Car Shipping Costs Calculator: 5 Tips For Choosing One You Can Trust

Entering into the process of transporting a vehicle without actually knowing how much that will cost you is not the best idea. Trusting your assumptions and some ballpark figures could lead to quite unpleasant surprises once you finally have to pay. And, that’s not the experience you want to have here.

This is how the entire process works: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/car-shipping-how-it-works

You want the experience to be smooth sailing, so to speak. And, in order for it to be smooth sailing, you’ll need to know everything about it before diving it. When I say “everything”, I primarily have prices in mind, because not knowing the costs is what leads to those unpleasant surprises I’ve mentioned before.

How can you, however, figure out the costs before working with one of these companies? There is a way. And it is a pretty easy one, so I am sure you will quite like it. Basically, it consists of you using one of those car shipping cost calculators that you can find online. Just type in the info and let the machine tell you the numbers – it can’t get any easier than that.

The trick, however, is in choosing the right machine. That is, the right tool. One you can trust. Do you have any ideas about how to do that? Underestimating the importance of choosing the right tool is just like underestimating the importance of choosing the right shipping company, which you can learn how to do here, and I suppose you understand why you shouldn’t do it. So, let me teach you how to find a trusted tool.

 

Always Check the Providers

One thing to keep in mind at all times during your hunt for a trusted calculator. Always check the providers, as they will have a huge say in the reliability and the accuracy of the actual tool. Without checking the companies that are behind the tools, you could wind up getting numbers that won’t fit in with the quote you’ll get when you decide to make concrete arrangements and use the auto transportation services.

The providers are usually those companies that also offer the shipping service. Your task, thus, is to research those specific companies in more details if you want to figure out whether the calculator tools they are offering are reliable. Checking out the different providers in details should help you come to that conclusion.

They Have to Be Trustworthy Themselves

What is the main point here? Or, better yet, what is the main thing to figure out when checking the providers? In short, you will want those to be trustworthy, as that is how you will be sure that their tools are trustworthy as well. Taking the time to check the reputation of the providers, thus, is of crucial importance.

 

The Tool Should Ask for Vehicle Details

Let us now get into the specifics. A good calculator will ask not only about the distance information, that is, about the pickup and the delivery locations. Sure, those are undeniably rather important factors and the tool will have to ask for the info so as to provide you with a precise estimate of the costs. But, the bottom line is that it has to be a bit more detailed in order to be precise.

For one thing, it should ask for vehicle details. A great car shipping cost calculator is created with the fact that the vehicle type affects the price in mind. Your quote won’t be the same as someone else’s quote simply because you have different vehicles. Of course, other factors play a role in those differences as well, but the bottom line is that a good tool has to ask for vehicle details.

 

As Well As for Shipping Information

Other factors play a role in the differences as well, as I’ve mentioned already. Such as the shipping information. Those are generally related to the dates of shipping, as the price can vary from one date to another. So, a calculator that requires you to put in the shipping info, including the info about the dates, will undeniably be a good one, as it will lead to more precise calculations. And, precision is certainly what you are after here.

 

Check the Policy for Safeguarding Personal Information

One more thing to do, although not directly related to the precision of the tool, is check the policy for safeguarding the personal information that you will enter into the fields. In simple words, you want the providers to respect your privacy and not to distribute your personal information. A provider that has such a policy in place is a provider you can trust, which further means that you can trust their calculator tools as well. So, once you find a calculator that meets all of the mentioned criteria, feel free to use it and find out how much you’ll pay for the transportation service.