Arizona to California car shipping
Shipping a car from Arizona to California costs roughly $680–$770 and takes 2–3 days over 373 road miles (Phoenix to Los Angeles). Below is what moves that number, and how to get real quotes for this lane.
| Vehicle & trailer | Price | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan, open trailer | $680–$770 | 2–3 days |
| SUV or crossover, open | $720–$820 | 2–3 days |
| Any vehicle, enclosed | $820–$930 | 2–3 days |
Estimates from distance and vehicle type. Actual price depends on how busy the lane is the week you ship.
Phoenix to Los Angeles is a short corridor, and the leg quoted on this page is the discounted one. The road home is not. The model lifts the return above the flat line it holds when it has no reason to lean either way, and a leg priced above that line is rare on these pages.
The other thing to settle before you compare quotes is where the licensed companies sit. Phoenix is the metro this corridor's distance was measured from, and it also carries more registered companies than any other town on the lane, Los Angeles included. Los Angeles leads its own end of the list too. On most routes here the measured metro is not where the companies are; on this one it is, at both ends.
This corridor, measured
| Arizona → California | back | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured between | Phoenix → Los Angeles | Los Angeles → Phoenix |
| Road miles | 373 | 373 |
| Transit | 2–3 days | 2–3 days |
| Open carrier, sedan | $680–$770 | $700–$790 |
| Direction multiplier | 0.966 | 1.020 |
| Carrier reloads at the far end | 0.95 — easily | 0.61 |
| Licensed companies based there | 103 | 303 |
Distance is measured between Phoenix and Los Angeles by a routing engine, not as a straight line. Registered companies at the Arizona end cluster in Phoenix, Tucson, Peoria; at the California end, in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fontana. A register counts businesses filed at an address, not trucks on this road today.
The other direction has its own page: California to Arizona.
The direction is not a detail you can read across
The direction figure on this leg is fixed. It does not move with the calendar or the fuel index, and it is not mirrored onto the opposite run. Pointed at Los Angeles it is a discount. Pointed back at Phoenix it is a surcharge. Why the model leans that way here, this page cannot tell you; that it leans, and which way, is settled. The unusual part is the direction of the lean — legs written up here sit under the line rather than over it. So a figure quoted for the opposite run is not this one adjusted. It is a different calculation, and the dearer of them.
Phoenix holds more of this corridor's companies than Los Angeles does
Arizona's entry on the federal register is the shorter of the pair: Phoenix leads it clearly, then Tucson, Peoria, Glendale and Buckeye. California's runs far longer, yet Los Angeles, the delivery metro behind these figures, holds fewer filings than Phoenix. What the ends share is shape — carriers running their own equipment make up most of what is filed at each, brokers the minority. None of that predicts your quote. A filing is an address on a federal list, nothing more; it does not say who answers a request or what they will charge. This site holds no authority, runs no trucks, and is not party to your contract.
When to ship it
This lane runs with the retiree migration, and that migration is one-way at a time: southern California fills up from October and empties from March. Whichever way the trucks are scarce is the way that costs more, so a month of flexibility is worth more here than any amount of negotiating.
| Month | Sedan, open trailer | vs year-round |
|---|---|---|
| January | $740–$850 | +10% |
| March | $680–$770 | level |
| May | $680–$770 | level |
| July | $760–$860 | +12% |
| October | $680–$770 | level |
Indicative only. Fuel is indexed to the U.S. weekly retail diesel average, last read 2026-09-07.
What drives the price on this lane
- Distance. 373 miles puts this lane at about $1.94 a mile. Short lanes cost the most per mile, because loading and paperwork are the same whether the truck drives 200 miles or 2,000. The upside is speed: carriers take these as fill loads and pickup is often next-day.
- Season. This is a snowbird lane. Southbound fills from October and northbound from April, and in those windows a week of lead time is worth more than any amount of haggling. A regional lane, so local demand moves the price more than any season does.
- Direction. California is a dense freight market, so a carrier delivering here can reload quickly and does not need the trip to pay for the run back. This direction usually prices a little under California to Arizona.
- Trailer. Enclosed protects from weather and road debris and costs about 21% more here ($820–$930). The premium grows with distance — an enclosed trailer carries fewer cars, so the longer the run the more deck revenue the carrier gives up. Worth it for low-clearance, classic or high-value cars; rarely worth it otherwise.
- Condition. A car that does not run needs a winch at both ends and adds about $200. Tell the broker up front — a driver who finds out at pickup can refuse the load.
Pickup and delivery on this lane
The companies that run Arizona to California are registered in these cities. A carrier based near either end is the one most likely to already be heading your way, which is what makes the difference between a quote and a quote you can actually book.
Picking up around Arizona
- Phoenix22
- Tucson12
- Peoria8
- Glendale7
- Buckeye6
- Avondale5
- Gilbert4
- Laveen4
- Yuma4
- El Mirage3
Delivering around California
- Los Angeles12
- San Diego10
- Fontana9
- Chula Vista8
- Hesperia8
- Jurupa Valley8
- Riverside8
- Stockton7
- Burbank6
- Corona6
Counts are companies with active FMCSA authority registered in each city.
Licensed companies based in Arizona
103 companies with active FMCSA authority are registered in Arizona.
- ALL ROADS AUTO TRANSPORT LLCCASA GRANDE, AZ · broker · bonded
- AUTO TRANSPORT 4 LESSTUCSON, AZ · broker · bonded
- AUTO TRANSPORT SOCIETYCHANDLER, AZ · broker · bonded
- AUTO TRANSPORT TEAM LLCAVONDALE, AZ · broker · bonded
- AUTO-MATIC AUTO CARRIERS LLCTUCSON, AZ · broker · bonded
- BRISTOL AUTO LOGISTICS LLCPHOENIX, AZ · broker · bonded
All Arizona auto transport companies →
Arizona to California: common questions
Does the same figure work for California to Arizona?+
No. The same road quoted the other way round carries a different factor, and on this pair they do not sit close together: toward Los Angeles the model cuts, back toward Phoenix it adds. Distance cannot explain it, since the road does not change. Reversing the ends does not reverse the number, and the panel beside this text prices only the direction named at the top of the page.
My car is in Tucson, not Phoenix. Does this estimate still hold?+
Loosely. The road behind these figures was measured Phoenix to Los Angeles, and Tucson is not on that line. On a coast-width crossing, an extra stretch at the start disappears into the total. On a corridor this short it is a visible share of the whole job, so the figure moves more than the added road alone would suggest. Enter the real addresses rather than the metros.
I need the opposite direction, California to Arizona. Is there a page for it?+
Not yet. That direction draws far fewer searches than this one, so nobody has written it up here. Low interest is not evidence of a low price, though: the run back toward Phoenix is the leg this model marks up rather than cuts, and it is clearly the dearer of the pair. When you need it, price it as its own job rather than reading this page backwards.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Arizona to California?+
Expect $680 to $770 for a running sedan on an open trailer. An SUV on the same lane runs about $720–$820, and an enclosed trailer about $820–$930.
How long does it take to ship a car from Arizona to California?+
About 2 to 3 days in transit over 373 miles, plus one to three days to schedule pickup after you book.
Can the carrier pick up and deliver to my door?+
Yes on almost every lane. The truck gets as close as it legally and physically can — on a narrow residential street the driver will ask you to meet at a nearby lot.
How do I ship my car from Arizona to California?+
Give the two ZIP codes and what you drive, and the request goes to a panel of licensed companies at once instead of you calling down a list. They quote, you compare side by side, and you deal directly with whoever you pick — we take no commission and nobody gets your number until you hand it over. You do not travel with the car: the driver collects it, you both sign an inspection report, and the same happens at the far end.
More lanes from Arizona
More lanes to California
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.
Shipping somewhere else in California? California car transport →