2026 Car Shipping Cost Index: Real Prices Across 132 Major U.S. Routes
The national average to ship a car is $1.32 per mile on an open carrier in June 2026, based on live carrier pricing across 132 major U.S. corridors — ranging from $0.60/mile on the longest hauls to $8.20/mile on shorter regional moves. Enclosed transport runs about 60% more than open.
$1.32
avg per mile (open)
+60%
enclosed premium
$1.93
/mi under 1,000 mi
$0.85
/mi over 2,000 mi
Key findings
- Distance lowers the per-mile rate. Short hauls (under 1,000 mi) average $1.93/mile, mid-distance $1.07/mile, and long hauls (2,000+ mi) drop to $0.85/mile — carriers amortize fixed costs over more miles.
- Enclosed transport costs ~60% more than open, the trade-off for full weather and road-debris protection.
- Cheapest corridor per mile: Washington → Florida at $0.60/mile. Priciest: New York → New Jersey at $8.20/mile.
Methodology
Prices reflect live quotes pulled from Simple Car Ship’s carrier-network pricing API in June 2026 for a standard running sedan, open transport (with enclosed where noted), across 132 ordered state-to-state corridors among the largest U.S. auto-transport markets. Cost-per-mile = quoted open price ÷ route distance. Real-world quotes vary with vehicle size, exact pickup/delivery points, season, and carrier availability.
The data — 132 major routes
| Route | Miles | Open | Enclosed | $/mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → New Jersey | 25 | $205 | $328 | $8.20 |
| New Jersey → New York | 25 | $205 | $328 | $8.20 |
| New Jersey → Pennsylvania | 76 | $205 | $328 | $2.70 |
| Pennsylvania → New Jersey | 77 | $155 | $248 | $2.01 |
| New York → Pennsylvania | 94 | $355 | $568 | $3.78 |
| Pennsylvania → New York | 95 | $305 | $488 | $3.21 |
| Georgia → North Carolina | 255 | $515 | $824 | $2.02 |
| North Carolina → Georgia | 255 | $634 | $1,014 | $2.49 |
| Illinois → Michigan | 282 | $687 | $1,099 | $2.44 |
| Michigan → Illinois | 282 | $774 | $1,238 | $2.75 |
| California → Arizona | 375 | $604 | $966 | $1.61 |
| Arizona → California | 375 | $543 | $869 | $1.45 |
| North Carolina → Pennsylvania | 544 | $1,112 | $1,779 | $2.04 |
| Pennsylvania → North Carolina | 546 | $746 | $1,194 | $1.37 |
| Pennsylvania → Michigan | 583 | $786 | $1,258 | $1.35 |
| Michigan → Pennsylvania | 583 | $870 | $1,392 | $1.49 |
| North Carolina → New Jersey | 606 | $1,065 | $1,704 | $1.76 |
| New Jersey → North Carolina | 609 | $731 | $1,170 | $1.20 |
| New York → Michigan | 616 | $791 | $1,266 | $1.28 |
| Michigan → New York | 616 | $932 | $1,491 | $1.51 |
| Michigan → New Jersey | 617 | $800 | $1,280 | $1.30 |
| New Jersey → Michigan | 617 | $722 | $1,155 | $1.17 |
| North Carolina → New York | 629 | $1,415 | $2,264 | $2.25 |
| North Carolina → Michigan | 633 | $1,231 | $1,970 | $1.95 |
| New York → North Carolina | 638 | $922 | $1,475 | $1.45 |
| Michigan → North Carolina | 640 | $869 | $1,390 | $1.36 |
| Florida → Georgia | 654 | $891 | $1,426 | $1.36 |
| Georgia → Florida | 654 | $585 | $936 | $0.89 |
| Georgia → Illinois | 725 | $1,421 | $2,274 | $1.96 |
| Illinois → Georgia | 726 | $989 | $1,582 | $1.36 |
| Georgia → Michigan | 729 | $1,157 | $1,851 | $1.59 |
| Michigan → Georgia | 729 | $831 | $1,330 | $1.14 |
| Florida → North Carolina | 730 | $1,171 | $1,874 | $1.60 |
| North Carolina → Florida | 730 | $926 | $1,482 | $1.27 |
| Pennsylvania → Illinois | 760 | $1,254 | $2,006 | $1.65 |
| North Carolina → Illinois | 760 | $1,663 | $2,661 | $2.19 |
| Illinois → Pennsylvania | 761 | $1,303 | $2,085 | $1.71 |
| Illinois → North Carolina | 763 | $1,073 | $1,717 | $1.41 |
| Texas → Georgia | 783 | $789 | $1,262 | $1.01 |
| Georgia → Texas | 783 | $1,077 | $1,723 | $1.38 |
| Georgia → Pennsylvania | 786 | $1,282 | $2,051 | $1.63 |
| Illinois → New York | 792 | $1,193 | $1,909 | $1.51 |
| New York → Illinois | 793 | $1,319 | $2,110 | $1.66 |
| New Jersey → Illinois | 793 | $1,130 | $1,808 | $1.43 |
| Pennsylvania → Georgia | 795 | $933 | $1,493 | $1.17 |
| Illinois → New Jersey | 798 | $997 | $1,595 | $1.25 |
| Georgia → New Jersey | 845 | $1,109 | $1,774 | $1.31 |
| New Jersey → Georgia | 854 | $825 | $1,320 | $0.97 |
| Georgia → New York | 873 | $1,364 | $2,182 | $1.56 |
| New York → Georgia | 882 | $961 | $1,538 | $1.09 |
| Texas → North Carolina | 1,034 | $1,098 | $1,757 | $1.06 |
| North Carolina → Texas | 1,035 | $1,452 | $2,323 | $1.40 |
| Texas → Illinois | 1,092 | $1,381 | $2,210 | $1.26 |
| Illinois → Texas | 1,093 | $1,415 | $2,264 | $1.29 |
| California → Washington | 1,143 | $1,669 | $2,670 | $1.46 |
| Washington → California | 1,145 | $1,110 | $1,776 | $0.97 |
| Texas → Florida | 1,181 | $865 | $1,384 | $0.73 |
| Florida → Texas | 1,181 | $1,436 | $2,298 | $1.22 |
| Texas → Arizona | 1,187 | $1,101 | $1,762 | $0.93 |
| Arizona → Texas | 1,191 | $1,424 | $2,278 | $1.20 |
| Florida → Pennsylvania | 1,194 | $1,692 | $2,707 | $1.42 |
| Pennsylvania → Florida | 1,200 | $1,203 | $1,925 | $1.00 |
| New Jersey → Florida | 1,264 | $1,122 | $1,795 | $0.89 |
| Florida → New Jersey | 1,266 | $1,517 | $2,427 | $1.20 |
| Florida → New York | 1,278 | $1,613 | $2,581 | $1.26 |
| New York → Florida | 1,286 | $1,264 | $2,022 | $0.98 |
| Texas → Michigan | 1,308 | $1,413 | $2,261 | $1.08 |
| Michigan → Texas | 1,337 | $1,506 | $2,410 | $1.13 |
| Florida → Illinois | 1,378 | $2,021 | $3,234 | $1.47 |
| Illinois → Florida | 1,379 | $1,202 | $1,923 | $0.87 |
| Florida → Michigan | 1,382 | $1,766 | $2,826 | $1.28 |
| Michigan → Florida | 1,382 | $1,111 | $1,778 | $0.80 |
| Arizona → Washington | 1,422 | $1,762 | $2,819 | $1.24 |
| Washington → Arizona | 1,426 | $1,226 | $1,962 | $0.86 |
| Texas → Pennsylvania | 1,547 | $1,544 | $2,470 | $1.00 |
| Pennsylvania → Texas | 1,548 | $1,539 | $2,462 | $0.99 |
| Texas → California | 1,562 | $1,371 | $2,194 | $0.88 |
| California → Texas | 1,564 | $1,629 | $2,606 | $1.04 |
| Texas → New Jersey | 1,609 | $1,294 | $2,070 | $0.80 |
| New Jersey → Texas | 1,615 | $1,332 | $2,131 | $0.82 |
| New York → Texas | 1,625 | $1,628 | $2,605 | $1.00 |
| Texas → New York | 1,626 | $1,639 | $2,622 | $1.01 |
| Illinois → Arizona | 1,754 | $1,668 | $2,669 | $0.95 |
| Arizona → Illinois | 1,754 | $1,992 | $3,187 | $1.14 |
| Georgia → Arizona | 1,852 | $1,783 | $2,853 | $0.96 |
| Arizona → Georgia | 1,854 | $1,863 | $2,981 | $1.00 |
| Arizona → Michigan | 1,984 | $2,142 | $3,427 | $1.08 |
| Michigan → Arizona | 2,005 | $1,748 | $2,797 | $0.87 |
| Illinois → California | 2,021 | $1,653 | $2,645 | $0.82 |
| California → Illinois | 2,022 | $2,084 | $3,334 | $1.03 |
| Washington → Illinois | 2,043 | $1,885 | $3,016 | $0.92 |
| Illinois → Washington | 2,064 | $1,992 | $3,187 | $0.96 |
| North Carolina → Arizona | 2,093 | $2,184 | $3,494 | $1.04 |
| Arizona → North Carolina | 2,094 | $2,110 | $3,376 | $1.01 |
| California → Georgia | 2,186 | $1,897 | $3,035 | $0.87 |
| Georgia → California | 2,187 | $1,857 | $2,971 | $0.85 |
| California → Michigan | 2,284 | $2,020 | $3,232 | $0.88 |
| Michigan → California | 2,284 | $1,689 | $2,702 | $0.74 |
| Washington → Michigan | 2,328 | $1,804 | $2,886 | $0.78 |
| Pennsylvania → Arizona | 2,341 | $1,880 | $3,008 | $0.80 |
| Arizona → Pennsylvania | 2,342 | $2,240 | $3,584 | $0.96 |
| Washington → Texas | 2,349 | $1,891 | $3,026 | $0.81 |
| Michigan → Washington | 2,351 | $2,248 | $3,597 | $0.96 |
| Florida → Arizona | 2,358 | $1,981 | $3,170 | $0.84 |
| Texas → Washington | 2,360 | $2,298 | $3,677 | $0.97 |
| Arizona → Florida | 2,361 | $1,811 | $2,898 | $0.77 |
| Arizona → New Jersey | 2,406 | $2,057 | $3,291 | $0.85 |
| New Jersey → Arizona | 2,406 | $1,612 | $2,579 | $0.67 |
| Arizona → New York | 2,410 | $2,286 | $3,658 | $0.95 |
| New York → Arizona | 2,412 | $1,931 | $3,090 | $0.80 |
| California → North Carolina | 2,424 | $2,120 | $3,392 | $0.88 |
| North Carolina → California | 2,436 | $2,185 | $3,496 | $0.90 |
| Washington → Georgia | 2,643 | $1,753 | $2,805 | $0.66 |
| Georgia → Washington | 2,644 | $2,350 | $3,760 | $0.89 |
| California → Pennsylvania | 2,713 | $2,348 | $3,757 | $0.86 |
| Pennsylvania → California | 2,714 | $2,083 | $3,333 | $0.77 |
| Florida → California | 2,733 | $2,202 | $3,523 | $0.81 |
| California → Florida | 2,735 | $2,034 | $3,254 | $0.74 |
| California → New Jersey | 2,788 | $2,349 | $3,758 | $0.84 |
| California → New York | 2,796 | $2,365 | $3,784 | $0.85 |
| New York → California | 2,796 | $2,116 | $3,386 | $0.76 |
| North Carolina → Washington | 2,799 | $2,456 | $3,930 | $0.88 |
| New Jersey → California | 2,801 | $1,822 | $2,915 | $0.65 |
| Washington → Pennsylvania | 2,821 | $3,985 | $6,376 | $1.41 |
| Washington → North Carolina | 2,823 | $1,916 | $3,066 | $0.68 |
| Pennsylvania → Washington | 2,831 | $2,245 | $3,592 | $0.79 |
| Washington → New Jersey | 2,834 | $2,148 | $3,437 | $0.76 |
| Washington → New York | 2,839 | $2,365 | $3,784 | $0.83 |
| New York → Washington | 2,854 | $2,698 | $4,317 | $0.94 |
| New Jersey → Washington | 2,870 | $2,103 | $3,365 | $0.73 |
| Washington → Florida | 3,296 | $1,975 | $3,160 | $0.60 |
| Florida → Washington | 3,297 | $2,815 | $4,504 | $0.85 |
Cite this study
Journalists and writers are welcome to cite this data with attribution:
“Simple Car Ship 2026 Car Shipping Cost Index (June 2026), simplecarship.com”
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