Route guide · TX → CA

Car shipping from Texas to California

Car transport from Texas to California runs 1,470 road miles between the biggest metros. Shipping a running sedan from Dallas to Los Angeles costs about $1,000–$1,450 on an open carrier and $1,525–$2,150 in an enclosed trailer, with 3–6 days in transit. It ranks #4 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: $1,225
Road miles: 1,470
Days in transit: 3–6
People moving a year: 42.1K
Companies at both ends: 206

City to city

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

Open-carrier prices for a running sedan between Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin and Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose — 1,330 to 1,970 road miles apart.

From	Los Angeles	San Francisco	San Diego	San Jose
Dallas	$1,000–$1,4501,470 mi · 3–6 days	$1,100–$1,5751,790 mi · 4–7 days	$975–$1,4001,390 mi · 3–6 days	$1,075–$1,5251,710 mi · 4–7 days
Houston	$1,050–$1,5001,630 mi · 4–6 days	$1,150–$1,6501,970 mi · 4–7 days	$1,025–$1,4501,530 mi · 4–6 days	$1,125–$1,6001,890 mi · 4–7 days
San Antonio	$1,000–$1,4251,430 mi · 3–6 days	$1,100–$1,5751,790 mi · 4–7 days	$975–$1,3751,330 mi · 3–6 days	$1,075–$1,5251,700 mi · 4–7 days
Austin	$1,000–$1,4251,450 mi · 3–6 days	$1,100–$1,5751,810 mi · 4–7 days	$975–$1,4001,360 mi · 3–6 days	$1,075–$1,5501,720 mi · 4–7 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

Dallas to Los Angeles, 1,470 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	$1,000–$1,450	$1,525–$2,150
Midsize SUV or crossover	$1,125–$1,600	$1,700–$2,425
Large SUV (Tahoe, Expedition)	$1,250–$1,800	$1,900–$2,700
Pickup truck	$1,300–$1,875	$1,975–$2,800
Motorcycle	$600–$875	$900–$1,300

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

Cheapest: about $1,225 Peak: about $1,325

About this route

Why so many cars go from Texas to California

About 42,090 people moved from Texas to California in each of the last two years, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (38,732 in 2023, 45,447 in 2024). That is 8.7% of everyone who left Texas for another state — no state draws more people from Texas.

This is the lighter direction: about 85,566 people a year move California to Texas. Carriers that bring cars into Texas need loads back toward California, so it's worth asking for a backhaul price on this leg.

How the price compares

At a typical $1,225, shipping from Texas to California costs more than sending a car to Virginia ($1,200) and Maryland ($1,200) but less than to Pennsylvania ($1,250) and New York ($1,275). That works out to about 83¢ a mile.

Distance and transit time

Your car spends 3–6 days on the road for the roughly 1,470 miles from Dallas to Los Angeles, after a pickup window of a few days while the carrier assembles a full load. 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

Trucks usually take the southern route across the desert Southwest, which stays open all winter — one reason this lane runs on schedule year-round.

Companies

Car transport companies from Texas 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 Texas 118 companies · 89 carriers · 33 brokers · 1,247 trucks · 10 yrs avg.
Delivery end California 88 companies · 67 carriers · 24 brokers · 1,921 trucks · 12 yrs avg.

Filter companies

Based in

Both ends Texas California

Services Open car transport78 Enclosed car transport54 Cross-country shipping53 Door-to-door delivery51 Luxury car transport47 Classic car transport46 State-to-state shipping39 Terminal-to-terminal shipping38

Company type

Any Carrier Broker

Years in business

Any 5+ 10+ 20+

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

Include 134 companies from other states that serve both Texas and California

206 companies for this route

Texas Auto Carriers

Featured FMCSA verified

San Antonio, TX · Carrier · 31 trucks · 42 yrs in business · USDOT 521201

Founded in 1984, locally owned and operated Texas Auto Carriers provides transport, towing, and hauling services for consumer and commercial clients. Our…

Open car transport
Enclosed car transport
Door-to-door delivery
+9 more