Not many people think about the perks of car shipping until they need this service. Whether it’s for moving, going on a long vacation, attending a car expo or sale, or any other reason, this service has made your life easier. A reputable carrier will take your four-wheeler anywhere you want, and you don’t have to worry about anything.

Shipping a car is a service you have to pay for. These rates can vary, as they depend on many factors. You can learn about them on this web page. As transportation can sometimes be fairly expensive, it’s always good to have an idea of how much money you’ll need before choosing a carrier.

Luckily, there’s no need to rack your nerves and do cost calculations all by yourself. You can use all the benefits of modern technologies and rely on car shipping cost calculators. If you’re still not familiar with these tools and how to use them, we’ll guide you on that.

Understand the Factors Affecting Car Shipping Costs

It’s good to know these things and how they affect the price you have to pay. Let’s start with the distance between the pickup and drop-off locations. The thing is simple: the farther the distance, the more you pay for car transportation, although the rate per mile usually drops as the shipping distance increases.

Next, we have the vehicle type. Logically, shipping trucks, pickups, and SUVs typically cost more than smaller cars. Luxury four-wheelers, rare or classic cars, and modified or oversized vehicles may also require special handling, which also pumps up the cost. You might also need extra insurance, which also increases the shipping price.

You also have to take a transportation method into account, i.e., decide on open or enclosed shipping. The first one is less expensive but offers less protection from the elements. The latter is sort of a premium service, as enclosed trucks ship only one or two vehicles and provide better protection.

It also matters when you ship your vehicle. During peak seasons, usually during the summer and around holidays, carriers usually increase their rates due to higher demand. On the other hand, when they don’t have too much work, they’re willing to offer discounts and special deals on their already lowered rates.

Use a Reliable Car Shipping Cost Calculator

Online calculators do their math in a matter of seconds, thus saving you a lot of time and nerves. They’re quite accurate, and in most cases, they’ll provide you with a correct price estimate. But they can’t spare you from the hidden costs and price increases that you might face when dealing with shoddy carriers.

It’s clear as day that not all car transportation companies are reliable and reputable. The fact that they’re providing online calculators to their prospective customers means nothing if they don’t reveal their fees honestly. So, for starters, you have to find a reputable carrier with a good track record and use their online calculation tools. Or you can go with a trusted third-party website or a broker.

Keep in mind one thing: the cost estimate you get from a calculator might not be the final price you pay. Even reputable carriers can adjust their rates due to demand and fuel costs. Be wary of that if the time frame between using a calculator and moving a car is more than a week.

Enter Accurate Information

For starters, provide the correct pickup and delivery locations, whether these are terminals or residential addresses. The distance between these points is one of the major elements in this calculation, so make sure you’ve entered the right zip codes or addresses to get an accurate estimate.

Then, you have to think of the shipping date. If you’re still not clear on when to transport your vehicle, choose an approximate date. That’ll help the online calculator get an idea of whether you need shipping on or off-season. Also, something that most people often overlook is the vehicle’s condition. Some calculators may ask you to specify whether your vehicle is in driving condition or not.

Compare Quotes

A car shipping cost calculator is designed to help you determine the vehicle transport cost quote and budget transportation prices from one location to another. You’ll use these results to compare several deals and decide which works best for you. It’s always a good idea to get multiple quotes and look for special offers and discounts, but never compromise the service quality or the carrier’s reputation.

To save money and make an informed decision when shipping a car, you can benefit from using a reliable car shipping cost calculator. Once you find a trustworthy carrier and enter the required and correct data in this online tool, you can get a shipping quote and decide whether it works for you or not.