Route guide · CA → NY

Car shipping from California to New York

Car transport from California to New York runs 2,900 road miles between the biggest metros. Shipping a running sedan from Los Angeles to New York costs about $1,425–$2,050 on an open carrier and $2,150–$3,050 in an enclosed trailer, with 6–10 days in transit. It ranks #12 among the 250 busiest car-shipping lanes, based on Census moving data.

Prices updated October 2026 · Estimates, not quotes · Calculate for your car →

Open carrier, sedan: $1,750
Road miles: 2,900
Days in transit: 6–10
People moving a year: 31.2K
Companies at both ends: 133

City to city

Cost to ship a car from California to New York, city to city

Open-carrier prices for a running sedan between Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose and New York, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse — 2,570 to 3,070 road miles apart.

From	New York	Buffalo	Rochester	Syracuse
Los Angeles	$1,425–$2,0502,900 mi · 6–10 days	$1,350–$1,9252,600 mi · 6–9 days	$1,375–$1,9502,680 mi · 6–10 days	$1,400–$1,9752,760 mi · 6–10 days
San Francisco	$1,475–$2,1003,070 mi · 7–11 days	$1,375–$1,9752,750 mi · 6–10 days	$1,400–$2,0002,820 mi · 6–10 days	$1,425–$2,0502,910 mi · 6–10 days
San Diego	$1,425–$2,0252,860 mi · 6–10 days	$1,325–$1,9002,570 mi · 6–9 days	$1,350–$1,9252,650 mi · 6–10 days	$1,375–$1,9752,730 mi · 6–10 days
San Jose	$1,475–$2,0753,010 mi · 7–11 days	$1,375–$1,9502,690 mi · 6–10 days	$1,400–$1,9752,760 mi · 6–10 days	$1,425–$2,0252,850 mi · 6–10 days

Estimate, not a quote

A pickup or delivery far from these metros usually adds $75–$150. Quotes move with fuel prices and truck space, so treat these as a yardstick. Price your own addresses →

By vehicle

Price by vehicle type

Los Angeles to New York, 2,900 miles. Bigger and heavier vehicles take more room and weight on the trailer, so they cost more.

Vehicle	Open carrier	Enclosed
Sedan or small car	$1,425–$2,050	$2,150–$3,050
Midsize SUV or crossover	$1,600–$2,275	$2,400–$3,425
Large SUV (Tahoe, Expedition)	$1,800–$2,550	$2,675–$3,825
Pickup truck	$1,850–$2,650	$2,800–$3,975
Motorcycle	$850–$1,225	$1,275–$1,825

By month

Best time to ship

Prices on this lane peak in June–August (the summer moving peak), running about 8% above the quietest months. The cheapest time to ship from California to New York is January–May and September–November.

Cheapest: about $1,725 Peak: about $1,875

About this route

Why so many cars go from California to New York

About 31,232 people moved from California to New York in each of the last two years, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (31,097 in 2023, 31,367 in 2024). That is 4.6% of everyone who left California for another state.

Traffic runs both ways — about 29,994 people a year move from New York back to California — so carriers run this lane year-round and quotes tend to be steady.

How the price compares

At a typical $1,725, shipping from California to New York costs more than sending a car to Florida ($1,700) and Virginia ($1,700) but less than to Connecticut ($1,750) and Massachusetts ($1,800). That works out to about 59¢ a mile — long hauls cost less per mile because loading and paperwork are spread over more distance.

Distance and transit time

Los Angeles to New York runs about 2,900 road miles. With drivers limited to 11 hours of driving a day and stops for other cars on the load, that is 6–10 days on the truck. The car heads east-northeast and crosses 3 time zones — from Pacific to Eastern time — so confirm whether the delivery window you are given is in local time.

On the road

The route crosses mountain passes in the West; from November to March, snow and chain laws can hold trucks for a day or two.

Companies

Car transport companies from California to New York

Companies headquartered at either end of the route usually run this lane often. Filter by services, company type and safety record — every listing is matched to its FMCSA record.

Pickup end California 88 companies · 67 carriers · 24 brokers · 1,921 trucks · 12 yrs avg.
Delivery end New York 45 companies · 35 carriers · 10 brokers · 212 trucks · 13 yrs avg.

Filter companies

Based in

Both ends California New York

Services Open car transport50 Enclosed car transport36 Door-to-door delivery36 Cross-country shipping33 State-to-state shipping28 Luxury car transport28 Classic car transport26 Terminal-to-terminal shipping25

Company type

Any Carrier Broker

Years in business

Any 5+ 10+ 20+

Safety & insurance Satisfactory FMCSA safety rating Cargo insurance $250K+

Include 155 companies from other states that serve both California and New York

133 companies for this route

Hilton Auto Transport

Featured FMCSA verified

Los Angeles, CA · Broker · 16 trucks · 34 yrs in business · USDOT 2232328

We are a family owned and operated nationwide auto transport and auto moving company with long experience specializing in shipping cars around the United…

Open car transport
Enclosed car transport
Door-to-door delivery
+7 more