Car transport by carrier or by driver: what each actually costs you

Moving a car between cities comes down to two options, and the cheaper-looking one often is not. It is worth doing the arithmetic properly.

Driven by a driver

You pay a driver's fee, the fuel for the whole distance, tolls, their food and accommodation on a long route, and their return ticket. Then there is what you do not see on the invoice: roughly a thousand kilometres of wear, a thousand kilometres added to the odometer, and the real possibility of a highway incident with your car and someone else's driving record. On a Delhi to Bengaluru run the total is usually close to a carrier, and occasionally more.

It is quicker, though — two to three days rather than five to seven — and it is the sensible choice for shorter distances where the fixed costs of a carrier do not pay off.

On an open carrier

Your car is one of six to eight on a multi-car trailer. It does not accumulate kilometres. It is exposed to weather and road debris, which for most cars is a wash, and it is the standard option for good reason: the cost per car is low because the cost is shared.

On an enclosed carrier

A closed body, usually one to two cars. It costs meaningfully more and it is the right answer for a car where paint is part of the value — a luxury car, a modified car, anything you would be upset to find with a stone chip. For an ordinary hatchback it is money spent on peace of mind rather than on risk.

What to do regardless of which you choose

• Photograph everything before handover: all four sides, the roof, the wheels, the odometer, the fuel gauge, and any existing damage in close-up. Get the same photographs at delivery. This single habit settles almost every dispute.
• Empty the car. Personal belongings are generally not covered under vehicle transport insurance, and loose items in a car on a trailer move around.
• Leave a quarter tank. Enough to drive it off and to a pump, not enough to be carrying unnecessary weight and fire risk.
• Carry the papers: registration certificate, insurance and a copy of your ID. The carrier needs them at interstate checkposts and a missing document holds up the whole trailer, not just your car.
• Check the insurance. Ask what the transporter's cover is, what the declared value is, and what the deductible is. "It is insured" is not an answer.