Cross Country Car Transport: Drive It, Hire a Driver, or Ship It
There are three ways to get a car across the country: drive it yourself, hire a professional driver to drive it for you, or ship it with an auto transport carrier. Cross country transport comes down to who does the driving and who pays for the days. Each option wins in some situations. This page compares them on cost, timing, risk and convenience, with real numbers for two common routes.
✓ 1,000+ trips since 2013 · ✓ Licensed & Insured · ✓ Background-checked drivers · ✓ As seen on CNBC
Quick facts
- Driving customers’ cars since 2013
- 1,000+ trips completed
- Drivers are mostly ex-long-haul truckers and former police officers
- $0.75–$1.25 per mile base price, fuel and tolls at cost
- About 1,000 miles a day
- Door to door in the lower 48 states and Alaska
- Licensed & Insured
Cross country vehicle transport solutions: the three options at a glance
| Factor | Drive it yourself | Hire a driver | Ship on a carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost, NY → FL (1,200 mi) | About $200 fuel and tolls + 1 night hotels and meals ($150–$200) + your time (rough estimate, October 2026) | $1,000–$1,400 base + fuel and tolls at actual cost | Published quotes about $920–$1,422 (as of October 2026; MoveBuddha, FreightWaves); can change at dispatch |
| Time | About 2 days of your life | About 1 day, with a pickup window and delivery date planned with you | A one-to-three-week window from pickup to delivery |
| Handling | You | One vetted driver, door to door | Loaded, unloaded and sometimes transferred between trucks |
| Personal items in the car | A reasonable amount | A reasonable amount | Carriers usually limit or ban personal items in the car |
| Door to door | Yes | Yes | Often curbside or terminal |
| Best for | People with time who want the road trip | Anyone who wants a delivery date planned with them and no handling | Non-running or very high-value cars; tight budgets on short routes |
Shipping prices are third-party market figures, not our prices: the quote ranges published by MoveBuddha and FreightWaves (New York City to Miami) for shipping a car by carrier, as of October 2026. Neither site separates open from enclosed carriers; open carriers are the cheaper option. The driving-it-yourself figures are our own rough estimates, October 2026.
Is it cheaper to drive or ship your car?
Driving it yourself is almost always the cheapest option on paper and rarely the cheapest in practice. New York to Florida is about 1,200 miles: about $200 in fuel and tolls and one night of hotels and meals (budget $150 to $200), which adds up to about $350 to $400 before you count the two days you are not working (rough estimate, October 2026). If you would otherwise fly, add a one-way ticket.
Auto transport cross country usually means an open carrier truck shared with other cars. Shipping on a carrier is usually cheaper than a driver, and an open carrier is the cheapest paid option. Shipping that same car is quoted at about $920 to $1,422 (as of October 2026; MoveBuddha, FreightWaves). Carriers ship cars cross country on a truck with eight other cars, which is why pickup is a window of days. A broker’s quote is not always the price you pay: carriers accept loads at dispatch, and a low quote can sit unassigned until it is raised. The whole trip is a one-to-three-week window from pickup to delivery, and the car is loaded and unloaded at least twice.
Hiring a driver costs $1,000 to $1,400 base plus fuel and tolls on that route. It is the only one that gives you a pickup window and delivery date planned with you, a single person responsible for the car from your driveway to the destination, and room for a reasonable amount of personal items.
Hire a driver to transport your car
You request a quote, approve the price and agree a pickup date. A professional driver then collects the car at your door and drives it to the delivery address. Cross country transportation services fall into two families, those that load your car onto a truck and those that drive it, and this is the second kind.
Hiring a driver once meant volunteers driving for free; today it means a screened professional you pay per mile. Many companies transport cars across country on trucks; a driver means one accountable person from door to door.
Door to door, with no terminals
Your driver comes to you and delivers to the address you give us. There are no terminals and no drop-off points, and nothing is loaded, unloaded or transferred. One driver takes the car the whole way and nobody else touches it. Our drivers deliver cars across country door to door, one car at a time.
Timing you can plan around
Coast to coast takes 3 days or less at about 1,000 miles a day. A carrier works in a window: one to three weeks from pickup to delivery. If you need the car on a specific date, that difference decides it. A reasonable amount of personal items can ride along too, where carriers usually limit or ban personal items in the car.
When shipping is the better choice
- The car does not run, or has very low mileage you want to preserve.
- A collector or exotic car where an enclosed carrier is worth the premium.
- A short route (under 500 miles) on a flexible timeline, where carrier pricing is at its most competitive.
- You are moving several cars and a carrier can take them all on one truck.
When a driver is the better choice
- You need the car on a specific date: a new job, a lease start, a flight home.
- You want to send a reasonable amount of personal items in the car.
- You do not want the car loaded, unloaded or handed between companies.
- You are a snowbird, a military family or a parent with a student, and you do this every year.
- You are moving with a rental truck and nobody in the family wants to drive it.
When driving it yourself is the better choice
You have the time, you want the trip, and you are comfortable with a drive of about 4 days. If that is you, our guide covers planning, rest, fuel and weather.
A second example: New York to California
About 2,800 miles. Driving it yourself: roughly $450 to $550 in fuel and tolls (rough estimate, October 2026), three nights on the road and about 4 days off. Cross country vehicle transportation by carrier: published quotes run about $1,497 to $2,450 (as of October 2026; MoveBuddha, FreightWaves), with a one-to-three-week window from pickup to delivery. A professional driver: $1,900 to $2,500 base plus fuel and tolls, delivered in 3 days or less.
Planning your cross country car transport
It comes down to three decisions: the date you need the car, the money you want to spend and how much handling you will accept. A carrier trades a planned date for price; hiring a driver trades price for a delivery date planned with you and no handling. Moving a car cross country yourself trades your time for money.
Long distance transport options differ most in how much of the trip you control. Compare them on who is responsible for the car, whether the delivery date is planned with you and whether personal items are allowed.
Tips for a smooth long distance car transport
- Decide the date first. If you need the car on a specific day, a carrier’s window may not work.
- Ask any provider in writing who is responsible for the car at each stage, and whether the delivery date is fixed.
- Ask whether you can pack the car. Carriers usually limit or ban personal items in the car.
For a rough price before you ask, see what a driver actually costs.
Long distance car transport with a driver: what happens to your car
One vetted professional driver takes your car from your door, photographs it at pickup and delivery, and is tracked by our office the whole way; nobody else touches it.
Common questions about car shipping alternatives
What is the cheapest way to get a car across the country?
Driving it yourself, if you don’t count your time. Among paid options, an open carrier on a flexible timeline is usually cheapest; a professional driver costs more and works to a pickup window and delivery date planned with you, with no handling.
Can I hire someone to drive my car instead of shipping it?
Yes. Cross Country Driver has done exactly that since 2013. A vetted professional driver picks the car up at your door and drives it to the destination.
Is it safe to have someone else drive my car cross-country?
With a vetted driver, yes. Ours are mostly ex-long-haul truckers and former police officers, and each passes criminal, driving-record, drug and reference checks. We have never had an accident.
What is a cross country driver service?
A cross country driver service sends a professional driver to drive your car to its destination so you do not have to. Ours picks the car up at your door, drives about 1,000 miles a day and delivers it on the delivery date planned with you, with one driver the whole way.
How to transport a car across country: what are the options?
You have three options: drive it yourself, hire a professional driver, or ship it on a carrier. Driving is cheapest on paper, shipping is usually cheaper than a driver and slower, and a driver gives you a pickup window and delivery date planned with you, and no handling.
Does car shipping damage cars?
Most shipments arrive fine. The risk points are loading, unloading and transfers between trucks, which a driveaway service avoids entirely.