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Daniel Robinson is a content writer specializing in auto insurance, car warranties and car shipping. He has written about these topics for MarketWatch and Jalopnik. Daniel studied American literature and technical writing at East Carolina University. He is based in eastern North Carolina and spends his spare time cooking, playing guitar and getting schooled in video games by his 12-year-old son.
A car shipping quote is an estimate of how much your car shipment will cost.
Shipping route, vehicle type, season and fuel prices will determine your car shipping quote.
Flexible delivery dates and advance booking will get you the cheapest car shipping quotes.
Shipping a car can be stressful, especially if you’re new to the game. You’ll likely work with a broker that acts as an intermediary between you and the carrier that transports your vehicle. The good news is that most auto shipping companies make it easy to get a fast, free quote online.
A car shipping quote is an estimate of how much your vehicle shipment will cost. When you get a car shipping quote online, it’s important to note that the price may change during the auto transport process. A few companies offer locked-in pricing so you don’t have to worry about this, but it’s not the industry standard.
In this article, we’ll break down the process of gathering car shipping quotes. We’ll also highlight a few of our top-rated vehicle transport companies to make your decision easier.
Car shipping companies are usually brokers, which means they offer your auto transport job to several carriers. When you get a car shipping quote, it’s based on many factors that affect the auto transport company and the actual car carrier. These are a few of the key variables that determine the auto transport estimate you receive:
If you’re ready to start comparing car transport quotes, our top picks are Mercury Auto Transport, Sherpa Auto Transport, Montway Auto Transport and SGT Auto Transport. These companies have our best cost ratings and typically offer cost-effective rates no matter the shipping route.
The company you choose has a major impact on how much you’ll pay for a vehicle shipment. We gathered quotes from the companies above for several shipping routes to get an idea of their average costs. These estimates are for shipping an operable 2019 Toyota Camry various distances through open and enclosed transport.
Here’s a quick look at how these average quotes compare:
Here’s a look at how open car transport estimates from our top companies compare. These quotes are for shipping an operable 2019 Toyota Camry from Salt Lake City to Memphis, Tennessee — a distance of just over 1,500 miles.
For reference, the average of the quotes we got from our top providers for the same profile was $1,113.
Now we’ll look at quotes for the same shipping route and vehicle through enclosed auto transport. The average of the quotes we got from our top providers for the same profile was $1,725.
Finally, we’ll compare auto shipping quotes by distance. The table below shows the medium-distance quotes for the 1,530-mile route mentioned earlier. The short-distance route is 571 miles from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento, California.
The longer-distance route is 2,363 miles from Miami to Phoenix. All quotes are for an operable 2019 Toyota Camry shipped through open transport.
You only need a few basic details about your car, your shipping preferences and contact information to get an instant quote for car shipping services. Some of the car shipping companies we’ve highlighted in this article offer car shipping cost calculators on their websites and make it easy to get a fast and free quote.
Here are the specific kinds of information you’ll typically need to get an auto transport quote:
One of the best strategies for getting cheap car shipping prices is to book your shipment as far in advance as possible. Along with this tried-and-true method, you can also save on car shipping costs by doing the following:
Comparing instant car shipping quotes from multiple companies is the smartest way to find the best price on auto transport services. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of lead time so you don’t have to foot the bill for expedited service. Also, take the time to research any auto transport provider you consider using its services.
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Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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