Save money

The cheapest ways to ship a car

Real tips from real dispatchers. Open transport, flexible dates, off peak windows, and terminal pickup. Save without getting scammed.

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Cheap is fine. Lowball is a scam.

There is a difference between getting a good deal and chasing a fake low quote. A good deal means picking the cheaper of two real options: open instead of enclosed, flexible dates instead of rigid ones, terminal pickup instead of door to door. Each tip below is legitimate and works.

What does not work is grabbing the cheapest quote on the market. If a quote is hundreds below everyone else, no carrier will accept that load. Your car sits unassigned, you wait, and you end up paying more later or losing your deposit. Read the fraud prevention page if you have not already.

7 ways to actually save money

Real tactics that real dispatchers use.

1

Pick open transport over enclosed

Open trailers cost 30 to 40 percent less than enclosed. Unless your car is a classic, exotic, or worth over $50,000, open is the right call.

2

Be flexible on dates

A 3 to 5 day pickup window costs less than a same day pickup. The more flex you give carriers, the better the rate.

3

Ship off peak

January through March and August through October are the cheapest months. Summer and winter peak (snowbird season) cost more.

4

Use major routes

Florida to California is a busy lane with lots of carriers. Rural Idaho to rural Maine is a thin lane. Hub city pickups and drops are cheaper.

5

Terminal pickup and drop off

Some carriers offer terminal to terminal pricing. You drop the car at a terminal, pick it up at the destination terminal, and save 10 to 15 percent. Less convenient, less money.

6

Book in advance

Booking 7 to 14 days ahead gives carriers time to plan routes. Same day or 24 hour bookings cost a premium.

7

Ship multiple cars together

Two cars on one shipment can sometimes share a trailer slot, slightly cheaper per car than two separate bookings.

Door to door vs terminal to terminal

The biggest tradeoff customers make for cheaper shipping.

Door to door (standard)

  • Pickup at your driveway, delivery at your home.
  • Most convenient, what 95 percent of customers pick.
  • Slightly higher cost (built into standard quote).
  • Driver coordinates with you directly at both ends.
  • What Whipshipper quotes by default.

Terminal to terminal (cheaper)

  • Drop the car at a terminal in your origin city.
  • Pick it up at a terminal in the destination city.
  • 10 to 15 percent cheaper than door to door.
  • You handle the logistics on both ends.
  • Terminals available in major metros only.

What does NOT actually save money

Picking the lowest quote

Lowball quotes are bait. No carrier accepts the load, you wait, you pay more later. Pay the market rate from the start.

Hiring an unlicensed broker

Cheap because they have no overhead and no bond. Also no recourse if they disappear with your deposit.

Wiring money to a stranger

Cheap because the scammer is not paying carriers. Your car never ships and the money is gone.

Cancelling and rebooking

Cancellation fees pile up. Rebooking does not lower the carrier rate, it just resets the clock.

Shipping during peak with rigid dates

Snowbird season plus same day pickup equals top of market pricing. Either flex dates or wait for off peak.

Trying to drive it yourself

Fuel, hotels, wear and tear, and your time. For most cross country moves, shipping is cheaper than driving once you account for everything.

Where the savings come from

30-40%
Open vs enclosed savings
10-15%
Terminal vs door savings
5-10%
Flexible dates savings
5-10%
Off peak season savings

How to combine the tips

Stack the savings. Open transport (30 percent off) plus flexible dates (5 to 10 percent) plus off peak season (5 to 10 percent) can save 40 to 50 percent versus enclosed, rigid dates, peak season.

If you can also do terminal to terminal, add another 10 to 15 percent. The full stack moves a $1500 quote to closer to $700 to $800 on the same route. That is real money, and every dollar of it is legitimate.

Open transport pricing by distance

Real ranges from the live load board. Enclosed shown for comparison.

DistanceOpen TransportEnclosed TransportTransit Days
0 to 500 mi$450 to $700$700 to $11002 to 4 days
500 to 1000 mi$700 to $1000$1100 to $15003 to 5 days
1000 to 2000 mi$900 to $1400$1500 to $22005 to 7 days
2000+ mi$1100 to $1800$2000 to $29007 to 10 days

Estimates only, your exact rate comes from the live carrier load board. Get an instant quote at the top of the page for real numbers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest shipping option?

Open transport on a major route with flexible pickup dates and off peak timing. Stack all three for the lowest legitimate rate.

Is open transport safe?

Yes, 90 percent of new car deliveries from the factory move on open trailers. Standard for daily drivers, family cars, and most SUVs and trucks.

How much cheaper is open vs enclosed?

30 to 40 percent. A $1500 enclosed quote is usually around $900 to $1050 open.

What is the cheapest time of year to ship?

January through March and August through October. Off peak means more available trucks and lower rates.

Does flexibility actually help?

Yes. A 3 to 5 day pickup window can save 5 to 10 percent over same day pickup because the driver can route your car efficiently.

Should I pick the cheapest quote?

No, pick a real quote at the market rate from a licensed broker. Lowball quotes are bait, they cost more in the end.

What is terminal to terminal?

You drop the car at a terminal in your origin city and pick it up at a terminal in the destination city. Saves 10 to 15 percent over door to door.

Where are the terminals?

Major metros: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Miami. Smaller cities are usually door to door only.

Can I share a trailer with another customer?

Yes, that is how trailers work. Drivers load 6 to 10 cars at a time. Shipping during a busy route lowers per car costs.

Is it cheaper to drive the car myself?

Usually not, once you add fuel, hotels, wear, and time off work. For 1000+ mile moves, shipping is almost always cheaper.

Should I cancel and rebook for a better rate?

No, that does not help. Rates come from the load board and rebooking does not change them. Cancellation fees can stack up.

Does Whipshipper price match?

We do not race other brokers to the bottom. We quote at real market rates. If another broker is below us, they are likely lowballing.

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Related

How to ship a carTruePrice guaranteeHow auto transport worksFraud preventionCar shipping checklistOur advantage

Every auto transport service we run

Auto transport is not one product. A dealer moving forty units off an auction lane, a collector shipping a numbers matching car across the country, and a family sending one sedan ahead of a move are three different jobs that happen to use the same highways. They need different trailers, different insurance limits, different loading equipment, and different scheduling. Quoting all three the same way is how customers end up with a truck that cannot legally carry their vehicle. Pick the line below that matches what you are actually moving, and the quote comes back against the right equipment the first time.

By transport type

By vehicle

By who is shipping

Not sure which one fits? Call (888) 780-6207 and describe the vehicle and the route. A dispatcher will tell you which equipment it needs and what the lane is running, or start with an instant quote and adjust from there.

Auto transport coast to coast, state to state

We move vehicles in all fifty states, and the network is deepest where the freight already runs. Each state page below carries its own lane table, transit windows, and the local conditions that actually change a rate.

Northeast

Mid-Atlantic

Southeast

South

Midwest

Mountain

Pacific

Browse every city we coverPopular lanes and live ratesHow state to state shipping worksCross country moves

Read before you book

Most complaints in this industry trace back to something the customer was never told: that the first quote was a placeholder, that the broker on the phone is not the company driving the truck, or that personal items in the trunk are not covered by cargo insurance. None of that is complicated once somebody explains it. These are the explainers we send customers before they book, written to be useful whether or not you ship with us.

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