How Do I Ship My Car Across the Country?

Need to ship a car to Florida, Hawaii, New York or California or somewhere really, really far away? Car Talk's car shipping experts will help you figure out the best way to ship a car across the country.

Shipping a car can be stressful, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether you’re paying to have a truck move your car across the country or a container ship to move it across the Pacific Ocean, there are a few options available to you and each comes with its own pros and cons. We’ll explain those here so you can make the right choice.

Let’s break down your options and their costs - so you can pick the right shipping method and company for you.

What is cross country vehicle shipping?

Cross country vehicle shipping, also called auto transport, is the process of moving your car long distances without driving it yourself. If you're moving from one coast to another, or just clear across from Texas to Montana, you may find you need to ship your car. Once you select a reputable company, you decide on dates for shipping. The company will pick up your car, load it into either an open or closed container trailer depending on your requirements, and then they will drop the car off at the new location. Many consumers choose this option when moving so that they don't put an excessive amount of miles on their car during a move, or because they don't have the time to drive it across themselves.

Can you ship a car across the country?

Yes! You absolutely can ship a car across the country. Many companies offer coast-to-coast shipment through a variety of methods, including by truck or even rail, in some cases. The price you’ll ultimately pay will depend on how far you’re shipping, how fancy you need the shipment method to be, and on the time of year.

How do you ship a car in the USA?

Where you land on the shipping spectrum will depend largely on the kind of car that you’re shipping. Moving a five-year-old family sedan is obviously quite different than shipping a rare antique vehicle. The good news is that there are several options available to ship a vehicle nearly anywhere in the world.

The most popular car shipping methods are:

• By Truck - Truck shipping is the most common way to move a vehicle from one place to another. Using a truck is generally less expensive than rail transport. Depending on the company and the delivery location, it may be possible to ship directly to a specific street address. There are “covered” trucks that offer protected transport and there are less-expensive “uncovered” trucks that use open-air trailers.

• By Rail - Trains can be faster and safer than moving a vehicle via truck, but the costs usually reflect that added convenience. There are fewer companies that offer rail transit than do truck shipping, and some require additional insurance before pulling the vehicle onto a train car.

• By Boat - If your vehicle is an import, there’s a great chance it came to here on a boat, so it’s logical that moving it anywhere else in the world would also require a boat. This method is typically reserved for international vehicle shipping, but it is also the only realistic way to move a car to or from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and other domestic offshore locations.

• By Air - It sounds crazy. And as you’d expect, air shipping is the most expensive and least accommodating method to move a vehicle. Getting something as large and as expensive as an automobile onto an airplane is a complicated experience, to say the least. On the upside, shipping by air is the fastest and safest way of moving a vehicle.

Which car shipping companies should I consider?

Once you’ve settled on shipping and decided which method you’d like to use, your next step is to pick out an actual shipper. Here are a few of the most popular car shipping services:

• AmeriFreight - AmeriFreight offers various shipping methods to move vehicles across the country, but their differentiating factors are the add-ons that make shipping more comfortable. The company offers extra insurance, no up-front payments, and has solid customer ratings.

• Sherpa Auto Transport - Sherpa offers free quotes and shipping with a professional driver. The company recommends that all vehicle functions be operational and that at least a quarter tank of fuel is left in the vehicle. Sherpa works with individuals as well as dealerships and large manufacturers, so the company has experience.

• Easy Auto Ship - Easy Auto Ship is a newer shipping company, but they are quickly making a name for themselves with excellent reviews and ratings. They offer closed and open trailer shipping, expedited shipping options, door-to-door transport and international shipping routes. This company is quickly becoming one of the most trusted names in the auto transport industry.

• uShip - uShip offers enclosed car transport, open transport, and has expedited shipping methods for people in a hurry. The company offers quotes on various services and shipping methods but says that the average cost to ship a car ranges between $0.78 per mile for longer trips (>1,000 miles) to $2.92 per mile for shorter moves (<200 miles).

• SGT Auto Transport - SGT Auto Tranpost is a popular shipping company, with excellent ratings and reviews. The company maintains a BBB Accreditation and B rating. The company offers a 100% money-back guarantee and has a long track record of service in the car shipping industry.

See our top pics and recommendations for Best Car Shipping Companies 2024.

How much does it cost to ship a car across the country?

This is a loaded question because costs will depend on quite a few different factors. Anything from the type of transport to the time of year can have a big effect on the price you’ll ultimately pay to get your vehicle from one place to another. uShip, for instance, lists prices between $800 and nearly $1,000 to ship a Chevy Malibu from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. On the other side of the coin, shipping an F-150 from NYC to LA will cost well over $1,000. Those are most likely open-air shipping prices for truck transport, so the numbers may change significantly for other methods.

Those prices are for commuter vehicles, but classic cars, collector vehicles, and exotic cars all carry additional charges. In general, these vehicles can carry up to a $3,000 premium over their more “middle-of-the-road” counterparts for additional insurance and more careful shipment handling.

Just like shopping for anything, look for the best rates at a company you feel comfortable with. Buying the shipper is as important as buying their services because at the end of the day it’s your vehicle on the back of their truck. It’s also important to understand insurance, taxes, and other fees that may not be included in your initial quote. If your vehicle gets damaged in transit, who will foot the bill for repairs? You should plan on keeping your own insurance as well, because there may be situations where the shipper’s coverage falls short. Weather and other unintended damages may not be included in the shipper’s insurance plan.

Below is a sample quotes table for 2014 Toyota RAV4. Your quotes will differ depending on your vehicle, your dates and shipping destinations. Make sure to get multiple quotes to lock down the best price possible.

Factors to consider when shipping a car

There are a few things to think about when you are considering shipping your car. Car Talk always recommends that anyone in the market to ship a car should consider the following factors to get the best price and hopefully have a good shipping experience.

Shop around

When looking for a good car shipping company, it is important to know that you have many options to choose from. Make certain to talk to a few different companies, ask questions and quotes and prices from a few shipping companies to see which can offer you the best price.

Research

Your vehicle is likely an expensive asset that you'd like to keep in good condition, so make certain to read reviews and ratings of prospective shipping companies before booking a reservation. Do your research to ensure that you know what type of company you are working with before you make your decision.

Timing

Peak car shipping season in the industry is between April and September. During this time period, chances are you will end up paying more to ship your car. For this reason, we suggest trying to book your reservation outside of the busy season, if possible. Did you ever notice how Halloween candy is marked down on November 1st? Same concept applies here.

Flexibility

Having flexible shipping dates can help you lock down the best price possible. Book as early as you can, and with a few delivery dates in mind. Almost every shipping company offers expedited shipping for a higher price. And while it seems like an inconvenience to be in your new city without your car for a few weeks, it may mean the difference of hundreds of dollars to be flexible about it. If you can take a Lyft for a week or two, that will probably be cheaper than expedited shipping.

Trailer selection

There are two types of trailer shipping available to you when you are shipping a car. Open trailer and enclosed trailer options. As the name suggests, open trailers are open to the elements and allow for transportation of a number of cars at the same time. This option is less expensive than closed trailer shipping, although your car is open to the elements and will arrive with a nice layer of highway dust in your new location. Closed trailer shipping is protected, and more expensive.

Shipping your smaller vehicle

If you are moving your whole family and you have more than one vehicle, consider shipping the smallest one to save money on the process. Shipping vehicles is generally more expensive if the vehicle is bigger and heavier to haul.

Read more on Expert Tips to Save Money on Car Shipping here.

How do you ship a car internationally?

The pain of shipping a vehicle across an international border is enough to keep the vast majority of people at bay, but there are some cases where shipping is either the only option or the best option. Fees for international shipping generally range between $1,000 and $2,000 per vehicle, depending on the destination. Then there are fees and other charges that vary for each shipper, which can include things like the below.

• Destination charge to receive and hold the vehicle at the final location
• Agent fees
• Taxes
• Import fees
• Other possible fees, depending on the country

Even after you’ve paid to have your vehicle moved across the border, you’ll still have to contend with local traffic, safety, and consumer protection laws. Every country is different, so it’s important to know what you can and can’t do with your vehicle in its new home. You may also run into various regulatory issues with safety equipment and other vehicle components, so be sure you understand the laws. Vehicles can look the same from place to place, but small details make a big difference in what is legal and what is not.

Find out how much it costs to ship a car in the US or internationally here.

Towing or driving a car across the country

If shipping a car across the country seems too complicated or expensive, you can always consider the simple, yet exhausting option of towing or driving the car across the country yourself.

While this option might appear to be cheaper on the surface, that is not always the case when you factor in gasoline, hotels, meals, mileage on the car, or stress on the vehicle pulling the car, as well as your time. Time away from work, away from family, or just time away from your life. This always has a cost. There might also be the cost of airfare, to the destination to pick up the car, or from the destination where you just shipped the car.

At Car Talk, we love this idea of a good adventure involving the open road and a well maintained vehicle. So an epic trek of driving your own car across the country actually sounds like tons of fun. And if you have a love for driving and seeing the country, and a good driving buddy, this might be the option for you. But just know, it may not save you any money in the long run.

The cost of gasoline across the country right now is extremely expensive. We like to consult this handy AAA Gasoline Calculator to see what the price would be for a trip like this. We found that a trip from California to Connecticut, of roughly 2,800 miles in a late model Honda Accord, which gets 36 miles to the gallon, would cost almost $500. Now, if your car is an older or bigger vehicle that gets 16 miles per gallon, then you are looking at much higher costs.

This would also mean, by the end of the trip, that you have put 2,800 more miles on your Honda. And if you towed the Honda, then you've spent even more in gas for the tow vehicle, and then put 2,800 miles on the tow vehicle. So then you'd be on the hook for maintenance costs as well.

Read more on Expert Tips on How to Save Money Shipping a Car here.

Who are the best car shipping companies?