Moving across the country may mean that you’ll need to have your car transported safely to the new address as well. And when you wish to have your car shipped across the country, the very first thing you would like to know will be the cost of the car shipping service.
Once you do learn that by getting an auto shipping quote from a reputable cross-country car hauler, then the second thing you will be most interested in will be how many days it will take to ship your car to the destination city or town.
What you should keep in mind is that even the best car shipping companies in the country cannot offer you a guaranteed delivery date due to the large number of variables that come to play during the car shipment process. Instead, they will give you an estimated delivery window in which your car will be delivered.
But even without a specific delivery date, you would still want to know the rough time frame in which you will receive your car so that you can still make some sort of preliminary post-relocation plans.
So, how long does car transport take? Read on to find out.
How long does it take to ship a car across the country?
On average, it’ll take about 2 weeks or less to ship your car anywhere in the continental United States.
Keep in mind that the above time estimate includes the pick-up time AND the actual transit time. You should take into account the time required for pick-up when you receive car delivery estimates from various auto shippers. So, to avoid serious misunderstandings and last-minute surprises, always look at both pick-up and delivery times.
| Distance (miles) | Pick-up time (days) | Transport time (days) | Total shipment time (days) |
| <500 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 500 – 1,000 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 1,000 – 1,500 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 1,500 – 2,000 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 2,000 – 2,500 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2,500 – 3,000 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| >3,000 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
Remember that these are just rough estimates and the actual time to ship your car may be shorter or longer depending on a number of factors. Once again, it’s important to differentiate between the pick-up time and the transit time of your vehicle.
- Pick-up time. Most car shipping companies will give you a pick-up window of 2-7 days depending on the exact pick-up location and the season. Note that this time is not part of the transit time. If you’re in a real hurry, you might negotiate a much shorter pick-up time with a cross-country auto shipper but then you should expect to be charged extra for the service. On rare occasions, a car moving company may agree to pick up your car on the same day but that can cost you a lot of money.
- Transport time. The actual car transportation time can take between 2 to 10 days depending on a number of variables, most notably on the total distance between the pickup location and delivery location.
See also: Should you drive your car across the country or ship it?
Factors that affect the time it takes to ship a car
How long does it take to deliver a car? Note that all of the car delivery times above are rough estimates and your actual vehicle shipment time will depend on these important variable factors:
- Route distance. It goes without saying that the greater the distance is between the pickup location and delivery location, the longer it’ll take an auto shipper to deliver a car. No matter how fast you want your vehicle to be delivered, you still have to be realistic about the car shipping car. In other words, you can’t possibly expect your car to be shipped from California to New York in mere 2 days.
- Pickup and drop-off locations. Location plays a critical role in determining how long it takes for a car to ship across the country. In general, pickup and drop-off locations in metropolitan areas are easier to access by car shipping companies than rural places. If car shippers only need to drive along main highways and interstates, then they will be able to pick up and deliver a vehicle in shorter periods of time. Note that any deviations from the main route or dealing with hard-to-reach areas will only increase the pickup and delivery times.
- Season. The car shipping time frames will depend on the time of the year a car is shipped to another state. During the peak car shipping season (May – September), the transit times will be shorter because there will be a great amount of car transport trucks traveling all over the country thanks to the greater demand for car shipping services. However, if you wish to have your car shipped during the off-peak car transport season (September – May), then you should expect longer transit times due to the lower demand for car transport services.
- Weather. Inevitably, bad weather conditions such as rain, snow, hail, strong winds, and thunderstorms will only increase car transit times and cause delivery delays. Car shippers prioritize safety so their drivers may be forced to drive much slower in severe weather or even stop and wait until the climatic conditions improve.
- Road conditions. Road conditions can be rather unpredictable at times, meaning that traffic jams, road closures due to constructions works or driving accidents, and temporary detours will only delay further the car transit time.
- Extra stops. Most car carriers can transport up to 9 vehicles at a time. What this means is that if the vehicle transport truck makes several stops along the route, then the total car shipping time will increase.
- Driver’s hours. For safety reasons, truck drivers are required by law to rest for a certain amount of time before continuing their car shipping journey.
- Transportation method. One of the fastest ways to ship your car across the country is to use open car carriers. Even though they’ll probably have to make stops along the way to pick up other cars, using open car carriers is the most common auto transportation method so you should be able to book one much faster. In comparison, finding enclosed car carriers will take much more time (and money!) since only about 10% of auto transport is done via enclosed carriers.
Read also: How to ship a car to another state
How to ship your car faster
Now that you know how long it takes to ship a car on average, you can actually do something to decrease the total car shipping delivery time. But what exactly can you do to speed up the car shipping process in general?
Here are a few tips for shipping your car faster:
Plan ahead
In order to avoid wasting valuable time later on, make sure you book the services of a reputable car shipping company about 2 weeks before the scheduled pickup date. Don’t wait until the last moment to arrange for your car transport as the entire process requires plenty of planning and coordination.
With a little luck, you may be able to find a top-rated car shipper that will pick up your car in less than 5 days, thus speeding up the whole vehicle moving process.
Do your homework in advance
Research multiple car shipping companies before picking one for your car transport needs. Read customer reviews of different cross-country auto shippers to get a better idea of the quality of their services.
Be suspicious of car haulers that promise guaranteed delivery dates – as we explained above, the exact delivery date depends on too many variables, and even the best car transport companies cannot guarantee a delivery date. Instead, they offer estimated time windows.
Working with a top-rated car shipping company means that they’ll do all in their power to optimize the time it takes to transport a car across the country.
Use open car transport
The thing to remember is that an open carrier is the faster shipping method compared to enclosed vehicle shipping.
The reason for this is that only 10% of the entire auto transport is done via enclosed carriers, so it’s much easier and faster to book a car shipper with an open transport truck. Also, it’s by far the cheaper option to ship your car to another state.
So, unless you’re shipping a high-end vehicle like a classic car or a super-expensive sports car, you’ll be sure to save valuable time by using open car transport.
Must-read: Car Shipping Tips
