How much does it cost to ship a car from Houston to Los Angeles?

For a running standard vehicle: $950 – $1,200 open, $1,450 – $1,650 enclosed. That covers the 1,550-mile trip door to door.

How long does it take to ship a car from Houston to Los Angeles?

About 1,550 miles via I-10: plan on 3–4 days from loading to delivery.

Do you also ship cars from Los Angeles to Houston?

Yes, at its own rate: $1,500 – $1,750 on an open carrier, $1,700 – $1,950 enclosed.

Do you pick up in Houston and deliver to Los Angeles?

Yes. Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Katy work for pickup too, and Long Beach, Santa Monica and Anaheim for delivery.

Houston → LA

Car shipping from Houston to Los Angeles

Pure I-10 from end to end — no interchange, no routing decision, no mountain pass of consequence. When a lane has exactly one road, transit estimates hold up unusually well.

Distance~1,550 miles

Transit time3–4 days

InterstatesI-10

Typical dispatch1–3 business days

Who ships Houston to LA

Energy-sector relocations, port and logistics traffic between two of the largest freight gateways in the country, military moves, and families relocating in both directions.

Pickups and full-size SUVs above the national average — this is Texas — plus a meaningful share of company vehicles moving with their drivers.

1,550 miles via I-10

I-10 the whole way — San Antonio, Fort Stockton, El Paso, Las Cruces, Tucson, Phoenix, then the Palm Springs run down into the basin. The single longest uninterrupted interstate stretch on any lane I quote.

Steady year-round with a summer lift. Two things to plan around, and neither is snow: desert heat from June to September, which shapes the carrier’s schedule more than yours, and hurricane season from June through November, when a storm in the Gulf can pause Houston pickups for several days at no notice. If you are shipping in September, keep a few days of margin at the front end.

Shipping Los Angeles to Houston

Los Angeles to Houston runs the same road for the same three to four days and prices close to level, though eastbound has grown heavier as relocations to Texas have accelerated. The hurricane risk changes character rather than disappearing: westbound a Gulf storm threatens your pickup, and no carrier will stage a truck into an evacuation zone to collect a car. Eastbound it threatens delivery, which usually means the vehicle waits safely inland for a day or two rather than the booking slipping wholesale.

From Houston and Sugar Land to Los Angeles and Long Beach

HoustonSugar LandThe WoodlandsKatyLos AngelesLong BeachSanta MonicaAnaheim

Not listed? Pickup is anywhere in the Houston metro and delivery anywhere in the Los Angeles metro, door to door.

Typical rate

Houston to Los Angeles

Houston → LA

Open$950 – $1,200

Enclosed$1,450 – $1,650

LA → Houston

Open$1,500 – $1,750

Enclosed$1,700 – $1,950

Houston to Los Angeles is the cheaper direction on an open carrier.

Running standard vehicle; oversized, non-running or peak-season moves cost more. Rates as of September 2026.

Houston → LA

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On the road

Houston to Los Angeles, by carrier

1,550 miles, 3–4 days once loaded.

More CA and TX routes

Texas → California1,450 mi · 3–4 days

Dallas → Los Angeles1,435 mi · 3–4 days

Texas → Florida1,150 mi · 2–3 days

Washington → California1,140 mi · 2–3 days

Illinois → California2,015 mi · 5–6 days

Chicago → Los Angeles2,015 mi · 5–6 days

All routes

Common questions

Shipping Houston to Los Angeles

How much does it cost to ship a car from Houston to Los Angeles?: For a running standard vehicle: $950 – $1,200 open, $1,450 – $1,650 enclosed. That covers the 1,550-mile trip door to door.
How long does it take to ship a car from Houston to Los Angeles?: About 1,550 miles via I-10: plan on 3–4 days from loading to delivery.
Do you also ship cars from Los Angeles to Houston?: Yes, at its own rate: $1,500 – $1,750 on an open carrier, $1,700 – $1,950 enclosed.
Do you pick up in Houston and deliver to Los Angeles?: Yes. Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Katy work for pickup too, and Long Beach, Santa Monica and Anaheim for delivery.