Most shipments from Illinois to California take 4 to 7 days and cost $1,150 to $1,500 for open transport.
Reference pricing by specific origin and destination. Your quote is locked at booking for 28 days.
| Route | Distance | Open | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Fresno | 2,140 mi | $1,200 to $1,500 | $1,950 to $2,400 |
| Chicago to San Francisco | 2,130 mi | $1,200 to $1,500 | $1,950 to $2,400 |
| Chicago to San Diego | 2,080 mi | $1,200 to $1,450 | $1,950 to $2,350 |
| Chicago to Sacramento | 2,050 mi | $1,150 to $1,450 | $1,850 to $2,350 |
| Chicago to Los Angeles | 2,020 mi | $1,150 to $1,400 | $1,800 to $2,250 |
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.
Really nice company, the whole process was fast and easy peasy.
We had to send the car back to the dealership in Georgia and Sequoia did a really great job for us. Highly recommended!!!
Professional service and reasonable price considering they had to winch my car on the trailer.
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Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.
From Chicago this is a long run west, across the plains first, which are the easy part, and then over the mountains. Every road between the two states climbs high passes before it gets to California, so from autumn into May the weather up there can decide more about the delivery date than the distance does.
That depends on where in California it’s going. For San Francisco or Sacramento the shortest road is I-80 nearly the whole way, across southern Wyoming, where the state closes the interstate dozens of times a winter and counts March and April as its snowiest months, and then over Donner Summit, where trucks have to chain up before cars do. For Los Angeles or San Diego it turns off in Nebraska for Colorado, where I-70 climbs to the Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest point on the interstate system, and the state makes trucks carry chains from September to May. A closure on any of them holds the truck until the road reopens, which can take a few hours or a few days, so a delivery in those months moves with the weather.
Reviewed by Andrey Zhe, Sequoia founder.
If the move makes you a California resident, these are the state's rules for the car.
Checked September 2026 against California DMV, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Rules change; the state's own site has the final word.
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 from Illinois to California costs between $1,150 and $1,500 for open transport. Chicago to Los Angeles and Chicago to Sacramento are the cheapest of these routes and Chicago to San Francisco and Chicago to Fresno the dearest, enclosed transport costs about 40 to 70% more, and once you book, the price holds for 28 days.
Shipping a car from Illinois to California takes an estimated 4 to 7 days. Chicago to Los Angeles is about 2,020 miles and Chicago to San Francisco about 2,130, so the distance barely changes between them, and the driver's other stops on the way decide most of where a car lands in that range.
Every shipment is insured by the carrier under federal cargo liability requirements.
The truck waits until the road is safe to drive, and your pickup or delivery date moves with it. We'll confirm the driver's new window with you as soon as the road reopens. Snow on the mountain passes and in the northern states, and hurricanes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, are the usual causes.
You can leave up to 100 pounds of personal items in one piece of luggage, placed in the trunk or cargo area. Some carriers will accept additional weight for an added fee; we can arrange this for you after booking.
Wash the car so its condition is easy to record, photograph it from each corner, and leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Take out anything above the 100 pound personal item allowance, and take your toll transponder such as FasTrak, E-ZPass or SunPass off the windshield, because toll gantries can read it while the car rides the truck. Have a working key ready for the driver.
To ship a car, request a quote with your origin, destination, and vehicle details. Sequoia matches you with a driver according to your pickup window, the driver picks up your vehicle, and delivers it at your destination.
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.
Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.