Massachusetts car shipping
Car Shipping in Massachusetts
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$0.33–$1.89 per mile
Open transport rate
1–3 days
Avg. transit time
$240 – $660
Within Massachusetts
$0.43–$3.02 per mile
Enclosed transport rate
Free · No obligation · About a minute
Get a Massachusetts car shipping quote
Massachusetts shipping rates
Published figures for a standard car, by estimated distance.
- Open transport
- $0.33–$1.89 per mile
- Enclosed transport
- $0.43–$3.02 per mile
- Within Massachusetts
- $240 – $660
- Massachusetts to California
- $1,000 – $5,725
- Massachusetts to Connecticut
- $240 – $660
- Massachusetts to Texas
- $745 – $3,820
Winter weather affects pickup, not just price
No source publishes monthly prices by state, so this is what the studies say about timing.
Storms and mountain passes can delay a truck that is already on the road, so a wider pickup window matters more here than a slightly lower quote.
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 Massachusetts?
Massachusetts makes you do two things before it will let the car on the road, and both need the vehicle already here. It will not register a car until a Massachusetts insurer has stamped the paperwork, then gives you seven days to pass inspection, and it charges an annual excise your city bills separately. Delivery into Boston has its own catch: the parkways along the Charles are closed to anything as tall as a car carrier, so door-to-door in the city is often a meeting point instead.
- An annual excise, billed by your city or town, at $25 per $1,000 of a value that starts at 90% of list price
- No registration until a Massachusetts-licensed insurer stamps and signs the application
- Seven days from registration to pass the state safety and emissions inspection
- Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road and Memorial Drive are cars-only, with clearances as low as nine feet
- A car carrier cannot use those parkways, so a Boston or Cambridge delivery often meets you at a lot
Flexible pickup dates and a nearby meeting point usually get you a lower price.
Good to know in Massachusetts
The things that actually move a pickup date here.
The car tax is annual, and your city sends the bill
Massachusetts charges a motor vehicle excise every year, and unlike most states the bill comes from the city or town where the car is garaged rather than the registry. The rate is $25 per $1,000 of value, and the value is a share of the car's original list price that falls with age — 90 percent in the model year, then 60, 40, 25 and finally 10 percent from the fifth year on. A car registered here is billed for the rest of the current year and in full every year after, so on anything recent it is a real line to plan for rather than a surprise. The minimum is $5.
Massachusetts will not register the car until a local insurer stamps the form
The step that catches people moving in is that Massachusetts will not register a vehicle until a Massachusetts-licensed insurance agent has stamped and signed the Registration and Title Application. An out-of-state policy is not enough, and nothing at the registry happens without that stamp. Once the car is registered you then have seven days to have it pass the state safety and emissions inspection. Both steps need the car here and a local policy in place, so they belong on the arrival list: line up Massachusetts insurance before the transporter delivers, not after.
The one road into the city a car carrier cannot take
Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road along the Boston bank of the Charles, and Memorial Drive on the Cambridge side, are restricted to cars only, with bridge clearances posted as low as nine feet. A loaded carrier does not fit under them — the state runs a campaign every move-in season against “Storrowing,” the wedging of a too-tall vehicle under one of those bridges, because it keeps happening. For a delivery in Boston or Cambridge it means the truck comes in on Beacon Street, Commonwealth Avenue or the Turnpike and often hands the car over at a lot rather than at the door. Ask the driver where they plan to meet.
Sources: Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 60A, Section 1: motor vehicle excise, City of Worcester: Motor Vehicle Excise Tax rate and valuation schedule, Massachusetts RMV: transfer your registration and title from out of state, Massachusetts DCR: roadway height restrictions and Storrowing
Popular routes from Massachusetts
Popular routes to Massachusetts
Major cities in Massachusetts
Starting prices on popular routes.
Shipping services in Massachusetts
Car shipping companies serving Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts?
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 Massachusetts?
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 Massachusetts?
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 Massachusetts?
Published figures put open transport from Massachusetts at about $240 – $660 to Rhode Island and $1,000 – $5,725 to California. 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 Massachusetts?
Published figures for longer Massachusetts routes run about $0.33–$1.89 per mile for open transport and $0.43–$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 Massachusetts?
Published figures put an in-state move of about 100 miles, such as Boston to Worcester, at $240 – $660 on an open carrier.
Massachusetts car shipping guide
Everything to know about shipping a car to or from Massachusetts: 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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