Cost to Ship a Car

1. What You Should Expect To Pay
2. The Two Main Factors That Affect The Cost
3. Take Advantage Of The Free Shipping Quotes Available
4. Find The Right Company

The cost to ship a car depends on a myriad of factors, as not only does each auto transport broker provide their own individualized quotes, but it's also dependent on things such as the location, the weather, the time of year, insurance, and the speed in which you need your car shipped. Based on all of these factors, it's vital to view a few different auto brokers in order to gain a better sense of what it's going to cost you. As a tip, however, you shouldn't just immediately choose the company that offers the cheapest price. Cheaper isn't always better, and since it's a car that you're shipping, you need to make sure that you're getting a proven and trustworthy service.

A-1 Auto Transport not only offers extremely affordable prices and exemplary customer service, but our performance record in fast and secure car shipping speaks for itself!

What You Should Expect to Pay

This isn't a concrete figure, but on average, but to give you an idea of some of the costs, if you were to ship a car from New Jersey down to Florida or Georgia, the cost would be approximately $700 to $800. To ship a car coast to coast to the east coast to the west coast, the cost can be around $1100 to $1300. For shorter distances, such as from Indianapolis to New Orleans, the cost may be between $650 to $750.

Keep in mind that if the car isn't operational, that'll cost you an extra few hundred dollars. In addition, the larger or heavier the car, such as an SUV, the more the price will be.

The Two Main Factors That Affect the Cost

Two of the main factors that will affect the cost to ship a car are:

• Gas Prices

If the cost of gas increases per gallon, this cost will get transferred to you. Carriers pay close attention to the cost of gas, as, especially in long distances, this can severely affect their profit margins. If gas prices go up, so will the prices. Since you'll need a truck to transport your car, this means that it'll be diesel prices that you'll need to monitor.

• Location 

If either your pick up or drop off point is far away from a city, such as in a rural area or in the mountains, you can expect to pay more no matter what. It'll certainly cost you more to have a carrier come pick up your vehicle if you choose door-to-door service under these circumstances, but it'll also cost you more in your own costs if you choose a terminal-to-terminal service in which you have to drop of your car / pick it up yourself.

A second factor to consider is the amount of traffic that goes by the area. If it's near a common highway route, this will lower costs since carriers are more likely to go by it. One way to view things is to consider how far you are from the nearest main highway. The greater the distance, the greater the cost.

 A third factor to consider is whether or not you need your vehicle picked up in a residential area. This means that that carrier will have to have special approvals and licenses to do so, leading to, once again, more costs for you.

Take Advantage of the Free Shipping Quotes Available

Most auto brokers, at least the legitimate ones, will have a free shipping calculator available on their website. The price will differ depending on the company since each one uses their own formula, but these instant quote calculators do provide you with a good idea of what your final cost will be.

*No matter how accurate the transportation company claims their instant quotes are, follow-up with a customer service representative to further discuss your needs and to try to obtain an even more accurate price.

You should also get together as much of the car's information that you're planning on shipping as possible. The make, model, and year that it was manufactured are important, as well as its mileage odometer reading and an inspection report if it's not new. All of this information will help the transportation company to determine the value of the car and thus factor in costs such as insurance.

Find the Right Company

With the internet, finding the right shipping company is incredibly easy, as long as you know where to go. Do a local search on Google and see who services your area. One site that you can visit that's excellent for determining the quality of the company is the Better Business Bureau, which is located at www.bbb.org.

Auto brokers are always a safe option, as they have a wealth of experience in dealing with auto carriers throughout all parts of the country. Regardless of the company that you choose, make sure that you compare the different price quotes that you're given, as well as their reputation online, before deciding on the best one.

Visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ for more information.

A-1 Auto Transport will be able to help you out with every step of this process. Call us today for a free quote and a free consultation!