Drive or ship your car? Do the math in 30 seconds.
Driving looks free until you add it up: gas, hotels, meals for the whole family, days off work, and a thousand-plus miles on the car. Change any number below to match your move. Then compare it to a written shipping price.
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How it works
We assume about 500 miles a day, which is a full, safe driving day for most families. Hotels are one night for each day after the first. Meals are per person, per day.
If you would be flying anyway, or driving your other car, the shipping quote is the whole cost of moving this car.
What the drive really costs
Most families price the drive by the gas. That's the smallest part. On a 1,200-mile move, it's two or three days on the road, two hotel nights, and six or more meals for everyone in the car. Then there's the time off work, and the miles on a car you're about to need in a new city.
Shipping has one price. With us it's written down and doesn't change after you book. You fly or drive the other car, and your car shows up on a truck.
Two cars? Drive one, ship one.
This is what a lot of families do. One car carries the people, the dog and the first-week boxes. The other one rides. Put the shipped car on a quote, and keep the drive to one car and one set of hotel rooms.
Keep reading
Drive or ship
Questions families ask before they decide
Is it cheaper to drive or ship a car across the country?
It depends on the distance, your car, and how many people are on the trip. Add gas, hotels, meals, wear and days off work, then compare to a written quote. For 500+ mile moves the two are often close, and shipping gives you back days.
How many miles a day can I drive on a move?
About 500 miles is a full, safe driving day for most families with stops. That's what this calculator assumes.
We have two cars. What do most families do?
A lot of them drive one and ship the other. One car carries the people and the first-week essentials. The other shows up on a truck without the miles.
What doesn't the calculator count?
The miles and depreciation on your car beyond basic wear, the risk of a breakdown far from home, and how tired everyone is when you arrive. Those are real too.
Now get the other number.
Your written shipping price, online in minutes. A real person calls to plan it around your move.