Is an Open or Enclosed Car Transporter Right for Your Business?

Choosing the right car transporter is an important decision for any business involved in vehicle logistics, recovery or transportation. 

It’s a vehicle that will need to provide the payload, accessibility and practicality required for everyday operations, while allowing cars to be transported safely and securely.

One of the first decisions to make is whether an open or enclosed car transporter is better suited to the job.

Both have their advantages, but they’re designed around different operational requirements. So, an open transporter can provide straightforward loading, excellent payload and flexibility for day-to-day vehicle movements, for instance, while an enclosed transporter provides additional protection for high-value, classic and prestige vehicles.

At AKFS, we have over 30 years of experience in specialist vehicle design and manufacturing. Our car transporters are Built Without Compromise, with each design focused on quality, durability and real-world usability.

Understanding the differences between open and enclosed transporters can help you specify a vehicle that works for your business now and into the future.

What Is an Open Car Transporter?

An open car transporter carries the vehicle on an exposed loading deck rather than inside an enclosed body.

Within the AKFS range, our Ultra® Single Car Transporter and Beavertail Car Transporter provide two examples of how an open design can be adapted around different vehicle transportation requirements.

The Ultra® Single Car Transporter combines a lightweight galvanised chassis with an extended wheelbase, helping to provide generous payload and improved front and rear axle weight distribution. And its lower deck height makes it suitable for vehicles with low front spoilers.

For operators transporting heavier vehicles, the new Ultra® 4500kg GVW Car Transporter offers increased carrying capacity while retaining the lightweight engineering and practical loading characteristics of the Ultra® range. Designed to accommodate heavier cars, SUVs and electric vehicles, it provides greater operational flexibility without the need to move to a substantially larger transporter.

The Beavertail Car Transporter offers another versatile open solution. Its all-aluminium deck has been designed to remain lightweight, while providing a robust platform for transporting vehicles ranging from small city cars to light commercial vehicles.

If your business regularly moves different types of vehicles, this combination of accessibility, payload and practical loading can make an open transporter a highly effective working vehicle.

What Is an Enclosed Car Transporter?

An enclosed transporter surrounds the vehicle being carried within a purpose-built body, providing additional protection from exposure on the road.

The Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter from AKFS has been designed specifically for safely and securely transporting vehicles, at the same time as providing strong payload and extensive customisation possibilities. It’s particularly suited to classic, sports and high-value vehicles.

Built using the Iveco Daily 5100mm wheelbase, the design provides improved axle weight distribution. Factory rear air suspension can also create a shallower loading angle, an important consideration when loading low-floor sports cars and supercars.

Full-height rear barn doors provide access to the load area, while internal hinged ramps incorporate helper ramps and a tapered floor helps to minimise the beavertail approach angle.

For businesses where protecting the vehicle during transportation is particularly important, an enclosed car transporter offers a very different solution from an open deck.

Think About the Vehicles You Transport

The type of vehicles your business handles should be one of the biggest considerations when choosing between the two designs.

If your work involves regular transportation of a variety of everyday cars and light commercial vehicles, an open transporter could offer the accessibility and flexibility required.

The Beavertail Car Transporter, for example, can be built on chassis cabs from major manufacturers between 3,500kg and 7,200kg GVW. Eight-foot load-certified aluminium ramps are stored within the body, while heavy-duty tie-down points provide securing options once a vehicle has been loaded.

Where manoeuvrability and payload are priorities, the Ultra® Single Car Transporter provides another option. Its torsion bar rear suspension is designed to improve driving characteristics when the transporter is both loaded and unloaded.

For operators who regularly transport heavier cars, SUVs and electric vehicles, the new Ultra® 4500kg GVW Car Transporter offers increased carrying capacity and greater flexibility. It provides a practical option for businesses that need more capacity than a 3,500kg transporter can offer, without moving straight to a substantially larger vehicle.

Businesses regularly moving prestige, classic or high-value cars may have different priorities. When this is the case, the additional protection offered by the Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter can become particularly valuable.

Understanding what you transport most frequently is an important starting point. Because the right transporter should reflect the realities of your operation, rather than simply the type of vehicle you prefer.

Consider Loading Requirements

Loading is another area where the specification can have a big impact on everyday usability.

On the Ultra® Single Car Transporter, eight-foot aluminium certified loading ramps are fitted as standard. And the lower deck height is designed with low front spoilers in mind. Optional helper ramps and a recessed electric winch can provide further support depending on the customer's requirements.

The Beavertail Car Transporter also uses eight-foot aluminium load-certified ramps, combined with a beavertail deck to support vehicle loading.

An enclosed transporter requires a different approach because the vehicle needs to enter the enclosed body. So, on the Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter, the combination of internal hinged ramps with built-in helper ramps, a tapered floor and rear air suspension helps provide the shallow loading angle required for low-clearance vehicles. Also available as options are a power-assisted rear ramp access system and winch with wireless remote.

These differences reinforce why the loading process should be considered carefully when specifying your transporter.

How Important Is Protection?

An open transporter leaves the vehicle exposed during transportation, whereas an enclosed car transporter provides protection from road exposure and potential damage associated with it.

For many everyday transportation and recovery operations, the benefits of an open design might fit in well with how the vehicle will be used. But, for businesses transporting high-value vehicles, additional protection may be an important part of the specification.

This is one reason the Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter is designed with classic, sports and high-value cars in mind. Full-height barn doors create the enclosed load space, while twin side barn doors provide additional access.

The decision ultimately comes back to the vehicles your business handles and the level of protection those vehicles need.

Payload Still Matters

Whichever body style you choose, payload should always be part of the conversation.

Adding an enclosed body naturally creates a different vehicle specification from a lightweight open deck, so it’s important to look at the complete vehicle and the loads it needs to carry.

AKFS's open transporter designs place a strong emphasis on lightweight construction. The Ultra® Single Car Transporter has a kerb weight starting from 1,900kg. The new Ultra® 4500kg GVW Car Transporter starts from 2,052kg, offering increased carrying capacity for heavier vehicles while retaining the lightweight engineering of the Ultra® range. Alternatively, the Beavertail Car Transporter starts from 2,200kg and uses an all-aluminium deck to combine strength with payload efficiency.

The Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter uses the Iveco Daily 5100mm wheelbase to provide improved axle weight distribution while meeting the requirements of an enclosed build.

At AKFS, considering payload, weight distribution and intended use forms a vital part of creating a vehicle that is genuinely fit for purpose.

Customising Your Car Transporter

Choosing between open and enclosed transportation is only one part of getting the right vehicle specification.  

AKFS transporters can be customised with features that reflect individual operational requirements. Depending on the model, options include storage lockers, work lights, parking sensors, winches, reversing cameras and additional securing equipment.

The Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter can also be specified with features including a sleeper pod with night heater and cab curtains, a reversing camera with mirror monitor and DVR camera systems.

This flexibility means the conversation does not have to begin and end with open versus enclosed. It can focus on creating a complete vehicle around the way your business operates.

Built Without Compromise

There’s no single transporter specification that will suit every vehicle transportation business. 

An open transporter can provide excellent accessibility, payload and flexibility, while an enclosed design provides additional protection and a purpose-built environment for transporting classic, sports and high-value vehicles.

At AKFS Special Vehicles, our role is to understand what your transporter needs to do and create a solution around those requirements. From the lightweight Ultra® Single Car Transporter and the increased carrying capacity of the new Ultra® 4500kg GVW Car Transporter to the versatile Beavertail Car Transporter and premium Iveco Enclosed Vehicle Transporter, each vehicle reflects more than 30 years of specialist vehicle design and manufacturing experience.

That’s what Built Without Compromise means to us: carefully considering the details that matter to the people who will use the vehicle, then combining quality materials, thoughtful design and skilled craftsmanship to create a transporter built for the job.

If you're looking for an open or enclosed car transporter for your business, get in touch with the AKFS team to discuss your requirements and find the right solution for your operation.

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