Montana to California Auto Transport
Get an instant quote for your Montana to California Auto Transport
Shipping a Car From Montana to California
Because we are based in Montana, we do a lot of auto transports from Montana to California! Most of our transports originate in our hometown of Billings, but we also do a fair amount of transports to California that originate in Bozeman and Missoula and other cities in Montana.
Most of our trucks and our partner carriers’ trucks travel along I-80 when leaving Montana to head to California, or they head west on I-90 first to serve the Pacific Northwest area before heading south on I-5 down into California. Our transports primarily go to Sacramento and San Jose but we ship cars throughout the entire state of California including the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego and all cities in between.
We are a door-to-door transport company so whether you need your car shipped from a major city or a remote area in Montana to a major city or remote area in California, we can handle it! Get an instant quote for your Montana to California auto transport to get the process started!
How long does it take to ship a car from Montana to California?
Carriers can travel around 500 miles per day. If you take the total distance of your route and divide by 500, you'll get the approximate number of days it will take to ship a car from Montana to California.
Example: The total distance from Billings, MT to Fresno, CA is 1244 miles. If you divide that by 500, you get 2.49, or approximately 3 days for delivery.
We provide the estimated delivery times for your specific Montana to California route when you get an instant quote.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Montana to California?
It will depend on the specific pick up location in Montana and the delivery location in California. It will also depend on the size of the vehicle, whether it runs, and whether it will be shipped on an open or enclosed trailer.
You can see how much it will cost to ship a car from Montana to California by getting an instant quote on our website, or by calling us at (800) 656-7638. Further down on this page we also display the most recent quotes we've provided for transports from Montana to California to give you an idea of what it will cost.
Simple and Easy Transport
Book your order on-line and we'll do the rest
9/10
Route Availability
Based on recent dispatch reports, the carrier availability rating from Montana to California is 9/10.
1250 Miles
Approximate Distance
The center of each state is used to approximate mileage between locations.
3-4 Days
Estimated Transit Time
Estimated transit times are based on carriers traveling up to 500 miles per day.
How Does Shipping a Car
from Montana to California work
Shipping your car has never been easier
Get a Quote and Book an order
Get an instant quote or call our transportation specialists.
When ready, book your order. We will call you to confirm the details.
We pick up your vehicle
Our truck will pick up your vehicle at an agreed upon date location. After a vehicle inspection, we take care of the rest.
We deliver it to your door
Our drivers will call you when they are a day out to let you know their approximate ETA.
What Our Customers Say
J&S Transportation Auto Transport Reviews
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Most Recent Montana to California Auto Transport Quotes
| Quote | Date | Pickup | Delivery | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1610 | March 22 | Great Falls, MT | Burlingame, CA | Car |
| $1504 | March 20 | Billings, MT | West Hollywood, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $1504 | March 18 | Billings, MT | West Hollywood, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $2126 | March 17 | Belgrade, MT | Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $1520 | March 09 | Helena, MT | San Francisco, CA | Small or Midsize SUV / Crossover / Minivan |
| $1585 | March 05 | Bozeman, MT | Santa Rosa, CA | Small or Midsize SUV / Crossover / Minivan |
| $2933 | March 02 | Billings, MT | Jurupa Valley, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $1965 | February 17 | Missoula, MT | Fillmore, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $1965 | February 14 | Missoula, MT | Fillmore, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
| $2250 | February 12 | Evergreen, MT | Thousand Oaks, CA | Truck / Large SUV |
Montana Auto Transport
Shipping cars in and out of Montana is challenging for a couple reasons. First, take a look at the landscape of the state. The east side of the state is comprised of the Great Plains with sparsely populated towns and cities. Heading west from the Great Plains you run into the Rocky Mountains, and then you have the Cabinet Mountains and the Bitterroot Range in the west. Second, consider Montana’s weather. It has some of the harshest and longest winters in the country. You combine Montana’s challenging landscape and its weather, and you can understand why shipping cars to and from the state isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
For the quickest and cheapest Montana auto transport, you’ll want to have your car picked up or dropped off as close to I-90 and I-15 as you can. The best cities along I-90 include Billings, Livingston, and Bozeman. As you head further west along I-90, transports get a little more challenging, but Butte and Missoula are still decent pick up and drop off locations. The farther away north or south of I-90 that you ship a car to or from in Montana, the more expensive your transport will be and the longer it may take to get your transport completed. Carriers primarily travel along I-90 in the state of Montana so the farther they need to go off the interstate, the more money they’ll demand to entice them to go “out of their way” and the more time they’ll need to travel the additional miles.
Fortunately, as a Montana auto transport company based in Billings, MT, we have over 20 years of experience handling the unique challenges of shipping vehicles in and out of Montana. We also have relationships with a variety of carriers and rollback companies throughout the state so we can get to some of the most remote areas of the state. There isn’t a transport we can’t handle! Whether you are shipping to or from a remote location like Glasgow or Shelby, or a relatively easy location like Billings, we can get your vehicle shipped quickly and safely. Get your Montana auto transport started today by getting an instant quote!
California Auto Transport
When shipping a car to or from California, I-5 is your friend. That is the main trucking artery in the state. The bulk of all auto transports are up and down the I-5. The closer your pick up and delivery locations are to I-5, the quicker and cheaper your transport will be. The friendliest shipping locations in the state are Sacramento in the north and Los Angeles in the south and any location along the I-5 in between those two cities. San Diego isn’t bad either but given its extreme southern location on I-5, it can sometimes make for a slightly more expensive and longer transport time than those cities further north along I-5.
Other friendly car shipping locations in California include those cities along CA-99, which runs parallel to I-5 and is east of I-5. Those cities would include Chico in the north, down to Yuba City, Modesto, Fresno, and Bakersfield in the south.
Finally, San Jose and the cities along US-101 down to Los Angeles round out the friendly car shipping locations in California.
Now let’s look at the challenging car shipping locations in California. These are locations that will most certainly cost more to ship cars to and from, and where auto transports will take more time to complete.
First up is San Francisco. This isn’t the most challenging location, but it’s certainly not one of the easiest cities to ship cars to or from in California. San Francisco is very time consuming and expensive for car carriers to service. Toll bridges to and from the city are expensive and San Francisco has the highest gas prices in the country. There are also many streets in the city that are restricted to smaller vehicles. All of this makes San Francisco the most unfriendly metro areas west of the Mississippi for car carriers. Be prepared to pay a premium to ship a car to or from San Francisco!
Speaking of the bay area, while San Francisco is challenging, the cities of Oakland, San Leandro, and Fremont aren’t too bad because car carriers don’t have to deal with toll bridges and road restrictions.
The most challenging car shipping locations are going to be those locations that hug the coastline along CA-1 or those locations along US-101 north of San Francisco, those locations in or near the vast forested and mountainous areas of California, and those locations north of Chico that aren’t along I-5 (far northern California).
While we are a door-to-door auto transport company, we have our limitations. There are just some locations trucks can’t get to. If you live in a remote area up in the mountains or deep in a forested area, or if you are shipping to or from one of those restricted streets in San Francisco, you’ll likely have to meet a driver somewhere along a major highway or interstate near your location.
The other challenging aspect of car shipping to or from California is the price of gas in the state. Even in the best economic times the price of gas in California is almost always the highest in the country. Carriers have to make a living so they don't eat those increased costs. They pass them along to you the consumer! As a result, all things being equal, auto transports in and out of California are going to be higher just because of the price of gas in the state so be prepared for that.
To find out what your California auto transport is going to cost and how long it's going to take, get an instant quote on our website or call us (800) 656-7638.
FAQ
Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions
How do I ship my car to or from Montana?
The first step is to get an instant quote on our website or by calling us at (800) 656-7638. The quote will give you a current price and the estimated time of delivery for your specific shipping route. From there you can book an order online or book an order with us over the phone.
Do you provide open and enclosed car shipping to or from Montana?
Yes! By default, our instant quotes are for open transports, but on the quote page you will also see the cost to ship a car enclosed.
What's included in the instant quote?
The instant quote is all inclusive. There are no sales tax, hidden fees, or additional charges of any kind. Insurance coverage is also included in the price you are given!
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discovery, American Express, and debit cards. We do not accept check or cash.