Vehicle Transport
Car and Bike Transport: How It Works and What It Costs
Carrier types, paperwork, insurance and realistic prices for shipping a car or motorcycle — plus the one step that settles every damage argument.
Shipping a vehicle is straightforward when it is done properly and a lasting source of grievance when it is not. Almost every dispute traces back to one missing step, which we will come to.
Open versus enclosed carriers
Open carriers — the multi-car trailers you see on highways — are cheaper and perfectly adequate for an ordinary car. The vehicle is exposed to weather and road dust, which is a cleaning problem, not a damage problem.
Enclosed carriers cost roughly 40–60% more and are worth it for premium, vintage or newly delivered vehicles, and for any monsoon movement where you care about the paint.
Motorcycles should generally travel enclosed or crated. A bike on an open carrier with inadequate strapping is the single most damage-prone thing we transport.
Indicative costs from Dehradun
| Destination | Car (open carrier) | Bike |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | ₹6,500 – ₹11,500 | ₹3,000 – ₹5,000 |
| Jaipur | ₹9,000 – ₹16,000 | ₹4,000 – ₹7,000 |
| Mumbai | ₹19,000 – ₹33,000 | ₹8,500 – ₹15,000 |
| Bengaluru | ₹24,000 – ₹42,000 | ₹10,500 – ₹18,500 |
Enclosed transport adds roughly 40–60%. These are indicative bands and depend on the vehicle and the season.
Documents you will need
- Registration certificate (RC)
- Valid insurance
- Valid PUC certificate
- Owner's photo ID
- A signed authorisation letter if the owner is not present at handover
Preparing the vehicle
- Fuel to roughly a quarter tank — enough to drive on and off, not enough to add weight or risk
- Remove everything from the interior. Personal goods inside a transported vehicle are not covered by anyone's insurance
- Remove or retract the aerial, fold the mirrors
- Disable the alarm, or provide instructions
- Note the odometer reading and photograph it
- For bikes: drain the fuel, disconnect the battery on long routes
The step that decides every dispute
The condition report. Before the vehicle is loaded, it should be photographed from every angle — including existing scratches, dents and stone chips — with a written condition sheet signed by both you and the carrier. At delivery, the same inspection happens against that sheet before you sign.
Without it, a damage claim is one person's word against another's and nobody wins. With it, the question answers itself in thirty seconds. We do this on every vehicle, and if a carrier is reluctant to, that reluctance tells you what you need to know.
Insurance
Your own motor policy generally does not cover the vehicle while it is being transported on a carrier. Transit insurance for the vehicle is separate and it is worth having, particularly on long routes. Ask for the coverage amount and the excess in writing.
How long it takes
Roughly: Delhi 1–2 days, Jaipur 2–3, Mumbai 5–7, Bengaluru 6–8. Carriers wait to fill, which is why vehicle transport is usually slower than household transport on the same route. If you need it faster, a dedicated carrier costs considerably more.