Los Angeles, CA car shipping
Car Shipping in Los Angeles, CA
- Estimates clearly labeled
- Independent company rankings
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$510 – $4,800
Typical price
Sedan, open transport
1–9 days
Transit time
Most major cities
Houston, Las Vegas
Top destinations
$240 – $660
Trips within California
Published range for an in-state trip
Free · No obligation · About a minute
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About car shipping in Los Angeles
Los Angeles sits at the end of two of the busiest long-haul corridors in the country, so trucks come and go constantly and you rarely wait long for one. What holds up a pickup here is almost never the lane. It is the last quarter mile, where hillside streets, alley-access buildings and permit-parking blocks leave an 80-foot rig nowhere to turn around.
- I-5 and I-10 carry most of the long-haul traffic in and out
- Cars bound for Hawaii load at the port rather than crossing the country
- Hillside and dense central blocks usually need a meeting point
- No winter road closures, so prices follow demand rather than weather
- Main highways
- I-5, I-10, I-405
- Typical transit
- 1–9 days
- In-state trips
- $240 – $660
Car shipping rates from Los Angeles
Estimated from published industry figures for a standard car. Your quote depends on season, vehicle and exact addresses.
| Destination | Distance | Open transport | Enclosed transport | Transit time | Route page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | 1,640 mi | $655 – $3,100 | $855 – $4,960 | 4–7 days | California to Texas |
| Las Vegas, NV | 270 mi | $240 – $660 | $290 – $1,055 | 1–2 days | California to Nevada |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2,570 mi | $900 – $4,855 | $1,170 – $7,770 | 6–11 days | California to Florida |
| New York City, NY | 2,930 mi | $1,025 – $5,540 | $1,335 – $8,860 | 6–12 days | California to New York |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 700 mi | $510 – $1,325 | $655 – $2,115 | 2–3 days | California to Utah |
| Chicago, IL | 2,090 mi | $775 – $3,950 | $1,005 – $6,320 | 5–9 days | California to Illinois |
Prices move with the season
No source publishes monthly prices by city, 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
Transit times from Los Angeles
Typical days on the road after pickup.
- Las Vegas, NV · 270 mi1–2 days
- Phoenix, AZ · 430 mi1–2 days
- Salt Lake City, UT · 700 mi2–3 days
- Portland, OR · 990 mi2–4 days
- Houston, TX · 1,640 mi4–7 days
- Chicago, IL · 2,090 mi5–9 days
- Atlanta, GA · 2,320 mi5–10 days
Popular routes from Los Angeles
Car shipping companies serving Los Angeles
Researched companies ordered by Trustpilot rating, adjusted for review count. Not ranked by city data.
Pickup areas around Los Angeles
Where trucks reach easily, and where a meeting point helps.
- San Fernando ValleyWide streets and large lots. Door pickup usually works as booked.
- Westside and Santa MonicaAccess is fine; traffic is the problem. Early-morning slots hold better.
- Hillside neighborhoodsExpect to meet the truck at the bottom of the hill.
- San Pedro and WilmingtonEasy for carriers, and the staging area for anything going overseas.
Good to know in Los Angeles
- A Hawaii move starts at the port, not the freewayPasha Hawaii runs a vehicle terminal in Los Angeles, so a car going to Honolulu is normally trucked a few miles to the harbor and sails from San Pedro Bay. Quotes that route it to another coast first are quoting the wrong trip.
- Hillside streets rule out door deliveryThe Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake and Echo Park have grades and switchbacks a loaded carrier cannot take. Drivers ask to meet on a wide boulevard or in a shopping-center lot within a few miles, and that is a normal part of door-to-door here, not a downgrade.
- Port traffic sets the clockThe Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach sit side by side in San Pedro Bay, and the drayage they generate is why the 710 and the 110 seize up by mid-morning. A driver offering you an early pickup near the harbor is planning around that, not padding the window.
- Timing is about demand, not weatherNothing closes a road here in winter. The expensive weeks in Los Angeles track moving season and the snowbird run rather than storms, which is why a January quote out of LA behaves differently from a January quote out of Chicago.
- Moving to Los AngelesIf you're moving from another state, you'll generally need to register your vehicle in California. Check California's motor vehicle agency for deadlines and inspection rules.
Sources: Pasha Hawaii mainland terminals
Other California cities
Starting prices on popular routes.
Helpful guides for Los Angeles
Why ship from Los Angeles?
- Carriers already serving California
- Door-to-door pickup where trucks can reach
- Open and enclosed transport options
- Published price ranges you can compare before booking
- Common for relocations, students, military moves and car purchases
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to ship a car from Los Angeles?
Published figures put a standard car on an open carrier at about $510 – $4,800 from Los Angeles to other major cities, depending on distance, season and vehicle. Shorter trips, such as to Las Vegas, run about $240 – $660.
Car shipping cost calculatorHow long does it take to ship a car from Los Angeles?
About 1–2 days to Las Vegas and 6–12 days to New York City, plus the pickup window before the car is loaded.
How long car shipping takesCan the truck pick up at my home in Los Angeles?
Often, yes. On narrow, busy or restricted streets, the driver may ask to meet at a nearby open lot where a full-size carrier can load safely.
Door-to-door car shipping
Should I ship open or enclosed from Los Angeles?
Open transport suits most everyday cars and costs less. Consider enclosed for luxury, classic or exotic cars, or anything with fresh paint.
Open vs. enclosed shippingIs my car insured when shipping from Los Angeles?
Licensed carriers must carry liability insurance, and most carry cargo coverage for the cars they haul. Ask for the certificate of insurance before pickup.
Car shipping insuranceWhat's the cheapest way to ship a car from Los Angeles?
Choose open transport, be flexible with dates, book one to three weeks ahead and meet the truck near a main highway if your street is hard to reach.
Cheapest way to ship a car
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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