Cost of Shipping Across the Country
Much of the cost of shipping a car across the country is contingent upon how you choose to transport your it (more on this below). Naturally, the shipping distance is a major factor as well, and one that will definitely come into play. To put this into perspective, the distance form California to Florida is roughly 2,000 miles, whereas shipping from Washington (state) to New York is closer to 2,500. You can guess which one will cost slightly more.
Door-to-door
Shipping a car using door-to-door transport is the ultimate in convenience, particularly if you don’t have the time or desire to pick up your car at a shipping terminal. As the name implies, door-to-door transport means the car is picked up from, and delivered to, a specific address. It is the most complete end-to-end, full-service available when shipping a vehicle across the U.S. It’s important to note that door-to-door car shipping may not be available in specific areas that are inaccessible by the car carrier.
Terminal
Terminal shipping is the standard method and it’s also the most affordable. Using this method, the driver delivers the vehicle to a nearby terminal, where it is then picked up by the customer. It’s cheaper to ship a car across the country using the terminal shipping method since it allows for centralizing the drop-off point for multiple cars at once.
Car Shipping Costs | Coast To Coast & Cross Country
As mentioned above, the “main ingredient” in the cost of shipping a car is the distance. That said, it’s also cheaper on a per mile basis when you ship over a long distance. When you’re shipping a car across the country, it’s best to give the plenty of lead time, both to yourself and to the shipper.
You’ll have to invest a little bit of time in researching companies and contacting them for price estimates, but you’ll also want to allow them plenty of time to arrange for shipping. Generally, a few weeks is plenty of time, but it’s never a bad idea to give yourself and the shipper some wiggle room. To give you an idea of the costs of shipping a car across the United States, here are some prices from recent shipments.
Costs For Shipping A Car Across The Country
- Los Angeles, CA to Miami, FL - $1,235
- Boston, MA to Las Vegas, NV - $1,463
- Philadelphia, PA to Portland, OR - $1,477
- Seattle, WA to New York, NY - $1,250
- Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ - $1,097
- Richmond, VA to San Francisco, CA - $1,364
- Hartford, CT to Albuquerque, NM - $1,131
*The above numbers are based on a standard sized car shipped on an open carrier.
Related Information & FAQ
Written By:
Joe Webster
Joe Webster began his journey in the auto transport field by attending the University of Southern California (USC), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Marketing.
After college, he started his career in the auto transport industry from the bottom up and has done virtually every job there is to do at A-1 Auto Transport, including but not limited to: Truck Driver, Dispatch, Sales, PR, Bookkeeping, Transport Planner, Transport Manager, International Transport Manager, Brokering, Customer Service, and Marketing. Working with his mentor Tony Taylor, Joe Webster has learned the ins and outs of this industry which is largely misunderstood.
With over 30 years experience in the industry, we've been helping people ship their vehicles, motorcycles, RV's, heavy equipment, household goods and more across the country or overseas without a hitch. Ask us anything.
