Do you know how much it will cost to drive your car vs. ship it from the USA to Canada? Learn how this is calculated and other benefits of driving vs. shipping a car from the USA to Canada.
If you’re looking to move a car from the United States to Canada, keep a few things in mind. For one, shipping will likely take longer than driving the car. Additionally, you’ll need to factor in the cost of driving vs. shipping and any transportation-related delays.
In short, driving is definitely a good option – but it’s worth considering all of the potential pitfalls first! That said, let’s see the side-by-side comparison of driving vs. shipping a car from the USA to Canada.
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It’s no secret at all that Canada and the USA are incredibly close neighbors. Having a border of more than 1400 miles, the two countries share much in common. Because the culture as well as geography are quite similar, it’s easy to understand why people move from the United States to Canada. What does it mean to drive any vehicle from the USA over to Canada, so? You should know a few things of the process.
Canada as well as the United States average at about 1400 miles apart. Driving of a car from inside the USA up to Canada will then take about 4-6 days. Border crossing time is included in this. The real adventure also goes into that.
You can for sure factor into your planning the time that it takes driving through Canada’s territories and provinces. Some territories and provinces are located a great distance from the border. Therefore, then, the drive it is to likely take a longer time. Some provinces actually can take as long as ten days. So then, keep all of this in your mind if you are driving on from the United States up to Canada. Therefore, it is important to remember about this detail.
If you’re looking toward moving a vehicle from the USA to Canada, you might wonder what the process entails. Knowing some things matters for shipping a car from the USA to Canada. First of all, take into account all costs. Shipping costs should specifically be taken into consideration.
Shipping typically costs much more than driving a car under most situations. To ship a car from the USA to Canada requires for the carrier to take a profit for the service plus involves more of moving pieces than to drive it yourself.
Additionally, it is also important to know about how shipping a car out of the USA into Canada can take 1-2 weeks or more if its destination province affects all of the timing. However, the best part of shipping a vehicle from the USA to Canada is that they help you clear customs as well as deal with documentation. Doing it by yourself can be a pain.
There’s not a huge difference between the costs of shipping a car vs. driving it. Nevertheless, to help you get an idea of the costs and what cost factors are involved, we’ve prepared this table for you. Let’s take 1400 miles distance as an example which would require you to drive for 4-5 days at the very least.
| Expenses | Car Shipping | Car Driving |
| Gas | – | $253 |
| Accommodation | – | $360 (for 4 days) |
| Food | – | $184 (For 4 days) |
| Total | $800-$1200 | $797 |
Note: We have used 25 miles per gallon, the average highway amount for a sedan, for fuel. We will need 56 gallons for 1400 miles, and $4.533 x 56 = $253 then.
Driving a car from the USA to Canada is not convenient at all. You will have to be behind the wheel for days. You will have to sleep in motels, eat out and take long breaks after several hours of driving because of back or neck aches. None of this is convenient.
But if you ship a car using auto transport companies, then you can just sit back and relax while a professional trucker will move your vehicle thousands of miles.
Driving by yourself may save you a few days because a trailer loaded with tons of weight will drive slower.
If you drive the car to 1400 miles, you may get there in 4-5 days, while a transport truck may take 6-8 days for the same.
Risk increases with driving by yourself because you are not trained to drive thousands of miles continuously. You will come across highways and motorways with traffic and heavy vehicles. Plus, if you don’t take sleep breaks, you will be heavily sleep-deprived. All of these things increase the risk of an accident.
Furthermore, if the car breaks down on the side of the road, especially during the night, you will be exposed to risks like theft. None of these issues are there when you ship a car using an auto transport company.
Driving the car by yourself is more affordable, maybe a few hundred bucks less than shipping.
But it will still cost you a good chunk of money; see the tables above in cost estimations to get an idea.
Your vehicle will be driven over 2000kms consistently, so it will undergo important wear. For servicing the engine will be needed, changing the oil and air filters might be needed, and washing the car may also be needed.
Furthermore, your car’s odometer will rack up over 1400 miles, bringing the car’s financial value down. When shipping the vehicle, none of these issues are there as you can just park the car on a trailer, and it will stay there until it reaches Canada.
Yes, car shipping is expensive, but you can save money on the cost to ship a car in a variety of ways, including:
Car shipping is much better as you are dealing with a company and not an individual trucker. There is low risk and better customer support.
You save time, avoid hassle, risk and wear and tear on your car that would come with driving it to Canada.
The cost depends on the total distance and type of car, but a general idea is $800 to $1200 or more for 1400 miles distance from the USA to Canada.
If you are thinking of doing this to get some financial benefit, then it may not be very much. However, if you want to buy a collectible, then the USA is definitely a great place to find what you’re looking for.
When it comes to when shipping a car to Canada from within the USA, some things that you need to keep in mind do exist. In the first place, driving will always be cheaper than is shipping, regardless of the mode of transport that you choose. It is, though, full of hassles and riskier.
Next, transport may cost you much if you send one big vehicle. Shipping a small car, however, is often more cheap.
Book shipping early; it will help you avoid high fees. This way, long waiting times may also be able to be avoided. When calculating the shipping cost, remember to factor customs fees in to the final cost! Begin to save now on your car shipping of today. Move your vehicle both to and from the USA with Canadian Car Shipping for unbelievable prices.
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