Price guide

How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car in 2026?

The honest answer: most cars ship for somewhere between $500 and $1,800, and the single biggest lever is distance. A 200-mile hop might run $300–$500; a coast-to-coast move is usually $1,000–$1,800 on an open carrier. Everything else — the vehicle, the season, the route — adjusts that base up or down.

Typical price ranges by distance

These are open-transport market ranges for a standard running sedan. Enclosed transport typically adds 40–60% on top.

• Short (under 500 mi): $300 – $650
• Medium (500 – 1,500 mi): $600 – $1,050
• Long (1,500 – 2,500 mi): $900 – $1,500
• Coast to coast (2,500+ mi): $1,000 – $1,800

The seven things that move your price

1. Distance — the biggest factor, but price per mile actually drops the farther you go. 2. Open vs. enclosed — enclosed protects against weather and road debris but costs 40–60% more. 3. Vehicle size and weight — trucks, SUVs, and vans take more space on the trailer. 4. Running vs. non-running — an inoperable vehicle needs a winch and costs more. 5. Season — snowbird routes into Florida spike in fall and out in spring; summer is busy nationwide. 6. Route popularity — busy lanes between major cities are cheaper than remote pickups. 7. How fast you need it — a tight pickup window costs more than a flexible one.

Why two quotes for the same car can be $400 apart

Because most brokers don't show you the driver's price — they show you a marked-up number with their cut hidden inside. One broker's "$1,200" might be $800 to the driver plus a $400 cut; another's "$950" might be $850 plus $100. You can't tell, because the markup is invisible. That's the entire problem Loadgency was built to fix: you set the driver's price, and our flat fee (the greater of $50 or 10%) sits right next to it, in the open.

How to actually pay less

Be flexible on pickup dates, choose open transport unless your car genuinely needs enclosed, ship to and from major metros when you can, and — most importantly — use a service that shows you the real driver price so you're not paying for a markup you can't see. On Loadgency you post the price you want, carriers claim it at that number, and you pay the driver directly on delivery.