The average cost across the continental U.S. is about US$1,100, with short trips around US$400 and some cross-country moves close to US$2,000 depending on route, vehicle size and trailer type. Once you understand how that number is built, it becomes much easier to tell whether your vehicle shipping quotes are fair.
7 Key Factors Behind a Car’s Shipping Cost Estimate
Most independent consumer analyses point to the same core variables that shape pricing. Brokers and carriers are plugging these factors into their pricing models:
- Distance and Lane: Longer distance usually means lower cost per mile but higher total price. Lanes popular with lots of trucks are cheaper than remote routes.
- Vehicle Size and Weight: A pick up truck would use more deck space and add more weight compared to a sedan. So costs for bigger and heavier vehicles would rise even on the same route.
- Transport Type: Open trailers are the standard. Enclosed trailers, which offer more protection, often run 30 to 50 percent higher.
- Timing, Season and Flexibility: During high-demand periods such as snowbird seasons, summers or holidays, prices increase to meet demand spikes.
- Pickup and Delivery Access: If the area is hard-to-reach and requires extra steps to get the delivery done, it would add to the cost, because the company would use an additional smaller truck or need extra time.
- Running vs. Non-running: When handling non-operable vehicles, the carrier is typically required to use a forklift or a winch system. Forklift rentals run for about CAD$150 to 500 a day and can go beyond for high-capacity and tough terrains, which would add a surcharge.
- Infrastructure: Road closures, traffic jams, and restricted routes all influence the cost to ship a car.
How Shipping Costs Differ Vehicle to Vehicle
Most carriers initiate with a simple cost-per-mile formula. Then adjustments are stacked on top of that. Firstly, the carriers would finalize whether the move would be in an enclosed or an open trailer. After that carriers also factor in vehicle size, the deck space it occupies, its weight and the ease of delivery to the destination.
These are the typical rates for land-based transport:
- Up to 500 kms is CAD$1.40
- 501 to 1000kms is CAD$1.20
- 1001 to 2000kms is CAD$0.85
- Up to 3000kms and beyond is CAD$0.70
However, these are just the starting points. To make more sense of the exact shipping costs, we can calculate using various illustrative examples by adding variables like vehicle size, type of trailer and distance.
Distance:
4,900kms roughly the distance of Toronto to Whitehorse.
For a compact vehicle like a Toyota Corolla, the distance falls into the longest rate bracket, which uses $0.70 per km.
So the base will look like this:
Toyota Corolla: 4,900 km × $0.70 per km = $3,430
A larger vehicle would cost more because they take up more space, weigh more and also reduce how many other vehicles the carrier can load. That is why carriers commonly add a 5-10% adjustment or a CA$200 fixed markup. Here’s what it would look like if the price is increased by 10% for a full-size SUV:
Chevrolet Tahoe: $3,430 × $1.10 = $3,773
For enclosed transport, pricing rises by 30%, so the would appear something like this:
Toyota Corolla on Enclosed Trailer: 4,900km × $0.91 per km = $4,459
Full-size SUVs in enclosed transport follow the same uplift rule:
Chevrolet Tahoe on Enclosed Trailer:
$3,773 × 1.30 = $4,905
With these numbers, you get a realistic sense of proportionality. Carriers prioritize deck space above everything, so the difference between vehicle sizes matters. Hence, if you notice a company charging nearly the same for two differently sized vehicles, that would be a warning sign. Moreover, the price would move around another 5-15% due to peak-season demands, rural access or changes in fuel costs.
Cost and Service Differences: Between Brokers vs. Carriers
Here’s how brokers and carriers typically differ:
- Carriers own the trucks and focus on the physical move.
- Brokers match shippers with multiple carriers, manage scheduling and handle most of the communication.
Operating Costs and How Carriers Build Their Base Rate – Vehicle Shipping Quotes
The American Transportation Research Institute’s 2024 Operational Costs of Trucking report puts the average cost of running a truck at US$2.26 per mile, which includes fuel, driver wages, benefits, maintenance, equipment financing and insurance. A carrier’s internal minimal rate is shaped by these categories:
- Fuel consumption and fuel price fluctuations
- Driver wages, benefits and hours-of-service restrictions
- Truck payments or leases
- Insurance, permits and tolls
- Routine and preventive maintenance
- Administrative overhead
- A target profit margin
How Brokers Calculate Pricing – Vehicle Shipping Quotes
Industry research and freight-market analyses show broker gross margins commonly fall between 10 and 20 percent, with many transactions landing in the 13 to 15 percent range.
In practice, the customer-facing price is usually structured like this:
Carrier rate + broker margin or fee = final customer price
The broker’s margin covers:
- Verifying carrier insurance, safety ratings and equipment
- Scheduling and coordination across multiple carriers if needed
- Managing the shipment from pickup to delivery
- Handling any delays, changes, cancellations or reassignments
- Processing paperwork for cross-border shipments in compliance with Transport Canada and CBSA
Even if a carrier’s price looks lower at first, they only handle the physical move. A broker takes on everything else around it, from finding the right truck to solving problems if something changes. That extra support is why a broker’s quote can cost more but often saves people time, stress and unexpected expenses.
Comparing Vehicle Transport Rates On Land vs At Sea
Domestic moves within Canada or between Canada and the U.S. use trucks. International moves sometimes use RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) vessels
RoRo vessels allocate space based on the physical volume a vehicle occupies, which is measured using the standard:
length × width × height = CBM
So, if a route charges CAD$70 per m³
- Honda Civic sea leg:6m x 1.8m x 1.4m => 11.6m³ × CAD$70 => $812
- Ford F-150 sea leg: 5.89m x 2.03m x 1.9223m => 23m³ × CAD$70 = $1,610
Ports also add handling, security and documentation fees, which can add several hundred dollars per shipment.
Basically, larger vehicles pay more because they literally occupy more ship space. That is why pickup quotes abroad often come out close to double compact car prices.
Reading Car Hauling Quotes Online
Most modern brokers use a transport management system (TMS) with a built-in rating engine. The instant number on the website is just the front end of that system.
Datatruck’s TMS overview explains that AI is increasingly used to set prices by combining live fuel data, historical lane rates and equipment availability.
Here’s what most calculators follow:
- Assign a base per-mile rate from a table for your distance band.
- Multiply by your route distance.
- Apply multipliers for vehicle size, trailer type, and season.
- Add fixed items like minimum insurance or border paperwork.
- Add a target broker margin based on company policy.
But what calculators can’t easily see are very tight streets or low trees that make access hard, special modifications such as lifts or oversized racks, last minute storms or fires that change routing, and how flexible the dates can be. Which is why you should use a car shipping cost calculator as a starting point, and then call companies to confirm details.
How Auto Transport Payments Work and Why an Advance Payment may be Risky
Authentic auto-transport companies would never require a full advance payment. If they do, it’s a reg flag as they may be scamming you or may be a bait-and-switch setup that will jump later.
A reputable Company would only require a small deposit, usually 5-15%, to book your slot on the dispatch board. This protects the company from situations where their clients disappear.
Paying full payments would also increase risk of non-performance, delays, and last minute price adjustment tactics.
Practically, it only makes sense to do a partial payment to keep control of the situation until the vehicle is delivered safely.
Conclusion – Vehicle Shipping Quotes
When you use a professional car shipping company, the cost of shipping varies based on several factors. It is ideal to compare quotes to figure out the best choice for yourself. If you want to get better rates, try being more flexible as that way providers are open to offer the best price for the move.
Frequently Asked Questions for Vehicle Shipping Quotes
1. Why do Vehicle Shipping Quotes from different companies vary so much?
2. Are online Vehicle Shipping Quotes accurate?
3. Why do car shipping costs change week to week?
4. How does auto transport bidding work?
5. How does ground clearance affect the car shipping costs?
