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The Cheapest Way to Ship a Car: A Comparison of Auto Transport Methods

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Home  |  Car Shipping   |   The Cheapest Way to Ship a Car: A Comparison of Auto Transport Methods
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Shipping your car can be a daunting experience. With so many auto transport methods available, it’s tough to choose which one is the cheapest yet most reliable. You want to be sure your vehicle is safe but don’t want to break the bank. 

When it comes to the vehicle transport industry, there are various methods of shipping, from open-air car carriers to enclosed trailers, and the prices vary depending on safety, speed, and convenience. In this blog, we’ll compare different auto transport methods and determine the cheapest way to ship your car. 

Open-air car carriers: The cheapest way to ship a vehicle

One of the most common methods for shipping a car is with an open-air car carrier. This is likely because this method is the cheapest way to ship a car, but it comes with certain risks. 

Your vehicle will be hauled on a flatbed truck along with several other cars, which means your car will be exposed to the elements on the way. This increases the risk of damage to your car if it’s a long-distance transport or the weather conditions aren’t ideal. If you have a luxury vehicle or an antique car, it is worth looking at other options that still can impart cost savings. 

Despite the risk, open-air car carriers remain a popular choice because of their affordability.

Enclosed trailers: Still cost-effective but safer 

If you’re looking for more protection, then an enclosed trailer is a more secure option that still is not the most expensive way to ship your car.  

The enclosed trailer provides more protection against the elements, but it’s usually more expensive than open-air car carriers. Enclosed trailers are a better option for classic cars or luxury vehicles where owners are looking for an extra layer of protection. 

Despite the fact that enclosed trailers cost more, transporting your car in an enclosed trailer gives you the peace of mind that your car won’t be exposed to the elements. 

Terminal-to-terminal: when you can pick up and drop off your car

Terminal-to-terminal auto transport is another cost-effective option when shipping your vehicle. This method requires you to drop your car off at a terminal or depot, and then the carrier will transport it to the destination terminal or depot. 

Although this method saves you money, it can be inconvenient as it requires additional time for pick-up and drop-off. You’ll also need to arrange for transportation to and from the terminals.

With this method, you can usually still choose between open and closed carriers. 

Door-to-door delivery: Slightly more but much more convenient 

As the name implies, with door-to-door delivery, the carrier picks up the car from your home or office and delivers it to the destination address, such as your new home. 

This service is a more expensive option than terminal-to-terminal, but it’s also the most convenient.

This option saves you time and makes things easier for people who do not have the resources to transport their car to a terminal or depot. It could potentially save you money if you would need to take an expensive cab ride to or from the terminal. 

Employ Ship A Car Direct and get a Damage-free Guarantee

Having a car shipped can be an expensive process, but with this comparison of different auto transport methods, you can easily determine the cheapest way to ship a car that suits your needs. 

Remember, the more affordable the auto transport method is, the less protection is typically provided. Consider your budget, schedule, and the value of your car before choosing the auto transport method that suits your needs best.

Looking to ship your car? Get a quote at our Ship a Car Direct website today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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