Route guide · IL → CA

Car shipping from Illinois to California

Car transport from Illinois to California runs 2,060 road miles between the biggest metros. Shipping a running sedan from Chicago to Los Angeles costs about $1,175–$1,675 on an open carrier and $1,750–$2,525 in an enclosed trailer, with 5–8 days in transit. It ranks #30 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: $1,425
Road miles: 2,060
Days in transit: 5–8
People moving a year: 21.0K
Companies at both ends: 170

City to city

Cost to ship a car from Illinois to California, city to city

Open-carrier prices for a running sedan between Chicago, Rockford, Springfield and Peoria and Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose — 1,890 to 2,220 road miles apart.

From	Los Angeles	San Francisco	San Diego	San Jose
Chicago	$1,175–$1,6752,060 mi · 5–8 days	$1,225–$1,7502,220 mi · 5–8 days	$1,150–$1,6752,030 mi · 5–8 days	$1,200–$1,7252,160 mi · 5–8 days
Rockford	$1,150–$1,6501,990 mi · 4–8 days	$1,200–$1,7002,140 mi · 5–8 days	$1,150–$1,6251,960 mi · 4–7 days	$1,175–$1,6752,080 mi · 5–8 days
Springfield	$1,125–$1,6251,920 mi · 4–7 days	$1,200–$1,7002,120 mi · 5–8 days	$1,125–$1,6001,890 mi · 4–7 days	$1,175–$1,6752,050 mi · 5–8 days
Peoria	$1,125–$1,6251,930 mi · 4–7 days	$1,175–$1,7002,110 mi · 5–8 days	$1,125–$1,6001,900 mi · 4–7 days	$1,175–$1,6752,050 mi · 5–8 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

Chicago to Los Angeles, 2,060 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	$1,175–$1,675	$1,750–$2,525
Midsize SUV or crossover	$1,300–$1,875	$1,975–$2,825
Large SUV (Tahoe, Expedition)	$1,450–$2,100	$2,200–$3,150
Pickup truck	$1,525–$2,175	$2,275–$3,275
Motorcycle	$700–$1,000	$1,050–$1,500

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 Illinois to California is January–May and September–November.

Cheapest: about $1,425 Peak: about $1,525

About this route

Why so many cars go from Illinois to California

About 20,968 people moved from Illinois to California in each of the last two years, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (21,982 in 2023, 19,953 in 2024). That is 7.2% of everyone who left Illinois for another state, making California its #5 destination.

Traffic runs both ways — about 15,794 people a year move from California back to Illinois — so carriers run this lane year-round and quotes tend to be steady.

How the price compares

At a typical $1,425, shipping from Illinois to California is among the most expensive routes out of Illinois; Arizona ($1,300) and Florida ($1,200) cost less. That works out to about 69¢ a mile — long hauls cost less per mile because loading and paperwork are spread over more distance.

Distance and transit time

At roughly 2,060 road miles, Chicago to Los Angeles is a cross-country haul. Federal hours-of-service rules cap truck drivers at 11 hours behind the wheel a day, so plan on 5–8 days in transit once the car is loaded. The car heads west and crosses 2 time zones — from Central to Pacific 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.
Winter storms in Illinois can slow pickups and deliveries in December through February — leave slack in your schedule.

Companies

Car transport companies from Illinois to California

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 Illinois 82 companies · 66 carriers · 16 brokers · 1,476 trucks · 9 yrs avg.
Delivery end California 88 companies · 67 carriers · 24 brokers · 1,921 trucks · 12 yrs avg.

Filter companies

Based in

Both ends Illinois California

Services Open car transport57 Cross-country shipping44 Enclosed car transport40 Door-to-door delivery40 Classic car transport34 Luxury car transport34 State-to-state shipping31 Terminal-to-terminal shipping26

Company type

Any Carrier Broker

Years in business

Any 5+ 10+ 20+

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

Include 145 companies from other states that serve both Illinois and California

170 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