California car shipping
Car Shipping in California
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$0.35–$1.89 per mile
Open transport rate
1–4 days
Avg. transit time
$240 – $660
Within California
$0.45–$3.02 per mile
Enclosed transport rate
Free · No obligation · About a minute
Get a California car shipping quote
California shipping rates
Published figures for a standard car, by estimated distance.
- Open transport
- $0.35–$1.89 per mile
- Enclosed transport
- $0.45–$3.02 per mile
- Within California
- $240 – $660
- California to Texas
- $1,020 – $2,760
- California to Nevada
- $240 – $660
- California to Florida
- $930 – $5,025
Prices move with the season
No source publishes monthly prices by state, so this is what the studies say about timing.
Summer moving season and the holidays tighten truck space, while mid-January to February is usually the quietest stretch of the year.
Direct Connect Auto Transport reports 2026 versus 2025 running 3% to 8% higher.
Published price adjustments
- Pickup truckPickups cost about 38% more to ship than standard cars.Source: Move.org
- SUVAt 500 miles, an SUV averaged $743 against $696 for a car.Source: Move.org
- Non-running vehicleAdd $150 to $300 for a vehicle that does not run.Source: Direct Connect Auto Transport
Why ship your car in California?
California has one rule that can stop a shipment being worth making at all, and almost nobody mentions it until the car has arrived. A vehicle that still counts as new — under 7,500 miles on the odometer — cannot be registered here unless it was built to California emissions standards rather than the federal ones the other forty-nine states use. Everything else about shipping a car in California is ordinary. That one thing is not.
- Under 7,500 miles, a car must meet California emissions standards to be registered
- A "49-state" car is built to federal standards, not California's
- The exemptions are narrow: replacement of a stolen or wrecked car, inheritance, divorce
- Wildfires are 19 of the state's 46 billion-dollar disasters and most of the cost
- I-5 is the spine, and a move inside the state can run 500 miles
Flexible pickup dates and a nearby meeting point usually get you a lower price.
Good to know in California
The things that actually move a pickup date here.
Check the emissions label before you book, not after the car lands
California law bars introducing a new motor vehicle into the state for registration unless it has been certified to California standards (Health and Safety Code 43151), and section 43156 treats any car reading under 7,500 miles as still new for that purpose. A car built to the federal standard the other forty-nine states use is therefore refusable. The exemptions are narrow — replacing a car stolen or wrecked while you were out of state, inheritance, a divorce decree — so the time to read the emissions label under the hood is before the carrier is booked.
Wildfire is the disruption that has no season you can book around
NOAA counts 46 billion-dollar weather disasters in California between 1980 and 2024, and 19 of them were wildfires: 41% of the events and about 65% of the total cost, far more than flooding, drought and storms together. Fire closes a specific road at short notice rather than slowing a whole region, so the practical effect on a shipment is a reroute and a lost day rather than a canceled week, and it is the reason a California carrier will not promise a delivery hour.
The state is long, and the price follows the length
San Diego to Sacramento is about 470 miles in a straight line and a good deal more by road, so a move within California can cost and take what an interstate trip does elsewhere. I-5 carries most of it, with US-101 the slower coastal alternative and I-15 heading out towards Las Vegas. A quote that looks high for a "local" move is usually just being honest about the mileage.
Sources: California Health and Safety Code 43151: uncertified vehicles, California Health and Safety Code 43156: the 7,500-mile presumption, NOAA NCEI: billion-dollar disasters, California summary
Popular routes from California
Popular routes to California
Major cities in California
Starting prices on popular routes.
Shipping services in California
Car shipping companies serving California
Researched companies ordered by Trustpilot rating, adjusted for review count. Not ranked by state data.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to ship a car to or from California?
Car shipping is routine when you use a licensed, insured company. Check the company's USDOT or MC number, confirm its insurance, and record your car's condition at pickup.
How to ship a carHow do I choose a trustworthy car shipping company in California?
Look up the company's USDOT or MC number, compare several quotes, read recent reviews, and avoid companies that ask for a large deposit before a carrier is assigned.
Avoid car shipping scamsShould I choose open or enclosed transport in California?
Open transport suits most cars and is the cheapest option. Enclosed transport is worth considering for luxury, classic or exotic cars, or when the car will travel through harsh weather.
Open vs. enclosed shipping
How much does it cost to ship a car from California?
Published figures put open transport from California at about $240 – $660 to Nevada and $980 – $5,290 to New York. Enclosed transport runs 30–60% higher in the same studies. Distance, vehicle size, season and pickup location change the price.
Car shipping cost guideHow much does car shipping cost per mile in California?
Published figures for longer California routes run about $0.35–$1.89 per mile for open transport and $0.45–$3.02 per mile for enclosed. Short trips cost more per mile than long ones.
Car shipping cost per mileHow much does it cost to ship a car within California?
Published figures put an in-state move of about 130 miles, such as Los Angeles to San Diego, at $240 – $660 on an open carrier.
California car shipping guide
Everything to know about shipping a car to or from California: costs, routes, preparation and what to expect.
- How prices are set and how to compare quotes
- Choosing open or enclosed transport
- Getting your car ready for pickup
Where these figures come from
Published industry studies, not Haulwide shipments. Checked Sep 16, 2026.
- SGT Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
Published Sep 9, 2026. 30 months of the company's own shipping data (January 2024 to June 2026) across all 50 states and 1,581 state-to-state lanes, limited to completed single-vehicle open transport deliveries and mix-adjusted for distance.
- Move.org(opens in a new tab)
Published Mar 4, 2026. Nearly 800 broker quotes analyzed, priced for a running 2025 Toyota Camry with a one-week lead time using October 2025 quotes.
- Kelley Blue Book(opens in a new tab)
Published Jan 12, 2026. Quotes requested from eight transport companies for a 2025 Honda Accord on three routes from Orlando, on standard open carriers.
- Direct Connect Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
No publication date given. The company's own carrier data for an operable sedan on open transport; the page states no publication date.
- RoadRunner Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
Published Sep 1, 2026. The company's completed shipment history, which it describes as over 1 million vehicles delivered across 30+ years, updated September 2026. Its nationwide average is $1,215 at a median distance of 987 miles and a median $1.23 per mile.
The sources disagree, so figures are shown as the span across them rather than a single price. Pricing methodology
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