Tennessee Auto Transport: Rates by Vehicle and Route

Looking for auto transport in Tennessee? What car shipping in Tennessee costs depends on the route, the vehicle and whether it runs. We ran real quotes from our platform for thirty-two Tennessee lanes around Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, from a 230-mile hop between Knoxville and Charlotte to a 2,008-mile haul between Los Angeles and Nashville, and an open-trailer sedan ranged from $347 to $1,321. Here is what Tennessee auto transport costs by vehicle type and route, including car shipping from Tennessee to California, Florida, Texas and Colorado, how the price changes by direction, how auctions, dealers and military moves work, 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.

What it costs to ship a car to or from Tennessee

Whether you need an auto transport service in Tennessee 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 October 30, 2026. Nashville stands in for Middle Tennessee and the I-40, I-24 and I-65 corridors, Memphis for the west and the Mississippi River, and Knoxville for East Tennessee, 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 Tennessee or leaving it. Chattanooga, Clarksville, the Tri-Cities and the small towns are served from the same lanes, with a meeting point when needed.

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 $1.76 a mile on Knoxville → Charlotte to $0.57 on Nashville → Los Angeles. Pickups cost a median of 46% more than a sedan on these lanes and vans a median of 44% more, while an SUV was priced below the sedan on 4 of 32 lanes. Treat these as a guide, and get a live quote for your exact pickup and delivery points. Some pickup and van quotes were far above the sedan on long lanes, such as a pickup from Nashville to Los Angeles at $3,480 against a $1,144 sedan and a pickup from Nashville to Denver at $2,136 against $1,053, and they came back unchanged when we ran them again, so check the vehicle columns for your own route.

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 $1.05–$1.76 per mile under 450 miles and $0.57–$0.91 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 230 miles or 1,000. Knoxville to Charlotte is 230 miles and cost $404, or $1.76 a mile, while Los Angeles to Nashville is about 9 times as far but only 3 times the price.

Pickups and vans cost more than sedans

A pickup cost a median of 46% more than a sedan on the same lane, from 13% to 204% more, and a van a median of 44% more. An SUV was priced within a median of 7% of the sedan and was cheaper on 4 of 32. Tennessee ships plenty of pickups and heavy-duty trucks, and several of our recent jobs were trucks, so if you are shipping one, check the pickup and van columns for your route, and dually trucks, lifted vehicles and box trucks need a quote of their own. Our pickup truck shipping guide has the details.

Popular Tennessee car shipping routes

Nashville to Los Angeles

“Tennessee to California” is the biggest car shipping search in the state, and the lane is a cross-country run of about 2,000 miles from Nashville. One of our recent jobs went from Collierville, near Memphis, to Fillmore, California. Our California guide covers the other end, and our cross country car shipping guide covers the long runs. Los Angeles: a sedan was $1,144 leaving Nashville (2,008 mi) and $1,321 into Nashville.

Memphis to Los Angeles

Memphis is about 200 miles closer to California than Nashville, and the lane runs west on I-40 through Arkansas and Oklahoma. Los Angeles: a sedan was $1,138 leaving Memphis (1,797 mi) and $1,119 into Memphis.

Nashville to Orlando and Miami

“Tennessee to Florida” and “Florida to Tennessee” are steady searches, popular with snowbirds and families moving south or back north. Our Florida guide covers the other end, and our Northeast to Florida study shows how direction changes Florida prices. Orlando: a sedan was $617 leaving Nashville (687 mi) and $673 into Nashville; Miami: a sedan was $598 leaving Nashville (910 mi) and $650 into Nashville.

Nashville to Dallas and Denver

Texas and Colorado are the long hauls west, and two of our recent jobs, a Subaru Crosstrek and a Ford Bronco Raptor, ended in Colorado. Dallas: a sedan was $669 leaving Nashville (665 mi) and $626 into Nashville; Denver: a sedan was $1,053 leaving Nashville (1,160 mi) and $890 into Nashville.

Nashville to Atlanta, Chicago and New York

Atlanta is the short run down I-24 and I-75, Chicago is the main Midwest haul north, and New York is the Northeast run. Our Georgia, Illinois and New York guides cover the other end. Atlanta: a sedan was $347 leaving Nashville (248 mi) and $418 into Nashville; Chicago: a sedan was $406 leaving Nashville (509 mi) and $467 into Nashville; New York: a sedan was $717 leaving Nashville (885 mi) and $968 into Nashville.

Memphis to Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago

Memphis stands in for West Tennessee and the Mississippi River corridor, with trucks heading west to Texas, east to Atlanta and north to Chicago. Our Illinois guide covers the Chicago end. Dallas: a sedan was $505 leaving Memphis (453 mi) and $440 into Memphis; Atlanta: a sedan was $412 leaving Memphis (391 mi) and $465 into Memphis; Chicago: a sedan was $603 leaving Memphis (534 mi) and $497 into Memphis.

Knoxville to Charlotte and Washington, DC

Knoxville stands in for East Tennessee, and its Southeast and Mid-Atlantic hauls run along I-40, I-81 and I-75. Our North Carolina guide and Washington, DC guide cover the other end. Charlotte: a sedan was $404 leaving Knoxville (230 mi) and $399 into Knoxville; Washington, DC: a sedan was $561 leaving Knoxville (487 mi) and $805 into Knoxville.

Knoxville to Tampa and Boston

Tampa is a Florida run down I-75, and Boston is the long Northeast haul. One of our recent jobs, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, went from a Knoxville dealership to Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Our Massachusetts guide covers the Boston end. Tampa: a sedan was $699 leaving Knoxville (676 mi) and $711 into Knoxville; Boston: a sedan was $1,057 leaving Knoxville (948 mi) and $978 into Knoxville.

Inside Tennessee and across the border

Tennessee is about 440 miles from the Mississippi River to the North Carolina line, and the state sits in two time zones, so trips inside it are served from the same lanes: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Jackson, Johnson City, Kingsport and the small towns from Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. Our Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia guides cover neighboring lanes.

Does direction change the price?

We quoted sixteen corridors both ways from Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville:

A sedan arriving in Nashville, Memphis or Knoxville cost more than the same trip leaving on 8 of the 16 corridors: Washington, DC to Knoxville 43% higher ($805 vs. $561), New York to Nashville 35% higher ($968 vs. $717), Atlanta to Nashville 20% higher ($418 vs. $347), Los Angeles to Nashville 15% higher ($1,321 vs. $1,144). Leaving the hub cost more on 5: Memphis to Chicago 21% higher ($603 vs. $497), Nashville to Denver 18% higher ($1,053 vs. $890), Memphis to Dallas 15% higher ($505 vs. $440). About the same both ways: Memphis and Los Angeles, Knoxville and Charlotte, Knoxville and Tampa. 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. We measured this across our whole dataset in our study of 287 lanes priced both ways.

Did you know?From 32 real Tennessee lanes and recent jobs

1. +43% more into a Tennessee hub

   Washington, DC to Knoxville cost 43% more than Knoxville to Washington, DC

   A sedan was $805 into Knoxville against $561 going the other way on about 487 miles.

2. +21% more out of a Tennessee hub

   Memphis to Chicago cost 21% more than Chicago to Memphis

   A sedan was $603 leaving Memphis against $497 coming in on about 534 miles.

3. $1.76 a mile, on a short lane

   A short lane cost the most per mile: $1.76 vs. $0.57

   A sedan from Knoxville to Charlotte (230 miles) was $404. Nashville to Los Angeles (2,008 miles) was $1,144.

4. 4 of 32 lanes where the SUV beat the sedan

   On 4 of 32 lanes the SUV was priced below the sedan

   Size does not always cost more. Pickups, on the other hand, were a median of 46% above the sedan.

5. 32 real lanes, 4 vehicle types

   32 real Tennessee lanes, priced for four vehicle types

   From a 230-mile hop to Charlotte to a 2,008-mile haul.

Get a Tennessee auto quote →

Recent jobs to and from Tennessee

These are nine jobs that started in Tennessee in the last few months, taken from the signed bills of lading and the pickup and delivery photos the driver filed. Customer names, street addresses, VINs and plates are left out, and the photos are blurred where needed. Dates are the signature dates on the bills of lading and miles are our approximation. Nine jobs is a small sample, so treat these as examples, not promises.

All nine jobs left Tennessee, and all nine were done within one to three days by the signature dates. The longest were the Nissan 240SX from Collierville to Fillmore, California, about 1,990 miles, and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class from Knoxville to Dartmouth, Massachusetts, about 970 miles. The Ram 2500 and the Lexus RC 350 came out of auction yards, and the Lexus was a damaged car hauled from an IAA yard in Chattanooga to Raleigh, so damaged and salvage vehicles ship the same way but should be priced as inoperable. The Camaro SS had no delivery photos on its bill of lading, so we list it without a photo pair. Our auction and dealer car shipping guide and inoperable vehicle guide have the details.

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 $1,053 open from Nashville to Denver works out to about $1,843 enclosed, or about $2,303 if it also does not run. Collector cars, exotics and high-value vehicles are usually shipped enclosed, which many owners choose for winter road salt, gravel and hail. See our inoperable vehicle guide, our classic car transport guide and our exotic and luxury car shipping guide for details.

Auctions, automakers, military, students and when to ship

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

• Auctions and dealers. Several of our recent jobs left auction releases and dealerships around Nashville, Lebanon, Mount Juliet and Chattanooga, and carriers regularly pick up at Copart, IAA, Manheim and ADESA locations in the state.
• Automakers and parts. Nissan in Smyrna, GM in Spring Hill and Volkswagen in Chattanooga make Tennessee a vehicle-production state, which brings new-vehicle, parts and dealer-transfer moves.
• Military. Fort Campbell near Clarksville and the Naval Support Activity at Millington near Memphis bring moves in and out all year. Ask your carrier how gate access will work, and active-duty members can ask about our military discount.
• Relocation. Nashville is one of the busiest relocation destinations in the Southeast, and Memphis is a logistics hub with a large shipping industry, so people and cars move in and out of both all year.
• Students. Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the University of Memphis and Middle Tennessee State bring move-in in August and move-out in May.
• Snowbirds and families. “Tennessee to Florida” and “Florida to Tennessee” are steady searches, with cars heading south in fall and winter and north in spring, so book a few weeks ahead on those lanes. Our Florida guide covers the other end.
• Tourism towns. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Smokies have narrow, steep streets that a full-size car carrier cannot always reach, so the driver may ask you to meet at a lot on the main road.
• Ice, storms and flooding. Winter ice can close I-40, I-24 and I-75 for a day or two, and spring thunderstorms and tornado warnings can delay a truck, so keep your window flexible and check TDOT SmartWay before pickup.

A flexible pickup window of a few days usually gets a faster carrier match, and booking a few weeks ahead matters more in winter, in spring storm season and around big events.

Distance, transit time and the main corridors

Tennessee’s traffic runs on a few roads:

• I-40 crosses the state from Memphis through Nashville to Knoxville, about 455 miles in all, and it is the main road for trucks heading to California or the Carolinas. I-24 links Nashville to Chattanooga and Clarksville, I-65 runs north to Kentucky and south to Alabama, and I-75 connects Knoxville and Chattanooga to Atlanta and the Midwest.
• I-55 and I-240 serve Memphis and the Mississippi River, and I-81 runs through the northeast toward Virginia and the Northeast, so a pickup in a small town is often routed to an interstate first.
• Distances inside the state. Memphis to Knoxville is about 390 miles by road, and the state is in two time zones, Central around Nashville and Memphis and Eastern around Knoxville and Chattanooga, so check the time zone when you book a pickup window.
• Weather closures. I-40 and I-75 can slow or close in winter ice and heavy storms, and a storm in Tennessee, Arkansas or Kentucky can delay a truck that is already on the road.

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, and a storm can add a day or more. 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 Tennessee: registration, sales tax and insurance

If you are moving to Tennessee, the car arrives before the paperwork starts. These are the rules we found in search excerpts and the state’s pages, so confirm each item with the Tennessee Department of Revenue or your county clerk before you go:

• Registration. A person moving from another state applies for a title and registration through the local county clerk. Several sources say you have 30 days after becoming a resident, but we did not see the deadline on the state’s page, so ask your county clerk. Official information is at tn.gov/revenue.
• Sales and use tax. The state’s guidance says that if no sales tax was collected on a vehicle bought out of state, sales tax is due when you title it in Tennessee, and that you owe the difference if the other state’s rate was lower. We did not confirm how it applies to a car you already own, so check with your county clerk.
• Documents. Sources say you bring the out-of-state title, or the most recent registration if the lender holds the title, and proof of insurance, so call the county clerk’s office first.
• Inspection and emissions. The sources we checked say Tennessee has no statewide safety inspection for passenger cars. Sources disagree about emissions testing: one says the program ended in January 2022, and another says Davidson County still tests, so check with your county clerk.
• Insurance. Sources we found say Tennessee requires liability limits of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. Confirm with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance or your insurer, and most lenders and leases require more.
• Military. Active-duty members stationed in Tennessee but domiciled elsewhere can often keep their home-state registration, so ask your base legal office.

Rules and fees change, so confirm each item with the state before you go. Our moving-to-Tennessee tip: ship the car to arrive when you can start the registration, so the deadline does not run out while the car is on a truck.

Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and the rest of Tennessee

• Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Lebanon and Mount Juliet on I-40, I-24 and I-65 have relocation, dealer, auction and music-industry moves, and Nashville is the closest hub to Atlanta and Louisville.
• Memphis and West Tennessee. Memphis, Collierville, Germantown and Jackson on I-40 and I-55 have logistics, military and relocation moves, and Memphis is the last big hub before Arkansas and the West.
• Knoxville and East Tennessee. Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Sevierville and the Tri-Cities on I-40, I-75 and I-81 have university, tourism and relocation moves, and Knoxville is the closest hub to Charlotte and Washington, DC.
• Chattanooga and the southeast. Chattanooga is a manufacturing and auction hub on I-24 and I-75, and one of our recent jobs, a damaged Lexus, started at an IAA yard there.
• Clarksville and the small towns. Clarksville and Fort Campbell, the Cumberland Plateau and the farm towns across the state are served from the same lanes, often with a meeting point on a main road.

Dealerships and auctions in Tennessee

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

Auction yards

• Copart — Copart’s own pages list yards in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.
• IAA — IAA has a yard in Chattanooga, and our Lexus RC 350 job above was loaded there. Directories also list an IAA yard in Knoxville, which we have not confirmed.
• Manheim and ADESA — dealer auctions include Manheim Nashville and ADESA in Old Hickory, and two of our recent jobs, a Bronco Raptor and a Ram 2500, came out of an offsite Manheim release in Lebanon and an ADESA pickup near Nashville.
• Verify first — these listings come from company pages and directories, and some are old, so confirm each on the company’s own location page before the driver arrives.
• After collisions and hail — Copart, IAA and other auctions sell damaged and salvage vehicles that often do not run, so price those as inoperable.

Each yard has its own release and gate-pass rules, so confirm them before the driver arrives. Auction locations change, so check each company’s own location finder. Dealers shipping cars to out-of-state buyers, and buyers having a car delivered to their Tennessee home, are both common, and the same open, enclosed and inoperable pricing above applies.

How to choose a car shipping company in Tennessee

Searches for auto transport companies in Tennessee 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 matches your car with a vetted carrier on your lane and shows you the price up front.
• 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 should come off before pickup so you are not charged for the truck’s tolls.
4. In winter, clear the ice and snow and check the road conditions for your route and keep the car where a truck can reach it, and tell the carrier if a storm may delay the pickup.
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 gravel driveway or a narrow street, 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.

Tennessee auto transport: frequently asked questions

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