is 1.42× in our model, and it can take a little longer to schedule because enclosed trucks are fewer. Compare both in the enclosed vs open cost calculator, or read about enclosed auto transport and open auto transport.
Running or not
A winch-loaded inoperable vehicle adds $150; a car that cannot roll or steer is quoted individually. More on non-running car transport.
Season and direction
June–July peak +9–10%, January–February −4–5%; snowbird lanes +15% with the seasonal flow and −7% against it, and late-summer student moves tighten pickup windows near campuses. See the cheapest time of year to ship a car and the best time to ship tool.
Diesel
We pass through 10% of the change in the EIA weekly diesel price ($6.38/gal in the current edition) versus $5.60, the May 2026 average priced into the rate cards the model is calibrated to. For what truck operating costs, diesel and driver supply add up to, see why car shipping is expensive.
Timing
Expedited 24–48 hour pickup adds 25%; see expedited car shipping. Flexible dates let the broker wait for a truck already on the lane; the transit time estimator shows the usual windows.
Hawaii and Alaska
An ocean leg is added on top of the truck leg to the port: $1,550 to Hawaii and $2,300 to Alaska in our model.
Popular routes
Hub-to-hub distances between the main carrier metros in each state. Each route page has city-level tables and a month-by-month index.
| Route | Miles | Open carrier | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California → Texas | 1,460 | $1,085–$1,350 | $1,540–$1,915 |
| Texas → California | 1,460 | $1,085–$1,350 | $1,540–$1,915 |
| New York → Florida | 1,108 | $1,095–$1,360 | $1,555–$1,930 |
| Florida → New York | 1,108 | $885–$1,105 | $1,255–$1,560 |
| California → Florida | 2,593 | $1,405–$1,745 | $1,990–$2,475 |
| Florida → California | 2,593 | $1,405–$1,745 | $1,990–$2,475 |
| California → New York | 2,885 | $1,500–$1,865 | $2,130–$2,650 |
| New York → California | 2,885 | $1,500–$1,865 | $2,130–$2,650 |
| Texas → Florida | 1,134 | $965–$1,200 | $1,370–$1,700 |
| Florida → Texas | 1,134 | $965–$1,200 | $1,370–$1,700 |
| Illinois → Florida | 1,164 | $1,125–$1,400 | $1,600–$1,990 |
| California → Washington | 1,134 | $965–$1,200 | $1,370–$1,700 |
Sedan, open and enclosed, October 2026.
Open a route page
Cost by month
National seasonal index applied to every estimate, against a baseline month of 1.00. Snowbird lanes add 15% with the flow (October–December southbound, March–May northbound) and take off 7% against it.
Jan
-4%
Feb
-5%
Mar
-1%
Apr
+2%
May
+5%
Jun
+9%
Jul
+10%
Aug
+7%
Sep
+2%
Oct (October 2026)
0%
Nov
-2%
Dec
-1%
- Above the baseline
- Below the baseline
Show as a table
| Month | Against the baseline month |
|---|---|
| Jan | -4% |
| Feb | -5% |
| Mar | -1% |
| Apr | +2% |
| May | +5% |
| Jun | +9% |
| Jul | +10% |
| Aug | +7% |
| Sep | +2% |
| Oct | 0% |
| Nov | -2% |
| Dec | -1% |
How we calculate these numbers
Every figure on this page comes from the HaulFare price model (version 2026.09-seed): a per-mile rate curve fitted in September 2026 to published 2025–2026 rate cards from Montway, Sherpa, Cars.com and uShip (the latest from May 2026, which also sets the diesel baseline), with multipliers for vehicle class, carrier type, condition, month, snowbird direction, rural endpoints and the EIA diesel index. The model outputs a range (−10% / +12% around the midpoint) rather than a single price because carriers on the same lane price differently. That band is fixed by the model, not a measured spread of booked prices, and the licensed transport partner confirms the actual price. The same model powers the free calculator and will be re-fitted from real booked prices once enough of them exist; the Cost Index publishes the results.
Sources
- Montway Auto Transport: How much does it cost to ship a car (2026 per-mile rates), montway.com
- Sherpa Auto Transport: Car shipping cost guide (2026), sherpaautotransport.com
- Cars.com: Cost to ship a car (May 2026), cars.com
- uShip: Car shipping costs 2025, uship.com
- A1 Auto Transport: Interstate car shipping statistics 2026 (seasonality), a1autotransport.com
- U.S. EIA: Weekly retail on-highway diesel prices, eia.gov
Cost questions
What is the average cost to ship a car?
Across the 50 major lanes in the October 2026 Cost Index, the HaulFare price model puts the average open-carrier sedan shipment at $1,215, about $0.93 per mile. It is a plain mean of model estimates, not booked prices, and it leans long-haul because those lanes run 290 to 3,030 miles; a 500-mile move costs about $620–$775.
How much does it cost to ship a car 1,000 miles?
About $895–$1,115 on an open carrier for a sedan in October 2026, or $1,270–$1,580 enclosed. That is roughly $0.90–$1.11 per mile; SUVs and trucks add 8–25%.
How much does it cost to ship a car across the country?
Coast to coast (2,500–3,000 miles) runs $1,370–$1,910 open and $1,945–$2,710 enclosed for a sedan, about $0.52–$0.65 per mile on a 2,885-mile Los Angeles to New York run. Long routes are the cheapest per mile because loading costs are spread over more distance.
What is the average car shipping cost per mile?
Rates fall with distance. At the midpoint of the October 2026 estimate for an open-carrier sedan: about $3.30 per mile for 100 miles, $1.82 for 250 miles, $1.38 for 500 miles, $0.99 for 1,000 miles, $0.69 for 2,000 miles and $0.57 for 3,000 miles.
Why do quotes from different companies vary so much?
Some brokers quote low to win the booking and raise the price when no carrier accepts the load. Others quote the carrier’s realistic rate. Ask whether the price is a firm carrier rate or a target, whether a deposit is refundable, and check the broker’s MC number.
Is it cheaper to ship a car or drive it?
It depends on distance. In the October 2026 ship vs drive study of 25 routes, driving a sedan yourself costs less in cash (fuel, hotels, meals and wear) on 20 routes and shipping costs less on 3, all 2,056 miles or longer; on the other 2, driving lands inside the shipping range. Driving those routes also takes 1 to 6 days; the shipping vs driving calculator runs your own trip.
How can I lower the cost of shipping my car?
In the HaulFare model the biggest levers are timing and service level: February is the cheapest month nationally (the price by month calculator shows your lane), and snowbird lanes cost about 15% more when you ship with the seasonal flow (the snowbird report tracks both directions). An open trailer avoids the 42% enclosed premium (compare both in the open vs enclosed calculator), standard pickup avoids the 25% expedited premium, a running car avoids the $150 winch fee, and meeting the truck near a metro avoids rural surcharges of up to $175 per end.
Is a price on this page a binding quote?
No. Every figure here is an estimate from the HaulFare price model for the October 2026 edition, not a quote or an offer, so it binds no one. The licensed transport partner confirms the actual price for your route, vehicle and dates. When any broker quotes you, ask for the all-in price in writing and whether it is a firm carrier rate or a target; how car shipping works covers each step from quote to delivery.
Is it cheaper to ship a car in winter?
Yes on most lanes. In the HaulFare price model, January and February run 4–5% below the baseline month and 12–14% below the June–July peak. The exception is southbound snowbird lanes (Northeast and Midwest to Florida, Arizona and Texas): sources put their peak in October and November, and the model adds 15% from October through December.
Does the estimate include the broker fee and insurance?
Our ranges model the total a customer typically pays for transport, carrier pay plus the broker's margin, because they are calibrated to published all-in rate cards. HaulFare adds nothing and charges you nothing. Cargo insurance is the carrier's own policy, not a separate line on a typical quote. Ask the broker what its quote includes, and whether any fuel, dry-run or address-change fee could be added later.
