How to Ship a Car to Another State

It may be all old news to you, but it’s still good to remember that moving to a new state can be as tough as it gets.

The real challenges are often due to the extraordinary number of things to do prior to the move itself – something closely linked to the notorious lack of sufficient time to finish those numerous tasks on time.

And, if circumstances force you to ship a car to another state, then your interstate residential move will inevitably become a notch or two more difficult as a result.

How to ship a vehicle from one state to another?

How to find the best auto transportation company for the job?

How much is it to ship a car to another state?

How to prepare a car for transport?

What to do after you’ve had your car transported to the new state?

The car transportation guide below will give you very useful information on what you need to know and do in order to organize your state-to-state vehicle transport in the best possible way.

How to ship your car to another state

To ship your car to another state is a very specific service that, obviously, you can’t manage on your own. The thing is that you can actually move some or all of your household items by yourself if favorable conditions do exist – short distance, good and reliable friends, and no specialty or valuable items to move.

Renting a moving truck can be tricky but is still perfectly manageable, as is packing up an entire home without professional assistance. Yes, self-moving is a viable option when moving locally and when you know what you’re doing.

However, you can’t possibly transport a car to another state all by yourself unless you drive it. And considering the fact that you’ve already decided not to drive across the country but to use another mode of transport to reach your new home (taking a plane in most cases), then it’s time to browse through the best car shippers in the USA, and choose the right one for you.

Speaking of reliable car transportation companies (read how to choose one below), there are just a few things you don’t want to happen when shipping a car to another state – no more than 3, let’s say 4. Is it really too much to ask?

1. You don’t want to find any damage to your vehicle when you have it delivered to your new home – no dents, no scratches, no paint chips, NOTHING!
2. You don’t want your car shipping company to be late with the delivery. A few hours late should be okay, a few days late is NOT. After all, you’re paying for punctuality as well, right?
3. You don’t want your auto transporter to overcharge you without a good reason. You know they could make up a million and one reasons to charge you more than they promised to charge you, but you also know that that’s not what professionalism is all about.
4. You definitely don’t want to deal with any problems when shipping a car from one state to another. Yes, this is exactly what you’re paying for – to have experienced professionals handle your car transport job problem-free so that you can concentrate on other important things, like planning and organizing your own household move.

Nothing but the best auto shipper for you!

Reliable auto shippers do exist and they are around you so what you need to do is find them, and then pick up just one to transport your car for you. Hunting a top-rated car shipper is not all that hard as long as you know what exactly it is that you’re looking for:

• Experience. Experience is what sets apart great car shipping companies from mediocre ones. It’s somewhat risky to hire the services of a vehicle shipping company that is very new and has not had time to prove its qualities. That may not always be the case, of course, but long years of service often serve as a guarantee that your state-to-state vehicle transport will be smooth and your prized car will be in good hands.
• Trustworthiness. You need to be able to trust the provider of the car transportation services in order for the whole business relationship to work. Trust comes from experiences, and trust can come from actual communication and dealing with the company, but trust is truly born when you hear or read from reliable and trustworthy sources that you can trust the auto shipper in question.
• Professionalism. Strictly connected with experience, professionalism is not something you can get overnight. Professionalism is an attitude, a way of doing business in an honorable and honest way that proves one car transporter is better than the others not simply because it offers a better price.
• Affordability. Experience, dependability, and professionalism won’t mean much if the car transport services an auto shipper offers are too expensive and most people cannot afford them. Success for auto car shippers comes down to striking a healthy balance between high-quality services and affordable prices.

Driving vs. Shipping Car: Ship a Car or Drive It When Moving Across Country

How to find dependable auto shippers

When searching for the best car shipping company, it’s important to understand that the time and effort you invest in the search process will, in most cases, pay off handsomely in the end.

If you choose to follow the steps below, you will get yourself a great car transporting company in no time:

• Step 1: You’re off to a good start because the first step is very easy and quick. All you need to do is fill out a car transport quote in under a minute.
• Step 2: Specify the make and model of your vehicle, the shipping method you prefer (open or enclosed), the condition of your car (running, not running), the number of vehicles you need to be transported, and of course – the shipping date.
• Step 3: After you’ve entered your contact information and hit Get My Price Quote, you will be contacted by licensed and experienced car shippers that can handle the job for the date you have specified.
• Step 4: You will receive price estimates from a few reputable auto shippers. So far, so good. Now it’s time for the tougher part – picking up the best offer made by the best car transportation company.
• Step 5: Run the companies against our database of dependable car shippers reviews to check their overall ratings and read through some customer reviews. Shipping a vehicle to another state is not a relocation joke so don’t just assume that a car shipper is good, make sure it really is.
• Step 6: Recommendations from friends and colleagues at work can also help you with your decision. Once you know that a car transporter possesses both experience and expertise, then you can agree to trust it with your precious vehicle.
• Step 7: Don’t limit yourself and your choices! When transporting a vehicle to another state, compare the offers, reviews, and ratings of several great auto shippers instead of going with the first company that assures you they will do a fantastic job.
• Step 8: Before you make up your mind about which vehicle shipper to hire, ask your shortlisted candidates any questions or worries you may have concerning the upcoming vehicle transport.
• Step 9: Don’t base your final decision on price alone but consider all of the useful information you have gathered until that moment before you agree to one particular car transport service.

Speaking of car transport rates, are you interested in knowing what factors will influence the price quotes you receive?

How much does it cost to transport a car to another state?

Without a doubt, the question of the costs you’re about to incur when shipping your car to another state will keep your mind busy, at least until you get a good car transport quote. And this is exactly why your first step, as listed above, is to ask for auto shippers quotes as early as possible, and then compare those quotes.

When you know how much you will pay for having your vehicle shipped between two different states, you will be able to set up your moving budget – an essential task that should not be underestimated.

• The distance between Point A (your current home and physical location of your vehicle) and Point B (your new home and destination of your soon-to-be-transported car) will influence greatly the car transportation price.
• The specific size, make, and model of your car will also affect how much you pay in the end. Larger sizes and more expensive or even exotic cars will cost you more.
• The total weight of your vehicle. Yes, more weight means extra costs for you.
• Different auto shippers charge differently and that’s exactly why you shouldn’t accept the first offer that comes your way but should shop around for better affordability at the same high quality of service.
• The amount you pay for insurance will add up to the final cost of shipping a car to a new state.
• Other largely unpredictable factors that have not been mentioned here.

What’s your best bet to learn the cost of shipping a car to another state? Request auto shippers quotes from the quick quote form at the top of this page.

What’s the average cost to ship a car to another state?

As you already know, the price to ship a car to another state will depend on a number of factors (see above for more info), so it’s impossible to learn exactly how much it’ll cost you to have your car shipped cross-state unless you contact a reputable car shipping company and provide them with more specific details about your car (make, model, year of production, current condition) and give them more information about the relocation route (starting point and destination point).

Nevertheless, it can be useful for you to know the average costs of moving a car to another state so that you can 1) be mentally and financially ready to pay the final bill, and 2) compare better the shipping tariffs of various car moving companies in an attempt to find a top-rated auto shipper with affordable services.

Speaking of average car shipping costs, you can expect to pay anywhere from around $500 for relatively short interstate car hauls to about $1,500 for long cross-country car transports.

As you know, the size of your car will play a major role in determining its shipping cost. For example, shipping SUVs, vans and pick-up trucks will, on average, cost around $200 more than transporting sedans for one and the same move distance.

Here are some average car transport costs that will help you get an approximate idea of how much you’ll have to pay to have your car shipped between the state of origin and the destination state.

• East Coast to West Coast (or West Coast to East Coast): $1,100 for a sedan; $1,300 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• East Coast to Midwest (or Midwest to East Coast): $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• West Coast to Midwest (or Midwest to West Coast): $900 for a sedan; $1,100 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
• North to South (or South to North): $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.

Note that the above prices are only average and the car shipping price you’ll pay will most likely be different depending on your unique set of vehicle transportation circumstances.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a very rough estimate of how much it will cost to ship a car to another state, then you can calculate it yourself using the car shipping costs per mile chart below.

The result car transport cost will be approximate, of course, but it will still give you an average price that you can use to set your budget.

How to prepare a car for transport

Sure, your efforts to find a top-rated car shipper should be greatly rewarded in the end but your role in your own vehicle transportation saga is not over.

You are expected and required to prepare your car for shipping before the car moving company arrives to pick up the automobile.

Follow this brief car shipping checklist to get ready for the appearance of the pros:

1. Wash well the exterior of your car, if needed. As far as the interior space goes, you’d better leave it for after the move.
2. Do a thorough visual inspection of your car and look for any signs of damage. If you do find any, take close-up photos of them and keep the photographs as evidence of the current look your automobile has. Also, make sure you complete some broader photos of your vehicle to be able to file a damage claim later, if applicable.
3. Look for fluid leaks (especially dangerous) around the engine, tank, and underneath the car. Have them fixed if you do find any.
4. Leave roughly 1/4 of fuel in the car tank to decrease the total weight of your vehicle.
5. Take a look at the tires – they should be in good overall condition and inflated fully.
6. Check whether your car battery is charged and well-secured.
7. Make sure your emergency brake is in good working order.
8. Remember not to leave any belongings in your vehicle – this is not optional. A child seat is allowed to stay where it is.
9. Bear in mind that any exterior parts such as that can be removed should be removed (for example, non-permanent racks). Leave only the standard car equipment like a spare tire, a jack, emergency kits, and so on. Do not remove your license plates.
10. Disable or remove the alarm system equipped on your vehicle.
11. Retract fully or remove your vehicle’s antenna.
12. Close down and secure the top if you own a convertible.

Here you can access the complete and unabridged version of that useful car shipping checklist.

Shipping my car to another state is complete. Now what?

The car transportation company just delivered your car to your new-state home. This is good news!

Now the logical question is what comes next, right? Effectively, the process of shipping cars to another state is considered a success only after the next three steps are complete.

Read on to find out what these steps are.

• Step 1: The moment you have your automobile delivered, you are required to inspect your vehicle carefully for any signs of damage and then place your signature on the Bill of Lading and the condition report. If you do note any transportation damage, photograph the affected areas, mark them down on the documents you are expected to sign, and then contact your interstate auto shipper for details on what you should do next.
• Step 2: Moving to another state can be a complicated move for a number of good reasons, including the numerous post-relocation tasks you have to complete, often within a set time frame. Concerning your recent car transportation, you must register your freshly delivered car in the new state within a pre-set period of time.
  Check with the local DMV office how much time you have for vehicle registration as every state has different rules – for example, New York gives newcomers 30 days to register their cars while Florida gives them only 10 days.
• Step 3: While registering your car in the new state is not complicated by any means, you should get the paperwork right in order to make that vehicle registration process as quick as possible. You need to present a car title in your name, a safety inspection certificate, and an emissions check certificate.
  In addition, you are required to have an auto insurance policy purchased in the state you just moved to. Again, you are strongly advised to contact your local DMV office for further information.

How to Register a Car in Another State After Moving

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