Courier prices: what a courier really costs
Published sample prices from the Maxmove rate card – per vehicle class, distance and city. Our in-town example starts from €36; the calculator provides the live price for your route.
- Instant price before booking
- No surcharges after the fact
- Insured, with proof of delivery
Courier prices at a glance
Entry prices for a direct drive with driver, calculated on 1 October 2026 for real routes from Cologne: within the city, to the neighbouring city, regional and long distance. Extras such as carrying help or a fixed time window come on top; the last column shows what a kilometre costs on the regional route.
| Vehicle class | In town | Neighbouring city | Regional | Long distance | € per km (regional) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact van | from €35.25 | from €94.05 | from €181.60 | from €344.31 | €1.96 |
| Transporter | from €50.50 | from €112.95 | from €202.80 | from €369.45 | €2.19 |
| Sprinter L2 | from €60.98 | from €130.05 | from €228.60 | from €411.03 | €2.47 |
| Box truck | from €135.57 | from €211.24 | from €315.95 | from €508.25 | €3.41 |
As of 1 October 2026, rate card version 5 / 8. Indicative weekday examples at 10:00 (Berlin time), with driver and without extras. The binding price for your route is shown before booking.
What does a courier cost per kilometre?
In the published regional example, a van costs €2.19 per kilometre, the compact van €1.96; on the long-distance route the van drops to €1.93. Short city runs are more expensive per kilometre because the base price for approach and loading weighs more – which is why a kilometre price on its own says little and the entry price per route is the better comparison.
For the 3.5 t box van – the largest class the platform books – the regional route works out at €3.41 per kilometre and the long-distance route at €2.66. Trucks above 3.5 t add the German toll and are quoted as special runs.
Courier prices by city
The entry price for a courier run within each of the 30 cities we serve in NRW, from the same price snapshot the city pages use. Click through for routes, vehicles and pickup times in your city.
- Courier service Kölnfrom 36 €
- Courier service Düsseldorffrom 31 €
- Courier service Dortmundfrom 31 €
- Courier service Essenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Duisburgfrom 31 €
- Courier service Bochumfrom 35 €
- Courier service Wuppertalfrom 31 €
- Courier service Bonnfrom 37 €
- Courier service Münsterfrom 37 €
- Courier service Aachenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Mönchengladbachfrom 31 €
- Courier service Krefeldfrom 33 €
- Courier service Leverkusenfrom 32 €
- Courier service Bielefeldfrom 34 €
- Courier service Gelsenkirchenfrom 39 €
- Courier service Siegenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Paderbornfrom 32 €
- Courier service Neussfrom 34 €
- Courier service Hagenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Dürenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Remscheidfrom 32 €
- Courier service Ratingenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Hammfrom 31 €
- Courier service Oberhausenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Troisdorffrom 31 €
- Courier service Recklinghausenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Güterslohfrom 33 €
- Courier service Solingenfrom 40 €
- Courier service Wittenfrom 31 €
- Courier service Hürthfrom 36 €
NRW transport price index: median cost per kilometre
Every quarter Maxmove publishes the price index for 2026-Q3: the median kilometre price per vehicle class across 35 routes in NRW, as open data. It shows how courier prices move over time – the table above shows our published route examples.
| Vehicle class | Within the city | Regional | Long distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact van | €4.39 / km | €1.30 / km | €1.06 / km |
| Transporter | €6.14 / km | €1.55 / km | €1.19 / km |
| Sprinter L2 | €7.37 / km | €1.76 / km | €1.31 / km |
| Box truck | €21 / km | €3.55 / km | €2.14 / km |
Median per band and class, 2026-Q3, CC BY 4.0. Read the full price index
What moves the price
Distance and approach
The largest block: kilometres between pickup and delivery plus the driver's approach. That is why two short runs cost more than one long one.
Vehicle class
A car for documents and small parcels, the compact van for anything up to about 1.8 m, the van for pallets and furniture, the 3.5 t box van for long goods. Pick the smallest class that fits.
Time window
Pickup as soon as possible is the standard. A fixed delivery slot, evening or weekend runs are priced as options because they bind a vehicle to the clock.
Extras
Carrying help, two-person handling, waiting time at the ramp or a tail lift are booked explicitly and shown in the price before you confirm – never added afterwards.