Atlanta Auto Transport: Car Shipping Rates and Quotes

Looking for auto transport in Atlanta? What car shipping in Atlanta costs depends on the route, the vehicle and whether it runs. We ran real quotes from our platform for thirty-six Atlanta lanes, both leaving and arriving, from an 84-mile hop between Macon and Atlanta to a 2,186-mile haul between Atlanta and Los Angeles, and an open-trailer sedan ranged from $173 to $1,051. Here is what Atlanta car transport costs by vehicle type and route, including car shipping from Atlanta to Charlotte, Orlando, Chicago and New York, how the price changes by direction, what the metro’s auctions and dealers do to pickups, and the registration and insurance rules if you are moving here. Every price is door to door, and you can read how that works in our door-to-door auto transport guide. For rates across the whole state, see our Georgia auto transport guide.

What it costs to ship a car to or from Atlanta

Whether you need an auto transport service in Atlanta for a move, a purchase or a dealer transfer, every figure below is a real quote from our platform for one vehicle on an open trailer, running, priced separately for each vehicle type. All lanes were priced on November 9, 2026, and prices move from week to week, so treat them as a snapshot. The same prices apply to Marietta, Alpharetta, Decatur, Lawrenceville, Peachtree City and the rest of the Atlanta metro, and each lane is labeled by its actual cities. Most moves are quoted in both directions, so you can see what changes when the car is arriving in Atlanta or leaving it. Atlanta is where I-75, I-85 and I-20 meet, so a lot of car carriers pass through and a lot of vehicles start here, but the price still depends on how many carriers are heading the same way.

Distances are the road miles in each quote, and prices are in dollars. The price per mile falls fast as the trip gets longer, from $2.36 a mile on Atlanta → Macon (85 mi) to $0.48 on Atlanta → Los Angeles (2,186 mi). Pickups cost a median of 41% more than a sedan on these lanes and vans a median of 42% more, while an SUV was priced below the sedan on 9 of 36 lanes. Treat these as a guide, and get a live quote for your exact pickup and delivery points.

How the price per mile changes with distance

Distance is the biggest driver, but the price per mile falls as the trip gets longer. For a sedan it ran $0.98–$2.36 per mile under 450 miles and $0.48–$0.48 per mile at 1,000 miles or more. A short run costs more per mile because the driver still has to load, unload and reposition the truck whether the trip is 84 miles or 1,000. Macon to Atlanta is 84 miles and cost $173, or $2.06 a mile, while Atlanta to Los Angeles is about 26 times as far but only 6 times the price.

Pickups and vans cost more than sedans

A pickup cost a median of 41% more than a sedan on the same lane, ranging from 21% less to 273% more, and a van a median of 42% more. An SUV was priced within a median of 7% of the sedan and was cheaper on 9 of 36. If you are shipping a pickup, check the pickup column for your route, and dually trucks, lifted vehicles and anything oversized need a quote of their own. Our pickup truck shipping guide has the details.

Popular Atlanta car shipping routes

Atlanta to Macon, Savannah and Augusta

The in-state runs follow I-75 to Macon, I-75 and I-16 to Savannah and I-20 to Augusta, and they are the shortest lanes in and out of the metro. Macon: a sedan was $201 leaving Atlanta (85 mi) and $173 into Atlanta; Savannah: a sedan was $269 leaving Atlanta (249 mi) and $285 into Atlanta; Augusta: a sedan was $236 leaving Atlanta (149 mi) and $305 into Atlanta.

Atlanta to Birmingham, Chattanooga and Nashville

West on I-20 to Alabama, or north on I-75 to Tennessee, the neighboring-state lanes. Birmingham: a sedan was $294 leaving Atlanta (147 mi) and $301 into Atlanta; Chattanooga: a sedan was $251 leaving Atlanta (118 mi) and $199 into Atlanta; Nashville: a sedan was $536 leaving Atlanta (250 mi) and $347 into Atlanta.

Atlanta to Charlotte and Raleigh

Northeast on I-85 through the Carolinas, one of the busiest corridors out of Atlanta. Charlotte: a sedan was $367 leaving Atlanta (245 mi) and $393 into Atlanta; Raleigh: a sedan was $459 leaving Atlanta (438 mi) and $838 into Atlanta.

Atlanta to Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami

South into Florida on I-75 and I-95, a corridor that moves with the seasons. Jacksonville: a sedan was $369 leaving Atlanta (346 mi) and $480 into Atlanta; Orlando: a sedan was $430 leaving Atlanta (440 mi) and $435 into Atlanta; Tampa: a sedan was $462 leaving Atlanta (462 mi) and $480 into Atlanta; Miami: a sedan was $413 leaving Atlanta (663 mi) and $510 into Atlanta.

Atlanta to Washington, DC and New York

The long I-85 and I-95 runs to the Northeast, where the price per mile is among the lowest. Washington, DC: a sedan was $640 leaving Atlanta (639 mi) and $620 into Atlanta; New York: a sedan was $923 leaving Atlanta (881 mi) and $956 into Atlanta.

Atlanta to Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles

The longest hauls we priced: north to the Midwest, west along I-20 and I-10 to Texas, or across the country to the Pacific coast. Chicago: a sedan was $702 leaving Atlanta (690 mi) and $614 into Atlanta; Dallas: a sedan was $825 leaving Atlanta (784 mi) and $584 into Atlanta; Houston: a sedan was $807 leaving Atlanta (794 mi) and $615 into Atlanta; Los Angeles: a sedan was $1,050 leaving Atlanta (2,186 mi) and $1,051 into Atlanta.

Each lane shows what we were quoted in November 2026 for a sedan on an open trailer. Prices are the same for Marietta, Alpharetta, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville and the rest of the Atlanta metro, because carriers treat Atlanta as one pickup area. If you are further out, in Cartersville, Gainesville or Newnan, expect a little more for the extra distance. For the whole state, see our Georgia auto transport guide.

Does direction change the price?

We quoted eighteen corridors both ways from Atlanta:

A sedan arriving in Atlanta cost more than the same trip leaving on 8 of the 18 corridors: Raleigh to Atlanta 83% higher ($838 vs. $459), Jacksonville to Atlanta 30% higher ($480 vs. $369), Augusta to Atlanta 29% higher ($305 vs. $236), Miami to Atlanta 23% higher ($510 vs. $413). Leaving Atlanta cost more on 7: Atlanta to Nashville 54% higher ($536 vs. $347), Atlanta to Dallas 41% higher ($825 vs. $584), Atlanta to Houston 31% higher ($807 vs. $615). About the same both ways: Atlanta and Birmingham, Atlanta and Orlando, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The price follows how many cars are moving each way on that lane, so if you can ship in either direction, or can drive one way and ship the other, check both. The table above is a snapshot taken in November, so a quote in another season can look different. We measured direction across our whole dataset in our study of 287 lanes priced both ways.

Did you know?From 36 real Atlanta lanes and 4 recent jobs

1. +83% more into Atlanta

   Raleigh to Atlanta cost 83% more than Atlanta to Raleigh

   A sedan was $838 into Atlanta against $459 going the other way on about 438 miles.

2. +54% more out of Atlanta

   Atlanta to Nashville cost 54% more than Nashville to Atlanta

   A sedan was $536 leaving Atlanta against $347 coming in on about 250 miles.

3. $2.36 a mile, on a short lane

   A short lane cost the most per mile: $2.36 vs. $0.48

   A sedan from Atlanta to Macon (85 miles) was $201. Atlanta to Los Angeles (2,186 miles) was $1,050.

4. 9 of 36 lanes where the SUV beat the sedan

   On 9 of 36 lanes the SUV was priced below the sedan

   Size does not always cost more. Pickups, on the other hand, were a median of 41% above the sedan.

5. 36 real lanes, 4 vehicle types

   36 real Atlanta lanes, priced for four vehicle types

   From an 84-mile hop inside the state to a 2,186-mile haul.

Get an Atlanta auto quote →

Recent jobs to and from Atlanta

These are recent shipments that started or ended in the Atlanta area, taken from our signed bills of lading and the pickup and delivery photos the drivers filed. Customer and dealer names, street addresses, VINs and plates are left out, and the photos are blurred where needed. Dates are the pickup and delivery dates on the order and miles are approximate road distances. Treat these as examples, not promises. Prices are not shown, because every job was priced for its own vehicle, date and route.

Four jobs from the Atlanta area, three leaving and one arriving, show how the metro moves: vans and SUVs on runs of 330 to 835 miles, and one SUV arriving from New Jersey. Two of the four started at an auction lot in the south part of the metro. The longest, a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV from Princeton, NJ to Atlanta, GA (about 835 miles), took 2 days. Many other delivered orders in the metro were left out because they were part of larger loads or the dates on the order were unclear, and trailer type is not on the bills of lading, so it is not listed. Two jobs have photos; the others are in the table only, because their orders have photos of several vehicles, unclear photos or no photos on file.

Inoperable and enclosed vehicles: what they add

On our platform an inoperable vehicle adds about 25% to the open-trailer price (a median of about $190 for a sedan in our tests), because the driver needs a winch and extra loading time, and enclosed transport adds about 75%, because enclosed trailers carry fewer cars. For example, a sedan quoted at $367 open from Atlanta to Charlotte works out to about $642 enclosed, or about $803 if it also does not run. Collector cars, classics and high-value vehicles are usually shipped enclosed, and spring pollen, hail and summer storms are one more reason owners of newer or collector cars choose it. See our inoperable vehicle guide and our classic car transport guide for details.

Auctions, relocations, weather and when to ship

A few patterns recur in Atlanta car shipping. These are general industry experience and the metro’s own calendar, not our quote data, so compare a live quote for your date:

• Auctions and dealers. Atlanta is one of the busiest vehicle-remarketing metros in the Southeast, with dealer and salvage auction yards on every side of the Perimeter, and many cars on the road in Georgia start their trip at one of them. Many of the delivered jobs we see in the metro start at an auction or dealer address, and several leave the same day.
• Relocations. Atlanta draws a steady flow of job-related moves from the Northeast and Midwest, and many movers ship a second car instead of driving two.
• Students. Move-in in August and move-out in May matter around Georgia Tech, Emory, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, SCAD Atlanta and the Atlanta University Center schools.
• Pollen season. Heavy spring pollen coats cars in yellow in March and April, so owners often wash the car at pickup and check the paint at delivery.
• Storms and winter ice. Spring thunderstorms and hail, summer afternoon storms and the occasional winter ice storm can delay pickups. Keep a flexible window, and consider enclosed transport for a newer, collector or high-value car.
• Traffic. Rush-hour congestion on I-285, I-75, I-85 and GA-400 can shift a pickup time by hours, so agree on a meeting point and a window rather than an exact time.

A flexible pickup window of a few days usually gets a faster carrier match, and booking a few weeks ahead matters more over holidays, in August and when ice is in the forecast.

Pickup and delivery around the Atlanta metro

• Downtown, Midtown and Old Fourth Ward. One-way streets, event traffic and tight garages make a full-size truck hard to park, so drivers often meet customers at a nearby lot.
• Buckhead, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs. Narrow, tree-lined residential streets and many gated buildings, so plan a meeting point on a wider road.
• Decatur, Druid Hills and East Atlanta. Older neighborhoods with tight streets and mature trees.
• Marietta, Smyrna, Vinings and Kennesaw. Cobb County suburbs along I-75 and I-285, mostly wide streets and commercial lots that suit a full-size trailer.
• Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek and Cumming. North Fulton and Forsyth County, with many HOAs and gated communities along GA-400.
• Duluth, Lawrenceville, Snellville and Stone Mountain. Gwinnett and DeKalb suburbs to the northeast and east along I-85 and US-78.
• College Park, East Point, Hapeville and Airport area. South of the city near Hartsfield-Jackson and the main auction yards, with many commercial addresses that suit a trailer.
• Peachtree City, Fayetteville, McDonough and Newnan. Outlying cities south of the metro, priced a little higher for the extra distance.

A full-size car hauler is about 75 feet long. If your street is narrow, has low trees, a gate or a cul-de-sac, the driver will usually ask to meet you at a nearby lot, and that is normal in the metro. Many Atlanta-area communities are gated, so ask your HOA about gate access and delivery hours.

Distance, transit time and the main corridors

Atlanta traffic runs on a few roads:

• I-285 (the Perimeter) circles the city, and most of the metro’s trucks use it to bypass downtown, so the Perimeter and the roads that cross it set most pickup times.
• I-75, I-85 and I-20 are the main long-distance roads: I-75 runs north to Chattanooga and south to Macon and Florida, I-85 runs northeast to Charlotte and the Northeast, and I-20 runs west to Birmingham and east to Augusta.
• GA-400, I-575 and I-985 serve the northern suburbs and Gainesville, and parts of I-75, I-85 and I-575 have express lanes that use a Peach Pass, so a toll transponder should come off the car before pickup.

Typical open-trailer transit is about 1 to 2 days for trips under 450 miles, 2 to 4 days for 500 to 900 miles, 3 to 6 days for 1,000 to 1,500 miles and 6 to 9 days coast to coast. Those are industry-typical ranges rather than guarantees, and the clock starts when a driver picks the car up, not when you book.

Moving to Atlanta: registration, emissions and insurance

These are rules we found on Georgia state and county pages, as search excerpts, so confirm each item with your county tag office before you go. The full list is on our Georgia page:

• Registration. New residents generally have about 30 days to register their vehicle at the county tag office, and the Georgia driver license usually comes first. Expect to bring the original out-of-state title, proof of Georgia insurance and the MV-1 form, and confirm the exact list with the county.
• Title ad valorem tax. Georgia charges a one-time title ad valorem tax (TAVT) when you title a car in the state. The rate for a new resident differs between the county pages we found (3% on one, 7% on others), so ask the tag office what applies to you, and note that late registration carries a penalty.
• Emissions test. Emissions testing applies only in 13 metro Atlanta counties, including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett, and the newest few model years and very old cars are exempt, so ask the tag office whether your car and county need one.
• Insurance. The Georgia minimum liability limits are commonly given as 25/50/25: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injury and $25,000 for property damage. Insurance is reported to the state, so keep your policy active. Confirm with the Georgia Department of Insurance or your insurer.

Our moving-to-Atlanta tip: ship the car to arrive when you can get a tag office appointment and a Georgia insurance policy lined up, so the registration clock does not run out while the car is on a truck.

Dealerships and auctions in the Atlanta area

Dealers and auction yards are some of the most common pickup and delivery points for car carriers in the Atlanta area, and they are commercial addresses where a full-size trailer can usually reach. There is no single official ranking of Atlanta dealerships, so these are examples rather than a top-ten list. For the full picture of auction pickups, see our auction and dealer car shipping guide.

Auction yards

• Manheim, Copart, IAA and ADESA — the main dealer and salvage auctions all list yards in the metro or nearby, according to auction directories, including Manheim yards in the College Park and south Atlanta area and Copart yards on the west and south sides.
• Salvage cars — Copart and IAA sell salvage and damaged vehicles that often do not run, so price those as inoperable.
• Verify first — yard names and addresses change and directories disagree, so confirm each on the company’s own location page before the driver arrives.
• Dealers — the metro has many large dealer groups, and several of the jobs above started or ended at dealer or auction addresses.

Each yard has its own release and gate-pass rules, so confirm them before the driver arrives. If you are moving several vehicles, we also have dealer and volume pricing on our Texas page.

How to choose a car shipping company in Atlanta

Searches for auto transport companies in Atlanta find long lists of names, but there is no official ranking, and the right company is the one that is licensed, insured and clear about price. Check these before you book with anyone:

• Look up the company’s federal registration. Every interstate auto transporter or broker needs a USDOT number and operating authority. You can check them on the FMCSA company snapshot and the FMCSA licensing and insurance search.
• Know whether you are dealing with a broker or a carrier. A carrier owns the trucks. A marketplace like Transportli sends your request to vetted carriers on your lane and shows you the quotes side by side.
• Ask what the quote includes. Our quotes are for one vehicle on an open trailer, and inoperable and enclosed are priced as adjustments, as shown above. Be wary of a price far below the others, because it may not find a driver.
• Understand the pickup window. Carriers give a window, not an exact time, and a flexible window of a few days usually gets a faster match.
• Document the car. The bill of lading is the condition report, so take dated photos at pickup and delivery and note any damage before you sign.

Preparing your car for pickup

1. Wash the car and photograph it from every side, inside and out, with the date on.
2. Leave about a quarter tank of fuel and check for leaks, since carriers may refuse a car that leaks fluid.
3. Remove personal items and toll tags. Carriers generally do not insure belongings left in the car, and any toll transponder, such as a Peach Pass, should come off before pickup so it does not bill you on the truck.
4. Protect the car from pollen, storms and heat. Wash off spring pollen before the inspection, tell the carrier if ice or a storm may delay the pickup, and in summer check the battery and tire pressure and ask for a morning handoff.
5. Fold or secure mirrors, antennas and racks and tell the carrier about anything unusual: a lowered car, a lift kit, a roof rack or a car that does not run.
6. Plan the handoff. A large truck cannot always reach a narrow street or a gated community, so be ready to meet the driver at a nearby lot, and make sure someone can inspect and sign the bill of lading at both ends.

Our auto transport guide has the full checklist.

Atlanta auto transport: frequently asked questions

Related content