The average cost to ship a car in 2026 ranges from $560 to $1,559 for open transport, depending on distance. Short trips under 500 miles average $560–$750. Cross-country shipments over 1,500 miles typically run $1,159–$1,559+. Enclosed transport costs 30–40% more.
Use the calculator for your exact route, or call (818) 850-5258.
Get accurate pricing based on your route, vehicle, and timing – no hidden fees.
Car shipping is not a flat-rate service. Prices fluctuate based on several key factors, and understanding them helps you avoid overpaying or falling for unrealistic quotes.
Distance & Route
Distance is the biggest cost factor, but it’s not linear.
Shipping from Miami to New York is often cheaper than a shorter rural route.
Vehicle Type & Size
Larger vehicles take more space and weight on the carrier.
Electric vehicles (EVs) may also require specialized handling depending on condition and weight.
Open or Enclosed Transport
This is one of the biggest price differences.
Enclosed car shipping offers full protection.
Timing & Urgency
The more flexibility you have with your pick-up dates, the better price you can get. Many people choose that option when shipping timeline is not urgent.
Seasonality
Prices change throughout the year; it is an important factor:
Fuel Costs & Market Demand
Carriers adjust pricing based on:
This is why quotes can change daily and vary from route to route.
| Distance | Open Transport (per mile) | Enclosed Transport (per mile) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 500 miles | $1.79/mile | $2.54/mile |
| 500 – 1,500 miles | $0.91/mile | $1.29/mile |
| 1,500+ miles | $0.59/mile | $0.86/mile |
Additional cost to ship a car factors
If the answer is yes, keep in mind that expedited auto transport service costs more. If you need your vehicle picked-up or delivered on an exact date, or by an exact date, expect to pay a premium.
Top load means loading a vehicle on the top deck of the vehicle transport trailer. This ensures against possible leaks from other vehicles, from flying road debris, and it is generally safer.
Choosing the right auto transport type impacts both cost and protection level.
Open Transport
Enclosed Transport
If your car is worth over $50,000 or has sentimental value, enclosed carrier is often recommended. This is the ideal transport type that offers full protection from weather and road elements. It comes with higher insurance levels, fully covered trailers, lift gates and drivers offering a high-level of expertise. It is often a true white glove service.
At Corsia, we don’t just quote – we guide our customers.
Here’s how you can save money:
✔ Be Flexible with Dates
Flexibility allows carriers to optimize routes, lowering everyone’s cost.
✔ Reserve 5-7 Days in Advance
Last-minute reservations often cost more due to limited availability.
✔ Choose Open Transport
Unless truly necessary, open transport is the most cost-efficient option.
✔ Avoid Peak Season If Possible
Shipping during snowbird season or summer increases prices as demand is high.
✔ Get Real Market Pricing – Not Lowball Quotes
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive mistake. Waiting and more follows.
Cost to ship a car · 2026
The average cost to ship a car in the U.S. in 2026 is $560 to $1,559 for open transport, depending on distance. Trips under 500 miles average $560–$750; cross-country moves over 1,500 miles run $1,159–$1,559+. Enclosed transport costs about 30–40% more. Price depends on distance, vehicle, transport type, timing, and season.
Rates by distance
Cost per mile drops as distance grows — longer routes are cheaper per mile than short ones. These are current market averages for open and enclosed transport.
| Distance | Open (per mile) | Enclosed (per mile) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 500 miles | $1.79 | $2.54 |
| 500 – 1,500 miles | $0.91 | $1.29 |
| 1,500+ miles | $0.59 | $0.86 |
Per-mile rates are averages. Your final price reflects the exact route, vehicle, timing, and current carrier supply.
Open vs. enclosed
The standard method, used for about 90% of shipments. Most affordable and reliable for everyday vehicles.
Full protection from weather and road debris. Recommended for luxury, classic, exotic, or vehicles worth over $50,000.
What drives the price
The biggest factor, but not linear. Popular lanes (e.g. Florida ↔ New York) are cheaper; remote or rural areas cost more.
Sedans are cheapest; SUVs and trucks cost more; oversized vehicles carry premium pricing.
Enclosed adds roughly 30–40% for full protection and limited carrier availability.
Flexible pickup lowers cost; expedited pickup within 1–2 days raises it.
Winter demand runs to Florida and Arizona; spring and summer are peak moving season nationwide.
Carriers adjust for fuel prices and truck availability, so quotes can change daily by route.
Non-running vehicles need winch or forklift handling; top-load placement adds cost.
Seasonality
| Season | Demand & price |
|---|---|
| Winter (Feb lowest) | Cheapest season. February rates run 10–20% below summer on most routes. |
| Spring | Rising demand as carriers return to the road; moderate pricing. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | Most expensive. Peak relocations and college moves push rates 10–15% above off-peak. |
| Fall | Usually the most stable pricing, with lower demand. |
Save money
Flexibility lets carriers optimize routes, which lowers cost.
Last-minute orders cost more because carrier availability is limited.
Unless enclosed is truly needed, open is the most cost-efficient option.
Shipping during summer or snowbird season raises prices with demand.
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive mistake — a too-low rate rarely gets a truck.
Why quotes differ
Search online and you meet three different entities. Only the first can quote a real market price and manage your shipment.
| Entity | What they do & how they price |
|---|---|
| Broker / carrier | Licensed, bonded companies that book and manage shipments. They quote a fair market price that actually moves your car. Most orders are booked here. Corsia is a licensed, bonded broker. |
| Lead-generator site | Not a transport company. Collects your details and sells them to several companies, so you get 5–10 competing calls and unrealistically low quotes. |
| Auction / marketplace | Bidding platforms where lowball wars and platform fees distort pricing. Best avoided. |
A fair market rate sits in the middle of the price spectrum — not the highest, not the lowest. A correctly priced car gets picked up quickly.
Payment & policies
Corsia quotes one clear price with no hidden fees and no upfront payment. Every payment is made to Corsia — there is no cash or money order due to the driver at delivery — and you can split the balance to fit your schedule.
Once a carrier is assigned, pay the full balance to Corsia in a single payment.
Pay about a 20% deposit when the carrier is assigned, then the remainder before delivery.
Spread it across a deposit, a payment at pickup, and a final payment before delivery.
All payments go to Corsia. Quotes are valid for one week because auto transport is a supply-and-demand market. Cancellations must be in writing and the reservation fee is fully refundable if requested before a truck is assigned.
Cost FAQ
Open transport averages $560–$750 under 500 miles, $789–$1,189 for 500–1,500 miles, and $1,159–$1,559+ over 1,500 miles. Enclosed transport costs about 30–40% more.
Open transport averages $1.79/mile under 500 miles, $0.91/mile for 500–1,500 miles, and $0.59/mile over 1,500 miles. Enclosed runs about $2.54, $1.29, and $0.86 per mile respectively. Longer routes cost less per mile.
Enclosed transport costs roughly 30–40% more than open. Open typically runs $700–$1,200 and enclosed $1,200–$2,500+, because enclosed uses smaller, fully covered trailers with higher insurance.
Winter is cheapest, with February usually the lowest rates of the year — often 10–20% below summer. Summer (June–August) is the most expensive.
Be flexible with pickup dates, book 5–7 days ahead, choose open transport, avoid peak season, and avoid lowball quotes that rarely secure a carrier.
No. There is no upfront payment. You pay a small $129 reservation fee once you know your dates to secure a spot. After a carrier is assigned you pay the balance to Corsia — in full, or split into a deposit and payments before delivery. Everything is paid to Corsia, not in cash to the driver.
About one week. Auto transport is supply-and-demand driven, so rates change over time and quotes are held for a short window.
Yes. Cancellations must be submitted in writing and can be made anytime. The $129 reservation fee is fully refundable if you cancel before a truck is assigned.
Yes. Corsia only needs the origin and destination city and state to quote a current market price.
A correctly quoted rate is a market price that will ship a car now.
All car shipping prices are not created equal, neither are all car transport companies. When you search online you will come across three major entities involved in the auto transport business – broker/carrier companies, lead generation websites, auction websites also called marketplaces.
The companies with authority to contract customers in order to transport their vehicles are auto transport brokers and carrier companies. These companies work together on daily basis in order to make vehicle shipping fast and affordable.
The engine of the car shipping industry is all small and mid-size broker and carrier companies. They work together on daily basis to deliver efficient and affordable car shipping service.
Costs to ship a car often vary between all three entities. Some companies will quote high prices, while others will quote unrealistically low rate. The quotes by lead generator websites and auction websites are usually low-ball prices. Broker and carrier companies can quote a market price to ship a car now.
The most realistic rate comes from a reputable auto transport broker or a carrier company. This is the engine of the industry – professionals who work daily with national dispatch boards and see how prices change. This is what keeps the prices competitive and the industry in balance. Small and medium size broker companies do not allow monopolization of the market by large corporations.
Majority of the orders in the auto transport industry are booked with brokers. The chances of you finding a car carrier who is in the same area as your car, has a spot open, and it is going in your desired direction are usually pretty slim. This is why the broker company is a key element in the industry. Most of the car carriers are small owner operated companies you can not find online. But you can find brokers who work to find customers to fill the trailers.
This entity is not an auto transport company of any type. This is an online business created to collect private information for other businesses. These lead generator websites are often found online and customers frequently confuse them with auto transport companies. But de facto, they are neither a carrier nor a broker. After receiving the customer’s request they sell the information to several auto transport companies. Then you receive several calls from companies competing for your business. It is often unpleasant to receive 5 to 10 calls in a matter of hours. Moreover, these companies know they are competing against each other and thus quote unrealistically low rates.
The third entity is auction websites or marketplaces. We advise our customers to avoid such platforms because this is where underbidding wars happen. They start too high and go down to an unrealistically low rate. Most companies are not able to give a realistic rate because they need to compete live with large companies who simply can afford to quote low. On the other hand, often due to fees imposed from the auction website, auto transport companies are forced to quote higher prices so they can make at least some profit. It is not only the companies’ fault, or the platform itself. The demand for low prices has always been a factor.
Broker companies vet all carriers – their license, insurance and safety ratings. A trustworthy broker company will work for you, the customer, to find the right carrier that travels your route and matches your requirements for a type of trailer, insurance liability and delivery time. They will provide a fair, current market price that will ship your vehicle in a timely and professional manner.
Generally, carriers do not manage customers. A carrier is responsible to load, deliver and unload your vehicle. About 90 percent of the car carriers in the US are small to mid-size owner operated companies. This is why the prices you receive online are from auto transport broker companies. A broker is a registered, licensed and bonded entity that specializes in vehicle shipping management. Small broker companies can leverage the industry, and keep it in balance.
Together, small and mid-size broker and carrier companies, create an efficient logistics ecosystem that works to provide timely and professional auto transport services to both private and business customers.
Zero upfront fees
We do not require any payment upfront from you to reserve a spot on a car carrier. You can book your order now and pay later. Call our agents now for details and a quote.
Dedicated agent
One of our team members will always be your only point of contact, alongside the driver. You will not be transferred from sales agent to customer service, and carrier to dispatch. You will know the name of your agent.
Market price
We quote market prices to ship your car now. W In this industry a current market price is crucial. Our prices are valid for one week only because market rates fluctuate. It is the nature of the logistics industry.
attention to details
We have over a decade of auto transport experience. Our knowledge, dedication and integrity guarantees exceptional customer service. Our business model is transparent and validated by our growing customer base and 5-star reviews.
5-star rated
Read our customer reviews online. We are family-owned and operated and we take care of our customers. And our 5-star reviews speak volumes. This is why we are considered one of the best car shipping companies in the U.S.
Peace of mind
We educate our customers and make sure they understand how shipping a car works. On our website you will find information about the cost to ship a car, how to prepare a car for shipping, how long it takes to ship a car and more.
When you call to get your cost to ship a car quote, our logistics experts will discuss your options, budget and preferences and give you a current market price to ship a car now.
