Shipping a car between states costs about $1,215 on open transport in 2026, according to the Roadrunner Auto Transport car shipping calculator data, which reports that enclosed shipments averaged $1,804. Other published price guides land in the same place. HomeAdvisor’s car shipping cost guide puts the average at $1,190, and the Sherpa Auto Transport 2026 cost guide says “around $1,200.” The bigger 2026 story is fuel. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on-highway diesel at $6.529 a gallon on September 21, 2026, up $2.780 from a year earlier. This report pulls together published route prices, per-mile rates, open vs. enclosed premiums, seasonal swings, and the federal rules you should check before you hand over your keys.
Quick answer: Expect roughly $1,190 to $1,215 to ship a standard sedan on an open carrier in 2026, based on published price guides. Coast-to-coast routes usually run about $1,300 to $1,900. Enclosed transport costs roughly 30% to 60% more. Diesel prices have jumped sharply in 2026, so ask every quote about fuel surcharges.
National Averages: What Published 2026 Price Guides Say
Nobody runs a government price index for car shipping. The best available benchmarks come from auto transport companies and cost-guide publishers that release their own pricing data. They use different methods, so read each number with its source in mind. Still, the averages cluster tightly.
| Publisher | Average cost | Typical range | Notes |
| Roadrunner Auto Transport | $1,215 (open) | $1,804 average for enclosed | Based on thousands of its own shipments; median distance 987 miles |
| HomeAdvisor | $1,190 | $1,000 to $2,000 (full range $500 to $2,500) | Midsize car, about 1,000 miles |
| Sherpa Auto Transport | About $1,200 | $600 to $2,500 | Guide dated April 2026 |
| Direct Connect Auto Transport | Not stated as one figure | $1,000 to $1,950 for 1,500+ miles | Says 2026 rates run 3% to 8% above 2025 |
Sources: publisher pages linked in the table, accessed September 2026.
The takeaway is simple. A quote far below $1,000 for a cross-country run should make you ask what is missing. A quote far above $2,000 for a regular sedan on an open truck should make you ask why.
Car Shipping Costs on Popular Interstate Routes
The routes that matter most for movers are the ones Americans actually use. According to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by USAFacts, about 7.16 million people moved between states in 2024, and the busiest corridor was California to Texas, with roughly 77,200 movers. New York sent 50,700 people to Florida, the largest source of newcomers to that state, according to USAFacts’ Florida migration breakdown. The underlying tables are published as the Census Bureau’s State-to-State Migration Flows.
Here is what published 2026 route pricing looks like for those corridors and other long-haul lanes. All figures are for open transport of a standard vehicle.
| Route | Published 2026 price (open) | Source |
| New York to Los Angeles | $1,325 to $1,625 | Sherpa |
| Los Angeles to New York | $1,350 to $1,925 (Sherpa); $1,300 to $1,900 (Direct Connect) | Sherpa, Direct Connect |
| New York to Florida (about 1,230 miles) | $500 to $1,400; average $870 | Roadrunner |
| New York City to Miami | $1,100 to $1,400 | Sherpa |
| Florida to New York | $900 to $1,500 | Direct Connect |
| Los Angeles to Austin | $950 to $1,400 | Direct Connect |
| California to Virginia (about 2,810 miles) | $950 to $2,050 | Roadrunner |
| San Francisco to Washington, D.C. | $1,225 to $1,650 | Sherpa |
| Michigan to Texas (about 1,340 miles) | $650 to $1,600 | Roadrunner |
| Miami to Los Angeles | $1,300 to $1,900 | Direct Connect |
Two patterns stand out. First, direction matters. Sherpa’s Los Angeles to New York range tops out $300 higher than New York to Los Angeles. Direct Connect points to directional imbalances on busy lanes such as California to Texas, where more cars head one way than the other. Second, the ranges are wide. A $500 to $1,400 spread on the same New York to Florida route reflects season, pickup flexibility, vehicle size, and how rural the pickup or delivery point is.
Price per Mile: Why Longer Routes Cost Less per Mile
Car shipping has a large fixed cost per vehicle: loading, unloading, dispatch, and the detour to your address. Spread over more miles, that fixed cost shrinks per mile. Sherpa’s published open-transport table shows the curve clearly.
- 0 to 500 miles: $1.55 to $2.50 per mile
- 501 to 1,000 miles: $1.00 to $1.45 per mile
- 1,001 to 1,500 miles: $0.80 to $1.10 per mile
- 1,501 to 2,000 miles: $0.65 to $0.90 per mile
- 2,001 to 2,500 miles: $0.55 to $0.75 per mile
- Over 2,500 miles: $0.50 to $0.65 per mile
Source: Sherpa Auto Transport.
HomeAdvisor’s bands are similar but slightly different, at $1.20 to $1.95 per mile for about 500 miles, $0.80 to $1.30 for 1,000 to 2,000 miles, and $0.70 to $1.10 beyond 2,000 miles.
Illustrative calculation (our arithmetic, not a published figure): dividing Roadrunner’s $870 average for New York to Florida by its stated distance of about 1,230 miles gives roughly $0.71 per mile. Taking the midpoint of its California to Virginia range ($1,500) and dividing by about 2,810 miles gives roughly $0.53 per mile. The California to Virginia result sits inside Sherpa’s $0.50 to $0.65 band for trips over 2,500 miles, while the New York to Florida result falls below Sherpa’s $0.80 to $1.10 band for 1,001 to 1,500 miles, a reminder that published sources differ and that quotes should be compared against more than one benchmark.
Open vs. Enclosed Transport: The Premium in 2026
Open carriers, the familiar two-level trailers, move most cars. Enclosed trailers protect against weather and road debris and are common for luxury, classic, and low-clearance vehicles. The price gap is consistent across sources:
- Roadrunner: enclosed averaged $1,804 vs. $1,215 for open. Our arithmetic puts that at about 48% more.
- Sherpa: enclosed “typically cost about 50% more than open trailer transport.”
- Direct Connect: add “30 to 60 percent above open rates across all distance bands.”
- HomeAdvisor: enclosed transport for high-end vehicles can add an average of $800.
For a daily driver, open transport is the standard choice. Enclosed usually makes sense only when the car’s value, finish, or clearance justifies paying several hundred dollars more.
Vehicle Size, Season, and Flexibility
Bigger vehicles cost more
Larger vehicles take more deck space and weight capacity. HomeAdvisor’s 2026 figures for a roughly 1,000-mile shipment show the spread:
- Compact car: $1,050
- Midsize car: $1,190
- Midsize SUV or minivan: $1,300
- Midsize pickup truck: $1,300
- Large truck or SUV: $1,650
By our arithmetic, a large truck or SUV costs $460 (about 39%) more than a midsize car on the same trip. Roadrunner reports a smaller typical surcharge for SUVs and pickups of $100 to $200 over a sedan.
Summer and snowbird season add a premium
Car shipping demand tracks the moving season. Roadrunner reports peak-season (May to September) prices running 15% to 25% above baseline, with January to March offering 10% to 15% savings. It also reports a 28% spike on Florida routes during the October to November snowbird season. Direct Connect says military PCS season (May to August) runs 10% to 15% above off-peak rates on routes connecting major bases.
Flexible dates save money
Carriers fill trucks by building efficient routes. Roadrunner says a flexible three-to-five-day pickup window saves 10% to 20% compared with a fixed date. If you are moving your household at the same time, build that window into your moving plan rather than insisting the car leave on the same day as the moving truck.
Illustrative budget (our arithmetic): start with Roadrunner’s $870 average for New York to Florida. A 15% to 25% peak premium puts an open shipment at roughly $1,000 to $1,090. Applying Roadrunner’s own enclosed-to-open ratio (about 1.48) to the $870 base gives roughly $1,290 for enclosed. These are planning numbers, not quotes.
The 2026 Wild Card: Fuel and Trucking Costs
Most published price guides were written before or during this year’s fuel run-up. Sherpa’s guide is dated April 2026 and HomeAdvisor’s was updated in June. Meanwhile, diesel has climbed steeply. EIA’s weekly U.S. No. 2 diesel retail price series shows $3.477 per gallon on January 5, 2026, and $6.529 on September 21, 2026. That is an increase of about 88% since January by our arithmetic. The same series shows $3.749 in the week of September 22, 2025.
Broader trucking prices have moved too. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index for long-distance truckload freight trucking, published through FRED, stood at 207.644 in August 2026 versus 182.330 in August 2025. That is roughly a 14% year-over-year increase by our arithmetic. This index covers general truckload freight, not car carriers specifically, so treat it as a signal of cost pressure rather than a direct measure of car shipping prices.
What this means in practice: a price you saw in a spring guide may not match a quote you get this fall. Ask each company whether its price includes fuel, whether a fuel surcharge can be added later, and whether the quote is locked once a carrier is assigned.
Broker or Carrier? Federal Rules That Affect Your Price and Protection
Many car shipping quotes come from brokers, not the company that owns the truck. Federal rules define a broker in 49 CFR Part 371 as a person who, for compensation, arranges transportation by an authorized motor carrier. Under 49 CFR 371.7, a broker may not represent its operations as a carrier, and “any advertising shall show the broker status of the operation.” If a company’s website never says whether it is a broker or a carrier, that is worth a question.
Brokers must also have financial security in place. 49 CFR 387.307 requires a broker to have “a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000 in effect,” and FMCSA will not register a broker until it is in place. That bond protects shippers and carriers if the broker fails to carry out its arrangements.
Insurance deserves its own check. Section 387.303 of the same part sets minimum public liability limits, such as $750,000 for non-hazardous freight vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more. Public liability covers injury and damage to others, not cargo. The federal cargo insurance filing requirement in section 387.301(b) is written for household goods motor carriers. So ask a car carrier for its certificate of cargo insurance and the coverage limit per vehicle, and confirm your car’s value fits within it.
Finally, know which rulebook applies. Household goods movers operate under the consumer protection rules in 49 CFR Part 375, which cover estimates, valuation, and claims. A separate car shipment arranged through an auto transport broker is a different contract, so read its terms on its own. You can look up any company’s USDOT number and operating authority on FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot database.
How to Get an Accurate Car Shipping Quote
- Get at least three quotes for the same dates, vehicle, and transport type. Compare them against the published route ranges above.
- Ask if the price is all-in. Fuel, door-to-door service, and insurance should be spelled out.
- Confirm broker or carrier status and the USDOT or MC number, then check it on SAFER.
- Ask about the pickup window. A wider window often lowers the price, according to the published data above.
- Request the cargo insurance certificate and note the per-vehicle limit.
- Document your car’s condition with dated photos before pickup, and inspect it on delivery before signing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to ship a car to another state in 2026?
Published 2026 averages range from about $1,190 (HomeAdvisor) to $1,215 for open transport (Roadrunner). Short trips cost less in total but more per mile. Coast-to-coast routes usually fall between about $1,300 and $1,900 on an open carrier.
How much does it cost to ship a car cross-country?
Sherpa lists New York to Los Angeles at $1,325 to $1,625 and Los Angeles to New York at $1,350 to $1,925. Direct Connect lists Los Angeles to New York at $1,300 to $1,900. Season and pickup location can push the price toward either end.
Is enclosed car transport worth the extra cost?
Published data puts the enclosed premium at roughly 30% to 60%, or about $800 on average for high-end vehicles according to HomeAdvisor. It is usually worth it for luxury, classic, or low-clearance cars, and rarely necessary for an everyday vehicle.
When is the cheapest time to ship a car?
Roadrunner reports January to March as the cheapest period, with 10% to 15% savings versus baseline, and May to September as the most expensive, at 15% to 25% above baseline. Florida routes spike during the fall snowbird season.
Are car shipping prices going up in 2026?
Direct Connect reports 2026 rates running 3% to 8% above 2025. Cost pressure has also risen since spring. EIA diesel prices reached $6.529 per gallon in September 2026, and the BLS long-distance truckload PPI rose roughly 14% year over year by August.
How do I know if a car shipping company is legitimate?
Look up its USDOT or MC number on FMCSA’s SAFER system. Brokers must disclose that they are brokers under 49 CFR 371.7 and must carry a $75,000 bond or trust fund under 49 CFR 387.307. Ask for a cargo insurance certificate before booking.
Can my mover ship my car with my household goods?
Some interstate movers can move a vehicle as part of a household goods shipment. If so, ask your mover to list the vehicle on the written estimate and bill of lading, and confirm how the valuation coverage described in Part 375 applies to it.
Next Step: Price Your Car and Your Move Together
Before you book, write down your car’s make and model, your earliest and latest acceptable pickup dates, and your origin and destination ZIP codes. Then compare at least three auto transport quotes against the route ranges in this report, and ask each one about fuel surcharges. If you are also planning a household move, Interstate Moving and Relocation Group can give you a written estimate for your household goods so you can plan the truck and the car on one timeline.
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