Open vs Enclosed Car Shipping
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Written by Richard Avery, President of Smart Auto Move · USDOT 2887232 · MC 969368
Open or enclosed car shipping, which should I choose?
Open for almost everything. Enclosed costs about 80 percent more, and most cars do not need it. A $1,000 open move is roughly $1,800 enclosed. A hard-sided trailer holds two to six cars where an open one holds ten, so each car carries more of the cost. Enclosed earns that premium on a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a car too low to clear a ramp. For a daily driver it does not.
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What enclosed costs on seven real routes
Most pages tell you enclosed "costs more" and leave it there. Here is what the gap looks like in dollars, on routes we publish. Open figures are our current published rates for a mid-size car. Enclosed applies the 80 percent premium.
| Route | Miles | Open | Enclosed | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to Orlando | 439 | $650 | $1,170 | $520 |
| Raleigh to Kissimmee | 617 | $700 | $1,260 | $560 |
| Houston to Jacksonville | 890 | $850 | $1,530 | $680 |
| Chicago to Tampa | 1,180 | $899 | $1,620 | $721 |
| Houston to Los Angeles | 1,566 | $1,300 | $2,340 | $1,040 |
| Los Angeles to Orlando | 2,552 | $1,500 | $2,700 | $1,200 |
| Seattle to Jacksonville | 2,992 | $1,900 | $3,420 | $1,520 |
These are estimates, not fixed prices. Diesel is the biggest cost in moving a car and fuel prices move, so we update these figures as the market changes. Once you book, the Smart Price Promise holds your price.
The gap grows with distance, which is the part to plan around
On a short Southeast run, enclosed costs about five hundred dollars more. Coast to coast it is fifteen hundred. That is worth knowing before you decide, because the same reasoning that makes enclosed feel reasonable on a 400 mile trip looks different at 3,000. Cross country is also where enclosed is most likely to be genuinely worth it, since the car is exposed for eight days rather than one. Both things are true at once, which is why the honest answer is to price both for your actual route rather than decide in the abstract.
Does your car actually need enclosed?
Four reasons genuinely justify the premium. If none of them apply to your car, open is the right call and we will say so.
Four reasons that earn the cost
- Value you cannot replace. A classic, an exotic, a limited production car. If a stone chip means a specialist respray or a sourcing hunt for a panel, the premium is cheap insurance.
- Fresh paint or a finished restoration. New paint is soft for weeks. This is the single most common good reason we hear.
- Ground clearance. A car too low to climb a standard open ramp needs a lift gate, and lift gates live on enclosed trailers.
- It is going somewhere it will be looked at. A show, an auction, a dealership floor, a photo shoot. Arriving clean has a value of its own.
Open and enclosed compared
| Factor | Open transport | Enclosed transport |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The baseline every quote is built on | About 80 percent more |
| Cars per trailer | Up to ten | Two to six, which is why it costs more |
| Exposure | Weather and road grime, same as driving the route | Sheltered from weather, debris and view |
| Availability | Trucks on every route, every day | Fewer trucks, so give a wider date window |
| Low clearance | Standard ramps, a problem for very low cars | Lift gates available, which solves it |
| Insurance | Carrier Cargo Insurance, door to door | Carrier Cargo Insurance, door to door |
| Best for | Daily drivers, SUVs, trucks, used purchases | Classics, exotics, fresh paint, show cars |
| Share of what we ship | Nine out of ten cars | One out of ten |
One thing that is identical either way: your car goes from your address straight onto the carrier and stays covered under Carrier Cargo Insurance for the entire trip. No terminal, no transfer between trucks, no gap in coverage. Enclosed buys you a roof, not better handling of your booking.
Three questions that settle it
Where does the car sleep?
If it lives outside on a driveway, weather is not a new risk and open is fine. If it lives in a climate-controlled garage under a cover, you already know the answer.
What would a stone chip cost?
A touch-up pen on a daily driver, or a specialist respray and a month without the car. That difference is the entire decision in one question.
Price both and look at the gap
The quote form returns both for your exact route. Seeing the real number beats deciding in the abstract, and it takes two minutes.
Read more on each: open transport · enclosed transport · expedited transport.
What our customers say
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Crystal Evans was very helpful.
Open vs enclosed car shipping questions
The ten questions people search before choosing a trailer type.
How much more does enclosed car shipping cost?
Is enclosed car shipping safer than open?
Is open car shipping good enough for most vehicles?
Which cars actually need enclosed transport?
How long does each option take?
Is my car insured on an open trailer?
Can I leave personal items in the car?
Is door-to-door the same on both?
How do I prepare the car, and does it differ by trailer?
How do I know a car shipping company is legitimate?
More questions are answered on the full auto transport FAQ.
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