How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car?

Trying to find out what it costs to ship a car might be a bit more complex than you thought! After one quick Google search for “car shipping” (which yields over 1 million results!) you see all kinds of ads for “car shipping just $499!” or maybe “car shipping under $1000!” How can there be such a discrepancy with the pricing? What are you even getting with a price quote for car shipping?

There are several steps to getting a solid quote that can answer your question about what it costs. If you’re wondering what goes into the calculation of cost, don’t miss our blog on car shipping cost calculations! Let’s start with the basics: finding a reputable company to get a quote.

Some people want a LOT of options. That’s fine! But be careful if you don’t want your voicemail and inbox to get bombarded with sales messages. If you can’t research a company’s credentials (find reviews, find where they are located, etc.) be very wary. A landing page that only asks for your information is one sign of a lead generator. They’ll take your information and offer it to hundreds of companies on the back end, all of which will start calling/emailing you nonstop. If you want to get a lot of options to research you can go this route but be sure to vet the company aggregating the leads before you decide. We never resell or share your information at Crestline. You’ll get one quote from one company!

Look for words like “customized” or “personalized” when you’re gathering rates. Watch for hidden fees and deposits as well. A good car shipping quote will not come with all kinds of extra line items on your invoice! A customized quote that is generated depends on these things: the distance of your route, type, size and condition of your vehicle, and the requested shipping and delivery dates. The cost to ship a heavy duty pickup truck from Dallas, TX to Houston, TX during the winter holiday season will be different from the cost to ship a Honda Accord the same route during the middle of summer. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Ask the company to explain how they expect to complete the transport at such a low cost. Chances are, they can’t explain it and they won’t want your business. If a car shipping company asks you to pay up front or wants a deposit, follow up with a question about when they will be picking up your vehicle. We’ve heard too many customer testimonials about how these companies disappear once they’ve taken your money, or, if they do stick around, they add charges and then explain that it will cost more than they expected to ship your vehicle. This means they promised a rate on which their carriers cannot deliver! It’s always great when an auto transport company can offer you free cancellation (we do!) that way if you choose to back out it’s no big deal.

Many customers like to deal with “local” companies for their auto transport. It’s a sense of reassurance that (1) the company exists and is accessible to them and (2) they should have more accurate rates because of where they are located. Many Texas-based customers choose Crestline Auto Transport to move their vehicles for these reasons, and these moves either originate or end in the Texas market. And, if a customer chooses an out of state company, it’s because they did their research on them and verified their credibility (BBB, reviews, website, etc.) One isn’t necessarily better than the other and the caution is the same: do your research!

Car shipping brokers, like Crestline Auto Transport, are successful in providing a good service experience for two reasons. They have access to many carefully vetted carrier partners and they provide best-in-class customer service. With carriers, you’ll get a quote that may be more of an estimate with surcharges to be added later, and a longer shipping estimate since your vehicle will probably be delivered to a terminal instead of your driveway. Auto transport brokers will usually quote the price you actually pay, for the door-to-door service most customers require.

It’s hard to give blanket estimates for costs as shipping a car depends on the type of vehicle, the time of year, and the specific city origin and destination. But we work hard to give honest, accurate quotes in real-time. All you have to do is call us, text us, or submit your vehicle details to get a rate in seconds.