Companion to the Car Shipping Cost Estimate Index
Car Shipping Busy Season Calendar
Car shipping estimates rise and fall with the calendar and with the direction you are headed. This grid shows the seasonal factor our estimate formula applies in each month, so you can see when your route is likely to cost more and when it is likely to cost less.
Seasonal pressure by month and direction
Each cell is the multiplier the formula puts on a route in that month, shown as a percent change from a typical month. Warm cells push estimates up, blue cells pull them down, and the number is always printed in the cell. This month is November.
| Month | Heading south | Heading north | East-west or short north-south |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -8%0.92× | -8%0.92× | -8%0.92× |
| February | typical1.00× | typical1.00× | typical1.00× |
| March | typical1.00× | typical1.00× | typical1.00× |
| April | -5%0.95× | +15%1.15× | +5%1.05× |
| May | -5%0.95× | +15%1.15× | +5%1.05× |
| June | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× |
| July | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× |
| August | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× | +8%1.08× |
| September | typical1.00× | typical1.00× | typical1.00× |
| October | +15%1.15× | -5%0.95× | +5%1.05× |
| November (now) | +15%1.15× | -5%0.95× | +5%1.05× |
| December | -8%0.92× | -8%0.92× | -8%0.92× |
Source: the season × direction table in our formula (v2026.09.2). Seasonal demand pattern documented across the industry: snowbird southbound surge in October-November and northbound return in April-May, summer relocation peak June-August, and the December-January lull. Multipliers are our own estimates of that pattern, held in this file so they can be recalibrated against partner quotes. Southbound or northbound means the delivery point is more than 3 degrees of latitude (roughly 200 miles) away in that direction; otherwise the trip is neutral. How we estimate
What drives each season
Snowbirds: south in the fall, north in the spring
Many northern households spend the winter in Florida, Arizona and Texas and ship a car rather than drive it. In the formula, southbound trips run +15% in October and November, then ease to -8% in January and December. Northbound trips are the mirror image: +15% in April and May. The usual reasoning is that the busy direction costs more because trucks fill going that way and often run lighter on the return leg. Read the full guide on snowbird car shipping.
Summer moves
June, July and August carry a flat +8% in every direction. Families tend to move when school is out, so demand is high on nearly every lane at once. That is why this is the one season with no cheap direction.
College move-in
Late August and early September bring students and their cars to campus towns. The formula does not give college move-in its own factor: August sits inside the summer figure and September returns to typical. This is general industry experience, not something the table measures. If you are shipping a student's car, book early and keep the pickup window flexible.
The winter lull
December and January are the quietest months in the formula at -8% in every direction. Holiday weeks can still be tight for availability even when the estimate range is lower, so a lower range is not the same as faster pickup.
A known simplification: the season is set by latitude only
The formula only compares the latitude of the pickup and the delivery point. It does not know about regions or lanes. So a mostly east-west route that also drops 3 or more degrees of latitude is treated as southbound and picks up the fall premium. Examples from our route pages: New York, NY to Los Angeles, CA drops 6.7 degrees and counts as southbound, so October carries +15%; Seattle, WA to New York, NY drops 6.8 degrees and counts as southbound, so October carries +15%. Treat the calendar as a guide to direction-driven swings, and use the estimate for your actual route.
One snowbird lane, every month
| Month | Season | Open carrier |
|---|---|---|
| January | -8% | $930 – $1,260 |
| February | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| March | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| April | -5% | $960 – $1,300 |
| May | -5% | $960 – $1,300 |
| June | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| July | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| August | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| September | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| October | +15% | $1,070 – $1,670 |
| November (now) | +15% | $1,070 – $1,670 |
| December | -8% | $930 – $1,260 |
Formula v2026.09.2 · EIA U.S. diesel $6.29/gal, week of Nov 2, 2026, 52-week average $4.93 · November pricing · road miles from OpenStreetMap routing where cached, otherwise straight-line distance ×1.2.
Estimate, not a quote. Produced automatically by our published formula from public data; your price comes from the licensed auto transport partner you choose. How we estimate · Get your free estimate
Fuel: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Routing: © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM). ZIP locations: U.S. Census Bureau.
Questions about this estimate? Call (800) 930-7417
| Month | Season | Open carrier |
|---|---|---|
| January | -8% | $930 – $1,260 |
| February | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| March | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| April | +15% | $1,070 – $1,670 |
| May | +15% | $1,070 – $1,670 |
| June | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| July | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| August | +8% | $1,090 – $1,480 |
| September | typical demand | $1,010 – $1,370 |
| October | -5% | $960 – $1,300 |
| November (now) | -5% | $960 – $1,300 |
| December | -8% | $930 – $1,260 |
Formula v2026.09.2 · EIA U.S. diesel $6.29/gal, week of Nov 2, 2026, 52-week average $4.93 · November pricing · road miles from OpenStreetMap routing where cached, otherwise straight-line distance ×1.2.
Estimate, not a quote. Produced automatically by our published formula from public data; your price comes from the licensed auto transport partner you choose. How we estimate · Get your free estimate
Fuel: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Routing: © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM). ZIP locations: U.S. Census Bureau.
Questions about this estimate? Call (800) 930-7417
More tools: Route map for November · Snowbird car shipping guide · Car Shipping Cost Estimate Index
Questions about busy season
It depends on the direction. In our formula, southbound trips peak in October and November (+15%), northbound trips peak in April and May (+15%), and every direction rises in the summer months. These are our own seasonal estimates, not measured transaction data.
January and December are the lowest months for every direction in the formula (-8%), the post-holiday lull. Trips against the snowbird flow, such as northbound in October or southbound in April, are next at -5%.
Auto transport companies run a fixed number of trucks, and more vehicles want the same lanes at the same time. The usual reasoning is that when many cars head south in the fall, trucks fill going south and often run lighter coming back, so offers for the busy direction rise and offers for the return direction soften. The formula encodes that pattern; it does not measure it.
The formula calls a trip southbound or northbound only when the delivery point is more than 3 degrees of latitude from the pickup. Anything else is treated as neutral, which follows the summer peak and winter lull but has no snowbird swing. A coast-to-coast route that also runs 3 or more degrees south counts as southbound, which is a known simplification.
No. The grid shows seasonal percentages from our published formula. The tables show formula-based estimate ranges, not quotes. The price comes from the licensed auto transport company you choose.
Factor range in this grid: January through December, -8% to +15%. Directional swing: southbound 25%, northbound 25% between the busiest and quietest month.
Get your free estimate
Then compare offers from licensed auto transport companies, or call (800) 930-7417.