Auto Shipping FAQ: How Luxury Cars are Shipped
Many vehicles that car transporters ship are luxury vehicles, i.e. vehicles that are expensive, high-end and prone to expensive repairs and parts should anything happen to them.
It’s no surprise, then, that people that are looking to get their luxury vehicles from one end of the country to the other would want to ship them instead of drive them, but many people have never shipped a vehicle before and don’t even know where to start.
This is why we’ve come up with this helpful blog post that will try to answer the question of how luxury cars are shipped and what you can expect when shipping yours.
The most common way that luxury cars are shipped is via enclosed transportation services. Enclosed transportation is key in keeping the condition of the vehicle pristine, particularly if it is a luxury car worth six figures.
Most vehicles are shipped on an open auto transport truck, which means that they are exposed to the elements that the truck itself will be exposed to, including wind, rain, sunshine, wintry weather conditions in areas, as well as things such as bugs, road debris, dust and rocks.
Most vehicles will be able to handle the rigors of the road just fine, as they are built to handle the rigors of the road on a daily basis. Luxury vehicles…well, not so much.
This is why luxury cars are almost always shipped on an enclosed carrier. It’s a bit more expensive, mainly due to the fact that enclosed carriers serve a more niche part of the industry than their open counterparts, which means they ship fewer cars and thus need to charge more per vehicle to maintain their bottom line.
On the whole the price of enclosed transportation services for a luxury vehicle will range anywhere from 25-125% over the cost of open transport; it depends a lot on the route, its popularity and the company in question.
If you are interested in shipping a vehicle via an enclosed carrier, or just want to know the difference in price, you can fill out our free auto transport quote request form and select the option for enclosed quotes only. Once the form is submitted, you’ll get a free quote to ship your vehicle right away. If you have questions about our services, or simply need some help getting a quote, give us a call any time at 800-930-7417 toll-free to speak to a live agent.
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.
