Most shipments from Michigan to Texas take 3 to 5 days and cost $900 to $1,450 for open transport.
Reference pricing by specific origin and destination. Your quote is locked at booking for 28 days.
| Route | Distance | Open | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit to San Antonio | 1,440 mi | $1,150 to $1,450 | $1,600 to $2,050 |
| Detroit to Austin | 1,375 mi | $1,100 to $1,400 | $1,550 to $1,950 |
| Detroit to Houston | 1,300 mi | $1,050 to $1,300 | $1,450 to $1,850 |
| Grand Rapids to Houston | 1,260 mi | $1,000 to $1,250 | $1,400 to $1,800 |
| Detroit to Dallas | 1,180 mi | $950 to $1,200 | $1,300 to $1,650 |
| Grand Rapids to Dallas | 1,100 mi | $900 to $1,100 | $1,250 to $1,550 |
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.
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 ❤️
We had to send the car back to the dealership in Georgia and Sequoia did a really great job for us. Highly recommended!!!
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Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.
Michigan to Texas is a long run south through the middle of the country, around 1,200 miles from Detroit to Dallas, and the car is usually on the truck for three to five days. The road in between rarely needs any thought, so the parts to think about sit at the two ends, where a west Michigan winter can hold up the pickup and a car that has probably never had an emissions test arrives in a state that wants one.
It can, from November to February, when wind coming across the lake from the west drops its heaviest snow between Grand Haven and South Haven and inland to Grand Rapids. One band can bury a few miles of road while the next town gets flurries, and the truck waits for the plows before it can reach you. That’s why a lakeshore pickup in midwinter is no time to promise someone in Texas a fixed arrival day. Detroit, on the far side of the state, is out of their reach.
Most likely its first emissions test, because Michigan stopped testing cars in 1995 while every Texas city in the table above sits in a county that still does, San Antonio included from November 2026. The test needs the car there in person and comes before registration, and the 30 days to register run from your move rather than from the car’s arrival, so it helps to have the car delivered early in that month rather than near the end of it.
Look underneath before you book the truck. Michigan salts its roads all winter, so a car that has lived through a few of them can have rust that a Texas car of the same age rarely shows, on the brake lines above all, which federal safety regulators have warned salt-state owners about. If the seller can’t send clear photos of the underside, pay a local shop to put the car on a lift. Budget for tax as well, because Texas charges 6.25% use tax on a car bought out of state, less whatever sales tax you paid in Michigan.
Reviewed by Andrey Zhe, Sequoia founder.
If the move makes you a Texas resident, these are the state's rules for the car.
Checked September 2026 against Texas DMV, Texas DPS, TCEQ, Texas Comptroller. 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 Michigan to Texas costs between $900 and $1,450 for open transport. Enclosed transport costs about 40 to 70% more, rising with distance. Grand Rapids to Dallas sits near the bottom of that range and Detroit to San Antonio near the top, and your booked price holds for 28 days.
Shipping a car from Michigan to Texas takes an estimated 3 to 5 days. The trip runs roughly 1,100 to 1,440 miles depending on the two cities, and in winter a snowstorm at the Michigan end can push the pickup back.
No. Texas stopped requiring safety inspections for non-commercial cars on January 1, 2025, so a car from Michigan registers without one. Depending on the county it may still need an emissions test, and you have 30 days from your move to register it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Open transport is the standard choice for most vehicles. Enclosed transport costs 40 to 70% more and is appropriate for high-value vehicles, classics, low-clearance sports cars, and any car where weather exposure or road debris is a real concern.
Locked for 28 days. Nothing charged at booking.