Route guide · TX → IL

Car shipping from Texas to Illinois

Car transport from Texas to Illinois runs 940 road miles between the biggest metros. Shipping a running sedan from Dallas to Chicago costs about $825–$1,225 on an open carrier and $1,250–$1,850 in an enclosed trailer, with 2–4 days in transit. It ranks #47 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: $1,025
Road miles: 940
Days in transit: 2–4
People moving a year: 16.7K
Companies at both ends: 200

City to city

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

Open-carrier prices for a running sedan between Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin and Chicago, Rockford, Springfield and Peoria — 740 to 1,240 road miles apart.

From	Chicago	Rockford	Springfield	Peoria
Dallas	$825–$1,225940 mi · 2–4 days	$825–$1,225920 mi · 2–4 days	$750–$1,150740 mi · 2–4 days	$775–$1,175800 mi · 2–4 days
Houston	$900–$1,3001,110 mi · 3–5 days	$900–$1,3001,100 mi · 3–5 days	$800–$1,200900 mi · 2–4 days	$850–$1,250970 mi · 2–4 days
San Antonio	$950–$1,3501,240 mi · 3–5 days	$925–$1,3251,210 mi · 3–5 days	$850–$1,2501,030 mi · 3–5 days	$875–$1,2751,090 mi · 3–5 days
Austin	$900–$1,3001,150 mi · 3–5 days	$900–$1,3001,130 mi · 3–5 days	$825–$1,225940 mi · 2–4 days	$850–$1,2501,010 mi · 3–5 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 Chicago, 940 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	$825–$1,225	$1,250–$1,850
Midsize SUV or crossover	$925–$1,375	$1,400–$2,050
Large SUV (Tahoe, Expedition)	$1,025–$1,525	$1,550–$2,300
Pickup truck	$1,075–$1,600	$1,600–$2,400
Motorcycle	$500–$725	$750–$1,100

By month

Best time to ship

Prices on this lane peak in March–May (snowbird season, when retirees ship cars back north for the summer), running about 15% above the quietest months. The cheapest time to ship from Texas to Illinois is January–February and September–November.

Cheapest: about $1,025 Peak: about $1,175

About this route

Why so many cars go from Texas to Illinois

About 16,708 people moved from Texas to Illinois in each of the last two years, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (15,227 in 2023, 18,189 in 2024). That is 3.5% of everyone who left Texas for another state.

This is the lighter direction: about 23,845 people a year move Illinois to Texas. Carriers that bring cars into Texas need loads back toward Illinois, so it's worth asking for a backhaul price on this leg.

How the price compares

At a typical $1,025, shipping from Texas to Illinois costs more than sending a car to Indiana ($1,000) and Kentucky ($1,000) but less than to Wisconsin ($1,050) and Minnesota ($1,050). That works out to about $1.09 a mile.

Distance and transit time

Expect about 940 road miles from Dallas to Chicago — 2–4 days on the truck after pickup. Carriers usually load several cars before heading out, so the pickup window matters as much as transit time. The car heads northeast and stays on Central time the whole way.

On the road

Winter storms in Illinois can slow pickups and deliveries in December through February — leave slack in your schedule.

Companies

Car transport companies from Texas to Illinois

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 Illinois 82 companies · 66 carriers · 16 brokers · 1,476 trucks · 9 yrs avg.

Filter companies

Based in

Both ends Texas Illinois

Services Open car transport67 Enclosed car transport52 Luxury car transport45 Classic car transport44 Door-to-door delivery41 Cross-country shipping39 Terminal-to-terminal shipping32 State-to-state shipping30

Company type

Any Carrier Broker

Years in business

Any 5+ 10+ 20+

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

Include 148 companies from other states that serve both Texas and Illinois

200 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