May 4, 2025

The cheapest car shipping option is also the most popular – and open auto freight carrier on a door-to-door route. Vehicle shipping services are generally offered by open car shippers, which are auto-shipping trucks that leave vehicles exposed to the weather. Transporting automobiles is complex, but putting up to ten cars on one transport truck saves time and money.

cheapest car shipping

The Different Types of cheapest car shipping Services

When you order car transport, most suppliers provide you with some choices. It would help if you stayed with affordable solutions for the most inexpensive car shipping. Even so, weighing the extra expense of other solutions could be worthwhile if you have more specific demands.

You may discover several kinds of vehicle shipment, including:

Open carrier shipping: Transporting your automobile in an open-air container is the cheapest car shipping, but it exposes your vehicle to harm from road debris, severe weather, and other factors.

Enclosed carrier shipping: You can send your vehicle in an enclosed container. This option provides extra protection against damage but costs more than open shipping.

Expedited delivery: If you need your automobile transported quickly, several firms provide speedier shipping alternatives for an extra price.

Terminal-to-terminal shipping: Moving a car from one central hub to another can help you cut the cost of your car’s transportation.

Transport from door to door: Most companies provide you with the option to ship your automobile from your old address to your new location, but if you have a choice, choose the terminal-to-terminal option because it is less expensive.

Cheapest Car Shipping Method

During their investigation, the auto shipping firm discovered a few methods for obtaining the Cheapest Car Shipping costs. These comprise:

Booking ahead of time: When you schedule your cargo, you will have more time to look for alternatives. If you use a shipping broker, this gives carriers more time to bid on your assignment.

Being flexible with your timeline: You’ll open bidding to additional car movers with a more significant pickup and dropoff timeframe, perhaps lowering your ultimate price. You must pay an additional fee if you want a specific delivery date.

Choosing terminal-to-terminal shipment: Whenever feasible, delivering and picking up your automobile at a shipping terminal is less expensive than sending it door-to-door.

Choosing open auto transport: If you’re transporting a vintage automobile or other high-value vehicles, the added security provided by an enclosed carrier can be worth the increased expense. Generally speaking, utilizing an open page is the cheapest car shipping if you want to save money.

Convenient pickup or delivery locations: If you reside in a remote rural region or are moving, consider the river there. Transport companies typically charge less when the pickup and dropoff points are close to metropolitan areas or main thoroughfares.

Compare shipping costs: Even for the same cargo, as the pricing tables above show, shipping costs differ between suppliers. You may compare the pricing of several suppliers by requesting free quotations from them all.

What Is The Price Of The Cheapest Car Shipping?

When shopping, comparing companies is crucial because prices in the vehicle transport sector might vary depending on the supplier and the shipment. According to their data, a 1,350-mile open transportation route between cities typically costs $1,350. However, your final cost for that distance might range from $1,054 to $1,596, depending on the company you pick.

Factors Influencing Cheapest Car Shipping Prices

The following are some of the aspects that influence the overall cost of the cheapest car shipping services:

The location:  The cost of shipping an automobile is partially determined by the distance that must be travelled. Longer distances increase the cost of relocating your automobile. Shipping your car through popular auto shipping routes to and from big cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles is often less expensive.

Transporting an automobile to rural regions and smaller towns necessitates diverting a car shipping truck driver from their usual path. This is the most common location for the cheapest car shipping services. As a result, automobile shippers must travel more excellent miles.

consuming more time and fuel to pick up and deliver vehicles. Moving pickup and delivery locations out of rural regions and meeting the auto transport driver in a spot still off the beaten path is the cheapest shipping option.

Season: Car transportation services are more expensive in the summer than in winter. In the summer, east-west vehicle transport routes are more prevalent, and there is higher demand from clients to export a car in general. Fewer individuals ship autos during the winter months.

On the other hand, snowbirds usually cause an increase in north-south routes, especially along the east coast. Some ways may see price increases throughout the winter owing to harsh weather; they are more typical in the far northern portions of the nation where snow and ice are more widespread.

Automobile type: The more significant or newer the automobile, the more expensive it will be to transfer.

Urgency: The sooner you require the delivery, the more expensive your automobile transport will be.

Competition: The more vehicle transport firms that serve a route, the lower your charge will be.

Travel mode: Open automobile travel is often the cheapest car shipping than enclosed car transport.

Distance: Cross-country and long-distance automobile shipment, such as from California to New York or Hawaii, is more expensive overall but less expensive per mile.

Delivery method: Door-to-door service is more expensive than terminal-to-terminal delivery.

Fuel prices: If petrol is expensive, automobile transportation services should also be.

How can I reduce the cost of car shipping?

Although enclosed auto transport and having the automobile delivered to your home are excellent, finding the cheapest car shipping will be considerably more difficult. Check prices from several shipping companies, reserve early, and choose terminal-to-terminal transport with an available shipping method. It will be much simpler to save money on auto shipping. 

Is shipping or driving a car more affordable?

Driving is usually more cost-effective when moving a car, simply a few hundred miles. For lengthier journeys, though, where expenses like food, accommodation, and lost income must be considered, it’s less expensive to transport your car.

What is the best option for nationwide cheapest car shipping?

Utilizing an open auto transport company and making a reservation at least two weeks in advance will be the nation’s cheapest car shipping. A slightly reduced pricing can also be obtained by paying the driver in cash after delivery rather than online with a credit card.

Which state has the cheapest car shipping rates?

Using a shipping broker that provides open auto transport will save you the most money, whether you’re transporting a car across town or halfway across the nation. The good news is that most carriers provide this as a default choice and will transport your automobile to your door.