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California to Texas car shipping
Shipping a car from California to Texas costs roughly $1,340–$1,530 and takes 5–6 days over 1,548 road miles (Los Angeles to Houston). Below is what moves that number, and how to get real quotes for this lane.
| Vehicle & trailer | Price | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan, open trailer | $1,340–$1,530 | 5–6 days |
| SUV or crossover, open | $1,440–$1,630 | 5–6 days |
| Any vehicle, enclosed | $1,870–$2,120 | 5–6 days |
Estimates from distance and vehicle type. Actual price depends on how busy the lane is the week you ship.
Most runs out of California detailed on this site go the whole way across the country. This one does not. Los Angeles to Houston is the pair of metros the distance was measured between, and the model files it in the long band rather than the coast-to-coast one.
The stranger thing is what sits at either end. On most corridors here the ends are unlike each other, and that difference carries the explanation: one register deep and the other thin, or one side thick with brokerages and the other with companies that own their trucks. California and Texas are not that kind of pair. The benches are comparable in depth, they lean the same way, and the legs still do not price alike.
This corridor, measured
| California → Texas | back | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured between | Los Angeles → Houston | Houston → Los Angeles |
| Road miles | 1,548 | 1,548 |
| Transit | 5–6 days | 5–6 days |
| Open carrier, sedan | $1,340–$1,530 | $1,330–$1,510 |
| Direction multiplier | 0.990 | 0.976 |
| Carrier reloads at the far end | 0.86 — with some hunting | 0.95 |
| Licensed companies based there | 303 | 272 |
Distance is measured between Los Angeles and Houston by a routing engine, not as a straight line. Registered companies at the California end cluster in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fontana; at the Texas end, in Houston, El Paso, Dallas. A register counts businesses filed at an address, not trucks on this road today.
The other direction has its own page: Texas to California.
Neither end of this corridor is the broker end
Most lanes written up here run between markets of different kinds. The request leaves a state thick with brokerages placing loads and arrives where the registered companies mostly own the decks, or the reverse, and what is worth asking changes with it. This corridor does not work that way. At the California end and at the Texas end alike, the register leans toward companies running their own equipment rather than companies arranging work for others, and it leans by close to the same margin. So the state a quoting company filed in tells you little about what kind of company it is.
The company counts cannot tell you which leg is dearer
On most corridors here the direction multiplier and the register point the same way, and you can read one off the other: the thinner end is the harder one to deliver into, and the leg running there carries the premium. That shortcut fails on this pair. The benches at either end are matched and the multipliers are not — the run east to Texas carries the higher of them, the run back to California the lower. Nothing in the counts beside this text would have told you which way round that goes. Take the figure pointed the way your car is travelling; the pair does not average.
When to ship it
This lane runs with the retiree migration, and that migration is one-way at a time: Texas 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 | $1,480–$1,680 | +10% |
| March | $1,180–$1,340 | -12% |
| May | $1,340–$1,530 | level |
| July | $1,500–$1,710 | +12% |
| October | $1,610–$1,830 | +20% |
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. 1,548 miles puts this lane at about $0.93 a mile. Past 1,200 miles the per-mile rate keeps dropping but driver hours start to bind — the run needs rest stops, and a carrier will hold for a second or third car before rolling.
- 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. Running south, this lane competes with everyone else heading for warmer weather in autumn.
- Trailer. Enclosed protects from weather and road debris and costs about 39% more here ($1,870–$2,120). 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 California to Texas 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 California
- Los Angeles12
- San Diego10
- Fontana9
- Chula Vista8
- Hesperia8
- Jurupa Valley8
- Riverside8
- Stockton7
- Burbank6
- Corona6
Delivering around Texas
- Houston27
- El Paso17
- Dallas12
- Mcallen12
- Brownsville9
- Katy8
- Edinburg7
- Austin6
- Laredo6
- Pharr6
Counts are companies with active FMCSA authority registered in each city.
Licensed companies based in California
303 companies with active FMCSA authority are registered in California.
- AA UNITED AUTO TRANSPORTS INCGLENDALE, CA · broker · bonded
- ABC AUTO SHIPPINGIRVINE, CA · broker · bonded
- STAR CAR SHIPPINGLOS ANGELES, CA · broker · bonded
- ALL STAR DIRECT AUTO SHIPPING, LLCSANTA MONICA, CA · broker · bonded
- ALPHA AUTO TRANSPORT LLCDUBLIN, CA · broker · bonded
- AMAX AUTO TRANSPORTATION INC.BUENA PARK, CA · broker · bonded
All California auto transport companies →
California to Texas: common questions
Why does California to Texas price above the run back to California?+
Because each direction carries its own multiplier and this is the higher of the pair. The usual explanation on this site does not apply here: it is normally the thin end that pays, and neither end of this corridor is thin. Whatever separates the legs is not something the company counts show. The figure beside this text is the eastbound one, and the return is priced on its own page.
Will a broker or a carrier be the one that quotes me?+
Either can, and on this lane the register gives you nothing to guess with. At the California end and the Texas end alike, filings lean toward companies that own their equipment rather than companies that place loads with someone else, which is not how most corridors here are shaped. Whoever answers, check the MC number on the FMCSA register before you sign. This site holds no authority, owns no trucks and is never party to your contract.
Is this a cross-country move?+
Not by the model's reckoning. Most California departures detailed here are crossings; this one is filed in the long band instead, and the transit window beside this text is built from the Los Angeles to Houston road rather than from a coast-to-coast run. Season is applied separately, for whichever month you set. If your pickup or delivery sits away from those metros, the road is a different length and the estimate moves with it.
How much does it cost to ship a car from California to Texas?+
Expect $1,340 to $1,530 for a running sedan on an open trailer. An SUV on the same lane runs about $1,440–$1,630, and an enclosed trailer about $1,870–$2,120.
How long does it take to ship a car from California to Texas?+
About 5 to 6 days in transit over 1,548 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 California to Texas?+
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 California
More lanes to Texas
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.
Shipping somewhere else in Texas? Texas car transport →