The ShipYourCarNow Fixed Price Promise on Every Car Shipment
The ShipYourCarNow Fixed Price Promise means the car shipping price we quote you is the price you pay, even when the carrier costs us more. Every free instant quote we give you is a firm number rather than a placeholder that moves once you have committed. If a carrier will not accept the amount we allocated, we cover the difference ourselves instead of coming back to ask you for it.
Key Takeaways on How the Fixed Price Promise Protects Your Cost
- The price on your car transport quote is the price on your invoice, with no post-booking increase.
- Your card is on file but is not charged until a driver has been assigned to your vehicle.
- If carrier costs come in above what we quoted, ShipYourCarNow absorbs the difference.
- No deposit is collected to hold your booking, so there is nothing to forfeit if plans change.
- The promise applies to open and enclosed transport at every service level we offer.
- Your price only moves if the order details you gave us turn out to be different at pickup.
What the ShipYourCarNow Fixed Price Promise Covers on Your Move
The promise covers the two moments where car shipping customers most often get burned: the amount charged and the timing of that charge. Both are locked from the moment you book.
One quoted price from booking through final delivery
Your car shipping quote includes transport and insurance for the route and vehicle type you gave us. There are no hidden fees, dispatch charges, fuel surcharges, or carrier adjustments added later in the process.
No charge until your driver is assigned
We do take your billing information at booking, but the card sits untouched until dispatch. You are only charged once a vetted carrier has been confirmed and assigned to your vehicle shipment.
We absorb the difference when carrier costs rise
Car shipping rates move with demand, weather, and route availability. When the market rate on your route runs higher than the amount we quoted, that gap is ours to close rather than yours.
"The price we quote you is going to be the price we charge you when it comes to shipping your vehicle."
How the Fixed Price Promise Works From Quote to Final Delivery
The auto transport process runs the same way whether you book open or enclosed car shipping, and it moves through four stages.
1
You request a car transport quote with your pickup and delivery locations, vehicle, and preferred shipping date. Your car shipping price guarantee is calculated and locked to those details.
2
You book at that price and provide billing information. Nothing is charged, and no deposit is taken at this stage.
3
We assign a vetted carrier from our network, and your vehicle is inspected at pickup. If securing that car carrier costs more than we allocated, we cover the shortfall.
4
Your card is charged after dispatch. A final inspection is completed at delivery to confirm your vehicle’s condition, and your total stays exactly where it started.
You can follow the full pickup and delivery sequence on our how car shipping works page.
What Your Car Shipping Cost Is Built From Before We Lock It In
Your car shipping cost is calculated from six measurable factors, and understanding them tells you whether any quote you receive is realistic. Industry data puts typical car shipping rates between $0.61 and $2.00 per mile, which is a wide band because these variables move the number so much.
- 1. Distance and the per-mile rate
Distance is the largest single input into auto transport costs. Total cost rises with mileage, but the rate per mile falls as the route gets longer, which is why cross-country shipments often look better per mile than a short regional hop.
- 2. Vehicle type, size, and weight
Larger vehicles take up more space on the car hauler and add weight to the load. Standard vehicles ship at the base rate, while trucks, SUVs, and vans carry an increase that reflects the space they occupy.
- 3. Open or enclosed transport
The transport method you choose is the second biggest lever on price. Open transport car shipping is the most affordable option, while enclosed transport carries a premium that typically runs 30 to 60 percent above open rates.
- 4. Pickup and delivery locations
Metropolitan areas usually produce lower car shipping quotes than rural towns. More auto transporters run those corridors every day, so carrier density keeps vehicle shipping rates competitive on busy routes.
- 5. Timing and seasonal demand
Seasonal demand moves prices more than most people expect. Summer is the busiest shipping period, and prices reflect that, while late fall and winter months generally offer the lowest rates of the year.
- 6. Vehicle condition and running order
An inoperable car needs winch loading and specialized equipment, which adds to the quote. Fuel costs also feed into rates on longer hauls, particularly on routes where carriers cover several states in one run.
Two practical ways to bring your number down: book one to two weeks ahead of your preferred pickup date, and stay flexible by a few days if you can. Both give us more carrier options to work with. Our car shipping costs page breaks down real pricing by route.
Open and Enclosed Transport Both Come With the Same Price Promise
Whichever service you book, the number you are quoted is the number you pay. The difference between the options is protection and cost, not the strength of the guarantee.
Open Car Transport
Open car transport is the most common and most cost-effective option in vehicle transportation. Your car travels on a multi-level open car carrier, the same style of open trailer most car carriers use to deliver new inventory to dealerships every day.
Because a single open car hauler moves more than one vehicle at a time, the cost is spread across the load. That is why open auto transport remains the cheapest way to ship a car for standard vehicles and daily drivers. You can read more on our open car shipping page.
Enclosed car shipping
Enclosed auto transport puts your vehicle inside a fully covered enclosed trailer for the entire journey. Enclosed carriers shield the car from weather, road debris, and exposure, which is why the risk of damage in transit is lower.
This is the standard choice for a classic car, luxury cars, exotics, and other high-value vehicles where the vehicle’s condition matters more than the extra cost. An enclosed car also travels out of public view, which some collectors and dealers prefer. See our enclosed car shipping page for the full comparison.
Door-to-door and terminal-to-terminal delivery
Door-to-door car shipping collects your vehicle from your address and delivers it to your chosen destination, with no terminal trips on either end. Terminal-to-terminal shipping is the more budget-friendly option if you can drop off and collect at a depot.
Service tiers and timing options
Our standby service gives you the best price we can offer in exchange for flexibility on pickup timing. Guaranteed pickup windows and expedited car shipping cost more but hold to a specific date, and both are covered by the same fixed price.
We ship more than cars. Motorcycles, RVs, boats, and heavy equipment all move through our network, and you can review the full range on our car shipping services page.
Why Other Car Shipping Quotes Go Up After You Have Already Booked
Many auto transport quotes climb after booking because the original number was never built to hold. The pattern is consistent enough across the auto transport industry that it is worth understanding before you compare car shipping prices.
A broker advertises a price well under the market rate for your route. You book, and a deposit is collected right away. That deposit is often the entire profit on the job, which means the money is made whether your car moves or not.
The carrier fee left over is then too small for any professional driver to accept. Days pass with no pickup, and when you call, the price to actually get your car moving has gone up. Cancelling at that point usually means losing the deposit you already paid.
"There's nothing wrong with companies that require deposits, but you need to make sure they don't stop once they've collected that deposit. They should be there with you for the whole duration of the transport."
The Only Time Your Car Shipping Price Can Change After Booking
Your price can only change if the order details you gave us are different from what we find at pickup. This is about accuracy, not about renegotiating the rate we agreed to.
If you book a compact sedan and a full-size pickup is waiting at the curb, the carrier is moving a larger, heavier vehicle than the one your price was built around. The same applies if the pickup or delivery address changes to a different route after booking.
We raise those conversations before pickup day rather than at the roadside. Your advisor will walk you through any adjustment before anything is charged to your card.
What Your Fixed Price Car Shipping Includes and What Cargo Insurance Does Not
Your quoted price includes the carrier’s cargo insurance for the full duration of transit, so your car is insured from pickup through delivery. We verify every carrier’s cargo insurance policy before assignment rather than after, and each carrier must hold active liability insurance on file with the FMCSA.
Cargo insurance has one important limit worth knowing before pickup day. Personal belongings inside the vehicle are not covered, and most car carriers do not permit them at all because they add weight and can shift in transit.
Preparing your vehicle takes under an hour and keeps the process clean:
Remove all personal items from the interior and trunk.
Wash the car so the pickup inspection records its true condition.
Check tire pressure and top up fluids so the vehicle rolls on and off safely.
Leave the fuel tank between a quarter and a half full.
For electric vehicles, keep the battery between 25 and 50 percent charged.
Our guide to auto transport insurance explains coverage and the Bill of Lading in more detail.
Why a Fixed Price Matters More Than the Lowest Quote You Find
The cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest final cost, which is why the number on the invoice matters more than the number in the ad. A low quote that rises by several hundred dollars at dispatch leaves you paying more than a firm price would have cost from the start.
Comparing several auto transport companies before you book is sensible, and we encourage it. What matters is comparing the right thing: whether the quote is binding, when the card is charged, and whether a deposit is at risk.
"You could always go online and find transport for less money, but what is really the cost of that $50 savings? What is the risk that you're opening yourself up to?"
Before booking with any car transport companies, look up their USDOT and MC numbers on the FMCSA licensing and insurance search. ShipYourCarNow operates under USDOT 2246825 and MC 714617. Every carrier we assign clears a vetting process covering safety performance, driver records, and insurance verification. You can read about this more on our Why Us page.
ShipYourCarNow Fixed Price Car Shipping Guarantee Compared With Standard Deposit Booking Models
| What happens | ShipYourCarNow Fixed Price Car Shipping Guarantee | Typical deposit-based broker |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit at booking | None collected | Collected immediately, often non-refundable |
| When your card is charged | After a driver is assigned | At the moment you book |
| If carrier costs run higher | We cover the difference | You are asked to pay more |
| If you cancel before pickup | Nothing has been charged | Deposit is usually forfeited |
| Price on your final invoice | The price you were quoted | Frequently higher than quoted |
Fixed Price Promise Questions Car Shipping Customers Ask Most
Get Your Fixed Price Car Shipping Quote in Under Two Minutes
Tell us where your car is, where it is going, and when you need it moved. You will get an instant quote backed by the Fixed Price Promise, with no deposit taken and no charge until your driver is assigned. If you would rather talk it through first, our advisors are available 24 hours a day.