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New Jersey to California car shipping
Shipping a car from New Jersey to California costs roughly $1,700–$1,930 and takes 7–9 days over 2,784 road miles (Newark 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 | $1,700–$1,930 | 7–9 days |
| SUV or crossover, open | $1,810–$2,060 | 7–9 days |
| Any vehicle, enclosed | $2,330–$2,650 | 7–9 days |
Estimates from distance and vehicle type. Actual price depends on how busy the lane is the week you ship.
New Jersey and California are licensed ends, but not licensed alike. New Jersey's side of the federal register is nearly all carrier authority — companies that own decks — and brokerage is a thin slice of it. California's list is longer and a heavier share of it is broker authority. Westbound, the car leaves the end where the hauling is filed for the end where more of the arranging is.
The road figure was measured Newark to Los Angeles, and the line meets the companies at the delivery end and misses at the pickup end. Newark is not on New Jersey's list at all: Clifton leads it, with Elizabeth, Woodbridge, Paterson and Vineland level behind. Hardly anyone searches the run back east, and it has no page here yet.
This corridor, measured
| New Jersey → California | back | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured between | Newark → Los Angeles | Los Angeles → Newark |
| Road miles | 2,784 | 2,784 |
| Transit | 7–9 days | 7–9 days |
| Open carrier, sedan | $1,700–$1,930 | $1,680–$1,910 |
| Direction multiplier | 0.982 | 0.973 |
| Carrier reloads at the far end | 0.95 — easily | 1.00 |
| Licensed companies based there | 97 | 303 |
Distance is measured between Newark and Los Angeles by a routing engine, not as a straight line. Registered companies at the New Jersey end cluster in Clifton, Elizabeth, Paterson; 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 New Jersey.
Anchored where it lands, not where it starts
Each end of this pair is well registered, and the measured line meets those registers unevenly. At the California end it roughly holds: Los Angeles sits at the head of its list, narrow as the lead over the towns behind it is. At the New Jersey end it does not hold. Newark carries no filings there. Clifton leads instead, and Elizabeth, Woodbridge, Paterson and Vineland sit level just behind it, so the origin side has a head in name only. The delivery end of this estimate is near where the companies are and the pickup end is not, which tells you where to be exact — not who will answer.
The middle swallows the ends
This pair sits in the widest distance band the model carries, and that decides what is worth your attention. The long middle is most of the job; the ends together are a shaving off it. Whichever New Jersey town the car starts from and whichever California town it lands in, the crossing stays the crossing, and the figure beside this text barely notices the difference. The blunt version is that at this width there is not much left to optimise. What the ends still decide is whether the company pricing it is being asked for the run you actually need.
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 | $1,860–$2,120 | +10% |
| March | $1,700–$1,930 | level |
| May | $1,700–$1,930 | level |
| July | $1,900–$2,160 | +12% |
| October | $1,700–$1,930 | 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. 2,784 miles puts this lane at about $0.65 a mile. Coast to coast is the cheapest per mile and the slowest in days. Trucks fill up completely before departing, so flexible dates are worth real money here.
- 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. An east-west run, so weather matters less than mountain passes in winter.
- 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 New Jersey.
- Trailer. Enclosed protects from weather and road debris and costs about 37% more here ($2,330–$2,650). 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey
- Clifton4
- Elizabeth3
- Paterson3
- Vineland3
- Woodbridge3
- Barnegat2
- Bedminster2
- Elmwood Park2
- Englewood2
- Franklinville2
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 New Jersey
97 companies with active FMCSA authority are registered in New Jersey.
- ALL STATE AUTO TRANSPORT & DELIVERY LLCDEAL, NJ · broker · bonded
- AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, LLCNEPTUNE, NJ · broker · bonded
- TRANSPORTERSDOVER, NJ · broker · bonded
- ICAT AUTO SHIPPING LLCGALLOWAY, NJ · broker · bonded
- MARCOS AUTO TRANSPORTHILLSIDE, NJ · broker · bonded
- O&K AUTO TRANSPORT LLCLINDEN, NJ · broker · bonded
All New Jersey auto transport companies →
New Jersey to California: common questions
My car is in Clifton, not Newark. Does the figure on this page still apply?+
As a shape for the corridor, yes; as a price for your move, no. The distance was taken Newark to Los Angeles, and a pickup in Clifton, Paterson or Vineland is a different road from the one behind that figure. The far end has the same problem in milder form: a delivery to Hesperia or Jurupa Valley is not a delivery to Los Angeles. The figure is the corridor; the quote is your doorsteps.
Does the leg back from California carry the same figure?+
No, but the difference is slight. The legs run on separate direction factors, and it is the eastbound one that sits lower — under the westbound leg described here. Neither direction is the punished one, and the gap is narrow enough that direction is not the lever on this pair. If the car comes back later, have that direction priced then — it is not written up on this site, so there is nothing here to read in reverse.
New Jersey's list is nearly all carriers rather than brokers. What does that change for me?+
Ask whoever answers whether they own the deck or are placing the load with a company that does. Each is licensed; they are different things to sign. The register says what is filed in each state — it does not say who will take a westbound coast run, and a carrier-heavy list is no promise of better trucks or a better number. We are neither broker nor carrier: we pass the request on and show what comes back.
How much does it cost to ship a car from New Jersey to California?+
Expect $1,700 to $1,930 for a running sedan on an open trailer. An SUV on the same lane runs about $1,810–$2,060, and an enclosed trailer about $2,330–$2,650.
How long does it take to ship a car from New Jersey to California?+
About 7 to 9 days in transit over 2,784 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey
More lanes to California
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.
Shipping somewhere else in California? California car transport →