Original data · model estimates
Ship vs Drive: 25 Routes Compared
In the October 2026 HaulFare study of 25 busy US routes, the cash cost of driving a sedan yourself (fuel, hotels, meals and wear) is below the shipping estimate on 20 routes, all 1,713 road miles or shorter. Shipping is estimated to cost less on 3 routes of 2,056 miles or more, by up to $414. The remaining 2 routes are too close to call.
Updated October 2026
License: CC BY 4.0 · Cite as “HaulFare Ship vs Drive Study, October 2026 edition”
The study at a glance
25 busy US routes, one traveler in one car against an open-carrier sedan shipment, October 2026.
Estimates on both sides. The driving figures apply the assumptions listed under Methodology to one traveler in one car. The shipping figures are model estimates from the published HaulFare price model for an open-carrier, running sedan, main hub to main hub, at October 2026 inputs, not booked prices. HaulFare is a price guide, not a broker or carrier: the licensed transport partner confirms the actual price, which can be higher or lower. Gas is priced at $4.465 a gallon, the EIA U.S. average for regular in the week of September 28, 2026.
- 20 of 25
routes where driving costs less than the shipping estimate
- 3 of 25
routes where shipping is estimated to cost less
- 2
routes too close to call
- 1–6
driving days per route, up to 47 hours at the wheel
Key findings
Where driving wins, where shipping wins, and what the totals leave out.
Driving costs less on 20 of 25 routes.
Every route where driving costs less is 1,713 road miles or shorter, and every route where shipping costs less is 2,056 miles or longer. The widest margin for driving is Columbus, OH to Orlando, FL (937 miles), where the drive is estimated at $573 against a shipping estimate of $1,000–$1,245.
Shipping costs less on 3 routes, all 2,056 miles or longer.
The biggest gap is Los Angeles, CA to Orlando, FL (2,593 miles): driving is estimated at $1,974 over 6 days, shipping at $1,405–$1,745. On these routes shipping saves $188 to $414 at the midpoint, which is also the most a one-way flight could cost before driving becomes the cheaper choice.
2 routes are too close to call.
On these routes (both 1,617 miles), the driving total lands inside the shipping estimate range, so the actual shipping price and local gas and hotel rates decide it.
Hotel nights are the largest driving cost on 20 of 25 routes.
Driving costs climb in steps: every 500 miles adds a day of meals and, after the first day, a hotel night. The per-mile shipping estimate falls as distance grows, which is why long routes tip toward shipping.
Time is the hidden cost.
The drives take 1 to 6 days and up to 47 hours at the wheel (Los Angeles, CA to New York City, NY). On the routes where driving is cheaper, shipping breaks even once an hour at the wheel is worth $9 to $76, before the cost of any flight.
Driving versus shipping on 25 routes
Ranked by how much shipping saves against driving, largest first; the routes at the bottom are where driving saves the most. Driving costs are for one traveler in one car. Shipping is the estimated range for an open-carrier sedan, October 2026. Where a route has its own page, the route name links to it.
| # | Route | Road miles | Days (nights) | Fuel | Hotels | Meals | Wear | Drive total (est.) | Ship, open sedan (est.) | Difference at midpoint | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA to Orlando, FLCalifornia to Florida lane | 2,593 | 6 (5) | $463 | $800 | $408 | $303 | $1,974 | $1,405–$1,745 | Shipping $414 less | Shipping |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA to New York City, NYCalifornia to New York lane | 2,885 | 6 (5) | $515 | $800 | $408 | $338 | $2,061 | $1,500–$1,865 | Shipping $396 less | Shipping |
| 3 | Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CAIllinois to California lane | 2,056 | 5 (4) | $367 | $640 | $340 | $241 | $1,588 | $1,260–$1,570 | Shipping $188 less | Shipping |
| 4 | Dallas, TX to New York City, NYTexas to New York lane | 1,617 | 4 (3) | $289 | $480 | $272 | $189 | $1,230 | $1,060–$1,315 | Shipping $55 less | Too close to call |
| 5 | Houston, TX to Los Angeles, CA | 1,617 | 4 (3) | $289 | $480 | $272 | $189 | $1,230 | $1,140–$1,415 | Driving $35 less | Too close to call |
| 6 | Dallas, TX to Orlando, FLTexas to Florida lane | 1,134 | 3 (2) | $203 | $320 | $204 | $133 | $860 | $965–$1,200 | Driving $210 less | Driving |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WACalifornia to Washington lane | 1,134 | 3 (2) | $203 | $320 | $204 | $133 | $860 | $965–$1,200 | Driving $210 less | Driving |
| 8 | Chicago, IL to Phoenix, AZ | 1,713 | 4 (3) | $306 | $480 | $272 | $200 | $1,258 | $1,345–$1,675 | Driving $237 less | Driving |
| 9 | Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TXCalifornia to Texas lane | 1,460 | 3 (2) | $261 | $320 | $204 | $171 | $956 | $1,085–$1,350 | Driving $249 less | Driving |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA to Orlando, FLPennsylvania to Florida lane | 1,019 | 3 (2) | $182 | $320 | $204 | $119 | $825 | $1,040–$1,295 | Driving $330 less | Driving |
| 11 | Los Angeles, CA to Las Vegas, NV | 285 | 1 (0) | $51 | $0 | $68 | $33 | $152 | $450–$560 | Driving $348 less | Driving |
| 12 | New York City, NY to Orlando, FLNew York to Florida lane | 1,108 | 3 (2) | $198 | $320 | $204 | $130 | $852 | $1,095–$1,360 | Driving $363 less | Driving |
| 13 | Newark, NJ to Orlando, FLNew Jersey to Florida lane | 1,105 | 3 (2) | $197 | $320 | $204 | $129 | $850 | $1,095–$1,360 | Driving $365 less | Driving |
| 14 | New York, NY to Chicago, IL | 839 | 2 (1) | $150 | $160 | $136 | $98 | $544 | $820–$1,020 | Driving $366 less | Driving |
| 15 | Detroit, MI to Orlando, FLMichigan to Florida lane | 1,130 | 3 (2) | $202 | $320 | $204 | $132 | $858 | $1,105–$1,380 | Driving $372 less | Driving |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA to New York, NY | 880 | 2 (1) | $157 | $160 | $136 | $103 | $556 | $840–$1,045 | Driving $379 less | Driving |
| 17 | Chicago, IL to Orlando, FLIllinois to Florida lane | 1,164 | 3 (2) | $208 | $320 | $204 | $136 | $868 | $1,125–$1,400 | Driving $382 less | Driving |
| 18 | Denver, CO to Los Angeles, CAColorado to California lane | 979 | 2 (1) | $175 | $160 | $136 | $115 | $586 | $885–$1,105 | Driving $399 less | Driving |
| 19 | New York, NY to Miami, FL | 1,289 | 3 (2) | $230 | $320 | $204 | $151 | $905 | $1,185–$1,475 | Driving $410 less | Driving |
| 20 | Boston, MA to Orlando, FLMassachusetts to Florida lane | 1,317 | 3 (2) | $235 | $320 | $204 | $154 | $913 | $1,195–$1,490 | Driving $417 less | Driving |
| 21 | Chicago, IL to Miami, FL | 1,406 | 3 (2) | $251 | $320 | $204 | $165 | $940 | $1,230–$1,530 | Driving $425 less | Driving |
| 22 | Boston, MA to Miami, FL | 1,485 | 3 (2) | $265 | $320 | $204 | $174 | $963 | $1,255–$1,560 | Driving $432 less | Driving |
| 23 | Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZCalifornia to Arizona lane | 446 | 1 (0) | $80 | $0 | $68 | $52 | $200 | $595–$740 | Driving $460 less | Driving |
| 24 | Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FLGeorgia to Florida lane | 474 | 1 (0) | $85 | $0 | $68 | $55 | $208 | $610–$755 | Driving $467 less | Driving |
| 25 | Columbus, OH to Orlando, FLOhio to Florida lane | 937 | 2 (1) | $167 | $160 | $136 | $110 | $573 | $1,000–$1,245 | Driving $537 less | Driving |
Drive total = fuel + hotels + meals + wear, before tolls, parking, your time and any flight. “Cheaper” compares the drive total with the whole shipping range; the difference column uses the range midpoint.
Counting your time
The totals above leave your time out. This table shows what each drive asks of you, how long the car would spend on a truck instead, and, where driving is cheaper, the value of an hour at the wheel at which shipping costs the same. Truck transit comes from the HaulFare transit model and follows a pickup window of 1 to 5 days; it is an estimate, not a delivery date.
Two things can move the answer the other way. If shipping the car means buying a one-way flight you would not otherwise need, add the fare to the shipping side. If the household is flying anyway, the fare belongs on both sides and cancels out. To price your own ZIP codes, gas price, hotel rate and hourly value, use the shipping vs driving calculator.
| Route | Driving days | Hours at the wheel | Truck transit (est.) | Shipping breaks even when an hour is worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA to Orlando, FL | 6 | 42 | 6–9 days | Shipping already costs less |
| Los Angeles, CA to New York City, NY | 6 | 47 | 7–10 days | Shipping already costs less |
| Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA | 5 | 33 | 5–8 days | Shipping already costs less |
| Dallas, TX to New York City, NY | 4 | 26 | 4–6 days | Shipping already costs less |
| Houston, TX to Los Angeles, CA | 4 | 26 | 4–6 days | $1 an hour |
| Dallas, TX to Orlando, FL | 3 | 18 | 3–5 days | $11 an hour |
| Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA | 3 | 18 | 3–5 days | $11 an hour |
| Chicago, IL to Phoenix, AZ | 4 | 28 | 4–6 days | $9 an hour |
| Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX | 3 | 24 | 4–6 days | $11 an hour |
| Philadelphia, PA to Orlando, FL | 3 | 16 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Los Angeles, CA to Las Vegas, NV | 1 | 5 | 1–2 days | $76 an hour |
| New York City, NY to Orlando, FL | 3 | 18 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Newark, NJ to Orlando, FL | 3 | 18 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| New York, NY to Chicago, IL | 2 | 14 | 2–3 days | $27 an hour |
| Detroit, MI to Orlando, FL | 3 | 18 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Atlanta, GA to New York, NY | 2 | 14 | 2–3 days | $27 an hour |
| Chicago, IL to Orlando, FL | 3 | 19 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Denver, CO to Los Angeles, CA | 2 | 16 | 3–4 days | $25 an hour |
| New York, NY to Miami, FL | 3 | 21 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Boston, MA to Orlando, FL | 3 | 21 | 3–5 days | $20 an hour |
| Chicago, IL to Miami, FL | 3 | 23 | 4–6 days | $19 an hour |
| Boston, MA to Miami, FL | 3 | 24 | 4–6 days | $18 an hour |
| Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZ | 1 | 7 | 1–2 days | $64 an hour |
| Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL | 1 | 8 | 2–3 days | $61 an hour |
| Columbus, OH to Orlando, FL | 2 | 15 | 3–4 days | $36 an hour |
Methodology
Every input behind the driving and shipping figures, with its source.
Every figure in the tables and the findings is computed when the site is built, from the inputs below. None is typed by hand, so a change to the gas price or the monthly price edition updates every row, the findings and the CSV together.
| Input | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Routes | 25 distinct corridors | The highest-demand lanes in the HaulFare route plan (launch wave and second wave), in order of estimated demand. A reverse lane, or a city pair priced between the same two cities as a state pair, joins the earlier row instead of repeating it. |
| Distance | Road miles, hub to hub | Straight-line distance between the two city centers, times a road-circuity factor of 1.18 to 1.35 (higher on short trips). The lane pages and the Cost Index use the same distances. |
| Fuel economy | 25 mpg | A round planning figure, a little below the 27.2 mpg real-world average that EPA reports for new model year 2024 vehicles. |
| Gas price | $4.465 a gallon | EIA U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline, week of September 28, 2026. Local prices differ. |
| Driving per day | 500 miles | HaulFare assumption and the calculator default. Driving days are the miles divided by 500, rounded up. |
| Hours at the wheel | Miles ÷ 62 mph | HaulFare assumption for average speed including fuel and rest stops, about 8 hours a day at 500 miles. |
| Hotels | $160 a night | HaulFare assumption for one mid-priced room and the calculator default, close to the 2025 US hotel average daily rate of $160.54 (CoStar, January 2026). One night for every driving day after the first. |
| Meals | $68 a driving day | One traveler at the lowest tier of the federal meals and incidentals allowance: $63 for breakfast, lunch and dinner ($16, $19 and $28) plus $5 for incidentals (GSA; the FY2026 tiers are unchanged from FY2025). |
| Wear | 12 cents a mile | Maintenance, repair and tires at 11.7 cents a mile, from AAA's Your Driving Costs 2026. Depreciation is left out because it is not a cash cost of the trip; add it yourself if a long drive matters for your car's resale value. |
| Value of your time | Not in the totals | Shown separately as hours at the wheel and as the hourly value at which driving and shipping cost the same. |
| Flight | Not included | If shipping means buying a one-way flight you would not otherwise need, add the fare to the shipping side. |
| Shipping estimate | Price model 2026.09-seed | Open carrier, running sedan, hub to hub, at October 2026 inputs (seasonal index and diesel). The range runs from 10% below to 12% above the midpoint; the difference column uses the midpoint. A model estimate, not a booked price. |
| Diesel in the shipping model | $6.38 a gallon | From the model's fuel file, last updated October 5, 2026. The model moves the estimate by 10% of the percentage change in diesel from a $5.60 baseline. |
| Which is cheaper | Whole shipping range | Driving when its total is below the low end of the shipping range, shipping when it is above the high end, otherwise too close to call. |
Direction. Each corridor is priced in the direction listed first in the route plan. Driving costs the same both ways; the shipping estimate differs by direction only on snowbird lanes during the peak months, when the model adds to trips that run with the seasonal flow and takes a little off trips that run against it.
What the figures leave out. On the driving side: tolls, parking, a second driver, and insurance and registration, which are paid whether or not the car moves. On the shipping side: surcharges for pickup or delivery far from a carrier hub, inoperable vehicles, enclosed trailers and expedited pickup, and the ride to and from the airport if you fly.
Another yardstick. The IRS standard mileage rate for business driving is 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026, raised from 72.5 cents mid-year because of higher fuel prices. It is a tax deduction rate, not a trip budget, and it runs well above the per-mile fuel and wear figures used here.
Updates. The shipping side is recomputed when the monthly price edition rolls at the start of each month. The gas price comes from the EIA weekly series, and the survey week of the price in use is printed above the key findings.
Sources
- U.S. EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (weekly retail prices), eia.gov
- AAA, Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (PDF), newsroom.aaa.com
- U.S. EPA, Automotive Trends Report highlights, epa.gov
- GSA, M&IE breakdown for federal per diem, gsa.gov
- IRS, Standard mileage rates, irs.gov
- IRS, Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29 (Announcement 2026-11, rates from July 1, 2026), irs.gov
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, creativecommons.org
Cite this study
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite as “HaulFare Ship vs Drive Study, October 2026 edition” and link to this page. Please describe the shipping figures as model estimates. For the rows for one metro, email press@haulfare.com. Related data: the Car Shipping Cost Index.
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About the study
Is it cheaper to ship a car or drive it?
In this October 2026 study of 25 routes, driving costs less than the shipping estimate on 20 routes, all 1,713 miles or shorter, and shipping costs less on 3 routes, all 2,056 miles or longer. On 2 routes the driving total falls inside the shipping estimate range. The answer turns on how many hotel nights the drive needs, what your time is worth and whether shipping means buying a flight.
At what distance does shipping a car become cheaper than driving?
In this study the switch falls between 1,713 miles (Chicago, IL to Phoenix, AZ, where driving still costs less) and 2,056 miles (Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA, where shipping costs less). Each extra driving day adds a hotel night and a day of meals, while the per-mile shipping rate falls as distance grows, so long routes tip toward shipping.
What does the driving cost in this study include?
Fuel at 25 mpg and $4.465 a gallon (the EIA U.S. average for regular gasoline, week of September 28, 2026), one hotel night at $160 for every driving day after the first, $68 a day for meals and 12 cents a mile for wear, at 500 miles a day. It leaves out tolls, parking, your time and any flight.
Does the study count my time or a flight?
Not in the totals. The time table shows hours at the wheel for every route and the hourly value at which the two options cost the same: $9 to $76 an hour on the routes where driving is cheaper. If shipping means buying a one-way flight you would not otherwise need, add the fare to the shipping side.
Are the shipping prices real quotes?
No. They are estimates from the published HaulFare price model (version 2026.09-seed) for an open-carrier, running sedan, main hub to main hub, at October 2026 inputs. HaulFare is a price guide, not a broker or carrier: the licensed transport partner confirms the actual price, which can be higher or lower.
Can I use this data in an article?
Yes. The tables and the CSV are free to reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Credit "HaulFare Ship vs Drive Study, October 2026 edition" and link to this page, and please describe the shipping figures as model estimates. For the rows for one metro, email press@haulfare.com.
