Cars shipping costs and their factors

When googling about the average shipping car cost across the USA, most probably you will face the sum of 700-1,200 USD. But there are a great amount of the factors to be considered. And here we will focus on the most appropriate and influential ones.

Basic information

Many people nowadays are applying for the transportation services for their car. The reasons can differ from moving to a new house in another state to buying a car from the auto salon located in another part of the country. Also, there can be very different ways to transport a car – by train, by truck, by ship or even by plane. Here we will consider the option through the transportation companies which offer the lowest cost for a car shipping.

It’s useful to know the average price per mile so you will be assured that the shipping cost of a car you get is adequate and fair. So far, nowadays the average price per mile is 0,60 USD if you consider a trip of more than 1,000 miles. The main issue here is that the shorter the distance for the transportation, the higher a quota. Usually, a 500-miles trip is considered to be as a 1 USD per mile quota. This has to be considered when you are choosing the original and final destinations – the bigger distance does not always mean a higher price.

The main factors

Of course, you can use the online-calculator you can find almost at every website of the transportation companies. But this calculator gives you the basic information about the price you can get. To be able to understand what exactly can affect it, you should know the main factors.

1. Your car’s parameters. It’s not an essential factor in case your car’s configuration was not changed as normally the online calculator considers the car’s make and model. But if you have made any significant changes that could affect the weight or the size of the vehicle, you need to inform the carrier in advance. Just a couple of additional centimeters can lead to an essential raise of the shipping cost of a car. And the reason for this is pretty simple – the truck will not be able or allowed to add one more car to deliver because of the strict limitation for the weight or the capacity.
2. Distance. Beside the quota per mile which was mentioned above, there are some more additional factors in regards to the distance. For example, some states can charge a fee for crossing the borders. Plus, you need to take into consideration that if you need transportation across the whole country, the driver will need some lodgment which can affect the final shipping cost for cars.
3. Seasonality. Like any other sphere, the cars’ delivery also has some high and low season, And the best example of this is that in wintertime you can expect to pay 200-300 USD less than in summertime for the same service. On the other hand, considering that winter is a low season, you will most probably have to wait for the delivery longer. This factor should be taken into consideration as most of the car’s owners prefer to get their vehicle as soon as possible.
4. Value of the car. In most cases we can talk about open transportation with both door-to-door or terminal-to-terminal delivery. An overwhelming majority of the cars’ owner prefer to make the whole process as cheap as possible as most cases are caused by already great investments (buying a new house or a new car). But there are some types of the cars whose value exceeds the majority of the basic insurance coverage. In this case we are talking about the exotic, rare and very expensive classic and sports cars. The cost for shipping such a car can be significantly raised by the carrier as he will need to take extra care of such a vehicle. For example, instead of the standard ramp this type of the cars will require special liftgate elevators.
5. Type of the transport. Actually, this is one of the most influential parameters in regards to the shipping cost of cars. Typically, there are only two basic types of the truck you can choose from – an open and an enclosed transport. The first option is more common and much cheaper. Probably, you have already met a several-tier construction with a lot of cars placed on the platform – this is an open transport. Considering that it’s much more popular among the cars’ owners, it’s not surprising that you will get your car delivered faster with this type of transportation. An enclosed type of the delivery is more common among the exclusive car’s owners who are ready to pay 50-60 percent extra for safer and more reliable transportation. In this case your car will be placed inside of the trailer and therefore protected from different weather conditions like snow, rain and direct sunshine as well as from birds, insects and dust.
6. Timing. As for any kind of services provided in case of the transportation, shipping a car cost fully depends on the urgency you require. Normally, the shipping process takes about several weeks, especially if we are talking about the across-the-country delivery. On the other hand, it’s always possible to arrange an expedited delivery within a few days but you will definitely need to pay extra for it.
7. Insurance. It should be mentioned that normally the basic insurance is already included into the quota for the transportation. In most cases it covers 75,000-100,000 USD. But if you own a car which cost much more it makes sense to arrange additional insurance. Also it’s important to check if the insurance is included at all.

When choosing a company for the car’s delivery it’s important to pay attention not only to the shipping a car costs. Moreover, too low quotas can become a sign for more attention as in many cases it means poorer services and transportation conditions. It is much more recommended to check the reviews and the whole reputation of the carrier. Nowadays there are a lot of them, and it’s important to choose the right one.

To cut a price it’s also recommended to check with the company in regards to different conditions. For example, the changing of the date for 1-2 days can lead to significant price’s changes.