Car shipping rates in 2026 range from $0.40 to $1.20 per mile. Here's exactly what puts you at one end or the other.#

The per-mile rate for auto transport sounds like a simple number. It isn't. The same carrier, the same trailer type, and the same distance can produce quotes that vary by $300–$400 depending on five variables that most people don't think about when they first reach out for a quote.

This article breaks down how car shipping rates are structured — with actual figures for distance tiers, vehicle classes, transport types, and seasonal shifts — so you can read any quote you receive and understand immediately whether it's competitive or inflated.

Average car shipping rates by distance (2026)#

Distance is the primary rate driver, but per-mile rates aren't flat. They compress as distance increases — the fixed costs of pickup and delivery (routing, local fuel, driver time for loading and unloading) spread across more revenue miles on longer hauls. This is why a 400-mile quote often isn't dramatically cheaper than a 700-mile one.

These are open transport averages for a standard sedan, door-to-door, on a moderate-demand route, booked 2–3 weeks ahead:

Distance	Typical Total Cost	Per-Mile Rate
Under 200 miles	$350–$550	$1.00–$1.20/mile
200–500 miles	$500–$800	$0.85–$1.10/mile
500–1,000 miles	$750–$1,050	$0.75–$0.95/mile
1,000–1,500 miles	$950–$1,200	$0.65–$0.80/mile
1,500–2,500 miles	$1,100–$1,500	$0.50–$0.65/mile

The cross-country rate of $0.50–$0.65/mile is roughly half what you pay per mile for a regional move. The total is higher, but the carrier is getting far more value per load on a long haul.

Use our car shipping calculator to get a rate for your specific origin, destination, and vehicle.

How transport type affects rates#

Open transport is the standard — the two-level carrier that handles 90% of all auto transport in the United States. All rates above reflect open transport. It's safe, it's proven, and it's the right choice for the vast majority of vehicles.

Enclosed transport uses a covered trailer with 2–4 vehicles. The rate premium is consistent: 50–80% above the equivalent open transport quote. On practical terms:

• $900 open → $1,350–$1,620 enclosed
• $1,100 open → $1,650–$1,980 enclosed
• $1,300 open → $1,950–$2,340 enclosed

The premium exists because enclosed trailers carry fewer vehicles per load (2–4 vs. 8–10), so the carrier's fixed costs distribute across fewer revenue slots. You're also paying for weather protection, reduced road debris exposure, and the reduced-risk handling environment that high-value and classic vehicles warrant.

Enclosed makes sense when: your vehicle is worth $50,000+, it's a classic or antique with irreplaceable finish, or it's an exotic with ground clearance issues that make open transport loading risky. For everything else, open transport is appropriate.

How vehicle class affects rates#

Carriers price by slot on a trailer. A standard sedan and a compact crossover take up roughly equivalent space and get equivalent base pricing. Larger vehicles create either a space constraint or a loading complication, both of which cost more.

Standard sedans and compact/midsize SUVs (Camry, Accord, RAV4, CR-V): Baseline pricing. No surcharges. These are the vehicles carriers' trailers are optimized around.

Full-size SUVs (Tahoe, Expedition, Suburban, 4Runner): Add $100–$250 over baseline. Height restricts top-level loading on some trailer configurations. Weight adds to the carrier's fuel overhead per load.

Full-size pickup trucks (F-150, Ram 1500, Silverado, Tundra): Add $100–$200 standard cab, more for extended or crew cab with long bed. An extended crew cab/long bed can take up the equivalent of two standard slots.

Lifted trucks or vehicles with modifications: Add $150–$400 depending on lift height. Extreme lifts may require specialized equipment or carriers. Always disclose modifications when requesting a quote — undisclosed lifts discovered at pickup create conflict and sometimes last-minute price changes.

Non-running vehicles: Add $100–$200 for winch loading. A vehicle that can't roll and steer under its own power requires equipment to load. This needs to be disclosed at booking, not at pickup.

Sports cars and low-clearance vehicles (Corvette, Porsche 911, Ferrari, McLaren): Require additional loading care and sometimes specific ramp extensions. Often shipped enclosed by default. Pricing varies — get a specific quote rather than applying a generic multiplier.

Seasonal rate fluctuations#

Car shipping rates shift meaningfully with the calendar. Carriers adjust prices based on demand cycles that have been consistent for years.

Peak season (June–August): +15–25% above baseline. Summer is the most expensive time to ship a car. School-year transitions drive family relocations, snowbirds return north, and college moves concentrate shipments into a narrow window. On a $1,000 baseline quote, summer pricing means $1,150–$1,250 for the same route and vehicle.

Shoulder season (April–May, September–October): Baseline pricing. Demand is moderate. Carriers have capacity, booking windows are reasonable, and pricing is competitive. This is the best price-to-availability ratio of the year for most routes.

Off-season (November–March): 5–15% below baseline, with some exceptions. The winter off-season brings lower demand and more competitive pricing on most lanes. Exception: Florida-bound routes in January spike as snowbirds head south, pushing Florida corridor prices up even in winter.

Holiday weeks: Avoid. The week before and after Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year's, and Memorial Day see both demand spikes and reduced driver availability. Pricing goes up, pickup windows extend, and scheduling reliability decreases. If your timing is flexible, shift your booking to avoid these windows.

Period	Rate vs. Baseline
June–August (peak)	+15–25%
April–May, Sept–Oct	Baseline
Nov–March (off-season)	−5–15%
Holiday weeks	+10–20%

How route demand shapes rates#

Mileage and vehicle class set the base rate. Route demand adjusts it up or down from there. This is the variable most first-time shippers don't account for.

High-demand corridors run cheaper per mile than their distance would suggest. These are routes that carriers build their entire schedule around — trucks are heading that direction constantly, and your car fits into an existing run at minimal marginal cost.

The top-volume corridors in the US: California to Florida (and reverse), New York to Florida (and reverse), Chicago to Los Angeles, Texas to the Northeast, the Southeast to the Midwest. On these routes, carrier competition keeps pricing sharp.

Low-demand routes require carriers to detour from their standard runs — burning fuel and time to serve origins or destinations that don't pay them on the return trip. Expect a 15–30% premium over what equivalent mileage on a major lane would cost.

Low-demand situations: rural origins more than 50–75 miles from a major highway corridor, small markets in less-populated states (Wyoming, Montana, Vermont, Maine), routes between two non-major cities in opposite directions.

Hawaii and Alaska involve ocean freight and are priced entirely differently from continental routes. Rates to Hawaii from the West Coast run $1,000–$1,500 for the ocean freight component alone; Alaska from the Pacific Northwest runs similar. Ground transport on both ends adds to the total.

Fuel surcharges and variable rate components#

Auto transport rates aren't purely fixed. Carriers build in fuel assumptions, and when diesel prices spike significantly, some carriers apply temporary surcharges — typically $50–$150 on a long-haul shipment during periods of elevated fuel costs.

You won't always see this called out as a line item. On a per-mile basis, it's absorbed into the quoted rate. What it means practically: rates during high-fuel-cost periods run 5–10% higher than the same routes would in a normal fuel environment, even holding all other variables constant.

Broker margins also affect what you see in quotes. Brokers — who post your load on a dispatch board to find a carrier — typically add $100–$300 to the carrier's underlying rate. This isn't inherently a problem; brokers provide a legitimate service and are how most shipments get dispatched. But it's why broker quotes and direct carrier quotes for the same shipment can differ, and why three quotes from different sources rarely come back identical.

How to get the most accurate rate for your shipment#

Generic rate tables, including the ones in this article, reflect national averages. Your actual rate depends on your specific zip codes, your vehicle, your timeline, and current carrier availability on your lane.

Get three quotes, not one. The spread between legitimate quotes on the same route is usually $100–$200. More than that and you're looking at either an inflated quote or a suspiciously low one worth investigating.

Provide exact details upfront. Origin zip, destination zip, vehicle year/make/model, running status, any modifications. Vague inputs produce vague quotes that change at pickup. The more specific you are, the more accurate the number.

Book ahead when possible. Two to four weeks out gives carriers time to plan your load into an existing run. Last-minute bookings — less than a week — cost $100–$300 more on most routes because you're paying for urgency, not service.

Verify before you book. Every legitimate carrier has a USDOT number you can check on FMCSA.gov in under three minutes. A quote that's dramatically below the others is worth investigating before you hand over a deposit.

For current rates on your specific route, our car shipping calculator pulls live data and gives you a real-time estimate. For a full breakdown of what drives state-to-state costs, see our car shipping cost guide.

Rate summary#

Five variables determine where your car shipping rate lands:

Distance sets the base. Per-mile rates run $0.40–$1.20 depending on how far you're going, compressing as mileage increases.

Transport type applies a 50–80% premium for enclosed vs. open transport. The right choice depends on your vehicle's value and sensitivity.

Vehicle size adds $100–$400 for anything larger than a standard sedan, with full-size pickups and oversized vehicles at the high end.

Season moves rates 15–25% in either direction between peak summer and the off-season winter months.

Route demand adjusts pricing on top of everything else — high-volume corridors run cheaper per mile, remote routes run more expensive.

Understand these five variables and any quote you receive immediately makes sense. The ones that fall outside the expected range for your specific combination of factors are the ones worth questioning.