Car shipping cost calculator
Enter two ZIP codes and get a price range in a second — no email, no phone number, no account. The estimate uses real road distance, then you can send the same request to licensed companies for firm quotes.
Cost by distance
| Distance | Sedan, open | SUV, open | Enclosed | $/mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 mi | $620–$700 | $660–$750 | $750–$850 | $2.17 |
| 500 mi | $790–$890 | $840–$960 | $1,010–$1,140 | $1.66 |
| 800 mi | $1,000–$1,140 | $1,070–$1,220 | $1,280–$1,460 | $1.32 |
| 1,000 mi | $1,110–$1,270 | $1,190–$1,350 | $1,490–$1,700 | $1.17 |
| 1,500 mi | $1,330–$1,520 | $1,430–$1,620 | $1,850–$2,110 | $0.94 |
| 2,000 mi | $1,520–$1,730 | $1,620–$1,850 | $2,080–$2,370 | $0.80 |
| 2,500 mi | $1,650–$1,880 | $1,770–$2,010 | $2,270–$2,580 | $0.70 |
| 3,000 mi | $1,770–$2,020 | $1,900–$2,160 | $2,440–$2,770 | $0.62 |
What the calculator adjusts for
- Distance. A fixed cost covers pickup, inspection, loading, paperwork and delivery whatever the distance, and each mile on top of it costs less the further the truck goes. That is the whole reason the column above falls from $2.17 a mile at 300 miles to $0.62 at 3,000 — not because long hauls are cheap, but because the fixed part is spread over more miles.
- Vehicle size. A sedan is the baseline. An SUV or crossover runs about 7% more, a full-size pickup or van about 38% more because it takes a bigger share of the deck, and a dually or a lifted truck about 45%. A compact saves about 3%.
- Trailer. Enclosed costs about 21% more on a short run and 39% more on a long one. The premium grows with distance because an enclosed trailer carries fewer cars, so the longer the trip the more deck revenue the carrier gives up.
- Season. Summer and the new-year rush lift most lanes by roughly a tenth. On snowbird corridors it is far larger and it depends which way you are going: the same week can be up to 20% above a quiet month heading into Florida and 12% below it heading back out.
- Fuel. The rates above are indexed to the US weekly retail diesel average, last read 2026-09-07. Diesel moves the driving, not the paperwork, so it moves the long lanes more than the short ones.
- Floor. No carrier turns out a truck for under about $399 however short the trip.
Calculator questions
How does a car shipping calculator work?+
It starts from a fixed cost that does not change with distance — hooking up, inspecting, loading, the paperwork and delivery — then adds a rate for each mile that falls the further the truck goes. That is why a short move looks expensive per mile and a coast-to-coast one looks cheap. Vehicle size, trailer type and season adjust the total. It is the same arithmetic a broker does before quoting you.
How much does it cost to ship a car 1,000 miles?+
About $1,110 to $1,270 for a running sedan on an open trailer, which works out near $1.17 a mile at that distance, and takes 3 to 5 days. An enclosed trailer adds roughly 21% to 39% depending on how far it goes.
Why do quotes differ from the estimate?+
A calculator knows distance and vehicle. It does not know how many trucks are running your lane that week. On a busy corridor real quotes come in under the estimate; on a rural lane in bad weather they come in over it.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car?+
Open transport, flexible dates, and terminal-to-terminal if you live near one. Booking seven to ten days ahead beats haggling: a load posted with lead time gets picked up by a truck already heading that way.
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.