Companies, Quotes and Best Rates (2024)
Key Takeaways
- Mercury Auto Transport typically offers the cheapest auto transport services, with an average cost of $935 across various distances and shipping methods (not including Hawaii car transport).
- Open carrier shipping is the most affordable method of moving vehicles and is significantly cheaper than enclosed shipping.
- Comparing auto transport quotes online, being flexible with pick-up and delivery dates and choosing open car transport services are the best ways to save money on your vehicle shipment.
We at the MarketWatch Guides team researched the best car shipping companies to help you find the right option for you. We’ll break down the cheapest auto transport companies, what goes into your car shipping cost and how to get the best possible price on your shipment.
Learn more about our methodology and editorial guidelines.
Cheap Car Shipping Companies
Below are the cheapest auto transport companies based on their average car shipping rates:
However, we don’t recommend immediately jumping at the cheapest quote you receive and believe that you should consider the company’s reputation and service in your search. We spoke to Sam Ismailzada, the CEO of Amerifreight, about the potential risks of picking the absolute lowest-cost company without this consideration and he told us the following.
Ask an Expert
“Most people jump at the lowest quote they receive, but they end up paying way more. Customers might have to pay more for things like vehicle damage from carriers who lack experience or quality of service.”
Best Cheap Car Shipping Companies
Below, you can compare our picks for the best cheap car shipping companies, what makes them stand out, how much cheaper they are compared to national pricing and their reputation among customers.
Cheap Enclosed Car Shipping
Enclosed car shipping is typically more expensive than open car shipping, but providers still offer great rates to help you ship your vehicle. Mercury Auto Transport provides rates as low as 79 cents, making it an excellent option to protect your car and save money.
| Company | Cost per Mile | Mileage | Time of Shipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury Auto Transport | $0.79 | 1,588 | 1 to 7 days |
| Ship a Car Direct | $0.85 | 1,588 | 3 to 7 days |
| AmeriFreight | $0.97 | 1,588 | 1 to 5 days |
| SGT Auto Transport | $0.99 | 1,588 | 5 to 7 days |
| RoadRunner Auto Transport | $1.05 | 1,588 | 5 to 7 days |
Cheap Open Car Shipping
For anyone looking into open car shipping, the tables below dive into prices from different providers for shipments of varying distances.
Cheap Open Car Shipping for Long Distances
For cheap open auto transport over long distances around 3,000 miles, look to AmeriFreight, Mercury Auto Transport and Ship a Car Direct.
| Company | Cost per Mile | Time of Shipment |
|---|---|---|
| AmeriFreight | $0.37 | 1 to 5 days |
| Mercury Auto Transport | $0.39 | 7 to 10 days |
| Ship a Car Direct | $0.40 | 3 to 7 days |
| RoadRunner Auto Transport | $0.40 | 8 to 10 days |
| SGT Auto Transport | $0.41 | 7 to 9 days |
Cheap Open Car Shipping for Medium Distances
Look to AmeriFreight, Mercury Auto Transport or Ship a Car Direct to get the cheapest open car shipping for distances of around 1,500 miles.
| Company | Cost per Mile | Time of Shipment |
|---|---|---|
| AmeriFreight | $0.57 | 1 to 5 days |
| Mercury Auto Transport | $0.58 | 1 to 7 days |
| Ship a Car Direct | $0.66 | 3 to 7 days |
| RoadRunner Auto Transport | $0.68 | 5 to 7 days |
| SGT Auto Transport | $0.69 | 5 to 7 days |
Cheap Open Car Shipping for Short Distances
For short-distance open car shipping of around 550 miles, check out Mercury Auto Transport, the only provider we reviewed that offered rates under 80 cents.
| Company | Cost per Mile | Time of Shipment |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury Auto Transport | $0.79 | 1 to 7 days |
| uShip | $0.85 | Up to 3 day transit, 3 to 6 day pickup |
| RoadRunner Auto Transport | $0.99 | 2 to 4 days |
| SGT Auto Transport | $1.05 | 3 to 4 days |
| AmeriFreight | $1.07 | 1 to 5 days |
Cheapest Way to Ship a Car
The cheapest way to transport a car is using an open-air carrier. This is mostly due to the larger number of carriers available and that more cars can be carried at a time with this transport type.
However, be aware that open transport means your vehicle will be exposed to the elements and to flying objects such as rocks while being transported on a double-decker truck. Unlike open car transport, enclosed auto transport involves placing the car in a fully enclosed shipping container, which protects it from the elements. Because it’s less common and typically used for specialty vehicles such as luxury or classic cars, it’s often more expensive than open transport.
Read more: Open vs. Enclosed Car Shipping
Types of Car Shipping Companies
The cheap car shipping companies we’ve highlighted in this article are brokers, meaning they work with networks of vetted carriers to book your shipment at the quoted price. You can also use shipping marketplaces that put your job up for bids from a broader field of carriers. While this method can result in lower shipping costs, you typically won’t get the same quality of customer service you would with a reputable broker, since marketplaces don’t have the same connection to the carriers that brokers do.
You can also try to book a shipment directly through a carrier. One of our teammates tried this approach and received a quote about 20% higher than what she eventually paid with Montway.
Shipping vs. Driving a Car
For moves of 500 miles or less, you’ll likely find that driving your car is less expensive than shipping it. However, shipping your car becomes a better investment as the distance increases because of fuel and lodging costs. You’ll also incur lots of extra wear and tear if you choose to drive your car rather than ship it.
Read more: Is It Better to Ship or Drive a Car?
How To Save Money on Car Shipping
You can get the cheapest car shipping cost and achieve maximum peace of mind with the following tips:
- Book in advance: One of the best ways to find cheap car shipping is to set your pickup and drop-off date at least two weeks in advance. Our team spoke with the CEO of AmeriFreight, Sam Ismailzada, to find some of the best ways to save on shipping costs. According to Ismailzada, “As it is true with most things, it will cost way more if a customer has to ship a vehicle within a set time frame with not much of a lead time.”
- Choose open car transport: Unless you’re shipping a classic, collector or luxury vehicle, opt for an open carrier.
- Opt for terminal-to-terminal shipping: Sacrificing the convenience of an at-home pick-up and delivery by traveling to a terminal instead could save you money.
- Compare instant quotes: The more prices you compare, the higher the chance you’ll get the best deal. Many transport brokers have car shipping calculators and provide free quotes.
- Take advantage of discounts: Some companies offer discounts for students, military members, first responders and more.
- Keep vehicle weight in mind: Shipping companies often charge higher prices for additional vehicle weight, so it’s a good idea to remove all personal items and empty your car of anything more than a quarter tank of gas. As mentioned earlier, our teammate went over the 100-pound limit and paid an extra $100.
What Affects Car Shipping Rates?
There are several key factors that determine vehicle transport pricing. As you compare quotes from car shipping companies, keep the following factors in mind:
Shipping distance: The distance of your vehicle shipping route has a direct impact on costs. You’ll pay a lower per-mile rate for long-distance shipments, but the price will be higher for the overall shipping process.
Pickup and delivery locations: Transport carriers often charge more to pick up vehicles in rural areas, which is why terminal-to-terminal shipping is cheaper than door-to-door auto transport.
Transport type: Open auto transport is more cost-effective than enclosed auto transport. Open transport is the best shipping option unless you’re shipping a luxury car, classic car or another high-end automobile.
Type of vehicle: SUVs and trucks typically cost more to ship than standard types of cars because they weigh more and take up more space in trailers. While motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) may cost less than most cars, you’ll pay more to haul recreational vehicles (RVs).
Vehicle condition: An inoperable vehicle is more expensive to ship than a functional one due to the extra hassle of loading and unloading.
Fuel costs: If gas prices are higher, car shipping prices will likely go up too.
Carrier availability: If there are fewer available carriers for a route, costs may increase.
Transit time frame: It’s likely that you’ll find better rates if you schedule a shipment farther out. This is one reason why expedited shipping is more expensive.
Time of year: Auto shipping is a seasonal business. You can expect to pay higher rates during the summer months when families often move and in January, when snowbirds head south to escape severe winters.
Car Shipping Discounts
We recommend asking about discounts you might be eligible for when you compare car shipping companies. These are a few of the most common savings opportunities we found in our auto transport research:
| Car Shipping Discount | Discount Details |
|---|---|
| Paying in Cash | Many companies offer discounted rates for paying in cash when you book your shipment. |
| Military | Most car shipping companies offer discounts to members of the military and veterans. |
| Multi-Vehicle | Shipping more than one vehicle often leads to discounted prices. |
| Loyalty | Some car shipping companies reward return customers with savings. |
| Student | College students are often eligible for car shipping discounts. |
| Other Occupations | First responders and medical personnel can sometimes receive car shipping discounts. |
| Seniors | Many auto shipping companies offer discounts to senior citizens. |
Cheapest Car Shipping Company: The Bottom Line
To summarize, these are our picks for the cheapest car shipping companies:
- Mercury Auto Transport: $0.69 per mile
- AmeriFreight: $0.75 per mile
- Ship A Car Direct: $0.78 per mile
- Montway Auto Transport: $0.92 per mile
- SGT Auto Transport: $0.94 per mile
If you want to get the most affordable auto transport rates, it’s important to compare quotes from multiple companies and book your shipment as far in advance as possible.
Affordable Car Shipping: FAQ
Below are some frequently asked questions about how to get the cheapest car transport rates.
Mercury Auto Transport typically offers the cheapest car shipping rates, which can start as low as $425. We also found that AmeriFreight, Ship A Car Direct, Montway and SGT Auto Transport offer some of the best car shipping rates on the market as well.
Volatile fuel prices can always cause an increase in car shipping rates, but a shortage of experienced, high-quality carriers is also an issue. Inflation and certain federal regulations have also had significant impacts on auto transport costs.
You can ship your car more cheaply by taking a few steps:
- Book your shipments two weeks or more in advance.
- Choose open auto transport for your car rather than shipping in an enclosed trailer.
- Be flexible with pickup and drop-off times.
- Compare quotes between car shipping providers to find the best price.
- Take advantage of discounts that auto transport companies offer.
For distances of around 500 miles, it’s probably cheaper to drive your car than to ship it. With longer distances, shipping is a wise investment because you don’t have to cover the cost of food and lodging along your journey.
In general, you’ll make a partial payment when you book your car shipment and then pay the balance to your transport driver upon delivery. Many companies offer discounts for paying in cash up front.
It can be worth it to ship a car if your destination is 500 or more miles away. Those who drive their car can pack it with personal items, but doing so will increase its mileage and require you to cover the cost of fuel, food and lodging on the road.
You may be able to put up to 100 pounds of personal items in your car when you ship it, but it depends on the car transport company and the type of delivery. We don’t recommend doing this because it adds weight to your vehicle, which could increase the total shipping cost. Insurance policies included with shipping typically won’t cover personal items either.
How We Rated The Best Cheap Car Shipping Companies
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car shipping companies. We collected data on dozens of auto transport providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Cost (33% of total score): Auto shipping companies with affordable rates, locked-in pricing and discount opportunities score highest in this category.
- Customer Experience (25% of total score): This score is based on customer satisfaction ratings and the availability of extras like GPS tracking. We also consider the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each transporter’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.
- Reputation (22% of total score): Our research team considers availability, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
- Shipping Methods (10% of total score): Companies that offer a variety of choices for car transport and added benefits are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Logistics (10% of total score): A smooth shipment is all about the details, which is why we look at how long it takes providers to pick up and ship vehicles, whether they include additional insurance coverage and more.
How We Determined the Cheapest Car Shipping Companies
Our team gathered auto transport quotes from 14 national car shipping companies, covering various shipping routes, transport types and vehicle models, to determine which providers offer the cheapest rates. The profiles we compared for each factor included the following:
- Transport Type: Open and Enclosed
- Distance: Short (549 miles), Medium (1,588 miles), Long (2,877 miles)
- Vehicle Types and Models: Sedan (2020 Honda Civic), SUV (2020 Toyota Rav-4), Truck (2020 Ford F-150)
Our First-Hand Experiences With Car Shipping
Two of our teammates recently shipped their cars through Montway Auto Transport. One shipped a 2015 BMW X-5 from Charlotte, N.C. to Long Island, New York, while the other shipped a 2021 Toyota RAV-4 from Raleigh, N.C. to San Diego. Both team members compared quotes from other providers before going with Montway.
Our credentials:
- 200+ hours researched
- 20+ companies reviewed
- 2,000+ consumers surveyed
*Data accurate at time of publication.
link
