What It Costs to Ship an Electric Vehicle
An electric vehicle costs more to ship than a comparable gasoline car for one reason that has nothing to do with the battery being dangerous: it is heavier. A mid size EV commonly weighs 800 to 1,500 pounds more than its combustion equivalent, and a car hauler is limited to 80,000 pounds gross. Fewer heavy vehicles fit on a load, so each one carries more of the cost.
Weight Is the Whole Story
The battery pack is the heaviest single component in an electric vehicle and there is no way around it.
A compact EV runs around 3,500 to 4,000 pounds against roughly 3,000 for a comparable gasoline compact. A mid size electric sedan is commonly 4,500 to 5,000. Full size electric SUVs and pickups are the extreme case: several exceed 9,000 pounds, which is more than double a mid size sedan and heavier than many full size gasoline trucks.
A hauler works to a total of 80,000 pounds for the whole combination, including the truck and trailer. Load ten conventional cars and that works comfortably. Load ten electric SUVs and the truck is over weight long before it runs out of deck space, so the driver carries fewer of them and prices accordingly.
Expect a modest premium on a compact EV, something in the range of 10 to 20 percent on a mid size one, and more on a heavy electric truck or SUV. Ask for the quote against the specific model rather than “an EV”, because the range across the category is enormous.
State of Charge
This is the one preparation step specific to electric vehicles and it is simple.
Leave the battery somewhere around 40 to 60 percent. That is enough to drive on and off the trailer, to move the vehicle at a terminal if needed, and to reach a charger at the destination, without leaving the pack sitting at a high state of charge for days, which is not what a lithium battery prefers.
Do not deliver it nearly empty. A vehicle that cannot be driven off a trailer becomes a winching job, and that costs more and takes longer.
Disable any scheduled charging or preconditioning routine so the vehicle does not try to wake up and condition the pack while it is strapped to a trailer.
Tell the Driver How It Works
Electric vehicles behave differently at loading and drivers appreciate being told rather than discovering.
Explain how to put the vehicle in neutral, which on many EVs is not obvious and on some requires the vehicle to be powered on. Explain how to disable regenerative braking creep if it interferes with slow maneuvering, and how any tow or transport mode works if the vehicle has one.
Leave written instructions in the vehicle. A silent car that appears not to have started is a genuine source of confusion, and a driver who cannot get a vehicle into neutral cannot load it.
If the vehicle has an app based key, make sure physical access is arranged. A car that only unlocks through somebody’s phone is a problem at both ends.
Ground Clearance and Underbody
The battery pack sits in the floor, which changes the shape of the underside.
Many EVs have a flat, fully enclosed underbody and lower clearance than a comparable gasoline car. On a standard trailer ramp that is usually fine, but performance EVs and lowered ones need measuring, because the pack enclosure is expensive and it is exactly what grounds out.
Ask for over the tire wheel straps rather than chassis tie downs. On any vehicle they leave the suspension free, and on an EV they keep hardware away from the battery enclosure and its mounting points.
Charging at the Destination
Plan the arrival, not just the departure.
Know where the nearest charger to the delivery point is before the vehicle arrives, particularly if you are shipping into an area with thin charging infrastructure. Arriving at 45 percent is comfortable if a charger is ten minutes away and awkward if the nearest one is fifty miles off.
If the vehicle is going into storage rather than into use, leave it around 50 percent rather than full or empty, and expect some loss over weeks.
Open or Enclosed
Open transport is right for almost every electric vehicle, exactly as it is for gasoline cars, and it is what manufacturers use to deliver them to dealers.
Enclosed earns its 20 to 30 percent premium on the same grounds as always: a wrap, fresh paintwork, genuine collector or performance value, or a winter route through heavy road salt. The battery itself is not a reason to pay for enclosed.
One practical note: because heavy EVs are frequently placed on the lower deck for weight distribution, the difference in road exposure between decks is smaller than people assume.
Preparing It
Wash it so existing marks are visible, then photograph every panel in daylight, including the wheels, the lower bumpers, the rocker panels and the charge port door.
Set the charge to 40 to 60 percent, empty the cabin and the trunk, and remember most EVs have a front trunk that people forget to empty. Fold the mirrors, disable a motion sensitive alarm and any sentry or guard mode that will run the battery down, and remove a toll transponder.
At delivery, inspect before signing, check the underbody and the charge port specifically, and note anything unexpected on the bill of lading while the driver is present. Our guide to shipping a Tesla Model 3 covers one common example end to end.
Common Questions
Why does an EV cost more to ship? Weight. A hauler is capped at 80,000 pounds gross, so fewer heavy vehicles fit on a load and each carries more of the cost.
What charge should I leave it at? Around 40 to 60 percent. Enough to drive on and off and reach a charger, without sitting at a high state of charge for days.
Is the battery a hazard in transit? Not in a vehicle being transported normally. The premium is about weight, not danger.
Do I need to tell the driver anything? Yes. How to put it in neutral, any transport mode, and how to access it. Leave written instructions in the car.
Should I disable sentry or guard mode? Yes, along with scheduled charging and preconditioning, so the vehicle does not drain itself on the trailer.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with the exact year, make and model so the weight is priced correctly, or price the move with the instant calculator.
