4 minute read

Car shipping quotes vary more than most people expect, and the gap between a good deal and an overpriced one isn’t always obvious from the number alone. Distance matters, but so does the route’s carrier traffic, the time of year, your vehicle’s size, and whether you want open or enclosed transport. Here’s a practical breakdown of what you’ll actually pay on the routes people travel most.

How Pricing Works

Auto transport operates as a spot market. Carriers set their own rates based on what they can fill a trailer slot for on a given route. A broker matches your shipment to an available carrier in their network — the larger and better-managed the network, the more carrier competition exists for your job, and the better the price.

A few variables move the needle the most:

Distance sets the baseline, but price-per-mile decreases on longer runs. Carriers are more motivated to fill slots on high-volume routes, which keeps competition high.

Open vs. enclosed is usually the biggest price lever. Open transport is standard and runs less. Enclosed adds roughly 40 to 60 percent to the base rate and makes sense for classic cars, luxury vehicles, and anything where road debris is a real concern.

Season matters. Summer is peak demand — expect higher prices from June through August. The snowbird corridors (Northeast to Florida, Midwest to Southwest) spike in January and February. Late spring and early fall generally offer the best combination of competitive pricing and good weather.

Vehicle size affects trailer capacity. A full-size pickup costs more to ship than a compact sedan. Heavier, larger vehicles take up more trailer space and add more weight, both of which affect the carrier’s operating costs.

What You’ll Pay on the Most Common Routes

California to New York (coast to coast): $1,100 to $1,500 for open transport. This is one of the highest-volume corridors in the country, which keeps carrier competition strong and pricing relatively stable year-round. Enclosed costs $1,600 to $2,200 on this route.

Florida to New York: $700 to $1,100. Heavy carrier traffic in both directions keeps rates reasonable. January and February pricing can tick up 10% to 15% due to snowbird demand.

Texas to California: $900 to $1,300 open. High volume both directions. Enclosed for a luxury or classic vehicle on this route typically costs $1,400 to $2,000.

Illinois to Florida: $700 to $1,000. One of the more consistent corridors for competitive pricing. Budget for potential weather delays of one to two days if shipping January through March.

Washington to Texas: $900 to $1,300. Lower carrier traffic than some corridors, which can extend the pickup window on lower-demand routes by a day or two.

Chicago to Boston (Midwest to Northeast): $600 to $900 open. Regional distance keeps pricing manageable, and carrier availability on this corridor is solid year-round.

Getting a Quote That Reflects Reality

The most common mistake in auto transport is treating the lowest quote as the best one. A quote significantly below market rate usually signals one of two things: the broker is underbidding to win the job and will struggle to find a carrier at that rate, or additional fees appear after booking.

Get quotes from two or three brokers and compare them against the ranges above. RoadRunner Auto Transport’s car shipping calculator returns real-time pricing in under 60 seconds based on current carrier market conditions on your specific route — useful as a baseline before talking to anyone else.

A Few More Variables Worth Knowing

Door-to-door vs. terminal: Door-to-door is the standard and usually the right call. Terminal-to-terminal (dropping your car at a central location) can shave a small amount off the price but adds coordination complexity and extends the overall timeline.

Expedited shipping: If you need a carrier assigned faster than the standard window, most brokers offer an expedited option that moves your job to the front of the queue. This adds $150 to $300 on most routes.

Inoperable vehicles: If the car doesn’t run, expect to add $100 to $200 to the standard rate. This covers the specialized loading equipment the carrier needs.

When to Book

Three weeks out is the minimum for most routes. Six weeks gives you more options and typically better pricing. Booking the week you need the car moved is possible on major corridors but narrows your carrier choices and reflects in the price. If your pickup dates are flexible, tell the broker — a one- or two-day window of flexibility often results in a meaningfully better rate.