What affects the cost of car transport?

• Distance – this is stance is one of the biggest factors affecting your quote. If the car dealership is around the corner from your house, it'll be cheap and cheerful, but if you're shipping a car from London to Scotland, you can expect a higher total price to cover the extra cost of fuel and labour. However, if you look at the cost per mile, shorter distance deliveries are often a higher price per mile than longer journeys. This is due to the fixed costs of transporting a car – logistics, specialist vehicles and equipment as well as labour costs.
• Vehicle size – the larger and heavier the vehicle, the more fuel is needed to transport it. Larger vehicles also tend to need more specialised equipment to load the vehicle and keep it secure during the journey, which all adds up to a higher price. If the car transport company is using a multi-vehicle transporter, larger cars need more space on the transport carrier, which means fewer vehicles the transport partner can deliver together.
• Vehicle condition – non-running vehicles need extra labour and specialist equipment to get the vehicle ready to be transported. If damages to the car could impact other vehicles on a multi-car carrier, the vehicle will have to be delivered on its own, and so that will also increase the transport cost.
• Transporter type – for car deliveries in the UK, you will typically see open car transport and enclosed car transport. Open car transport includes multi-car transporters or single-vehicle trailers. Multi-car transporters have room for more cars to be transported at once, which reduces the cost of your delivery, and are often used to transport to or from dealerships. If you're moving just one car, an open trailer is most popular. Enclosed trailers are typically used for specialist vehicles, such as vintage or luxury cars, and will increase the cost of your delivery.