Shipping an Electric Vehicle? What You Need to Know in 2026

Five years ago, maybe one in twenty vehicles in our requests was electric. Today, it’s closer to one in four. The EV revolution isn’t coming — it’s here — and the auto transport industry has had to adapt fast. We’ve been helping people ship vehicles since 1999, and I can tell you that EVs have introduced a set of considerations that simply didn’t exist when every car on the trailer had a gas tank and a traditional drivetrain. If you’re shipping a Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Ford Lightning, Hyundai Ioniq, BMW i-series, or any other EV, there are things you need to know that your neighbor who shipped their Camry last year didn’t have to think about.

The biggest factor is weight. EVs are heavy — significantly heavier than their gas-powered equivalents. A Tesla Model Y weighs about 4,400 pounds. A Rivian R1T tips the scales at over 7,000 pounds. A GMC Hummer EV? Over 9,000 pounds. Compare that to a typical midsize sedan at 3,300–3,500 pounds. This matters because car carriers have weight limits. A standard nine-car hauler is capped at 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight by federal law. When you load three or four EVs onto that trailer instead of three or four lighter gas cars, you’ve eaten up weight capacity that might have held another vehicle. That’s why some companies price a heavy EV higher than a comparable gas car. We don’t put a flat number on it here, because it depends on the exact model, the route, and how full that trailer is; the offers you get already account for the weight.

Battery state-of-charge is another consideration that’s unique to EVs. Most carriers recommend shipping an EV with the battery charged between 20% and 80% — never at 100% and never near zero. The reasoning is twofold. First, lithium-ion batteries are most stable in the mid-range of charge. A fully charged battery under stress — like the vibration and temperature fluctuations of being on a transport trailer for several days — carries marginally higher thermal risk than one at 50%. The risk is tiny, but carriers manage hundreds of vehicles and they want to minimize any variable they can. Second, the vehicle needs enough charge to be driven on and off the trailer at pickup and delivery. If your battery is dead, the carrier can’t load it without a flatbed or special equipment, which creates delays and added costs.

“The future of transportation is electric, and the future of auto transport is right here with it.”

Here’s something that surprises a lot of EV owners: you cannot charge your vehicle while it’s on the transport trailer. I know that sounds obvious, but I’ve had customers ask about it. The vehicle sits on the carrier for the duration of the trip, and there’s no way to plug it in. For most routes, this isn’t an issue — even at 50% charge, your EV will still have plenty of battery to drive off the trailer at delivery. But if you’re shipping an older EV with degraded battery capacity, or if there’s expected to be significant delays, make sure you’ve got at least 40–50% charge at pickup. I’ve seen a handful of situations where a vehicle arrived with a dead battery because the owner shipped it at 15% and the trip took an extra two days due to weather. Carrier had to arrange a portable charger at delivery — headache for everyone.

The question of open vs. enclosed transport is especially relevant for EVs, and not just for the reasons you might think. Yes, many EVs are expensive and owners want the protection of enclosed transport. But there’s a practical consideration too: EVs have massive flat battery packs on the undercarriage. On an open carrier, road debris kicked up by the trailer’s own wheels or other vehicles can occasionally strike the underside of transported cars. For a gas-powered car with a steel undercarriage, that’s usually no big deal. For an EV with a battery pack under there — even one protected by a skid plate — it’s worth considering whether enclosed transport gives you peace of mind. That said, the overwhelming majority of EVs ship just fine on open carriers. The battery packs are well-protected from the factory. But if you’re shipping a $100,000+ EV, the 40–60% premium for enclosed starts to look pretty reasonable.

Tesla-specific considerations come up a lot since they’re the most commonly requested EV. First, turn off Sentry Mode before the carrier arrives. It wakes the cameras whenever someone walks up to the car, which happens constantly during loading, and it can drain your battery filming the inside of a car hauler for days. Second, disable any summon or auto-park feature. You don’t want your car trying to move itself while it’s strapped to a moving trailer. Third, know that Tesla’s owner’s manual describes a Tow Mode that keeps the parking brake released while the car is winched onto a flatbed. Your driver handles that if it’s ever needed, but it’s worth telling them up front if your car won’t drive on under its own power. Tesla’s own transporter instructions call for a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground for towing, which is another reason a dead battery turns a routine pickup into a more expensive one.

Insurance considerations for EVs are worth understanding. Standard carrier liability covers the vehicle against transport damage, but EV-specific components — particularly the battery pack — can be extraordinarily expensive to repair or replace. The battery pack is one of the most expensive parts of any EV to repair or replace, and on the heaviest models the repair bill can be large. Make sure the coverage amount on your shipment is sufficient to cover not just body damage but potential drivetrain or battery damage. At American Auto Shipping, the companies we work with maintain coverage levels that account for the higher repair costs of modern EVs, and for a high-value electric vehicle, ask the company you book with — or your own insurer — about supplemental coverage.

How do you actually request an EV shipment so the offers come back right? Tell us the exact make, model and trim (a Model Y Long Range and a Model Y Performance don’t weigh the same), whether it runs and drives, your pickup and delivery ZIP codes, and whether you want open or enclosed. Say so up front if the car has air suspension, low ground clearance or a lowered front end. The more precise the request, the less likely an offer gets revised later.

As for how long it takes and what it costs, an EV moves on the same trucks and the same schedule as any other car. Transit time comes from road miles: about 2 to 3 days for a short regional move, 3 to 5 for 1,000 miles and 7 to 11 for coast to coast, plus a pickup window of 1 to 5 business days. Prices depend on road distance, season, the current diesel price, and the weight of the vehicle. Our estimate tables on the route pages and in the cost estimator show current ranges built from a published formula, and the company you book with gives you its price in writing. If you’re still deciding between open and enclosed, our open versus enclosed guide lays out the trade-offs, and our EV weight post explains why a heavy battery pack changes the math for the carrier.

One trend I’m watching closely is the impact of EV growth on carrier economics. Because EVs are heavier, carriers are having to adjust how they load their trailers. A carrier that used to fit nine vehicles might only be able to safely carry seven or eight if several of them are heavy EVs. That means fewer vehicles per trip, which means higher per-vehicle costs to maintain profitability. Over time, this is putting upward pressure on transport pricing industry-wide — not just for EVs, but for all vehicles. It’s one of several factors contributing to gradual price increases across the auto transport market in 2026.

For EV owners preparing to ship: charge to between 20% and 80%, ideally 40–50% at pickup, enable Transport Mode if your vehicle has one, disable Sentry Mode and any autonomous features, remove any aftermarket charging adapters from the port, make sure your frunk and trunk are empty, and take photos of the entire vehicle including the undercarriage if accessible. Note any existing scratches, chips, or wheel damage. Do all of this before the carrier arrives so the pickup process is smooth and fast. Carriers are on tight schedules and a smooth pickup means everyone starts the trip on the right foot.

At American Auto Shipping, we’ve adapted to the EV era. The companies factor in vehicle weight when making their offers, so EV owners get accurate pricing upfront without surprise surcharges. The companies we work with include operators with specific EV transport experience and appropriate insurance coverage. And we can walk you through every EV-specific consideration for your particular vehicle. The future of transportation is electric, and the future of auto transport is right here with it. If you’ve got an EV to ship, we’re ready.