How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car in Canada? (Real Numbers)

Car shipping quotes in Canada range wildly, and most of the confusion comes from three variables: distance, vehicle size and season. Here's how the pricing actually works.

The distance bands

Carriers price per mile, and the rate per mile drops as distance grows. A short 200 km hop can cost $5+ per mile because loading and paperwork are the same whether you drive 100 miles or 3,000. Toronto to Vancouver (about 2,700 miles by road) typically lands in the $1,400–$2,200 range for a sedan on an open carrier, while Toronto to Montreal might be $550–$700 despite being 1/8th the distance.

What pushes the price up

Bigger vehicles cost more, a lifted F-350 dually takes the space of almost two sedans. Non-runners need a winch carrier (+$150 or more). Enclosed transport for classics and exotics runs 40–80% above open. And remote destinations (Newfoundland is the classic example, with ferry costs) carry heavy surcharges that reflect the carrier's real economics.

Open vs enclosed

Over 90% of vehicles ship on open carriers, the same trailers that deliver new cars to dealerships. Enclosed makes sense above roughly $80,000 of vehicle value, for show cars, or for anything irreplaceable. If you're shipping a daily driver, open transport with a reputable, insured carrier is the rational choice.

Avoiding the quote traps

The lowball-then-raise game is the industry's worst habit: a broker quotes low to win your booking, then 'market conditions' raise the price when no carrier accepts the load. Lock-in pricing exists to fix this, LoadLoom quotes are calculated from real dimensional and lane data and stay valid for 30 days.