Whether you’re moving to Alaska or already live there and you need to get a car shipped to Alaska, your obvious question is, how much does it cost to ship a car to Alaska? As you’ll soon discover, shipping a car to Alaska isn’t overly complicating but it isn’t cheap either.
How Do I Transport a Car to Alaska?
The quickest and most convenient way to transport a car from the lower 48 states to Alaska is to transport it by ship.
One of the many things that our customers like about our service in the lower 48 states is that we provide door-to-door car shipping. Unfortunately, we currently don’t provide door-to-door shipping in Alaska. We only ship vehicles to and from the Port of Alaska in Anchorage.
With door-to-door shipping, we can pick up your car at a dealership in Texas, for example, and deliver it to you at your home in Seattle. Door-to-door shipping is easy when there are roads involved! When you’re shipping a car to Alaska, however, you’re not dealing with roads, you have the Gulf of Alaska to contend with! And when oceans and boats are involved, you have ports.
When we ship a car to Alaska, we ship from the Port of Tacoma to the Port of Alaska in Anchorage. There is also the Port of Seattle but we don’t ship out of there. If a customer must ship their vehicle from Seattle we refer them to another company that ports there. They are a bit slower and more expensive than us, but it is an option for Seattle to Anchorage transports. Most of our customers are perfectly fine with Tacoma, however, since it’s only 33 miles south of Seattle.
The City & Borough of Juneau Docks & Harbors is another popular shipping port in Alaska but at this time we do not ship cars to Juneau. Any auto transports to or from Juneau are referred to another company.
How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car from Seattle to Anchorage?
It currently costs $2035 to ship a car from Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK, and $2435 to ship a standard size truck or SUV.
We get a lot of calls from people that want to ship a car from Seattle to Alaska. This is a simple transport as there is no trucking involved. You drop your car off at the Port of Seattle in Washington and then it is transported by ship to the Port of Alaska in Anchorage. You then pick up your car at the port.
How Long Does it Take to Ship a Car from Seattle to Anchorage?
It takes approximately 6-7 days to ship a car or truck from Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK.
If you are shipping your car from any other city other than Seattle, you have to add the time it takes to transport the car from your location to Seattle. The easiest way to do that is to take the total miles from your location to Seattle, and divide by 500, which is the approximate number of miles a truck driver can drive in one day.
For example, if you’re shipping your car from Dallas, TX, it’s about 2,100 miles to Seattle, WA. If you divide that by 500, you get 4.2, or 5 days. The total transit time, then, from Dallas, TX to Anchorage, AK, would be approximately 12 days (5 days on a truck from Dallas, TX to Seattle, WA and then 7 days on a ship from Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK).
How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car from Florida to Alaska?
It currently costs approximately $3575 to ship a car from Florida to Alaska.
Of course that rate will vary a little depending on what specific city in Florida you are shipping from. Here are some sample costs to ship a car from Florida to Alaska:
Miami, FL to Anchorage, AK: $3559
Tampa, FL to Anchorage, AK: $3558
Orlando, FL to Anchorage, AK: $3534
Jacksonville, FL to Anchorage, AK: $3548
Pensacola, FL to Anchorage, AK: $3676
The rates above include the trucking transport fee from their respective cities in Florida to the Port of Tacoma, plus the shipping rate from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, AK.
How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car from Alaska to California?
It currently costs approximately $2368 to ship a car from Alaska to California.
Of course that rate will vary a little depending on what specific city in California you are shipping to. Here are some sample costs to ship a car from Alaska to California:
Anchorage, AK to Sacramento, CA: $2289
Anchorage, AK to San Francisco, CA: $2283
Anchorage, AK to San Jose, CA: $2289
Anchorage, AK to Los Angeles, CA: $2469
Anchorage, AK to San Diego, CA: $2511
The rates above include the shipping rate from Anchorage, AK to Tacoma, WA, plus the trucking transport fee from Tacoma, WA to their respective cities in California.
How Long Does it Take to Ship a Car from Alaska to Washington?
It takes approximately 6-7 days to ship a car or truck from Alaska to Washington.
Shipping a car from Alaska to Washington usually includes two ports -the Port of Alaska in Anchorage and the Port of Tacoma in Washington.
What about Shipping a Car to Juneau or Fairbanks Alaska?
While Anchorage is the busiest and most popular car shipping port in Alaska, Juneau and Fairbanks are two other popular cities that cars are shipped to and from. When vehicles are shipped from the lower 48 states to Juneau, they first get transported to the Seattle or Tacoma port, and then from there they are transported by ship to Juneau. When vehicles are being shipped to Fairbanks, they go to Anchorage first and then from there they are trucked to Fairbanks.
How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car to Anchorage?
It currently costs $2,035 to ship a car from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, AK, and $2,435 to ship an SUV or standard size truck.
If you’re shipping a car the opposite direction, going from Anchorage, AK to Tacoma, WA, it will cost $1,505. Yes, it is roughly 26% cheaper to ship a car from Anchorage than it is to ship a car to Anchorage!
If you’re wondering how much it costs to ship a car from Tacoma, WA to Fairbanks, AK, you’re looking at $2,350.
Shipping rates fluctuate occasionally so these numbers may be a little more or a little less when you get an Alaska transport quote from us.
Keep in mind, the shipping costs outlined here are only for the ship ride over to Alaska. If your car is being shipped to Alaska from any city other than Tacoma, WA, there will be an additional transport fee to get your vehicle trucked from your city to the Port of Tacoma.
Get an instant quote for your Alaska transport today!
How Do I Prepare a Car to Ship to Alaska?
There is a small checklist of things you need to do to properly prepare your vehicle to be transported to Alaska. Those things include:
- Have a copy of keys for all locking compartments, including the gas tank and glove box, and keys for the ignition and trunk.
- Vehicle must have a minimum of 5″ ground clearance
- Vehicle must have less than 1/4 tank of gas or it will be refused (electric vehicles must have a full charge)
- Vehicle must be clean on the outside for inspection
- Vehicle must be empty of personal items
- Vehicle must be a running vehicle that steers and stops
- Firearms, ammunition, flammable, and hazardous materials are not allowed
- October 1 – April 1 antifreeze must be good to -40
Taking care of these things before your vehicle is picked up will help to create a more efficient and trouble-free shipping experience! Also keep in mind that the ships leave the Port of Tacoma every Wednesday and Friday. If your vehicle arrives at the port on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday morning it will ship out on Wednesday. If it arrives at the port on Thursday or Friday morning, it will ship out on Friday.
Why You Can Trust J&S Transportation to Ship Your Car to Alaska
J&S has been transporting cars for over 20 years now, and we’ve had to ship more than a few to Alaska. We have the experience and know-how to make this as stress-free as possible for our customers who need to ship a car to Alaska.
Don’t take our word for it either. Read our online reviews on Google and TransportReviews.com and check out our BBB rating & reviews too. You’ll see we excel in providing our customers constant communication throughout the car shipping process, and we strive for safe and prompt delivery of their vehicles!
Get an instant quote today to see how much it will cost to ship your car to Alaska with J&S Transportation!
Can I ride on the same ship in a cabin?
Ted:
People are probably going to chuckle when they read your question but we actually get asked that from time-to-time on our Alaskan transports. The vehicles are transported from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, AK on a commercial shipping vessel. There aren’t any cabins on board. And in case you’re wondering, this isn’t like a ferry ride either where you can be on the ship with your vehicle as it’s about a 6-day journey.
Thanks,
Travis
J&S Transportation
What time of year can I ship my car? January, February, March?
Sheri:
The ships leave the port of Tacoma twice a week all year long. There is a brief dry dock period in December or January where only one ship goes out once a week for a couple weeks but other than that there are two ships leaving every week. The same goes for ships leaving the port of Anchorage. There are two ships leaving every week all year long except the dry dock period.
If you’re wondering what the dry dock period is it’s when a ship is essentially “parked” for its yearly maintenance.
Travis
I have Dodge Ram 2500 weighing approx. 8900 lbs and a 16ft trailer weighing approx. 2100 lbs with a Viking side by side weighing 1500 lbs from Tacoma or seattle washington To Anchorange Alaska?
Hey Jim. Given that you have a trailer and a side by side to ship to Alaska, we’d need to custom quote that. Unfortunately, it isn’t cheap to ship trailers to Alaska as they fall under a different tariff class. It is often more expensive to ship a trailer to Alaska than it is to ship a truck! We’d need to see pictures and get approximate dimensions from you to get you an exact quote. You can send us an email at help@jandstransport.com. If you’re just looking for a ballpark price, you’re probably looking at around $7,000 to ship your truck, trailer, and side by side to Alaska. I hope this helps!
Travis
J&S Transportation
Looking to ship a small SUV. Just needing some clarification on the “vehicle must be empty of personal items” bit. Does this mean absolutely everything “not from the factory” must be removed? One couldn’t, for example, ship a change of winter tires inside the car? I’m trying to weigh my options versus driving through Canada… thanks!
Dakota:
Great question! You are correct. “Empty” means everything “not from the factory.” Having said that, you can ship the vehicle to Alaska with personal belongings if you pay for them and you get your vehicle weighed prior to bringing it to the Port of Tacoma. The personal belongings fee is $85 per 100 pounds of personal belongings. Your set of winter tires would be an additional $85 if it’s just tires (no rims). If they are tires and rims, then it would be $170 as they calculate those to be 200 pounds. When you ship tires (or tires and rims), you do NOT need to have the vehicle weighed prior to bringing it to the port. They automatically charge you $85 for a set of tires, or $170 for a set of tires and rims. Hope that helps!
Travis
Ron:
To give you a quote to ship a motor home from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, AK we would need to see a photo of the motor home and we would need approximate dimensions (L x W x H) and the approximate weight of the vehicle. Most motor homes cost anywhere from $3,000 – $5,000 to ship to Alaska.
Travis
What is the approximate price to ship a 30′ motor home RV from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage, AK?
Thanks,
Ron
How do I get my car weighed prior to coming there
Stacie:
The best places to go are truck stops. They usually have scales available. Love’s Travel Stop, for example, has them. You just want to be sure you call these places ahead of time to ensure they have scales and that they are working. We send a lot of our customers to the Love’s Travel Stop on 1501 33rd Avenue East in Tacoma. Their number is (253) 922-8884.
Travis
J&S Transportation
What is the process like to pick up a car that has been shipped from Tacoma to Anchorage? Does someone need to be there to pick it up the day it arrives, or is there a grace period? Is it the same for the reverse?
Marie:
Great question! We do allow a few days to pick up or drop off your vehicle (in either direction). The pick up and drop off locations in Tacoma, WA and Anchorage, AK are open Mon-Fri. We’ll hold vehicles for the week without any additional charges. For example, let’s say your vehicle is ready to be picked up on Tuesday, we’ll hold it until the end of the week for no charge. If you need to get it the following week, we need to know that upfront. There may be a small daily storage fee in that case. I say “may” because sometimes the people at the port are willing to extend the grace period a little without additional charges. It depends how busy they are.
Thanks,
Travis
J&S Transportation
If my car has less than 5″ of ground clearance what options do I have?
It’s a 2003 audi tt quattro, stock height is 4.4″, but a previous owner did lower it.
Kevin:
Vehicles with a clearance less than 5″ must ship enclosed on the ship. The additional charge for enclosed transportation to Alaska is $500.
Thanks,
Travis
I have a 2001 Ford F-250 crew cab short bed pickup to ship to Alaska. It has a canopy on it. It has a 5 inch lift on it with 35 inch tires. Is there an extra charge because it’s a little taller?
Vance:
Unfortunately, that lift along with the oversized tires is going to push this truck into the “oversized vehicle” category. Any truck taller than 84″ bumps you into the oversized category. We would have to get you a custom quote for it. We’d need to see a picture of it and get the approximate height measurements.
Thanks,
Travis
Can I ship a side by side recreational vehicle from Anchorage to Ft myers FL or a city nearby Ft myers
Katherine:
We occasionally ship recreational vehicles. We’d need more specifics. For vehicles like this you’ll want to contact us and we can give you a custom quote. Normally the rate for a recreational vehicle is about the same as shipping a car if that helps to know.
Travis