California shipments typically run $1,000 to $2,500 for open transport and take 3 to 8 days, depending on origin and destination.
Shipping a car to or from California typically takes 3 to 8 days and costs $1,000 to $2,500 for open transport.
Reference pricing for common California corridors. Your specific quote depends on origin city, destination city, vehicle type, and season.
Updated August 2026| Corridor | Distance | Transit | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| California to Texas | 1,450 to 1,950 mi | 3 to 6 days | $1,000 to $1,850 |
| California to Illinois | 2,000 to 2,150 mi | 4 to 7 days | $1,150 to $2,000 |
| California to Florida | 2,400 to 3,000 mi | 4 to 8 days | $1,400 to $2,250 |
| California to New York | 2,550 to 2,800 mi | 5 to 8 days | $1,650 to $2,500 |
| California to Massachusetts | 2,950 to 3,000 mi | 5 to 8 days | $1,850 to $2,450 |
Quotes well below the typical range are almost always bait-and-switch. You are quoted a low price to pay the deposit, and then the price is bumped at the last minute.
Insured under federal cargo liability requirements. Coverage is part of the quote, not an add-on.
Your quote is locked for 28 days. Cancel free up to 7 days before pickup.
Most shipments run door to door. If access is tight (narrow streets, low clearance), we will arrange a nearby meeting point.
One percent of every booking funds Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit working on transport and energy emissions.
Professional service and reasonable price considering they had to winch my car on the trailer.
I'm really happy with the service!!! Fili is a really nice person and a professional.
It is a really professional company, and the service was great, and we also really value the environmental contributions they are doing. Thank you guys!! Will move my car again with you ❤️
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Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.
Most auto transport in and out of California runs through two clusters, the Los Angeles basin and the Bay Area, and carriers work those lanes hard in both directions. That density is the whole reason pickup windows here are short: a truck heading east can usually fill its last slot in a few days without going out of its way. Drive an hour off the interstate, though, and that stops being true. Up in the far north, or out in the rural interior, a driver has to leave a paying route to reach you and may find nothing to carry back.
Price follows the same logic: a lane with cars moving both ways costs less than one where the truck comes back empty. California then adds its own overhead: diesel above the national average, and enough traffic around Los Angeles and the Bay Area to turn one pickup into a half-day. Enclosed runs 40 to 70% above open.
Reaching your address comes down to turning space more than street width. A three-car wedge trailer is about 48 feet; the big open carriers run closer to 80. Either one needs somewhere to swing around at the end of the street, which gated communities and older hillside blocks rarely have. We check the address before dispatch rather than finding out when a driver is already parked two streets away, and where it will not work we agree a nearby spot with room to load.
Reviewed by Andrey Zhe, Sequoia founder.
One percent of every booking goes to Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit working on policy and technology to clean up transport and energy emissions.
Our giving is independently verified each year.
Shipping a car to or from California typically runs $1,000 to $2,500 for open transport, depending on the corridor and vehicle. Texas lanes run $1,000 to $1,850. Coast-to-coast corridors to Illinois, Florida, or New York run $1,150 to $2,500 because of the distance involved. Specific quotes are locked for 28 days from the moment you book.
Most California shipments take 3 to 8 days door to door. Texas corridors run 3 to 6 days, Midwest lanes like Illinois take 4 to 7, and coast-to-coast runs to Florida or New York take 4 to 8. Where a given shipment lands inside its range comes down to the truck: the low end when a carrier already has a load moving your direction and both ends sit near the main interstate, the high end when the driver is consolidating and making stops along I-10 or I-80.
On specific lanes, yes. Interstate 80 over Donner Pass runs under chain control during winter storms and closes outright now and then, which holds up deliveries to Truckee, Tahoe, and the Reno-adjacent corridor. Carriers wait for the pass to reopen or route around it rather than risk the crossing, so the delay is usually counted in days.
If the move makes you a California resident, yes: the car goes onto California plates and a California title, within 20 days of establishing residency. The step people miss is that the DMV verifies the vehicle identification number in person, so the car itself has to reach a DMV office. Out-of-state vehicles also need a California smog certificate before they can be registered.
One to two weeks ahead is enough on most routes. Busy corridors handle shorter notice, and quieter lanes benefit from the full two weeks. Booking earlier does not lower the price; it settles your dates sooner, and the quote is locked for 28 days either way.
Every shipment is insured by the carrier under federal cargo liability requirements.
Nothing is charged at booking. The deposit is charged 7 days before your pickup window opens, and the remaining balance is paid to the driver at delivery.
You can cancel for free up to 7 days before pickup. After that, the deposit is non-refundable.
If you find damage at delivery, note it on the bill of lading before signing. We will manage the claim with the carrier from there.
Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.