Transport type
Open Auto Transport
The open multi-car carrier that moves most of America's vehicles, for the everyday cars where price matters more than a sealed trailer.
- $499
- starting price
- 9–10
- cars per open trailer
- 30–50%
- enclosed costs more
- 7 days
- price lock
The short answer
Open auto transport is the standard, most affordable way to ship a car, starting at $499 with Broadway. Your vehicle rides on an exposed multi-level carrier alongside 9 or 10 others, moves at about 500 miles a day, and costs well below enclosed on the same route.
Get my locked quoteor call (917) 594-5566
Open auto transport is the two-level steel carrier you have seen on the interstate, stacked with cars nose to tail. Your vehicle is driven up the ramps, parked on the top or bottom deck, and secured at the wheels with straps or chains at marked anchor points. A full load runs 9 or 10 vehicles, which is exactly how new cars reach dealerships every day. The deck is open to the air on all sides, the driver covers about 500 miles a day, and because these trucks run every major lane in the country, one is rarely far from your pickup. This is the default the whole industry is built on.
The tradeoff is exposure. Your car rides in the open, so it can arrive with the same road film, dust, or rain spots it would collect sitting in a driveway for a week. That washes off. What does not is a real limit: a low car with under about five inches of clearance, a front splitter, or a stiff aero kit often cannot climb the loading ramps at all, and belongs on an enclosed liftgate trailer instead. Position matters too. A spot on the top deck sits above the road spray and any drips from the cars around it, and you can ask for it, though it is not guaranteed.
What it costs
Open auto transport cost
Open pricing follows the live carrier rate for your exact lane, which is why the honest number is a range until your ZIP pair is priced. Working figures, not bait:
Open carrier · 1,000-mile lane · running sedan
At our published rate of $0.75 to $1.00 a mile on 500 to 1,500 mile lanes, a 1,000-mile sedan runs about $750 to $1,000, which matches live routes like New Jersey to Orlando. The $499 floor is our short-lane starting price, and the ceiling adds peak season and larger vehicles. It is a planning range, not a quote, and your locked price holds 7 days.
What moves the number
- Distance, longer = lower per-mile
- $0.75–1.00/mi
- Peak season (Oct–Nov, Mar–Apr)
- ±20%
- Sedan → XL truck or SUV
- up to +40%
- Non-running, winch loaded
- +$150 flat
Open is exposure, plainly: your car meets weather and road grit the same way it would parked outside. That is the honest cost of the lower price, and for most cars it washes off.
Your exact number takes about 30 seconds and no payment details.
See my priceLocked 7 days · $0 until dispatch
Open or enclosed
Open or enclosed: which does my car actually need?
For the vast majority of cars, open transport is not the budget compromise, it is the correct tool. Standard sedans, SUVs, trucks, and daily drivers ride the same open decks that deliver brand-new inventory to every dealership in the country. If a manufacturer trusts an open carrier with a factory-fresh car headed to a showroom, it is more than good enough for the car you already drive. Enclosed costs 30 to 50% more, you get far fewer trucks to choose from on any given lane, and on open the car arrives needing little more than the wash it was due anyway.
Enclosed earns its cost in a narrow set of cases: six-figure or irreplaceable cars, fresh paint or a curing restoration, and low vehicles that physically cannot board open ramps. That is real, and if your car is one of them, we will say so and move you to enclosed rather than take the easier booking. For everything else, the sealed trailer protects against risks your car does not actually face. The question is never which sounds safer. It is which one matches what you are shipping, and for roughly nine cars in ten the answer is open. A quick quote takes about 30 seconds, and we will tell you honestly which side of that ratio your car falls on.
Exposure, honestly
Does an open carrier actually damage a car?
The fear with open transport is that the road will beat up your car. In practice, the exposure is almost entirely cosmetic. Over a multi-day haul a car picks up road film, dust, and maybe rain spots, the same things it collects parked outside for a week. A wash resolves it. Genuine transit damage, a chip or a ding, is uncommon and is exactly what the carrier's cargo insurance covers, which is why the condition is documented in photos at pickup and delivery on the Bill of Lading. The exposure you are buying into is dirt, not danger, and dirt is temporary.
You can lower the odds further. Ask for a top-deck spot, which rides above the spray and any drips from other cars, and ship with a clean car so the pickup inspection is accurate. Open transport is also how the industry moves cars through every season, including winter, though in an active storm a driver may hold for safety rather than load, which can add a day. None of this is hidden from you. Your coordinator tells you the real window for your lane, weather included, instead of a best-case guess you will resent later. Ask for the top deck when it matters to you, and remember that a wash on arrival is close to the whole of what open transport asks of you.
cars per open load
vs 2–6 enclosed
covered per day
7–10 days coast to coast
open starting price
enclosed costs 30–50% more
What to check
What to check before you book any open carrier
Open transport is a commodity in one sense: the trucks are largely the same. What actually differs from one broker to the next is what happens around the truck. Does the price hold, or drift up after you commit? Do you pay a deposit before a carrier is even assigned? Does the door-to-door service cost extra, or is it included? And will anyone show you the carrier's insurance certificate, or are you meant to take it on faith? Those four answers separate a clean booking from a frustrating one, and you can ask them of anyone. Any broker worth booking will answer all four plainly, without making you chase them.
Broadway's answers are fixed and in writing. Your quote locks for 7 days. You pay $0 until a verified carrier is dispatched, and the balance goes to the driver at delivery. Door-to-door is included on every shipment, with the driver getting as close as the truck can legally reach. And the carrier's cargo-insurance certificate lands in your inbox before pickup, so you can read the limit yourself. Run the same four questions past any competitor before you book, and compare the answers, not the ads. The honest ones will answer plainly, and that tells you most of what you need.
- Does the quoted price lock, and for how long? Broadway holds it 7 days on your exact ZIP pair.
- Is any payment due before a carrier is assigned? With Broadway it is $0 until dispatch.
- Does door-to-door cost extra? It is included on every Broadway shipment.
- Will they email the carrier's insurance certificate before pickup? We send it unprompted.
If a broker dodges any of these four, you have your answer.
Is it right for you
The honest version of this decision
Book it when
- You're shipping a standard daily driver, SUV, or truck
- Price matters more than a sealed trailer
- You want the most trucks and the fastest pickup on your lane
- The car lives outside anyway and a wash on arrival is no issue
Don't bother when
- The car is worth six figures or is simply irreplaceable
- It sits under about five inches and can't clear the ramps
- Paint or a wrap is fresh, or a restoration is still curing
- You need it spotless on arrival for a show or a sale
Shipping something rare, low, or freshly painted? The sealed trailer and liftgate are worth it, see enclosed car transport.
How it runs
What an open booking looks like end to end
Questions
Open Auto Transport: common questions
Still stuck? A coordinator answers the phone Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm ET.
How much does open car transport cost?
Open auto transport starts at $499 with Broadway, and a running sedan on a 1,000-mile lane typically lands between $750 and $1,000. Your exact price depends on distance, vehicle size, and how busy your lane is that week, and it locks for 7 days once issued.
Is open car transport safe?
Yes. Open transport is the same method manufacturers use to deliver new cars to dealerships, and genuine transit damage is uncommon. Your car is exposed to weather and road film, which washes off, and it travels under the carrier's cargo insurance, documented in photos at both ends.
Will my car get damaged by weather on an open trailer?
Almost never beyond the cosmetic. Over a few days a car collects the same road dust and rain spots it would sitting outside, and a wash handles it. For extra protection you can request a top-deck spot, which rides above most of the spray from the road and other cars.
How long does open car shipping take?
Carriers cover about 500 miles a day, so under 500 miles usually runs 1 to 3 days and coast-to-coast takes 7 to 10. Open lanes have the most trucks, so pickup is typically faster to arrange than enclosed. Your coordinator gives a realistic window for your route.
Is open cheaper than enclosed transport?
Yes. Enclosed costs 30 to 50% more on the same route. Open carriers haul 9 or 10 cars at once and run every major lane, which keeps the price down. Enclosed costs more because the fleet is far smaller and the trailer is sealed, which most standard cars do not need.
Can I ship a lowered or low-clearance car on an open carrier?
Usually not if it sits under about five inches or has a front splitter, because it cannot climb the loading ramps. Those cars belong on an enclosed liftgate trailer that loads level. Measure the lowest point at the front and tell us the number before booking.
Do I have to pay anything upfront for open transport?
No. You pay $0 at booking. Your card is charged only once a verified open carrier is dispatched to your vehicle, and the balance is paid to the driver at delivery by cash, Zelle, or certified funds. Cancel free any time before dispatch.
Is door-to-door included with open car shipping?
Yes, on every shipment at no extra cost. The driver picks up and delivers as close to your address as the truck can safely and legally get. On tight streets, you may agree to meet at a nearby wide spot like a large parking lot.
Ready to ship? See your open transport price now
- Price locked 7 days
- $0 until a carrier is assigned
- One coordinator, direct line
or call (917) 594-5566. A person answers.