You found a carrier, but now the EV-specific worries start. What charge level? How does transport mode work? Will a wrong strap crack the battery? Get the prep wrong and you risk a stuck pickup or a damaged panel. Here is how to ship an electric car the right way, step by step, from a team that loads them every week.
The short answer: To ship an electric car, charge the battery to 30–50%, switch on transport or tow mode, and disable Sentry, alarms, and remote app features. Remove roof racks and loose items, then book an EV-aware carrier who straps the tires, not the battery tray. The move itself is ordinary once the prep is done.
Shipping an electric car sounds complicated. It is not. The car rides the same trailer as any vehicle, and the prep boils down to three moves.
Charge it right. Set transport mode. Kill the apps. Do those and the rest is normal car shipping. We have loaded enough EVs to know the worry outweighs the work.
The full method lives on our electric vehicle shipping page. Here we go deeper on the prep, including the mistakes that delay a pickup. The honest one to avoid: leaving the job to a driver who has never touched an EV.
Set your charge between 30% and 50% before pickup. That gives the driver power to load, shift, and unload the car without a charging stop. It is the single most important number in EV prep.
Go too low and you risk a stuck car. Below 20%, an EV can refuse to roll if the route changes or it sits a few extra days. We have watched a 10% car stall a terminal handoff.
Go too high and you add strain. A 100% pack baking on a summer trailer stresses the battery over a multi-day haul. Half charge keeps everyone safe.
Transport or tow mode frees the wheels so the driver can move the car. Without it, the parking brake fights the load and the wheels can drag. Every EV has it; few owners know where.
Find it before pickup day. The setting lives under service, towing, or transport menus, and the name varies by brand. We tell clients to locate it the night before so the driver is not guessing at the curb.
Here is the catch most guides skip. Many EVs need 12-volt power to enter transport mode at all. A dead 12-volt battery locks the wheels, so test it first.
Switch off Sentry Mode, the alarm, and remote app features before the truck arrives. These systems run sensors that drain the small 12-volt battery while the car sits strapped down.
They also cause false alarms. A motion-watching camera films the loading and pings your phone with theft alerts. We get panicked calls from owners watching a normal pickup over the app.
Mute notifications too. An EV keeps reporting its location, so a moving trailer triggers "door open" or location warnings. Silence them and ignore the noise for a few days.
Remove roof racks, bike mounts, mud flaps, and loose aero covers before pickup. On an open trailer they catch highway wind and can tear off. A flying roof box becomes a road hazard for the car behind.
Aftermarket parts also fall outside most cargo coverage. If a strap-on accessory rips away, you usually eat the loss. We tell clients to take off anything that is not bolted down tight.
Clear the interior too. Pull personal items and the mobile charger, or pack them flat at your own risk. Cargo insurance covers the car, not the contents.
This step matters more than the trailer type. An EV-aware driver straps the tires, never the battery tray or suspension. The wrong strap can crack an underbody panel that costs thousands.
Ask two questions when you book. Do your drivers use non-conductive straps? Do they know transport mode for my model? A vague answer is a red flag.
Open transport works for most EVs and costs less, while enclosed suits high-value cars. Compare them in our open vs enclosed car transport guide, and read the method page for open car transport if you want the standard route. Always verify authority with our FMCSA lookup.
Photograph the car from every angle right before loading. Catch existing chips and scratches in good light. Note the battery percentage in a photo too, so you can compare it at delivery.
Walk the car with the driver and check the bill of lading. It records the condition before transit. We tell clients this five-minute step is their best protection.
For a sense of how local roads and weather change the plan, see our guide on EV car shipping in California. The downside to plan for: a rural pickup with few EV-aware drivers can add a day.
EV shipping runs a little above a similar gas car because of battery weight. A typical move lands around [INSERT RATE], shifting with distance, model, and season. Summer usually prices below winter.
We break down every factor in our guide on the cost to ship an electric car. Shipping a Tesla has its own quirks, covered in how to ship a Tesla.
Knowing how to ship an electric car comes down to three steps and one good carrier. Charge to 30–50%, set transport mode, disable the apps, and book a driver who knows EVs. Price your route on the calculator when you are ready.
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Each brand hides it in a different menu, usually under service or towing settings. Transport mode frees the wheels so a driver can winch or roll the car without the brake fighting back. We tell clients to find it before pickup, not at the curb. A driver stuck guessing the menu wastes everyone's time.
Stay above 20% as a floor, with 30% to 50% as the target. Below 20%, the car may lack power to load if the route shifts or it sits a few extra days. We have seen a 10% car refuse to roll at a terminal. A modest charge is cheap insurance against a stuck pickup.
No, leave the 12-volt connected. The car needs it to release the brake, wake the screen, and enter transport mode. Disconnecting it usually locks the car in place. If your 12-volt is weak, replace it before shipping rather than pulling it.
Pack the mobile charger in the trunk or take it with you, but know it is not insured. Cargo coverage protects the vehicle, not loose items. We tell clients a missing $300 cable is not a claim you will win. Photograph anything you leave inside before pickup.
Only with the right equipment, and it costs more. A flat-towed EV with locked wheels can damage the motor, so most need a flatbed or dollies. The catch: many EVs need 12-volt power just to unlock the wheels. Confirm the car can enter transport mode before assuming a tow is simple.
The prep is the same; the handling is gentler. Enclosed drivers often use softer straps and liftgates, which suits a low or high-value EV. We still want the 30–50% charge and transport mode set. The only real difference is you pay more for the extra protection and discretion.
It can if the driver does not expect it. Some EVs lurch or grab when shifted, and one-pedal settings confuse a quick load. We ask owners to mention any unusual creep or hold behavior. A heads-up lets the driver plan the approach and avoid a jolt on the ramps.
Yes, take off roof racks, bike mounts, and loose aero pieces before pickup. They catch wind on an open trailer and can tear off at highway speed. We have seen a cheap roof box become a road hazard. Aftermarket parts are also rarely covered, so remove what you can.
Yes, and this is where EV experience matters. Drivers should strap the tires, never the battery tray or suspension arms. Non-conductive straps and the correct lashing points protect the underbody. A careless strap can crack a panel that costs thousands, so we vet the carrier on this point.
Give yourself a few extra days for an EV, especially from a rural area. EV-aware drivers are common in metros but thinner in remote zones. We tell clients that booking early widens the pool of qualified carriers. A last-minute EV pickup far from a city is the hardest to fill.
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