When you ship a car, the biggest factor that goes into the price you pay is the price per mile. This is typically what the carrier is paid, though some companies will include everything in the price per mile.
Prices vary depending on a lot of different factors in the car transport industry. Where are you shipping from and to? The distance plays a big role in the price you pay. What kind of vehicle are you shipping? Bigger vehicles will cost more. Is it summer time? Busy seasons, like the summer moving season, tend to cause prices to go up. Are you shipping on an open carrier or enclosed carrier? Enclosed tends to be more expensive as it’s less common. These are the most important factors when it comes to transporting your vehicle. They are also typically what are used when determining the price per mile of your shipment.
It’s almost impossible to come up with a comprehensive pricing table for car transport prices. But we’re going to do our best to break down auto transport prices per mile and give you the scoop on all of it.
Explaining the auto transport price per mile
If you search for “auto transport price per mile” online, you’ll see a fair few articles giving breakdowns on how much you can expect to pay per mile. Which is great! You would think that something like that makes it simple for you to gauge how much it’ll cost to ship your vehicle.
Most of them, though, are wrong. That doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. If you’re trying to get a quick guess as to how much you might have pay to ship your car, they work great! But they’re hardly accurate for most people because of just how many different factors influence the price you pay to ship your car.
Not only that, but auto shipping prices change so rapidly that it’s hard to keep your finger on it. Keeping up with car transport prices is a full time job as there are tens of thousands of routes – all with fluctuating prices. With all the factors that go into constructing a price to transport a vehicle, it’s not surprising. So while online tables and charts from others are a good starting point, don’t take anything they say as gospel.
Examples of per mile auto transport costs
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it – actually breaking down auto transport prices on a per mile basis. Getting a good gauge is hard because of the different methods that different shippers use. But below is a rough estimate of what you can expect at various mileage levels.
Most shipping companies will have more in-depth breakdowns that they can give you when you call them for a quote. But this is a good estimate if you’re just looking for some quick figures to get a gauge on what to expect when you ship a car. You notice that the price per mile goes down as the distance increases. This is for several reasons. For one, carriers can’t charge a dollar a mile to go 3000 miles. They’d love to, but nobody would ship a car for that price.
Instead, carriers keep their prices as low as they can while still turning a profit. They have to; if their prices are too high, they won’t book any freight. Carriers work closely with brokers to make sure prices are fair for them and for the customers both. But it’s important you book with a broker, as they will work harder to keep your prices fair. If a carrier could, they would charge as much as they could.
| Distance | Average price per mile | Example distance | Example price |
| 100-500 miles | $1-1.50 | 300 miles | $300-$450 |
| 501-1000 miles | $0.70-0.90 | 750 miles | $525-$675 |
| 1001-2000 miles | $0.50-0.60 | 1500 miles | $750-$900 |
| 2001-3000 miles | $0.35-0.45 | 2500 miles | $875-$1125 |
Please note these figures are ESTIMATES only and do NOT reflect ANY final prices!
Factors that influence your prices
We’ve mentioned a few times that there are a lot of different factors that influence auto shipping prices. Shipping on an enclosed carrier as opposed to an open carrier, for instance.
An enclosed auto transport carrier is great because they protect vehicles better than an open carrier. But at the same time, they tend to cost anywhere from 50-100% more than the cost of an open carrier along the same route. Naturally, this jump in price is going to result in higher auto transport prices per mile.
The same is true for areas that are hard for carriers to make money on. Rural areas, areas that are not close to major highways, areas that are away from other major metropolitan areas – those are just a few examples. Prices go up when carriers have to travel off the beaten path. Customers are further away, which necessitates additional fuel. And, with fuel as expensive as it is, carriers have to account for that. This means higher prices on those routes.
Ways to save money when you ship a car
The best way to save money when you ship a car is to choose an open carrier on a door to door route. That’s the barebones auto transport price. Terminal shipping is unreliable, enclosed transport costs more than open, and shipping to a rural area will up your price as well.
Shipping to or from major metropolitan areas tends to save at least a little bit. The same goes for choosing an open carrier. Open carriers are the standard, so naturally their prices are lower. But major metro areas see a lot of trucks going in and out of them on a regular basis.
What this means for you is that you can usually find a spot on a truck at a competitive rate. Choosing additional options, such as priority shipping, will up your price. So you want to stick with standard services on standard routes. Of course, you can and should discuss your price with a representative as well. They can break it down in more detail as well as just be more accurate overall.
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Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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