Shipping a car from one state to another

Shipping a car from one state to another is useful when you are moving long-distance, going away to college or coming home from college, heading to a vacation home for the winter, and any other time you need to move a car to another state when you do not want to drive there yourself. Interstate car shipping is more common than shipping a vehicle from one point to another within the same state, and it is also more common than international car shipping.

How much does it cost to ship a car to another state?

The cost of shipping a car to another state in 2023 will depend on several things, but shipping a car to another state usually falls between $0.50 and $2 per mile. So, if you were shipping a car just a hundred miles right over a state line, it would be cheaper than if you were shipping the same car to another state across the country.

The price per mile of shipping a car to another state is a fairly large range because of the different things we mentioned that can impact the cost of car shipping differently on any different day. These things include the distance of your shipment, the time of year you are shipping your car, whether or not you choose any expedited shipping options, the cost of gas for your car carrier truck at the time of shipping, and more.

Long-distance auto transport will always cost more than shorter-distance shipments, but it will be cheaper per mile. Like with many products and services, you see the most savings when you do the most business with a company, and when you ship your car a long distance, you see more savings per mile than you would if you shipped your car a shorter distance.

The time of year you ship a vehicle to another state will affect the overall cost because, at certain times in the year, the demand for auto transport is much higher than it normally is. In fact, during “busy season” for car shipping companies, the demand for auto transport can be higher than the available supply of open spaces on car carriers. Thus, these companies can increase their prices a bit, as often happens with the business economics concept of “supply and demand.” Busy season for car shipping companies falls from May to September, so if you are trying to keep your cost low, avoid shipping during these months.

How long does state to state car shipping take?

If you ship a car from one state to another, the duration of your shipment will have less to do with which states you are shipping to and from and more with the cities and the overall transit time. Suppose you are shipping from one large city to another. In that case, you can expect your shipment to go a little quicker because interstate car shipping companies make most of their pickups and deliveries in these areas because of the population density. If your location is more remote such as out in the country, it will take a bit longer because the trip to pick up your car will likely be a few dozen or more miles away from the next closest pickup.

Estimated transit times for shipping a car to another state

The most popular interstate car shipping routes

These were the 20 most popular interstate car transport routes in 2022:

1. California to Florida




2. Florida to California




3. California to Texas




4. New York to Florida




5. Texas to California




6. New York to California




7. Florida to New York




8. California to New York




9. Virginia to California




10. New Jersey to California




11. California to Virginia




12. Illinois to California




13. Pennsylvania to California




14. California to Georgia




15. Florida to Texas




16. Massachusetts to California




17. Georgia to California




18. New Jersey to Florida




19. California to Illinois




20. Ohio to California

The reasons for the above car shipping routes being the most popular vary, but there are some correlations that we can infer from the data. One such trend is that the most popular car shipping routes were primarily determined by moving trends throughout the country at the same time.

When you look at NAR’s 2022 moving trends, you can see the states with the biggest population increases in 2022 like Florida and Texas, appear on our list as destinations for car shipments several times. Conversely, states with the biggest decreases in population, like California, New York, and Illinois, frequently appeared on our list as the pickup locations for interstate vehicle shipping. You could also infer that some states on our list are popular winter vacation destinations, such as Florida; thus, they receive a higher volume of car shipments because people move there for the warm weather over the winter, such as snowbirds.

Alternative state to state car shipping methods

There are several other ways of moving cars from one state to another. This includes:

• Driving the car yourself




• Towing the car yourself




• Shipping the car by plane




• Shipping the car on the auto train

Driving the car yourself is an obvious option but one that likely does not work for you since you are reading a post about shipping the car. Even if you can consider driving the car yourself, doing so will take multiple hours or days (depending on the distance between states). It will also increase the vehicle’s depreciation by putting a considerable chunk of unnecessary mileage on it. It will also put the car in harm’s way regarding the possibility of an accident, scratches, or chips occurring during an extended trip on the highway.

Towing the car yourself does not offer much improvement over driving the car yourself other than the ability not to put the mileage on it. Towing complicates the process a bit because you will have to involve a second car.

You can also ship your car on a plane, but this is almost always the most expensive option for moving your car from one state to another. On average, it costs around $3,000 to ship a car on a plane, whereas ground car shipping costs just about half that.

Shipping a car to another state on a train is technically an option, but the routes you must choose from will be extremely limited. Amtrak only offers the ability to ship your car from Virginia to Florida and vice versa. Other than the auto train to Florida, shipping your car from one state to another in the US is not an option.

How to prepare for long-distance auto transport

When preparing for interstate vehicle shipping or any long-distance car shipment, you should start by ensuring that the car has no outstanding issues. This will include a dying battery, underinflated tires, an overly sensitive alarm, or anything else that could otherwise prevent your driver from easily driving the car on and off of the car carrier or that could cause issues during the shipment.

After that, you should take any personal objects out of the car. This includes any tools, glasses, cell phone chargers, necklaces, rings, E-ZPass, and anything else that is not necessary to the car’s smooth operation. Finally, you will have to clean the outside of the car yourself or have it cleaned at the car wash. Your car shipping driver will need to thoroughly look over the exterior of your car to see if there is any damage that was there before the start of your shipment. They must note it on the Bill of Lading for car shipping coverage purposes.

Additionally, if you are shipping your car to or from Alaska or Hawaii, you must ensure that your vehicle does not have more than a quarter tank of fuel. When you ship to/from Alaska or Hawaii, part of the shipment will happen on a cargo ship. Fire regulations on these ships stipulate that any vehicle cannot have more than a quarter tank of gas. However, your gas tank cannot be empty or nearly empty because it will need enough fuel to be driven on and off the car carrier truck as well as on and off the cargo ship.

Conclusion

Shipping a car across state lines is no more complex than shipping one within the same state. You can ship a car from any state in the US as well as to any US state, and that includes Hawaii and Alaska as well. Interstate vehicle shipping will require the same advance notice and preparation as any car shipment. When you need a car shipped from one state to another, you can get a free instant quote online or call our automotive logistics experts at (888)777-2123.

FAQS

Are there any restrictions for shipping cars to specific states?

There are not, and that includes emissions standards. However, inspection standards could be different once you have your car in another state. To avoid any issues passing an inspection, you should research the automotive inspection standards for your new state and ensure that your vehicle will be able to meet them.

What is the cheapest way to ship a car to another state?

The cheapest way of getting a car shipped to another state will be to avoid shipping with any upgraded shipping options such as enclosed car transport, book your shipment at least one month in advance of your preferred pickup date, do not try to ship anything in your vehicle and avoid shipping during the busiest times of the year for car shipping companies such as over the summer.

How much does it cost to ship a car across the country

Car shipping rates for most shipments will fall between $0.60 and $2.00. The total distance of a cross-country car shipment will fall somewhere between 2,000 and 3,500 miles. So, if you were shipping a car cross country at $0.90 per mile and the total distance the car carrier was traveling was 2,750, your total cost would be somewhere near $2,500.

Can I ship anything in my car while it is transported to another state?

Yes, you can ship personal belongings inside of your vehicle. However, the total weight of these belongings cannot be more than one hundred pounds, and they have to be left in the trunk, or in the backseats below the window line. Please keep in mind that you do so at your own risk, as personal belongings are not covered under insurance if they are reported as damaged or missing.