The difference the boat trip makes

There is obviously no way for an auto transport truck to take your car the whole way to Hawaii. Your car will need to ship on the sea at some point in order for it to arrive at one of the ports in Hawaii. This will add a little bit of time to your vehicle’s overall shipping duration. Assuming you are shipping to the port at Honolulu, the following are the expected transit time ranges when you are shipping your car to Hawaii from the continental United States:

As you can see, when you ship to Hawaii you will be without your car for a bit. So, prepare to use alternate transportation to get around until you have your car with you in Hawaii. A few methods of alternate transportation available in Hawaii are:

• Car rentals
• Ride share apps like Uber and traditional taxis
• Buses and trolleys
• A bicycle or scooter which can be rented

Picking your car up at the port

There are multiple options in terms of which port your car can be shipped to. Regardless of the port that you choose to ship to, you will always have to go pick your car up at whichever port it was delivered to. There is unfortunately no option for door-to-door transport when shipping your car to Hawaii. This is because there is too much “red-tape” for an auto transporter to go get your car from the port. So, you must do it yourself.

RoadRunner Auto transport can deliver your car to the following ports in Hawaii:
 

• Honolulu
• Hilo
• Kahului
• Nawiliwili

What will I need to have with me to pick up my car at the port in Hawaii?

You can always call our car shipping division to see if there is flexibility to ship to any other ports at the current time or in the future. Regardless of which port you ship to, be prepared to have the following items with you when you pick your car up:

• A copy of the up-to-date inspection
• A copy of the current registration
• A copy of the shipping receipt with the arrival date on it
• The completed Permit for Vehicle application
• Cash to pay the permit fee

What do ports in Hawaii charge for storage after I ship my car there?

The following are the prices that you will be charged for the storage of your car once it is delivered at all of the ports in Hawaii:

Hawaiian port hours of operation and contact information

The ports in Hawaii keep certain hours of operation. You can only pick your car up during the hours that they are open and operating. The ports also close for about an hour for lunch, thus you cannot pick your car up during that time as well. The following is a list of the ports that you can ship your car to along with their hours of operation and addresses:

After you pick your car up at the port

Hawaii vehicle registration

Once you have picked your vehicle up at the port, you will need to get it registered within 30 days of its arrival at the port. It is important to note that this is not 30 days from when you pick it up. So, if your car arrives at the port one day and you pick it up on the tenth day since its arrival at the port, you will only have 20 days to get that car registered in Hawaii.

In order to get your car registered in Hawaii you will need to:

1. Purchase car insurance that covers you in Hawaii. Your old auto insurance will not.
2. Have your car inspected in Hawaii by bringing it to a Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection station along with proof of insurance.
3. Decide whether you want to register it officially with new Hawaiian plates and a Hawaiian registration or you want to get an out-of-state permit. An out-of-state permit will allow you to use your current plates and registration for up to a year at which point you will have to register the car in Hawaii with Hawaiian plates anyway.
4. Go to your local Hawaiian DMV with your inspection certificate, proof of insurance, license (non-Hawaii license is fine as long as it is valid) and car shipping receipt.
5. Finalize your registration at the DMV and pay the applicable fees with cash or check only.

Hawaii residency and driver’s license requirements

Once you are considered to be an official resident of Hawaii, you will need to get a Hawaiian driver’s license.

You can get a Hawaii state license by:

1. Bringing your current and unexpired license and proof of residency (utility bill, etc) to your local DMV in Hawaii
2. Passing an eye and written test
3. Paying the applicable fee

In Hawaii, you are officially considered to be a resident when you have spent more than 200 days there in any given year. The only exception is if you can prove that you were living there temporarily or as a part of some sort of transition. For example, if you became the spouse of a military member in Hawaii during their last year of deployment there. Otherwise, you must have a Hawaii state license once you are considered a resident.

How driving in Hawaii is different

You should also be prepared for the way that driving will be noticeably different in Hawaii as soon as your tires hit the pavement. In Hawaii, unlike in many mainland city areas, drivers tend to drive under the speed limit rather than over it. You will also notice that drivers in Hawaii tend to be much easier going than mainland drivers. This means honking in Hawaii is considered extremely rude and people often give other drivers the right-of-way rather than refuse to let them in or aggressively race to a stop sign at an intersection. Be prepared for your trips to take a bit longer but to be less tension-filled.

What does it cost to ship a car to Hawaii?

The cost of shipping a car to Hawaii will vary due to several factors. These factors are the time of year during which you are shipping, how much notice you gave for your shipment, which port you are shipping to, the distance of your shipment and the shipping options that you select. In 2023 and beyond, the cost of shipping a car to any port in Hawaii will likely fall between $2,000 and $3,000 with the final cost possibly being a bit higher or lower than that range.

In order to keep your cost as low as possible, plan to give your car shipper at least a month’s notice of your shipment. You should also do what you can to ship your car in the fall or early spring if possible. Finally, avoid selecting any upgraded shipping options such as enclosed transport or top loading as these options will always cost more money.

Is it cheaper to ship a car to Hawaii or buy one there?

The cost of shipping a car to Hawaii will likely fall between $2,000 and $3,000. The average cost of a used car in Hawaii in 2022 was just over $32,000. So, shipping your car to Hawaii will likely be about ten times cheaper than buying a car once you arrive there.

Can I ship a new car to Hawaii?

Hawaii will unfortunately have a limited supply of new cars to choose from. There might not be the color or model that you are looking for. Thus, you might want to buy a car online and ship it to yourself in Hawaii. Thankfully, doing so is no more complicated than it would be to typically ship a car. The only difference will be that you will need to talk to the dealer or seller that you are buying the car from and see when it will be convenient for them to have your auto transporter come and pick up the car. Otherwise, it will be a typical car shipment to Hawaii.

Military car shipping to Hawaii

If you are in the military and you will be making a PCS move to Hawaii, you should give serious consideration to shipping your car there rather than renting one or buying one. The overall cost will be much cheaper in the long run. Again, it will not be possible to get your car shipped directly to your base as you will need to pick it up at the port.

You might be wondering “Will the military pay to ship my car?” and the answer is that it depends on your particular situation. The military could cover the entire cost of shipping your car, part of the cost or none of the cost. Your best bet to see if you qualify for any assistance is to speak to your commanding officer and ask them.

The following is a list of all the military bases located in Hawaii that you could possibly end up PCSing to:

• Wheeler Army Airfield
• Tripler Medical Center
• Station Maui
• USCG Base Honolulu
• KR-SOCK
• Pohakuloa Training Center
• Schofield Barracks
• NCTAMS PAC
• Barking Sands Missile Range
• Fort Shafter
• MCB Hawaii
• NS Pearl Harbor

Hawaii car shipping tips

When you are shipping your car to Hawaii you will need to plan and prepare correctly. You will need to be available during the pickup window of your vehicle so that you can give the keys to the driver and sign the bill of lading. If for any reason you cannot be there, someone you trust who is eighteen or older with a valid driver’s license must be there to do this. You will also have to have the outside of your vehicle cleaned before your driver arrives to pick up your car. This is simply so that they can conduct a visual inspection of the car for damage that existed prior to shipping for insurance purposes.

Avoid trying to ship anything with the vehicle. The car shipping insurance does not cover anything but the vehicle itself. Thus, if you try to ship some small furniture inside your car and it happens to end up damaged while in transit, the car shipping insurance will not cover any of that cost.

Plan to be without your car for at least two to three weeks. If it is estimated that your shipment will take two weeks, be prepared to be without your car for three. This will work as a fail-safe and contingency in case your vehicle gets held up at the port, for example.

Conclusion

Shipping your car to Hawaii, regardless of the port destination, is much easier than most people think. Your car shipping company will handle your vehicle’s transport from your front doorstep all the way to the port at Hawaii. Your entire involvement will be planning, preparing and picking up your car at the port in Hawaii. Keep in mind that there will not be an exact drop off date at the port for your car. Instead, there will be a window of several days when it can arrive and be picked up. When it does arrive at the port, be sure to pick it up promptly with the proper documentation otherwise you could end up paying unnecessary storage fees.