Did you know that it costs over $1500 to ship your car across the country? But that people still do it—and do it often?

Why do people ship their car? It's a simple alternative if you need to get your car to another state but aren't able to drive it there! 

If you are looking into the process to ship a vehicle across the country or with a long-distance move, then there are a few things to know first.

Keep reading this blog to know everything you need to know before you get started with the process!

Check the Reviews for a Reputable Company 

The first thing that you need to do when you are shipping a vehicle is find a reputable company that you can trust with your car.

There are many ways that you can go about this. For starters, you can ask for recommendations from family and friends who you know have shipped their car before. 

Or, if no one you know has done this, you can do a quick search online for reputable car shipping companies. 

For instance, you could do a search for "shipping car to another state" to see what comes up. You could put in your general location as well to see if that helps you find one.

Once you find a few companies, you should read the reviews about them. When you ship your vehicle, you want to make sure you are using a company that you can trust. Reading reviews will help you figure out what each company is all about.

Determine the Shipping Method

There are different types of transport options that you can choose from when you ship your car.

Typically, these are open transport and enclosed transport options to choose from.

Open transport is more common—you've probably seen these trucks drive past you on the highway before with other cars on them! That's open transport shipping. This is typically the less expensive option.

However, you may want an enclosed transport option. This could be because you want to provide more protection for your vehicle. Maybe it's a brand new car or a luxury car that you don't want out in the open. 

If that's the case, enclosed is the way to go. Just know that you will be spending more money as this is the more expensive option for shipping your car.

Prepare Your Vehicle

Once you select your shipping company and the shipping method for your car that you want to use, you need to prepare your car!

What exactly does this mean? What do you need to do to prepare your vehicle to have it shipped?

For starters, it is best to clean out your vehicle before shipping. It could be several weeks before you see it again and if you have trash or something else in there that starts to smell, this will be an unpleasant surprise when you get your car back.

It is best to clean it so that when you get it back, it is all ready for your use again!

You should also take out everything from the vehicle that is a personal belonging or valuable item. You don't want to risk anything being taken from your vehicle. 

You should also document all existing damage to your car so that if you find anything new after the fact, you have a case working for you.

Check Insurance Coverage

This may not be a step that you would typically think about. However, it is very important. You need to make sure that you talk to your insurance provider to ensure that there is still coverage when shipping your vehicle. 

While the shipping company should also have insurance (and you should 100% double-check this), you also need to have your own insurance for peace of mind as well.

Empty the Fuel Tank

In addition to cleaning the inside of the car, you should empty the fuel tank. This will ensure that you are not going to get any leaks from the fuel tank while you are shipping your car. 

We recommend leaving the fuel tank around a quarter of a tank. 

Last-Minute Changes

When you are about ready to drop your car off for shipping and are done using it, there are some last-minute things that you need to do.

For starters, you need to perform the necessary maintenance on your vehicle, such as checking the battery, tires, and fluids before you ship it. This is because these things could be necessary during the process—and you don't want something to go wrong because you didn't thoroughly maintain it before.

Additionally, you want to disable toll tags. The last thing you want is toll charges for the entire shipping distance when you wouldn't otherwise have to pay them!

Be sure to grab your vehicle's title, registration, and insurance information from your car as well to keep with you.

What to Do to Ship a Vehicle

Now that you know what to do to ship a vehicle, you simply have to follow these steps to make sure it is a seamless process!

You don't want to forget any of these steps, so make sure to go through them carefully!

Did you enjoy reading these tips? Did you find them helpful? Then be sure to check out other blogs on our site that also offer more information to help you out during the shipping process!