Car Shipping to and from Los Angeles, California
Car Shipping in Los Angeles, California
Shipping a car to or from Los Angeles, CA costs roughly $665 to $1,815 on an open carrier, depending on distance. Vehicles are usually collected one to three days after dispatch and delivered in two to seven days once loaded. Los Angeles is the single busiest vehicle shipping market in the United States, so carriers are loading here every day on every major lane.
How much does it cost to ship a car to or from Los Angeles, CA?
Most long-distance moves run about $665 to $1,815 on an open carrier. That reflects roughly $0.65 per mile above 1,000 miles and about $0.80 per mile below it. The route table further down this page prices the destinations people actually ship to from Los Angeles. Enclosed transport costs more on the same route.
How long does car shipping take from Los Angeles?
Pickup happens one to three days after dispatch. From there, expect one to two days under 700 miles, two to four days up to 1,200 miles, and five to seven days coast to coast. Transit is measured from pickup, not from the day you book.
Can a car carrier reach my address in Los Angeles?
Usually yes. Los Angeles is the highest-volume auto transport market in the country, so there is almost always a carrier running your lane. A loaded open trailer runs 75 to 80 feet and needs overhead clearance and room to turn, so a narrow residential street or a low-clearance parking structure may mean meeting the driver at a nearby lot instead. Give us the exact street address when you request a quote.
Is open or enclosed transport better for Los Angeles?
Open transport suits the large majority of vehicles and costs considerably less, because an open carrier moves seven to ten cars at once. Choose enclosed for a collector or classic car, a low-clearance vehicle that needs a lift gate, or anything where road grime and weather exposure on arrival would not be acceptable.
Can you ship a car from Los Angeles that does not run?
Yes, with a winch-equipped carrier. The vehicle still has to roll, steer and brake so it can be pulled onto the trailer safely. Tell us when you request the quote, because non-running vehicles cost more and fewer carriers can take the load.
Is it cheaper to ship a car from Los Angeles or drive out of the city first?
No. Los Angeles has the deepest carrier supply in the country and prices better than anywhere you could reasonably drive to. The only reason to meet a driver outside the city is access, not cost.
Why are eastbound rates from Los Angeles often higher than westbound?
Because of load balance. More vehicles move into California than out of it on many lanes, so carriers heading east sometimes run with space to fill and price to attract it, while at other times of year the reverse applies. Ask for your specific route rather than assuming a direction is always cheaper.
Can a carrier reach my address in Los Angeles?
Often not at the door, and that is normal here. A loaded carrier is 75 to 80 feet long, and hillside streets in the Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake and Echo Park, narrow blocks in Santa Monica and Venice, and low-clearance garages across the city all rule out a door pickup. Meeting at a nearby lot takes a few minutes and avoids a failed collection.
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Los Angeles, California Car Shipping
What Car Shipping Costs From Los Angeles
These estimates apply AutoTransport.com’s published open-transport pricing — about $0.65 per mile on routes over 1,000 miles and about $0.80 per mile on shorter routes — to the distances people actually ship out of Los Angeles. Your quote moves with vehicle size, whether the car runs, open versus enclosed transport, and how busy the lane is that week.
| Destination from Los Angeles | Distance | Estimated open transport | Typical transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, NV | 270 miles | Quote required | 1 to 2 days |
| Phoenix, AZ | 375 miles | Quote required | 1 to 2 days |
| Sacramento, CA | 385 miles | Quote required | 1 to 2 days |
| Denver, CO | 1,020 miles | $665 | 2 to 4 days |
| Seattle, WA | 1,140 miles | $740 | 2 to 4 days |
| Dallas, TX | 1,435 miles | $935 | 3 to 5 days |
| Houston, TX | 1,550 miles | $1,010 | 3 to 5 days |
| Chicago, IL | 2,020 miles | $1,315 | 4 to 6 days |
| Atlanta, GA | 2,180 miles | $1,415 | 4 to 6 days |
| Orlando, FL | 2,500 miles | $1,625 | 4 to 6 days |
| Miami, FL | 2,730 miles | $1,775 | 5 to 7 days |
| New York, NY | 2,790 miles | $1,815 | 5 to 7 days |
Routes shorter than 650 miles fall below the shortest route in our published pricing table, so we quote those individually rather than estimate them. See the full route pricing table and how these figures are calculated.
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Pickup and Delivery in Los Angeles
Los Angeles sits in Los Angeles County on the southern California coast. Interstate 5 runs north to south through the region, Interstate 10 heads east toward Phoenix, Interstate 405 serves the Westside, and US Highway 101 and Interstate 110 carry the rest of the metropolitan traffic.
This is the busiest vehicle shipping market in the United States. Carriers load in the Los Angeles basin every day on every major lane, and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach add a constant flow of vehicles arriving and departing. For you that means short waits for a truck and pricing set by genuine competition.
Access is the part that needs planning. A loaded open carrier is 75 to 80 feet long and simply cannot work large parts of the city. Hillside streets in the Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake and Echo Park, the narrow blocks of Santa Monica and Venice, and low-clearance garages almost everywhere all rule out a door collection. Meeting the driver at a nearby lot or a wide arterial street is routine here and takes only a few minutes.
Give us the exact street address rather than the ZIP code when you request a quote so we can sort access before dispatch rather than on the day.
When Los Angeles Ships the Most Vehicles
Demand is steady year round, which is unusual and works in your favour. Los Angeles does not have the sharp seasonal swings that Florida and Arizona do, so pricing is more stable across the calendar.
Direction matters more than season here. Load balance between eastbound and westbound lanes shifts through the year, and the gap can be significant. Ask for a quote on your specific route rather than assuming one direction is always cheaper.
The practical constraints are mountain passes and wildfire season. Winter storms occasionally restrict the Grapevine on I-5 and the Cajon Pass on I-15, and wildfires between July and October can close routes at short notice. Both cause delays rather than cancellations, and carriers wait rather than drive into them.
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How Much It Costs to Ship a Car to or from Los Angeles
Cost is the first question on almost every call, and the honest answer is that it depends on distance more than anything else. Published long-distance moves to and from California run between $660 and $1,945 for an operable vehicle on an open carrier. That range reflects mileage: rates work out to roughly $0.80 per mile on shorter hauls and settle to about $0.65 per mile once a route passes 1,000 miles.
Four things move a quote away from the baseline: vehicle size, whether it runs and rolls, open versus enclosed equipment, and how much flexibility there is in the pickup window. An inoperable vehicle needs a winch and costs more. A dually or a lifted truck takes the space of more than one car and is priced that way.
Very short hauls are the exception. Below roughly 650 miles the per-mile arithmetic stops describing what a carrier actually needs to run the load, so those moves are quoted on their own rather than off a table.
Routes and Transit Times from Los Angeles
I-5 is the corridor that shapes most California moves. It runs from the Mexican border through Los Angeles, up the Central Valley past Bakersfield and Sacramento to Oregon.
That matters for a practical reason: carriers build routes around the interstates, so a pickup close to the corridor gets scheduled faster and usually cheaper than one an hour off it. If Los Angeles sits away from the main line, expect a slightly wider pickup window rather than a higher price.
Once loaded, a truck covers 400 to 500 miles in a day — that figure comes from federal driving-hour limits and is not negotiable. Use it to sanity-check any transit estimate you are given: a 2,000 mile move that is promised in two days is not a promise anyone can keep.
Pickup and transit are two separate clocks. Assigning a carrier to a Los Angeles address typically takes one to five days depending on the lane and the season; the drive begins after that.
Open or Enclosed: Choosing Equipment for a California Move
Open transport is what roughly nine out of ten vehicles ship on. It is the standard eight to ten car trailer, it is the cheapest option, and it is what new cars ride on from the factory to the dealer. Enclosed transport costs meaningfully more and exists for vehicles where road exposure is the thing you are paying to avoid.
California is the busiest origin and destination state in the country, so lanes out of Los Angeles and the Bay Area run daily year-round. Donner Pass and the Grapevine on I-5 north of Los Angeles close in winter storms.
For a daily driver moving to or from Los Angeles, open is almost always the right call. For a classic, a low-clearance sports car, a fresh restoration or anything where the paint is part of the value, enclosed is worth the difference.
What to Do Before Pickup Day
A clean vehicle is the single most useful thing you can hand a driver. The pickup condition report is the reference document for any later claim, and existing chips and scratches only get recorded if they can be seen.
Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. More than that is weight the carrier is paying to haul and it does nothing for you. Remove toll transponders and parking passes so they do not charge on the way, fold the mirrors, retract or remove the antenna, and take out personal belongings — household goods are not covered by a carrier’s cargo insurance and add weight that is not on the bill of lading.
Disable the alarm, or leave clear instructions for it. An alarm that cycles for two days on a trailer is a real problem for a driver. Finally, photograph the vehicle from every corner on the day of pickup and keep your copy of the signed bill of lading; those two things together resolve almost every dispute that ever arises.
Los Angeles Car Shipping: Common Questions
How much does it cost to ship a car to or from Los Angeles?
Long-distance moves to and from California generally fall between $660 and $1,945 for a running vehicle on an open carrier. Rates run near $0.80 per mile on shorter hauls and around $0.65 per mile beyond 1,000 miles. Vehicle size, operability, trailer type and how flexible your dates are all move the final figure.
How long does it take to ship a car to or from Los Angeles?
There are two clocks. Assigning a carrier to a Los Angeles pickup usually takes one to five days. Once the vehicle is loaded, a truck covers 400 to 500 miles a day under federal hours-of-service limits — so a regional move is one to three days on the road and a cross-country move is seven to ten.
Do I need open or enclosed transport?
Open transport suits around nine in ten vehicles and costs less. Choose enclosed for classics, low-clearance cars, recent restorations or anything where paint condition is part of the value — and consider it for a winter move through California if road salt is a concern.
Can the truck come to my door in Los Angeles?
Usually, but not always. A full-size carrier is around 75 feet long and cannot manage narrow residential streets, low branches or tight cul-de-sacs. When an address will not work, the driver arranges to meet nearby — a supermarket or shopping-center lot is standard practice and does not change the price.
Is my vehicle insured while it is being shipped?
Yes. Every carrier we assign has active cargo insurance in force, and you can request the certificate before pickup. Personal items left in the vehicle are not covered by that policy, which is one of the reasons to empty the car first.
Will you ship a non-running vehicle?
Yes, with notice. An inoperable vehicle needs a carrier with a winch and takes longer to load, so it costs more and needs to be declared when you book. Tell us whether it rolls, steers and brakes — those three things decide what equipment is sent.