Europe? Japan? Egypt? Wherever you are moving overseas, you have a lot of logistics to consider in order to set up your new life. One you might not have considered: how much does it cost to ship a car overseas? Assuming you’ve decided you’ll be bringing your car, here’s a breakdown of what international shipping will cost for your vehicle so you can plan accordingly.
Factors that affect the cost
- Type of Vehicle – Larger vehicles may cost more to ship, as you might guess — depending on which shipping method you choose, the additional space they occupy may shift the space demands. When shipping heavy haul vehicles like large trucks and other equipment, the costs and shipping method may be significantly different from shipping a car or even SUV due to the increased weight of the vehicle.
- Time Restraints – Depending on where your vehicle is heading, you can anticipate between 3-12 weeks for your vehicle to make the journey overseas. If you absolutely need it to arrive sooner rather than later, you can anticipate increased cost for expedited shipping.
- Destination – The distance from loading to drop-off will impact costs, particularly if there are multiple “legs” of the journey required to arrive at the final port. More popular shipping routes will cost less, while more remote or rarely used ports will likely increase the cost of the journey.
- Door to Door vs Pickup at Port – If you can swing it, picking your vehicle up at the port of delivery will save you money on car shipping. Otherwise multiple transport vehicles are required, including loading your vehicle onto a truck to make the next leg of the journey on land.
- Transport Method – If you’re wondering about the best ways to transport your car, there are a few — your car can, in fact, ride on an airplane, though it isn’t the cheapest way to ship a car — it will cost between $5,000 and $40,000 for that journey. Sending your car on a ship will range between $1,000-$5,000 depending whether you choose “ro ro shipping” (roll on roll off the ship) or container shipping, where your car is given its own compartment in a contained area. Your choices here depend on how concerned you are for your car’s aesthetic safety, as it is less protected from the weather with ro ro shipping.
Other Costs
- Shipping Insurance – Unless your car insurance is already top-notch, you’ll need to secure additional coverage. Expect to pay about 1.5 %-2.5% of the estimated value, or about $300-$500 for a car valued at $20,000.
- Port of Entry Taxes – In Europe, the taxes are around 150 Euros- or about $200 USD. Different countries have widely ranging costs, so do your research so you know what to anticipate.
- Land-locked Shipping – If you live far from an actual port, you’ll need to contract with an overseas mover or auto shipper to get your vehicle to the shipping destination. The price for such services starts around $100 for a few miles, and can climb significantly the further you are from port.
Looking for some more tips for shipping your car safely and on the cheap? Check out our blog post, and while you’re there get a quote for long distance moving services. You might as well get the whole picture!
If you are moving abroad, we recommend reading our tips for shipping your belongings overseas.
