At Car Transport Quoter, we deal with many hundreds of enquiries over the phone every week. A large percentage of these enquiries are from people who are in the process of phoning around various transport providers trying to get the best price possible.

Quite often they will already have been quoted a price which is simply too good to be true, but because they don't transport vehicles very often, they have no way of knowing that they could be putting themselves at risk by accepting such a low quote.

There will always be occasions, when all the planets align, that a respectable transport company can give you an incredible price. This usually means being in the right place at the right time, but in general, two overriding commercial principles of life come into play:

  • If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is
  • You very rarely get more than you pay for

In order to work out if a quote for car transport is good value you need to consider some key industry facts. According to the RHA (Road Haulage Association UK), the average running costs for a single car transporter are:

  • £140.00 per working day for depreciation, licensing and insurance
  • £0.22p per mile (approx) running costs (covers fuel, tyres and oil)
  • Plus the driver's wages....
  • Plus some profit for the transport company....

If you follow the above calculation for any single car transporter quote, then no UK car transportation company should be making any profit if they quote you less than £137.00 + 0.22p per mile. You could also conclude that even the shortest car transport journey should cost a minimum of £180 - £200 pounds.

Therefore, if the quote you receive is less than £180.00 (regardless of the job mileage), then the transport company which provided the quote is either:

  • Running at a loss
  • Running illegally (no insurance, no tachograph, not paying tax)
  • Completing your requirement as part of the return journey from another job (known as "back-load")

The only valid reason for quoting a price that is lower than anyone else, is if the transport company can complete your requirement as a "back-load". This is great news for you and great news for the transport company. A true win-win situation.

Doing a back-load (or link-load) is a valid reason for doing work at a rate less than £180-200. Car Transport Quoter is designed to support those bona fide car transport companies that are legal and will protect your interests.

UK transport companies that are Car Transport Quoter members and connected to the wider industry via the Car Delivery Network, are in a position to find back-loads from private customers supplementing their trade customer work. You should beware of transport companies that just find work on broker websites such as Shiply and UShip and claim to offer the lowest prices.

It is an unsavoury fact that many UK transport companies are not operating legally. Many will cut corners on safety or take risks with insurance and the tax man. If you do decide to accept a low quote, we at CTQ urge you to ask for a copy of their goods in transit insurance details. Do ask them if they run a tachograph, and also ask them if they are VAT registered or have a company number, and ask for references. You can also ask us if they are a member of the Car Delivery Network.

Whatever choice you make, always remember - You get what you pay for...