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How Long Does it Take to Ship a Car?

You might not know what to expect when shipping a car, especially when it comes to the time-frame that spans from initial pick-up to delivery at its destination. So, how long does it take to ship a car cross country? There are too many variables involved and delivery times can vary. Usually, a car will be picked up for transport within 2-7 days and a delivery time can be estimated based on normal driving time and distance traveled.

Distance in Miles Calendar Days
0 – 200 1 – 2
200 – 600 2 – 4
600 – 1000 3 – 5
1000 – 1500 4 – 6
1500 – 2000 5 – 7
2000 – 2400 6 – 8
2400 and up 7 – 9

However, some of the variables that can affect the average time it takes to transport a car include:

  • Distance – The more distance between you and your car, the longer it will take the transporter to get to the delivery location.
  • Season – Whether it’s rain in the spring or ice in the winter, seasonal weather affects transportation timeframes.
  • Road Conditions – If your car needs to travel down a major lane that is under construction, some time can be added onto expected delivery.
  • Traffic – Travelling through major cities or getting behind an accident can really slow your driver down.
  • Other stops – Many times, car carriers have more than one car on their rig with more than one delivery location.
  • Pick-up and drop-off locations – If the pick-up and/or drop-off locations are in a neighborhood that’s hard to maneuver or in a rural area, it can take a bit longer since the driver will be going off a major highway.

Tips to help Get Your Car Delivered as Quickly as Possible

The best thing you can do to help reduce delays when shipping a car is to plan things in advance. This begins with ensuring a car is prepared for transport as well as coordinating vehicle pickup with your car shipping transporter. With uShip, it’s easy to get quotes and find the best car shipping companies to get the job done. Not only can you find car shipping companies’ reviews of previous shipments completed on uShip, but you can also see how long it took and how much it cost to do similar car shipments through the cost-to-ship index.

When you use uShip to find your auto transport service, you save time and money. Simply create your shipment listing and professional car transporters will provide you quotes as they compete for your business, ensuring you get their best rates. Using uShip also means you’re backed by advantages you can’t find anywhere else: