Overview About Cheapest Way to Ship Car
If you're planning a move, there's a high possibility you're looking for affordable auto transport. This article will demonstrate negotiating reasonable rates for high-quality auto transport services. Each year, our team compiles a list of the top auto transport companies to assist consumers in understanding the industry. We have spent over 300 hours accumulating hundreds of quotes, surveying thousands of consumers, evaluating transportation services, and interacting with businesses through remote purchasing. Since auto shipping is a supply-and-demand industry, using a broker is frequently the most cost-effective method to secure auto carriers. This article will explain the factors determining the cost of auto transport, provide suggestions for auto transport companies, and advise on reducing transport rates.
What's in this article?
Types of Cheapest Way to Ship Car
When reserving cheapest way to ship car, the majority of companies offer a variety of options. If you want cheapest way to ship car, adhere to the cheapest options available.
Depending on the specificity of your needs, it may be worthwhile to compare the additional costs of alternative solutions.
Let's begin with the various auto transport methods available:
Winch Truck
Hiring a tow vehicle is an alternative to driving yourself. You will not increase your vehicle's mileage or cause wear and damage.
Prices can vary depending on the number of tow truck companies in your area: the greater the quantity, the greater the competitiveness of the costs.
However, if you're relocating more than 500 miles, you'll unlikely be able to hire a tow truck, as they only travel limited distances.
Train
This is not a prevalent practice, so locating a spot for your car may take time and effort. This may also result in greater prices. In addition, there is a greater chance that your vehicle will be vandalized while being transported by train. Therefore, we would never contemplate this method of vehicle transport
Carrier
Hiring a carrier is likely the best available option. There are numerous transporters and shipping options available. You can rely on these trained and experienced professionals to transport your car safely over long distances.
They are also required by law to carry cargo insurance, so if anything goes wrong during the voyage, you won't have to use your insurance to receive reasonable compensation.
Open-Air Auto Transport
In general, open-air auto transport is the cheapest way to ship car. In addition, almost all inexpensive transporters utilize open transport trailers, making them the industry standard for affordable transport vehicles.
Depending on vehicle size, weight, and clearances, open-air lorries can inexpensively transport between eight and ten vehicles. This means inexpensive transporters can make multiple journeys to deliver automobiles and transfer new products along a given route.
Open vehicle delivery provides more scheduling options when scheduling the cheapest vehicle delivery. It also helps to share petroleum costs because the carrier's price is distributed among customers.
Enclosed Auto Transport
Enclosed car transport is a form of vehicle transportation that provides security for the vehicle. This is an excellent option for transporting a classic or expensive vehicle. Enclosed transporters can only transport a few cars at a time, usually at most seven automobiles.
Prices for enclosed car transport are computed similarly to those for open car transport, but you'll pay 30 to 40 percent more per trip for added protection.
Express shipment
Several companies offer expedited cargo options for an additional fee if you need your vehicle transported rapidly.
Terminal to Terminal
Although terminal to terminal shipments can benefit auto transport companies by allowing them to collect multiple vehicles from one location, loading vehicles at these facilities can be problematic.
The amount of loading space, traffic, and the time required to transport vehicles at these facilities can become troublesome for drivers, for example.
Even though terminal to terminal shipping is the cheapest way to ship car, we typically do not recommend it due to the increased likelihood of vehicle damage caused by transfers between multiple parties. Additionally, we do not recommend this mode of transportation because it lengthens transit times at all checkpoints.
Door to Door Transport
The standard method of affordable car transportation we provide is a door to door conveyance. The vehicle is picked up near the supplied address and delivered to the address or the closest truck-accessible location.
By taking this approach to public transportation, you will have the most peace of mind and be able to locate affordable auto transport.
Cheapest Way to Ship Car
During our investigation, we discovered several ways to reduce the cost of auto transport. Included are:
- If you book your shipment, you'll have more time to compare various options. This also allows more time for carriers to compete for your business if you use a shipping broker.
- With a larger pickup and delivery window, you'll attract more bids from vehicle carriers, potentially resulting in a lower ultimate price. There will be an additional fee if you require a specific delivery date.
- Terminal to terminal transportation is less expensive than door to door shipping whenever practicable.
- If you are transporting a classic car or another high-value vehicle, the extra protection an enclosed carrier provides may be worth the additional cost. If you wish to save money, using an open carrier is typically more cost-effective.
- Traveling to a convenient pickup or delivery location: If you reside in or are moving to a remote rural area, consider meeting your transporter at a more convenient location. Transport companies typically charge less when pickup and drop-off locations are close to urban centres or main highways.
- As evidenced by the rate above tables, shipping costs differ between providers, even for identical shipments. Obtaining free estimates from multiple vendors lets you determine which offers the most competitive pricing for your requirements.
How Much Should It Cost To Ship A Car?
If you are transporting a car over 2,000 miles, the least expensive option costs $0.58 per mile on average. The average cost per mile for distances less than 100 miles is $2.75.
Regardless of whatever mode of transportation you choose, the following factors will influence your shipping costs:
Car size and weight: The more your car weighs, the more it will cost to ship. Most of the time, moving an SUV or truck costs more than a passenger.
Type of car: If you're shipping motorbikes or all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), you'll pay less than average, but if you're shipping recreational vehicles (RVs), you can expect to spend a lot.
Pickup and delivery locations: It will cost less to ship to and from cities than to and from country areas.
Condition of the car: Shipping is easier if the car can still be driven, so it costs less to ship a car that works than one that doesn't.
Distance: Shipping costs are generally higher per mile but less total when the distance is short.
Time of year: January and the summer are the most expensive times to move a car because that's when most people do it.
Type of transport: If you want to move your car for less money, choose open carrier transport. Still, use a covered trailer to be completely safe from things on the road and bad weather.
Fuel prices: If gas prices are very high, companies may charge extra fees to their customers.
Getting your car ready to be shipped
Preparing your car for cheap shipping is important if you want a smooth and stress-free experience.
It is important to clean the inside and outside of your car well before you get picked up. This ensures that your vehicle looks its best when you get it and helps you find any scratches or damage that may have happened during shipping.
Also, remove any personal items from your car so you don't lose or break them. Lastly, keep your gas level below a quarter tank to keep it from getting too heavy and to stop leaks.
If you follow these simple steps, you can ensure your car is well-prepared and ready for the trip to its new home.
Get different quotes
Getting several quotes is one of the best ways to find a low price for car travel. We suggest contacting three to five companies and avoiding the ones with the lowest or highest prices.
Why should you stay away from a company whose prices are so low? Because those prices might be too good to be true.
When companies bid on your job, they sometimes give you prices too good to be true, so you'll pick them and then raise the price after you've booked. You might pay a fee that can't be returned and end up with a company you thought had cheap rates but is more expensive.
What Papers Do I Need to Ship My Car?
For car transfer, you need a bill of lading and the terms and conditions of your insurance. You also need a lienholder permission and an absent owner license to ship to or from Hawaii.
How We Rate Car Transporters?
Our review method aims to give fair and regular ratings of car shipping companies. Even though many things make a good car transport company, our review team focuses on what we think are the most important ones for customers:
Cost: Costs can be hard to compare between companies because they depend on many different things. We send a "secret shopper" to test other cars and paths to determine our cost score.
Services: Our team of experts looks at the services offered, insurance coverage, and the ability to promise pick-up and drop-off times. Ratings also consider whether a shipping company is a broker or a provider.
Reputation: It's important that the company you hire to ship your car can get it to you safely and on time. Companies with good grades from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) do well in this area. Providers that have been around for a long time and have always done an excellent job also get good scores.
Customer Experience: To learn about customer experiences, we read customer reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau. Companies that get fewer complaints do well in this area.
