How Wave Prices Car Shipping
Your price is set by one car, one route and one pickup date. That's why we quote you live instead of reading off a table: request a quote and we price your actual vehicle and route right now, with no upfront deposit to book. A price range elsewhere on this site is a different thing. It is a planning figure for shipments like yours, which is useful for a ballpark and never a promise about your car.
The two numbers you'll see on this site, and only one is yours
You'll run into two different prices here: a live quote, which is yours and current, and a reference range, which is a general planning figure for shipments like yours.
A chart can't follow your car, your week, or which carriers happen to be running your route right now. Too much changes for a fixed table to keep up, so we don't price your shipment off one. Request a quote and we price your vehicle, your route and your date directly. The ranges elsewhere on this site are planning figures, which help you set expectations before you request your own number. A reference range is never a quote, an estimate for your car, or a guarantee.
How do we build your quote?
We build your quote from the specific facts of your shipment: your vehicle's year, make and model, whether it runs, your pickup and delivery ZIP codes, your preferred pickup date, and open or enclosed transport.
Send us those details through the quote form and you get back a current price for your shipment. There is no upfront deposit to book. Once you accept, we dispatch your shipment, as a licensed broker, to a vetted carrier in our network already running that route.
What is a reference range for?
A reference range is a planning figure for a distance or route that helps you set expectations before you request a live quote.
Every range is labeled a reference range. A live quote gives the real price for your car and route.
What actually decides your price?
Your price comes down to your vehicle, your exact pickup address, your exact delivery address, when you need pickup and delivery, any extra services you add, which carriers are actually available on your route, and what the market is doing on that route right now.
Your vehicle comes first. A bigger vehicle takes up more deck space, so a truck or SUV typically costs more than a sedan on the same route, and a car that won't start needs a winch-equipped carrier to load it, which may add to the running-vehicle price. Your pickup and delivery addresses matter too: a rural driveway or a street a full-size carrier can't reach both change which carrier can take the job. Timing matters directly. The tighter your pickup window, the faster the carrier we have to choose, and carriers charge a small premium for that speed. Additional services move the price on their own: choose enclosed transport and you're paying for a hardside trailer instead of an open one, typically 40% to 50% more on the same route. Carrier availability shifts on its own schedule. How many trucks are already running your route right now sets what it costs, whatever your car is. Other market conditions, such as how much freight is moving on your corridor this week, can push your price either direction for reasons that have nothing to do with your vehicle.
Why don't we just give you one price?
Because distance is the biggest factor in your price, and a short in-state move costs nowhere near what a coast-to-coast haul does. One blended number would hide how far your car is going.
Every reference range on this site is tied to a distance or a specific route, so the number you're looking at covers shipments like yours, not shipments in general.
Why might your quote land outside the range you saw?
Your quote can land above or below a reference range because the range describes a typical sedan on a typical timeline, and your shipment might not match either one.
Your vehicle type, whether it runs, your exact addresses, how fast you need pickup, and which carriers are actually available on your route right now all move your real price in ways a general range can't capture. That's why we keep the two separate.
Frequently asked questions about how car shipping prices are set
- Is the price I see on this site what I'll actually pay?
Only if it came from the quote form. Everything else on this site is a reference range, a general figure that is not tied to your car. Request your own quote for a real price.
- How are car shipping quotes calculated?
We calculate your quote from your vehicle's year, make and model, whether it runs, your pickup and delivery ZIP codes, your pickup date and your transport type (open or enclosed), checked against real carrier availability on your route right now.
- Why doesn't Wave publish one single national price?
Because a short in-state move and a coast-to-coast haul cost very different amounts, and distance is the biggest factor in that gap. Ranges are broken out by distance so each figure covers shipments like yours.
- What does a reference range actually tell me?
A reference range is a planning figure, not a quote; the section above, "The two numbers you'll see on this site," explains the difference.
- How much more does enclosed transport cost?
Enclosed transport typically costs 40% to 50% more than open transport on the same route. See how much more enclosed car shipping costs for the full comparison.
- Why might my quote be different from the reference range for my route?
The reference range describes a typical sedan on a typical timeline. Your vehicle, its condition, your exact addresses, the pickup window you choose, and today's carrier availability on your route can all move your real price above or below it.
- Does Wave charge a deposit before pricing or booking a shipment?
No. Getting a quote costs you nothing, and we don't collect a deposit to book. A deposit is charged only after a truck has been assigned and dispatched to your shipment.
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