Compact sedan shipping cost data · Updated October 23, 2026
Every price here is what sedan owners paid at delivery, not the number on their car shipping quote. That gap is where people lose money.
$910avg
Sedan · 1,000 to 2,000 miles · Open transport
$0.60 to $1.50
Per mile for a standard sedan
+20% to 60%
Enclosed premium over open transport
+$150 to $300
Typical surcharge for a non-running car
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Every price in a shipping guide starts life as a quote, and that includes this one. The figures below are published small car shipping rates from 2026 industry pricing. Your final price depends on your route, the season, and whether the broker’s price is high enough for a carrier to accept the load. Use these numbers to judge whether a quote is fair before you sign.
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WHAT SEDAN OWNERS ACTUALLY PAID
These ranges come from booked prices, not quote calculators. Ship A Car, Inc. published what its customers paid to move ordinary cars on open carriers from January 2023 to August 2026. Each range below covers the middle half of those customers. A sedan is the baseline vehicle in that data, so the numbers fit a compact sedan closely. The total climbs with distance, but your car shipping cost per mile drops as the trip gets longer.
SHORT HAUL
$450 - $840
Under 500 miles · Median $600 · About $2.19 per mile
MID-DISTANCE
$800 - $1,600
500 to 1,500 miles · Median $1,000 to $1,245 · About $1.05 to $1.33 per mile
CROSS-COUNTRY
$1,250 - $1,875
Over 1,500 miles · Median $1,450 to $1,645 · About $0.72 to $0.84 per mile
All three ranges assume open transport and a car that runs. Expect an enclosed car shipping cost about a third higher on the same lane. Seasonal car shipping prices also swing the number: February runs about 10% below a typical month, and June about 12% above it.
Route price data
These are the busiest lanes in Ship A Car’s booking records, priced on open carriers. Direction matters. The same two states can cost $100 to $350 more one way than the other, because more cars want to leave some states than trucks want to carry them. If you’re pricing a cross country car shipping cost, check both directions before you budget.
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What did you actually pay?
The prices above are built from what customers reported paying — not broker estimates. Your actual paid price updates the next version of this guide.
Why prices vary
Route length and direction
Distance sets the base rate, but not in a straight line. In Ship A Car’s bookings, the median price per mile drops from about $2.19 under 500 miles to $0.72 past 2,000 miles. Direction matters too. California to Texas booked at a median of $1,335, while Texas to California booked at $970. It’s the same two states, but the price is $365 apart depending on which way the car goes. Where the car sits counts as well. A rural pickup adds empty miles the carrier has to be paid for. Door to door car shipping works on most streets, but if a 75-foot truck can’t reach your address, you’ll meet the driver at a nearby lot.
Season and timing
February runs about 10% below a typical month, and June about 12% above it, according to Ship A Car’s dispatch records. A June shipper pays roughly a quarter more than a February shipper for the same service. Snowbird lanes flip the pattern. The trip north in April and May costs more than the trip south.
Open vs enclosed transport
Enclosed transport costs about 30% to 60% more than open, according to FreightWaves. Ship A Car’s lane-by-lane median is closer to a third more. For compact car transport, open is the better value. Enclosed earns its price for classics, exotics, fresh paint and low-clearance cars. If your sedan doesn’t run, expect a separate winch surcharge of about $100 to $250, whether the carrier is open or enclosed.
Booking lead time and flexibility
FreightWaves recommends booking 2 to 4 weeks ahead, because last-minute bookings usually cost more. Flexibility matters even more. A pickup window of several days lets the dispatcher put your car on a truck that’s already running your lane. A fixed, single pickup day means paying a carrier to change its route. The cheapest way to ship a sedan is open transport with a flexible pickup window, booked in a shoulder month like February, October or November.
How your broker builds the quote
Two car shipping quote numbers for the same car can be hundreds of dollars apart. A quote far below the market range is often a placeholder. It gets raised once the broker tries to find a truck at that rate. Before you sign, ask three things. Is the price locked? Is a deposit due before a carrier is assigned? Are auto transport broker fees included in the total? Then look up the broker’s MC number on FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot to confirm its operating authority is active.
When to ship
Spring (Apr–Jun)
−4% to +12%
April is a quiet bargain. May and June climb to the year’s peak as family moves stack up on every major lane.
Summer (Jul–Sep)
Typical to +5%
Still busy. Back-to-school moves keep trucks full through August. September settles at the typical market rate.
Fall (Oct–Nov)
−4% to −6%
The bargain season starts as family moves wind down. Southbound snowbird lanes get pricier in November.
Winter (Dec–Mar)
−2% to −10%
Lowest prices of the year, with February the cheapest month. A storm can push a pickup back a day or two, so keep your dates flexible.
Percentages are medians against a typical month, for open transport, from Ship A Car bookings through August 2026. Use them to adjust any vehicle shipping cost calculator estimate for the month you plan to ship.
Choose what matters most
Best Pricing
79
TrustScore
The strongest pricing record in our audit. AutoStar scored 16 on pricing, the highest of any broker we reviewed, with strong price consistency and low bait-and-switch risk. Quotes sit in the competitive mid-range, so the number you book is close to the number you pay.
Most Premium
91
TrustScore
For sedan owners who want hands-on communication and a more managed move. Tempus Logix prices at the premium end, but it has strong price honesty and low price-change complaints. Some reviews mention pickup and delivery delays, so build slack into your dates.
Price Saver
86
TrustScore
For flexible shippers who want the lowest sedan auto transport rates from a reviewed broker. AmeriFreight has 22 years in business and strong communication scores. Our audit flags a medium risk of price changes, so get the final car shipping quote in writing before you book.
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These are the questions that come up most when people price a compact sedan move. Quick answers, real numbers, no runaround.
Shipping a compact sedan costs about $1,000 to $1,300 for a 1,000-mile trip on an open carrier, based on ShipACarInc estimates. FreightWaves puts the 2026 national average at roughly $1,150 per car. Your route, the season and the transport type will move that number.
A sedan costs about $0.60 to $1.50 per mile to ship, according to Cars.com. Short trips under 500 miles run higher, at around $1.25 to $2.00 per mile. Trips over 1,500 miles drop to about $0.55 to $0.95 per mile (FreightWaves).
A coast-to-coast move of 2,500 to 3,000 miles costs about $2,200 to $2,800, per ShipACarInc. Amerifreight’s 2026 data puts sedans on routes over 2,000 miles closer to $1,180. That gap is the reason to compare at least 3 quotes.
For most compact sedans, no. Enclosed transport adds roughly 20% to 60% to the open-carrier price, depending on the source. It makes sense only for a brand-new, rare or modified car that needs protection from weather and road debris.
Yes. Carriers price by the space and weight a vehicle takes on the trailer, and a compact sedan is one of the smallest and lightest vehicles they haul. That usually puts it in the cheapest pricing tier, below midsize SUVs and pickups.
Late fall and winter are usually the cheapest months, outside the snowbird routes. Prices tend to climb in spring and summer, when moving and college season push demand up. North-to-south routes like New York to Florida also spike in fall and early spring.
Yes. Expect to pay roughly $150 to $300 more for a non-running car, because the carrier has to winch it onto the trailer. Mention it when you request a quote so the price doesn’t change at pickup.
Door-to-door usually costs a bit more, but most brokers now include it in the standard price. The driver gets as close to your address as local roads allow. Terminal-to-terminal can save a little money, but you’ll spend more of your own time and may pay storage fees.
Look up the company’s USDOT or MC number on FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot. You’ll see whether its operating authority is active and what insurance it has on file. The check takes about two minutes and costs nothing.
Brokers set prices differently. Some quote below the market rate to win your booking, and then no carrier accepts the load at that price. A quote close to the current market rate is more likely to get a truck assigned on time.
