Given the sheer number of people that live in these two states combined with the mild weather both states enjoy, people are shipping a lot of cars from Texas to California all year long. This is one of the most popular car shipping routes west of the Mississippi.
On paper, it looks like California is just a “stone’s throw” from Texas. At first glance, people are tempted to just drive their cars from Texas to California, but this route is much longer than it appears on a map! One of the shortest shipping routes from Texas to California is still over 700 miles and takes 11 hours to drive! It’s over 1,900 miles from Houston, TX to Sacramento, CA and it takes around 28 hours to drive.
Don't drive your vehicle, hire an experienced auto transporter like J&S Transportation to ship your car from Texas 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 Texas to California.
Example: The total distance between Austin, TX and San Jose, CA is 715 miles. If you divide that by 500, you get 3.43, or approximately 4 days for delivery.
We provide the estimated delivery times for your specific Texas to California route when you get an instant quote.
It will depend on the specific pick up location in Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas to California to give you an idea of what it will cost.
Book your order on-line and we'll do the rest
Based on recent dispatch reports, the carrier availability rating from Texas to California is 9/10.
The center of each state is used to approximate mileage between locations.
Estimated transit times are based on carriers traveling up to 500 miles per day.
Shipping your car has never been easier
Get an instant quote or call our transportation specialists.
When ready, book your order. We will call you to confirm the details.
Our truck will pick up your vehicle at an agreed upon date location. After a vehicle inspection, we take care of the rest.
Our drivers will call you when they are a day out to let you know their approximate ETA.
J&S Transportation Car Shipping Reviews
Quote | Date | Pickup | Delivery | Vehicle type |
---|---|---|---|---|
$1101 | August 28 | Friendswood, TX | Los Altos Hills, CA | Car |
$988 | August 21 | El Paso, TX | Belmont, CA | Car |
$1038 | August 11 | Bedford, TX | Fremont, CA | Car |
$935 | August 07 | Plano, TX | Sacramento, CA | Car |
$1101 | August 02 | Houston, TX | Milpitas, CA | Car |
$1161 | July 30 | Houston, TX | Pacifica, CA | Car |
$908 | July 29 | Arlington, TX | Los Angeles, CA | Car |
$1720 | July 29 | Rockdale, TX | Long Beach, CA | Large SUV |
$1044 | July 26 | Sunset Valley, TX | San Diego, CA | Compact SUV / Crossover |
$934 | July 20 | Houston, TX | Los Angeles, CA | Car |
Texas is the second most populated state in the country with over 29 million people spread out over 268,596 square miles! To say there is a demand for car shipping services in Texas is an understatement. The fastest and cheapest transports are going to be to and from the heavily populated cities of Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. If you look at these cities on the map, they form a triangle. If you stay in that triangle, you'll be in great shape when shipping a car to or from Texas!
Other solid car shipping locations in the state are those cities along I-20, which is a major trucking corridor into the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Those cities include Odessa, Midland, and Abilene. These are all good car shipping locations in Texas.
As we look at the challenging car shipping locations in Texas, let's start with the least challenging. El Paso on the far western edge of the state, and Lubbock and Amarillo up in the panhandle, can all be challenging at times depending on the location of the other side of the transport route. We don't do a lot of transports to or from these locations, but when they do come up, they usually aren't too challenging but sometimes they can be. In short, these aren't the best locations, but they certainly aren't the worst either.
The most challenging car shipping locations in Texas are going to be those locations south of the I-10 corridor, especially those locations near the Texas/Mexico border. Those locations south of I-10 are the least travelled parts of the state for car carriers, especially the further south you get. These transports always take more time and money compared to other parts of the state. While certain carriers do run south of I-10 down into Corpus Christi and even further south along the Gulf Coast on the eastern side of Texas, there just aren't that many that do.
To find out what it will cost to ship a car to or from Texas and how long it will take to complete, get an instant quote on our website or call us at (800) 656-7638.
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.
Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions
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.
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.
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!
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