You can ship your car as part of a household move in two ways: have the moving coordinator arrange vehicle transport alongside your furniture, or book an auto transport carrier yourself and time it to your move. The first gives you one point of contact. The second can be cheaper but leaves the timing to you. Either way, the details that cause trouble are the same: pickup and delivery dates that do not match your move, belongings left in the car, and insurance that covers less than people assume.
This guide walks through the options, what a realistic budget looks like, how to prepare the car, and where the coverage gaps are.
TL;DR
- Household goods and your car usually travel on different trucks and on different schedules, so plan the dates together rather than booking each one alone.
- Domestic car shipping typically runs $500 to $2,500, depending on distance, vehicle type and season. Enclosed transport costs more than open.
- Do not use your car as a storage box. Carrier cargo policies cover the vehicle, not what is inside it.
- Ask for written confirmation of what your moving coverage and the auto carrier’s coverage each include before anything is loaded.
- A single coordinator for both shipments reduces the chance that your car arrives a week before or after you do.
Table of Contents
- Your four ways to move a car with a household move
- What car shipping costs in 2026
- Door-to-door or terminal
- How to align the car with your moving timeline
- Can you pack household items in the car?
- Preparing the car for pickup
- Insurance: where the gaps are
- Should you sell the car instead?
- Delivery day and tipping
- Military and special cases
- Our perspective: one plan, not two
- Arranging your move and car together
- FAQ
- Sources
Your four ways to move a car with a household move
There is no single right answer. The best choice depends on distance, how many drivers you have, and how tight your schedule is.
| Option | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Drive it yourself | Short or medium distances, a second driver available | Fuel, hotels, days of your time and miles on the car |
| Tow it behind a rented truck | DIY movers with a capable truck | Towing skill required, and it adds risk on mountain roads |
| Hire an auto transport carrier | Long distances, one or more vehicles | Delivery windows are estimates, not appointments |
| Have a full-service move coordinator arrange it | Families who want one plan and one contact | Usually a premium over booking directly, in return for coordination |
The auto transport guides that rank for this topic list the same basic set of choices: towing it yourself, towing with a moving truck, driving it, hiring an auto transport company, or hiring full-service movers. The last option is the one most relevant here, and we will come back to it.
When driving makes sense
If you are moving a few hundred miles and have a second adult, driving two vehicles is simple and free of transport fees. Add up fuel, one or two nights in a hotel, meals and the return flight or ride for the person who drives the truck or follows behind. Over about 1,000 miles the total often approaches the cost of shipping, and you lose several days.
When shipping wins
Ship the car when the distance is long, when you are traveling with children or pets and want one shared trip, when the car is not road-ready for a multi-day drive, or when a job start date leaves no time for a road trip. Shipping also makes sense if you own a vehicle that you would rather not put 2,500 miles on, such as a classic or a low-mileage new car.
What car shipping costs in 2026
Budgeting is easier with a range than with a single figure. According to Cars.com’s analysis of quotes, shipping a car within the continental U.S. generally costs between $500 and $2,500, and the average for a 1,400-mile trip was $1,108 by open carrier. Short-distance open carrier shipments averaged $790, while hauls over 2,000 miles can reach $1,553 or more. The same source puts the enclosed premium at roughly 50 to 70 percent over open carrier rates.
Those are market averages, not a quote from us or from any specific carrier. What moves your price:
- Distance and route. Major corridors between big metro areas are cheaper per mile than rural pickups.
- Vehicle size and weight. A pickup or a three-row SUV takes more trailer space than a compact sedan.
- Open or enclosed. Open trailers are standard and fine for most daily drivers. Enclosed is for classics, exotics and anyone who wants extra protection from weather and road debris.
- Season. Summer and the end-of-year holidays are busy for household moves, and car transport demand tracks the same patterns.
- Running condition. An inoperable vehicle needs a winch and often costs extra.
- Pickup flexibility. A wider pickup window usually gets a better rate.
A practical rule: do not choose on the lowest quote alone. A price far under the others often means the quote is a placeholder that rises once a carrier is assigned, or that nobody has accepted the job yet.
Door-to-door or terminal
Most people shipping a car with a household move want door-to-door service, where the truck picks up at your current address and delivers at the new one. Door-to-door transport saves you the trip to a shipping terminal. Large transporters sometimes cannot get down a residential street, so the driver may ask you to meet at a nearby large parking lot. That is normal, and it is worth asking about in advance.
Terminal-to-terminal can cost less, but you must drop off and collect the car yourself, and storage fees can start if you are late to collect it. For a family already juggling a move-in day, we rarely see that trade-off pay off.
How to align the car with your moving timeline
The most common problem is not damage. It is a mismatch. Household goods may be loaded on a fixed date and delivered within an agreed window, while the car’s pickup is a range of days. Here is a sequence that works.
- Fix your household move dates first. Auto transport is the more flexible of the two, so build around the movers.
- Decide where the car should be at each stage. If you will need it for the last week at the old address, schedule pickup after your final day of use, not before.
- Book four to six weeks ahead when you can. This is a practical guideline, not a rule, and peak season may call for more lead time.
- Ask for a pickup window in writing. Agree on how many days the window spans and who to call when the driver is a day out.
- Plan where you will be on delivery day. If the car arrives before you have keys to the new home, you need a safe place for the driver to unload, or someone you trust to receive it.
- Keep a buffer. If your car arrives two days after your furniture, that is easy to live with. If it arrives ahead of you with nowhere to park, it is not.
A relocation coordinator does this scheduling for a living. We explain that role in more detail in our guide to the relocation coordinator for long-distance moves, and the general flow of a long-haul move in our long-distance moving process overview.
Can you pack household items in the car?
This is the question many people ask when they are trying to save a few boxes’ worth of moving cost. The short answer: sometimes a small amount, but you should not count on it, and you should never count on it being insured.
Auto carriers are licensed and insured to haul vehicles. Their cargo policies specifically cover the vehicle, and carriers are not insured to carry household goods inside it. Some carriers tolerate a light load in the trunk, and policies differ from company to company, so ask for the carrier’s rule in writing. Whatever they allow, treat it as at your own risk.
What to keep out of the car regardless:
- Valuables, jewelry, cash and important documents
- Electronics and anything fragile
- Firearms, ammunition, flammables and aerosols
- Medication you will need during the move
- Anything that blocks the driver’s view or would shift when the truck brakes
If the aim is to save space on the moving truck, ship the items with your household goods and let that shipment’s coverage apply. Our inventory checklist for long-distance moves helps you list what goes where.
Preparing the car for pickup
The preparation steps are short, and skipping them is how disputes start.
- Wash the car. Dirt hides scratches. Industry guidance warns that a driver who cannot inspect a dirty car may note it on the bill of lading, which weakens any later claim for new dings.
- Photograph everything. Take pictures of every side, the roof, the wheels and the odometer, with the driver present if possible, and keep the time stamps.
- Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. This is enough to load and unload while keeping weight and fire risk down.
- Remove toll tags, parking passes and loose items. Fold in mirrors, retract or remove antennas, and secure or remove anything on the exterior such as racks.
- Note existing damage and mechanical quirks. Mention leaks, a weak battery or a quirky alarm so the driver is not surprised.
- Hand over one key and keep your spare.
- Sign the bill of lading only after you agree with the condition report. It is the document you will use at delivery and in any claim.
Our own page on how to prepare your car for long-distance relocation goes deeper on the checklist.
Insurance: where the gaps are
Insurance is where combining two shipments can leave a hole. Your household goods are covered under the moving company’s liability arrangement, and your car is covered under the auto carrier’s. These are different policies with different limits and different claims processes.
Household goods coverage
Federal rules give interstate movers a minimum liability that is easy to misread. Under the default, Released Value limits liability to 60 cents per pound per article. A 10-pound laptop would be worth about $6 under that default, regardless of what you paid. To get more, you generally need to elect Full Value Protection in writing before the move. We explain the difference in Released Value vs. Full Value Protection and the options in full valuation coverage explained.
Vehicle coverage
The auto carrier’s cargo policy applies to the car while it is in transit. Before booking, ask:
- What is the coverage limit, and is there a deductible?
- Does it apply while the car is on the trailer only, or also during loading and unloading?
- Does your personal auto policy stay active in transit, or do you need to call your insurer?
- How do you file a claim, and within what time frame?
Call your own auto insurer before pickup. Many policies remain in force during shipping, but the terms vary, and your insurer is the one to confirm yours. Write down the answer.
Your photos are your evidence
Both kinds of claims succeed or fail on documentation. Our moving day insurance checklist covers photos, values and claim steps, and the long-distance moving insurance guide covers the bigger picture.
Should you sell the car instead?
If the car is old, the shipping quote is high relative to its value, or you are moving to a city where you will not need it, selling can beat shipping. A rough test: if shipping costs more than about a fifth of what the car is worth, price out replacing it locally. Selling also brings paperwork that varies by place. For example, in Ireland, transferring the registration certificate on the same day is part of a sale, a reminder that title and registration rules are local. In the U.S., check your state’s DMV for title transfer and your destination state for registration deadlines.
Delivery day and tipping
At delivery, inspect the car before you sign anything. Walk around it with your pickup photos and the original bill of lading. Note any new damage on the paperwork before the driver leaves, and take photos on the spot.
On tipping, it is appreciated but not required. A tip of $50 to 100 is commonly cited for a smooth, on-time, damage-free delivery, especially on long moves. Check your contract first in case gratuity is already included.
Military and special cases
If you are moving on military orders, the rules differ. The Department of Defense arranges shipment of one vehicle at government expense on many overseas orders, and the process runs through official channels. Start with Military OneSource’s PCS moving FAQs and your installation’s transportation office.
For international moves, vehicle shipping adds customs, export documents and port handling. Our page on international moving from Florida covers how we arrange vehicle shipping as part of that kind of move.
Our perspective: one plan, not two
Most of the problems we hear about when people ship a car with a household move are not about price. They are about gaps: a car that arrives with no one to receive it, a box packed in the trunk that nobody insured, a quote that changed after booking, a claim denied because the paperwork was thin.
We approach it as a coordination problem. Move Craft is a brokered coordination service: we connect you with carriers and logistics professionals we have vetted for FMCSA compliance, integrity and performance, and we manage the move around your timeline. For a move that includes a vehicle, that means we start with your household move dates, plan where the car needs to be at each stage, and make sure you know what each party’s coverage does and does not include before anything is loaded.
Our view is simple. Ask for the pickup window, the coverage terms and the delivery plan in writing. Keep valuables out of the car. Photograph everything. A carrier worth hiring will not mind any of it.
— Info
Arranging your move and car together
If you want one team to coordinate your household goods and the vehicle, request a quote through Move Craft. Tell us your origin, destination, move date range and the vehicle you need to move, and we will match you with a vetted carrier. If you are still weighing how much help you need, our full-service residential moving guide explains what a full-service move includes, and professional packing can take the boxes off your list.
FAQ
What is the average cost to ship a car?
Domestic car shipping generally falls between $500 and $2,500. A 1,400-mile trip averaged $1,108 by open carrier in the Cars.com data. Enclosed transport usually costs about 50 to 70 percent more. Your own quote depends on distance, vehicle size and season.
Can I ship my car and household goods together?
Usually they travel separately, because household goods go on a moving truck and cars go on an auto transport trailer. You can still book and schedule them together through a coordinator. Some moving companies also tow or arrange vehicle transport for an extra charge, so ask what is available on your route.
Can I leave items in the car when it ships?
Policies vary by carrier, and some allow a small amount in the trunk. Carrier insurance covers the vehicle, not items inside it. Keep valuables, documents and fragile items out, and get the carrier’s rule in writing.
Do you tip car transport drivers?
A tip is appreciated but not mandatory. $50 to $100 is common for a smooth, on-time delivery, and you should check whether gratuity is already in your contract.
How much fuel should be in the car?
Leave about a quarter tank. That is enough to load and unload while limiting weight and fire risk.
Sources
- Best Cheap Car Shipping Companies, Cars.com
- How State-to-State Car Transport Works: From Pickup to Delivery
- Door-to-Door Transport: Benefits & Providers, Automoblog
- Do You Tip Car Service? The Daily Automotive
- Moving Company Insurance: HHG Coverage Guide
- Military PCS and Moving FAQs, Military OneSource
- Complete the VRC transfer same day to sell a car in Ireland