How long does it take to ship a car?
Shipping time has two parts: waiting for pickup and the drive itself. Typical ranges, what slows things down, and how to plan around them.
When you ask how long car shipping takes, there are really two answers: how long until the car is picked up, and how long it spends on the road.
Waiting for pickup
Most companies give a pickup window rather than an exact day, often one to five days. A driver plans a route around several cars, so the exact day depends on where your car fits.
Pickup tends to take longer when:
- The price is below what carriers are accepting on the route.
- You're in a rural area far from main highways.
- You need enclosed transport, because there are fewer enclosed trucks.
- It's peak season.
Time on the road
Car haulers stop to load and unload other cars along the way, and drivers are limited by federal hours-of-service rules. As a rough guide:
- Short trips (a few hundred miles): one to three days.
- Mid-distance (about 1,000 miles): three to six days.
- Coast to coast: about one to two weeks.
These are typical ranges, not promises. Weather, breakdowns and other customers' schedules can add days.
How to plan
- Book early, especially in summer or on snowbird routes. See the cheapest time to ship a car.
- Don't schedule a flight or a deadline around the earliest possible delivery date.
- If you truly need a fixed date, ask about a guaranteed or expedited pickup and what it costs. See is expedited car shipping worth it.
- Ask the company how you'll get updates during transport.
Read what customers say about each company's timing in their reviews, then get quotes.