Two Cars in a 40ft Container Calculator: Rates 2026

Quick Answer: Two standard cars fit in a 40' high cube container and cost $2,900-$5,800 total from Miami to most Latin American ports, or about $1,450-$2,900 per vehicle. A 20' container holds only one car. Transit runs 7-18 days depending on destination port.

The numbers above assume flat-floor loading with professional lashing at a Miami CFS. Your exact rate moves with the destination port, sailing week and whether either vehicle exceeds 5.4 m in length.

How Does the Two Cars in One Container Calculator Work?

Quick Answer: The calculator compares each vehicle's length, width, height and curb weight against the interior dimensions and payload of a 20' DV, 40' DV, 40' HC and 45' HC. It returns a fit or no-fit verdict per container type, then prices the lane, terminal charges and destination drayage.

A calculadora dos carros en un contenedor runs three checks in sequence. Volume first. Weight second. Ground clearance third. If any check fails, the tool flags the container type and suggests the next size up.

What inputs does the tool need?

You enter the make, model and year of both vehicles. The calculator pulls stock dimensions and curb weight from a manufacturer database. Then you add your origin ZIP code and destination port.

• Vehicle 1: make, model, year, and any modifications (lift kit, roof rack, oversized tires)
• Vehicle 2: same data set — the tool treats each VIN separately
• Origin ZIP for drayage to the Miami CFS or inland trucking cost
• Destination port (Cartagena, Manzanillo, Callao, Santo Domingo, Valparaíso)
• Declared value per vehicle, used for the marine cargo insurance premium

How does the fit logic actually work?

Combined bumper-to-bumper length plus a lashing gap must stay under the interior floor length. For a 40' HC, that ceiling is 12.03 meters. The gap between vehicles runs 25-40 cm so lashers can reach the chassis tie-down points.

Height is checked against the door opening, not the interior height. On a 40' HC, the door measures 2.58 m while the interior reaches 2.69 m. The door is always the tighter constraint. A vehicle that clears the ceiling but not the door still fails.

How does the weight check run?

The tool adds both curb weights plus racking hardware and lashing materials. That figure goes against the 40' HC payload of about 26,500-28,200 kg. Two cars almost never break the container rating.

The second weight check matters more. Destination road axle limits often cap the loaded box far below the container's rating. Colombian and Peruvian chassis routes are the usual pinch points. Tools like the Load & Stuffing Calculation tool help visualize placement before you commit to a booking.

The output shows cost per car, not just the container total. That lets you compare two shared-container slots against one exclusive box in a single screen.

How Many Cars Fit in a 40-Foot Container?

Quick Answer: Two standard cars fit lengthwise in a 40' container, loaded nose to tail. A 40' high cube handles two mid-size SUVs or a pickup plus a sedan. With a Trans-Rak or R-Rak stacking frame, the same box carries three or four vehicles.

The question cuantos carros caben en un contenedor de 40 pies has two answers. Flat floor: two. Racked: three or four. Nothing else.

Flat-floor loading limits

Two vehicles maximum go into a 40' DV or 40' HC on a bare floor. Drivers back them in nose to tail with 20-40 cm of clearance. Lashers then strap each vehicle at four points and place wood chocks against all four tires.

A 20' DV offers 5.90 m of interior floor. That fits exactly one vehicle up to about 5.4 m long. Two cars never fit in a 20' container — not a pair of Miatas, not a pair of Smart cars parked crosswise. The 2.35 m interior width blocks any sideways arrangement.

Racked loading with stacking frames

Trans-Rak and R-Rak systems lift the first vehicle at an angle and slide a second underneath. Three vehicles per 40' HC is standard output. Four is possible with compact sedans and a full-height stacking system.

Where a 45' HC changes the math

A 45' HC adds roughly 1.5 m of floor length over a 40' HC. That extra space fits two full-size crew-cab pickups like an F-150 SuperCrew pair, with lashing room left over. Availability on Miami-LatAm services is thinner, so book 3-4 weeks ahead.

Ground clearance decides the loading method. Anything under 11 cm scrapes the container sill on a standard ramp. Those vehicles need extended ramps plus wood cribbing, which adds $75-$150 in labor per unit.

20' DV vs 40' DV vs 40' HC vs 45' HC: Real Interior Dimensions

Quick Answer: A 40' high cube measures 12.03 m long, 2.35 m wide and 2.69 m high inside, with a 2.58 m door opening and about 76 CBM of volume. That extra 28 cm of height over a standard 40' DV is what makes two SUVs or a lifted pickup possible.

Every fit decision starts with these four boxes. Memorize the interior floor length and the door opening height. Those two numbers reject more vehicles than anything else.

Tare weight feeds directly into your VGM declaration. A 40' HC tares at about 3,900 kg, a 40' DV at 3,750 kg, a 20' DV at 2,200 kg. Read the tare stenciled on the container door — it varies by build year and carrier.

Width is the silent killer. The 2.35 m interior leaves little room once mirrors deploy. Most full-size pickups measure 2.03-2.18 m with mirrors extended. Fold them in or remove them before the vehicle reaches the CFS gate.

Do Two SUVs Fit in a 40' High Cube Container?

Quick Answer: Yes, two mid-size SUVs fit in a 40' high cube. A Honda CR-V (4.70 m) and a Toyota RAV4 (4.60 m) total 9.30 m, leaving almost 2.7 m of slack. Full-size SUVs like a Chevrolet Suburban (5.73 m) plus any second vehicle will not fit flat.

Run your two models against this table before you book. The verdict column assumes a 40' HC with a 30 cm lashing gap and a second vehicle of average sedan length (4.60 m).

Combinations that work

• Two sedans — total 9.2-9.9 m, the safest pairing with 2 m of slack
• Sedan plus mid-size SUV — Corolla + CR-V at 9.33 m combined
• Sedan plus short-bed crew-cab pickup — Civic + Tacoma at 10.08 m
• Two compact crossovers — RAV4 + Tucson at 9.23 m
• Mid-size SUV plus Transit Connect — CR-V + Transit Connect at 9.53 m

Combinations that fail on a flat floor

• Two full-size pickups in a 40' HC — 11.8 m combined leaves zero lashing gap
• Any Suburban or Expedition MAX pairing — the first unit alone eats half the box
• Two high-roof cargo vans — the 2.72 m height exceeds the 2.58 m door opening
• Lifted trucks with light bars or roof tents — measure the highest fixed point, not the roofline

How Much Does It Cost to Ship Two Cars in One Container?

Quick Answer: Shipping two cars in one 40' high cube from Miami runs $2,900-$5,800 all-in, or $1,450-$2,900 per vehicle. Miami to Cartagena lands near $3,200 total, Miami to Manzanillo near $4,600, Miami to Callao near $5,100. Destination duties and taxes are separate.

The ahorro enviar dos vehiculos juntos comes from splitting one fixed ocean freight rate across two units. The container costs the same whether you load one car or two.

FCL 40' HC

Miami(USMIA)

→

Cartagena(COCTG)

2 cars from USD $3,200

FCL 40' HC

Miami(USMIA)

→

Santo Domingo(DOHAI)

2 cars from USD $2,900

FCL 40' HC

Miami(USMIA)

→

Callao(PECLL)

2 cars from USD $5,100

What goes into the all-in number?

Most quotes look cheap because they hide destination charges. Here is the itemized structure AB Group uses on a two-car 40' HC out of Miami.

Three worked lane examples

1. Miami → Cartagena (COCTG): Corolla + CR-V. Ocean $1,450, THC $475, lashing $425, DTHC $350, insurance $290. Total about $3,200, or $1,600 per car. Transit 4-7 days.
2. Miami → Santo Domingo (DOHAI): Two Civics. Total near $2,900, or $1,450 per car. Transit 3-5 days on weekly sailings.
3. Miami → Callao (PECLL): RAV4 + Tacoma. Total near $5,100, or $2,550 per car. Transit 14-18 days with a Panama transshipment.

Surcharges move these numbers. Peak season surcharge hits July through October. BAF and CAF ride the fuel index and the currency. ISPS adds $12-$25 per container. A chassis split at PortMiami can add $125-$200 when equipment is tight. Cross-check market direction with a public tool like this Free Container Shipping Cost Calculator before you accept any quote.

Shared Container vs Exclusive 40' HC vs RoRo: Which Is Cheaper?

Quick Answer: An exclusive 40' HC split between two cars usually beats RoRo by $250-$600 per vehicle on Miami-LatAm lanes and adds full weather protection. RoRo wins on non-running vehicles and oversized equipment. Shared container slots suit a single car with no travel partner.

If you already have two vehicles, the math almost always points to an exclusive box. The compartir contenedor para autos option exists for people shipping one car alone.

How racking changes the per-unit cost

Trans-Rak and R-Rak frames cost $350-$700 per slot in rental and installation. A dealer moving four compact sedans in one 40' HC to Panama pays $3,400 in freight plus $1,800 in racking. That lands at $1,300 per unit, still below any RoRo rate on the lane.

What Documents Do I Need to Export Two Vehicles from the US?

Quick Answer: Each vehicle needs its own AES filing with a unique ITN number, the original title or certified copy, a bill of sale and a completed export power of attorney. CBP requires all documents at the port of export 72 business hours before the vessel sails. Two cars mean two complete sets.

Document failures cause more rolled containers than equipment shortages. According to CBP regulations under 19 CFR 192, the export port office must hold the original title before loading.

• AES/ITN per VIN — the Internal Transaction Number proves the export was declared in the Automated Export System. One per vehicle, never one per container.
• Original title or certified copy — lodged with the CBP export office 72 business hours before loading.
• Bill of sale for each vehicle, showing buyer, seller and sale price.
• Export power of attorney authorizing your forwarder to file on your behalf.
• Commercial invoice (Factura Comercial) in Spanish for the destination customs entry.
• Certificate of Origin (Certificado de Origen) where a trade agreement applies, such as USMCA into Mexico.
• Importer tax ID — NIT or RUT for Colombia, RFC for Mexico, RUC for Peru.
• Manifiesto de Carga filed by the carrier at the destination port.

VIN verification and lien status

The physical VIN plate must match the title character for character. CBP officers check the dashboard plate and the door-jamb sticker. Transposed digits on a title stop the export, even when the error is obviously clerical.

Titles must be lien-free. An active lender lien blocks both the AES filing and CBP clearance. Get the lien release letter and the corrected title before you book the sailing, not after.

EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT HS-7 apply to vehicles entering the United States, not leaving it. US citizens returning with a foreign-purchased vehicle need both. An exporter shipping Miami to Cartagena does not.

Weight Limits, VGM and EV Battery Rules for a Two-Car Load

Quick Answer: A 40' HC carries about 26,500-28,200 kg of payload, far above two cars at roughly 3,000-5,500 kg combined. The binding limit is road weight at destination, not the container rating. SOLAS requires one VGM declaration for the full loaded box before the terminal cut-off.

Two passenger vehicles use maybe 20% of a 40' HC's payload. The weight problem lives on the road, not on the vessel.

How VGM works on a two-car box

Verified Gross Mass equals container tare plus both vehicles plus racking plus lashing materials. A 40' HC at 3,900 kg tare with a Corolla (1,350 kg) and a CR-V (1,610 kg) declares about 6,950 kg VGM. Add 90 kg for straps, chocks and cribbing.

Submit the VGM before the documentation cut-off, not the vessel ETD. Those are different deadlines, usually 24-48 hours apart. Terminals will not gate-in a container without a filed VGM under SOLAS Chapter VI.

Fuel, battery and personal effects rules

• Fuel: carriers require under 1/4 tank. Many Miami CFS operators demand under 1/8 tank and reject overfilled vehicles at the gate.
• 12V battery: disconnect the negative terminal and tape it on all combustion vehicles.
• EV and hybrid: state-of-charge caps run 30-50% depending on carrier. Get written approval before booking.
• Personal effects: most carriers prohibit contents inside vehicles. Undeclared items void your marine cargo insurance.

Import Duties and Age Limits by Country for Two Vehicles

Quick Answer: Vehicle import duty in Latin America runs 0%-35% plus VAT of 12%-19%, calculated per vehicle on CIF value. Colombia allows only new or nearly new units, Chile restricts used imports outside free zones, and Dominican Republic taxes by engine size and age. Rules change often.

Two vehicles in one container still clear as two separate customs entries with two duty calculations. The container is one B/L. The vehicles are two tax events.

Country notes that change the math

Colombia applies duty plus 19% IVA on CIF value. Per DIAN guidance, age and emissions rules make used-car imports very difficult for private parties. Most private Colombian imports are returning-resident household moves under a separate regime.

Mexico rewards documentation. A valid USMCA certificate of origin can drop duty to zero on a qualifying vehicle. Without it, the same unit pays up to 20% plus 16% IVA plus ISAN.

Peru splits by entry point. Vehicles landing at Callao face a 5-year age ceiling. The Tacna free zone runs different tolerances and a separate nationalization process.

Ready to Price Your Two-Car Container?

Quick Answer: Enter both vehicles and your destination port in the calculator on this page. You get a fit verdict for each container type, an itemized rate, and cost per car in seconds. No email, no sales call, no waiting for a rate sheet by fax.

The calculadora dos carros en un contenedor above runs the same volume, weight and clearance checks our Miami operations team runs manually. It prices real 2026 lanes to Cartagena, Santo Domingo, Callao, Manzanillo, Valparaíso and Buenos Aires.

Use it to compare an exclusive 40' HC against two shared slots or two RoRo bookings. If your load involves oversized equipment, breakbulk or a racked four-car setup, the form switches to a custom quote request. Either way, you get a real number from a real NVOCC — not a lead-capture page.