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Pasadena, CA Car Shipping: Door-to-Door Auto Transport

Updated September 2026

Ship a car to or from Pasadena, CA — get an instant car shipping quote with your price on screen in seconds.

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Updated September 2026
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Why RoadRunner

Top-Rated Pasadena Car Shipping Experts

When you need to ship a car to or from Pasadena, count on an auto transport company that gets cars where they need to be safely and on time. RoadRunner Auto Transport has over 30 years of experience delivering cars cross country, with door-to-door vehicle transport anywhere in Pasadena, CA. Our transport coordinators handle every step, from pricing and carrier assignment to dispatch and delivery.

Whether you need a car transported in or out of the city, RoadRunner sets you up with convenient Pasadena auto shipping at a fair price, with enclosed transport available for added protection. Call (888) 777-2123 or use our car shipping calculator to get an instant quote.

Every carrier in the network is vetted before it hauls for RoadRunner and carries its own cargo insurance, and the coordinator who prices your Pasadena move stays your point of contact until the car is delivered. Quotes are built from what carriers are charging to run the California lanes right now, not from a national average.

Whether the car is a daily driver, a classic headed for storage, or a student's first car going to campus, the same coordinator handles open and enclosed bookings, expedited pickups, and vehicles that do not run under their own power.

The result is a 4.7-star average across more than 39,000 verified customer reviews, and one phone number, (888) 777-2123, for the quote, the booking and the day of pickup.

car shipping Pasadena
Why choose RoadRunner for Pasadena?
Transparent, Flat-Rate Pricing
No hidden fees. Your quote is priced for your exact shipment from live carrier data.
Door-to-door in Pasadena
Any residential or business address in Pasadena or Central Pasadena and The landmark bungalow districts; the exact spot is agreed with the driver.
California carrier availability: 5/5
RoadRunner's carrier-availability rating for California pickups and deliveries.
Get My Pasadena Price
30,000+
Carrier network
Vetted open and enclosed carriers
30+yrs
Shipping cars nationwide
Since 1992
1M+
Vehicles delivered
Door to door, coast to coast

What California customers say about shipping with RoadRunner

"I recently relocated from Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX. I found RoadRunner from Google and received excellent services from the quote to the service of picking my car and transporting across country."

Dominique L.

California to Texas

May 2026

5 stars
Google review

"Tried to have my car shipped from California to Oregon with another service, for 1 month! ridicules, called roadrunner and they pick up the car one day and it was delivered the next day. Driver was great, courteous and professional. Very reasonable pricing."

Craig

California to Oregon

May 2026

5 stars
Trustpilot review

"Fast pickup. Faster delivery. Schedule for Wednesday pickup on Monday, car delivered enclosed following Monday from CA to NY. Great communication throughout. Car in perfect shape."

KosH K.

California to New York

October 2025

5 stars
Google review

"RoadRunner was a no nonsense company. Quoted the job. Communication before pick up, day of pick, day of drop off was great. Car was picked up in Massachusetts 1/9/25 & delivered to California 1/13/25 Driver was professional & polite. I would definitely recommend & use them again."

Bobby S.

Massachusetts to California

January 2025

5 stars
Trustpilot review
About Pasadena car shipping

Reliable car shipping to and from Pasadena, California

Pasadena spreads from the Arroyo Seco on its west side to the foothills in the east. Carriers use the 210 and the 134 to reach the city, since the Arroyo Seco Parkway is closed to trucks. Across the flats, pickup happens at your driveway. Old Pasadena, the tree-lined bungalow districts and the hills west of the Arroyo are harder to reach. There the pickup takes place a block or two away on a wider street.

An open auto carrier unloading on a residential street

Students at the city's four campuses ship cars in each late August and out each May. Research staff at Caltech and JPL move in and out with their project cycles. Owners of exotics, restorations and Route 66 era cars can choose an enclosed carrier. Car shipping in Pasadena runs normally for most of the year. The exception is the turn of the year, when Rose Parade grandstands and parking limits line Colorado Boulevard and the nearby blocks.

Questions about a Pasadena pickup? Call (888) 777-2123.

130,935
Population (2023 est.)
23 sq mi
Land area
5,703/sq mi
Population density
-4.5%
Growth since 2010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (2023).
Pricing

What factors affect the cost to ship a car?

Several factors can affect your car shipping cost to or from Pasadena, CA — the six below are the ones that move it most, and they pull in different directions at once: a longer lane costs more in total but less per mile, an enclosed carrier adds protection and price, and a pickup date with some give in it can cancel out a busy-season premium. The quote you get is for your exact vehicle, dates and addresses, and it covers pickup, transport and delivery with no fees added afterwards.

Prices on the busiest California corridors are on the California car shipping page. For a price on your exact vehicle transport, use the calculator or call (888) 777-2123.

Pasadena car shipping factors
DistanceThe distance of your move from origin to destination. Longer lanes cost more in total while costing less per mile.Learn more Vehicle type and sizeLarger and heavier vehicles take more deck space and weight allowance on the carrier.Learn more Open, enclosed, or top-loadedOpen transport is the standard choice; an enclosed carrier costs more and shields the vehicle from weather and road debris.Learn more Pickup and delivery accessRural or hard-to-reach addresses can add to the price; a wide, legal curb keeps it simple.Learn more Season and timingDepending on your route, the time of year adds a seasonality factor; flexible dates help.Learn more Speed of deliveryExpedited pickup windows and direct routes are available for faster delivery at a higher rate.Learn more
Our Pasadena car shipping specialists can walk you through which factors matter most for your shipment. Calculate your Pasadena car shipping cost
Door-to-door in Pasadena

Door-to-Door Car Shipping in Pasadena: Neighborhoods and ZIP Codes We Serve

Pasadena reads easier on a map than it does from a truck cab. The flats between the 210 and the 134 are ordinary door-to-door territory, but commercial vehicles are barred from the Arroyo Seco Parkway (SR-110), Old Pasadena runs on one-way pairs and alleys, and the landmark bungalow districts and the San Rafael Hills are narrow and heavily treed. Carriers work the city off the 210 and the 134.

Central Pasadena

Old Pasadena · Playhouse District · South Lake · Civic Center · Midtown · Downtown Pasadena

One-way pairs on Green and Union and alley-loaded buildings: the driver loads at a curb on a wide cross street or a surface lot.

The landmark bungalow districts

Bungalow Heaven · Madison Heights · Historic Highlands · Garfield Heights · Washington Square

Streets platted in the 1910s and 1920s under a deep tree canopy; pickups move a block to Lake, Hill, Allen, or Washington.

The Arroyo & the west side hills

Linda Vista · San Rafael Hills · Annandale · Brookside · West Pasadena

Winding roads above the Arroyo with nowhere to turn a rig around: meet the truck on Colorado, Orange Grove, or Lincoln.

East Pasadena & the foothills

Hastings Ranch · Upper Hastings Ranch · East Pasadena · Chapman Woods · Altadena · Sierra Madre

Wide post-war tracts off Foothill and Sierra Madre Boulevard; the upper streets in Altadena and Sierra Madre are the exception.

Pasadena ZIP codes we serve

Carriers pick up and deliver across 447 ZIP codes in the Pasadena area, grouped here by postal district.

  • 900xx95 ZIPs
  • 901xx1 ZIP
  • 902xx43 ZIPs
  • 903xx12 ZIPs
  • 904xx11 ZIPs
  • 905xx9 ZIPs
  • 906xx31 ZIPs
  • 907xx19 ZIPs
  • 908xx7 ZIPs
  • 910xx25 ZIPs
  • 911xx27 ZIPs
  • 912xx16 ZIPs
  • 913xx30 ZIPs
  • 914xx22 ZIPs
  • 915xx13 ZIPs
  • 916xx17 ZIPs
  • 917xx45 ZIPs
  • 918xx6 ZIPs
  • 928xx15 ZIPs
  • 935xx3 ZIPs
All 447 Pasadena-area ZIP codes

900xx: 90001, 90002, 90003, 90004, 90005, 90006, 90007, 90008, 90009, 90010, 90011, 90012, 90013, 90014, 90015, 90016, 90017, 90018, 90019, 90020, 90021, 90022, 90023, 90024, 90025, 90026, 90027, 90028, 90029, 90030, 90031, 90032, 90033, 90034, 90035, 90036, 90037, 90038, 90039, 90040, 90041, 90042, 90043, 90044, 90045, 90046, 90047, 90048, 90049, 90050, 90051, 90052, 90053, 90054, 90055, 90056, 90057, 90058, 90059, 90060, 90061, 90062, 90063, 90064, 90065, 90066, 90067, 90068, 90069, 90070, 90071, 90072, 90073, 90074, 90075, 90076, 90077, 90078, 90079, 90080, 90081, 90082, 90083, 90084, 90086, 90087, 90088, 90089, 90090, 90091, 90093, 90094, 90095, 90096, 90099

901xx: 90189

902xx: 90201, 90202, 90209, 90210, 90211, 90212, 90213, 90220, 90221, 90222, 90223, 90224, 90230, 90231, 90232, 90233, 90239, 90240, 90241, 90242, 90245, 90247, 90248, 90249, 90250, 90251, 90254, 90255, 90260, 90261, 90262, 90266, 90267, 90270, 90272, 90278, 90280, 90291, 90292, 90293, 90294, 90295, 90296

903xx: 90301, 90302, 90303, 90304, 90305, 90306, 90307, 90308, 90309, 90310, 90311, 90312

904xx: 90401, 90402, 90403, 90404, 90405, 90406, 90407, 90408, 90409, 90410, 90411

905xx: 90501, 90502, 90503, 90504, 90506, 90507, 90508, 90509, 90510

906xx: 90601, 90602, 90603, 90604, 90605, 90606, 90607, 90608, 90609, 90610, 90620, 90621, 90622, 90623, 90624, 90630, 90631, 90632, 90633, 90637, 90638, 90639, 90640, 90650, 90651, 90652, 90660, 90661, 90662, 90670, 90671

907xx: 90701, 90702, 90703, 90706, 90707, 90711, 90712, 90713, 90714, 90715, 90716, 90720, 90721, 90723, 90745, 90746, 90747, 90749, 90755

908xx: 90805, 90806, 90807, 90808, 90810, 90815, 90895

910xx: 91001, 91003, 91006, 91007, 91008, 91009, 91010, 91011, 91012, 91016, 91017, 91020, 91021, 91023, 91024, 91025, 91030, 91031, 91040, 91041, 91042, 91043, 91046, 91066, 91077

911xx: 91101, 91102, 91103, 91104, 91105, 91106, 91107, 91108, 91109, 91110, 91114, 91115, 91116, 91117, 91118, 91121, 91123, 91124, 91125, 91126, 91129, 91182, 91184, 91185, 91188, 91189, 91199

912xx: 91201, 91202, 91203, 91204, 91205, 91206, 91207, 91208, 91209, 91210, 91214, 91221, 91222, 91224, 91225, 91226

913xx: 91316, 91321, 91324, 91325, 91327, 91328, 91329, 91330, 91331, 91333, 91334, 91335, 91337, 91340, 91341, 91342, 91343, 91344, 91345, 91346, 91352, 91353, 91356, 91357, 91385, 91387, 91392, 91393, 91394, 91395

914xx: 91401, 91402, 91403, 91404, 91405, 91406, 91407, 91408, 91409, 91410, 91411, 91412, 91413, 91416, 91423, 91426, 91436, 91470, 91482, 91495, 91496, 91499

915xx: 91501, 91502, 91503, 91504, 91505, 91506, 91507, 91508, 91510, 91521, 91522, 91523, 91526

916xx: 91601, 91602, 91603, 91604, 91605, 91606, 91607, 91608, 91609, 91610, 91611, 91612, 91614, 91615, 91616, 91617, 91618

917xx: 91702, 91706, 91711, 91714, 91715, 91716, 91722, 91723, 91724, 91731, 91732, 91733, 91734, 91735, 91740, 91741, 91744, 91745, 91746, 91747, 91748, 91749, 91750, 91754, 91755, 91756, 91765, 91766, 91767, 91768, 91769, 91770, 91771, 91772, 91773, 91775, 91776, 91778, 91780, 91788, 91789, 91790, 91791, 91792, 91793

918xx: 91801, 91802, 91803, 91804, 91896, 91899

928xx: 92801, 92809, 92821, 92822, 92823, 92831, 92832, 92833, 92834, 92835, 92836, 92837, 92838, 92870, 92871

935xx: 93510, 93550, 93563

Nearby city pages

Local resources: City of Pasadena · County of Los Angeles · California DMV Vehicle Registration
On-the-Ground Logistics

What Pasadena Pickups Actually Look Like

Most handoffs are straightforward door-to-door pickups. These are the exceptions, and how the driver handles them.

Trucks are barred from the Arroyo Seco Parkway

The 110 into Pasadena is the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and vehicles over 6,000 pounds have been banned from it since the 1940s, so no car carrier uses that approach. Trucks come in on the 210 and the 134 instead and drop onto Colorado, Lake, Fair Oaks, or Foothill. It costs a few minutes of routing and nothing else.

Old Pasadena and the one-way pairs

Downtown runs on one-way pairs, with Green and Union carrying traffic in opposite directions, and much of Old Pasadena is served by alleys and garages whose posted clearances a carrier cannot use. A pickup downtown happens at a legal curb on a wide cross street or in a surface lot a short walk from the door.

Bungalow districts and the San Rafael Hills

Bungalow Heaven, Madison Heights, and the other landmark districts were laid out in the 1910s and 1920s: narrow streets, deep canopy, low branches. West of the Arroyo, Linda Vista and the San Rafael Hills add switchbacks with nowhere to turn a 75-foot rig around. The handoff moves to Lake, Allen, Colorado, or Orange Grove.

Santa Ana winds in the foothills

Santa Ana winds run through the fall and winter and bring red-flag warnings and closures to the foothill roads above Pasadena and Altadena, with Angeles Crest Highway out of La Cañada Flintridge usually the first to shut. A foothill pickup can move by a day when the winds are up, and carriers reschedule rather than work a closed canyon road.

How it works

How does vehicle transport to and from Pasadena work?

how does vehicle transport to and from Pasadena work
  1. 1

    Get your car shipping quote

    Enter your pickup and delivery details and your Pasadena vehicle transport price appears on screen in seconds. Choose open-carrier shipping, the most popular and cost-effective option, or an enclosed carrier for additional protection.

  2. 2

    Vehicle pickup

    Book online or with a transport coordinator and pick a date. On pickup day your vehicle is inspected, carefully loaded onto the carrier, and you can track the status of your shipment online at any time.

  3. 3

    Vehicle delivery

    On delivery day your vehicle is safely offloaded and a final inspection confirms it arrived in the same condition as when it was picked up.

Read the full guide to how auto transport works
Getting Ready

Before the carrier arrives in Pasadena

Three things to handle between booking and pickup day. They take an hour in total and make both handoffs smooth.

1

Schedule in advance

Book 7–14 days ahead for the best rates, and 2–3 weeks during peak season, when carrier space is tightest.

2

Prep and empty the vehicle

Wash the car, leave about a quarter tank of fuel, and remove personal items. Anything left inside is not protected against loss or damage in transit.

3

Inspect at pickup and delivery

Walk around the vehicle with the driver at both ends, photograph its condition, and note anything new on the Bill of Lading before signing.

The Pasadena Story

Who Ships Cars in Pasadena, and Why

The shipments Pasadena generates most, and the service built for each.

Four campuses in one small cityCaltech is on California Boulevard, Pasadena City College on Colorado, ArtCenter's Hillside campus up Lida Street above the Arroyo, and Fuller Theological Seminary on Oakland Avenue. Together they put a move-in wave in late August and a move-out wave in May, with cars running in both directions.College car shipping Caltech, JPL, and research movesCaltech manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA, and JPL sits just up the Arroyo in La Cañada Flintridge. Staff, postdocs, and contractors arrive and leave on project cycles, and a relocation gets one coordinator, a pickup date set against a start date, and an enclosed option for a high-value car.Corporate relocation shipping Estate garages and enclosed transportOak Knoll, Madison Heights, and the streets running toward San Marino hold cars their owners will not put on an open deck: low-clearance exotics, restorations, cars that have never met road spray. Enclosed transport adds a hard roof, soft straps at the wheels, and a liftgate for anything that cannot climb a ramp.Enclosed auto transport Route 66 on Colorado BoulevardColorado Boulevard carried Route 66 through Pasadena, and the Colorado Street Bridge carried it from 1926 until the Arroyo Seco Parkway opened in 1940. Cars of that era still move through the city, and they ship on soft straps at the wheels, with a liftgate for anything that cannot take a ramp angle.Classic car shipping
Pasadena pickups and deliveries

Shipping a car to Pasadena

Inbound Pasadena auto transport ends at your door in Pasadena or in Central Pasadena, The landmark bungalow districts, The Arroyo & the west side hills. The carrier comes in with a delivery window set once the truck is a day out, and the driver checks the vehicle with you against the condition recorded at pickup before you sign for it.

If you are moving in, the quote is the same whether the car rides ahead of you or after you; California registration comes afterwards, and the California DMV links in the pickup section above cover that paperwork.

An SUV being driven down the ramps off an open carrier at delivery

Shipping a car from Pasadena

Outbound, Pasadena auto transport starts with one quote for the exact vehicle and dates. A transport coordinator assigns the carrier, confirms the pickup date, and from then on the driver is your contact for timing.

Open transport is the standard choice for a daily driver leaving California; enclosed transport is there for a car that should arrive without weather or road debris on it. Either way the price you see is for your exact vehicle, not a class average.

An SUV being driven up the ramps onto an open carrier at the curb
The RoadRunner Advantage

The RoadRunner Advantage for Pasadena Auto Transport

Top rated auto shipping

Top-Rated Auto Shipping

Thousands of verified 5-star reviews for vehicle shipping done right.

Door-to-door car shipping

Nationwide Door-to-Door Service

Direct service to and from any residential or business location in the US.

Licensed and bonded, cargo insured

Licensed, Bonded & Cargo Insured

A licensed and bonded auto transport broker; every carrier in the network carries cargo insurance.

No up front deposit required

No Up-Front Deposit Required

You pay nothing until a carrier is confirmed and your pickup is scheduled.

Extended office hours

Extended Office Hours

Transport coordinators are available weekdays, 9 AM to 10 PM ET, and Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM ET.

Online shipment tracking

24/7 Online Shipment Tracking

Track the status of your shipment online anytime at your convenience.

Service Type

Open or Enclosed Transport for Pasadena?

Open car transport is the standard choice for most shipments and the most economical way to ship a daily driver, SUV, or truck. Your car rides with 8–10 others on a multi-vehicle trailer, driven on via built-in ramps and secured to the deck for the trip — the same way dealers move new inventory. See open auto transport for details.

Enclosed car shipping earns its premium of roughly 50% when the vehicle itself calls for it: luxury, classic, and exotic cars, a vehicle fresh off the dealer lot with no road miles, or anything you would not want exposed to weather and road debris. If you're weighing the two, our guide to the difference between enclosed and open auto transport covers it in detail.

Expedited shipping is also available when the calendar is not negotiable: guaranteed pickup windows and direct driver routes that get your vehicle there faster. It is the option time-sensitive moves lean on, from military relocations to students starting a new semester.

Sports car being loaded into an enclosed auto transport trailerShipping something special?White-glove protection for high-value vehiclesFully enclosed trailers shield luxury, classic, and exotic cars from weather, road salt, and debris the whole way.Explore Enclosed Car Shipping
Tips

Tips for shipping a car to or from Pasadena

1

Keep the pickup window flexible

A two- to three-day window lets the dispatcher place your car on the first carrier passing through; a fixed single day is the most expensive way to book.

2

Name a second contact for the handoff

Someone over 18 has to release and accept the vehicle, hand over the keys and sign the inspection reports. If you cannot be at the Pasadena address yourself, name a person you trust at booking.

3

Say so if the car does not run

Inoperable vehicles ship on a carrier with a winch, for an additional fee and usually a slightly longer wait for the right truck. Mention it at quote time so the assignment is right the first time.

Verified Reviews
Excellent communication on everything and received my vehicle from California to Indiana a day early. Delivery driver was very helpful. He called often and got as close to my house as he could (one block away) with his large truck in a large parking lot. I walked back to my other vehicle that I came from work with, but he even offered to drive it to my house, and I could drive him back to the truck then in my other car.
Google review5 stars
Jeffrey T.
California to Indiana · January 2026
Verified on Google
4.7average rating across thousands of verified auto transport reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the vehicle transportation process.

Across the flats, yes: Hastings Ranch, East Pasadena, Chapman Woods, and the tracts off Foothill and Sierra Madre Boulevard are driveway pickups. Three places move the handoff. Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District run on one-way pairs and alleys, so loading happens at a curb on a wide cross street. The landmark bungalow districts are narrow and heavily treed. Linda Vista and the San Rafael Hills have switchbacks with nowhere to turn a carrier around. In each case the spot is a block or two away, and the driver confirms it with you by phone before pickup.
Keep reading

Still have questions about shipping a car?

Visit some of our helpful pages to see how RoadRunner Auto Transport can simplify your vehicle transportation, or call (888) 777-2123 to talk it through.

How car shipping works with RoadRunnerHow It WorksFind out how RoadRunner makes vehicle shipping as easy as 1-2-3.Learn more The RoadRunner auto transport advantageOur AdvantageSee what sets RoadRunner apart, from pricing to the carrier network.Learn more RoadRunner auto transport servicesTransport ServicesOpen, enclosed, expedited, and specialty auto transport options.Learn more

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