Almost every car shipping decision starts with one fork in the road: open or enclosed transport. The difference in price is real, and so is the difference in protection — the trick is knowing which one your car actually needs.
Open carriers are the two-level trailers you see hauling 7–10 vehicles down the interstate. Your car rides exposed to weather and road debris, exactly the way it does when you drive it. It's the standard choice for roughly 90% of shipments because it's cheaper, faster to book (far more open carriers are on the road), and perfectly safe for everyday vehicles.
Enclosed trailers ship your car inside a fully covered box, shielded from weather, dust, rocks and prying eyes. It typically costs about 30–40% more than open transport, and there are fewer enclosed carriers, so pickup can take a little longer.
Ask yourself: would a chip in the paint or a layer of road dust genuinely matter for this car? If the honest answer is no, open transport saves you real money with no downside. If the car is rare, expensive, or irreplaceable, enclosed is cheap insurance.
Use the cost calculator to compare both side by side for your exact route — every route page also breaks down open vs. enclosed by vehicle type.