Seattle Auto Transport: Car Shipping Rates and Quotes

Looking for auto transport in Seattle? What car shipping in Seattle costs depends on the route, the vehicle and whether it runs. We ran real quotes from our platform for thirty-six Seattle lanes, both leaving and arriving, from a 180-mile run between Portland and Seattle to a 3,307-mile haul between Miami and Seattle, and an open-trailer sedan ranged from $286 to $1,833. Here is what Seattle car transport costs by vehicle type and route, including car shipping from Seattle to Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and New York, how the price changes by direction, how the Cascade passes, ferries and Alaska-bound shipments change the picture, and the registration, inspection and insurance rules if you are moving to Washington. 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 Seattle

Whether you need an auto transport service in Seattle for a move, a purchase or a deployment, 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 10, 2026, and prices move from week to week, so treat them as a snapshot. The same prices apply to Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Everett and the rest of the Seattle area, 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 Seattle or leaving it. Seattle sits at the northwest corner of the country, at the end of I-5 and I-90 with the Pacific to the west and the Cascades to the east, so almost every long haul starts or ends at the corner of the country, and the price depends on how many carriers are heading your 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 $1.69 a mile on Seattle → Portland (181 mi) to $0.46 on Miami → Seattle (3,307 mi). Pickups cost a median of 56% more than a sedan on these lanes and vans a median of 53% more, while an SUV was priced below the sedan on 6 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 $1.30–$1.69 per mile under 450 miles and $0.46–$1.05 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 180 miles or 1,000. Portland to Seattle is 180 miles and cost $286, or $1.59 a mile, while Miami to Seattle is about 18 times as far but only 5 times the price.

Pickups and vans cost more than sedans

A pickup cost a median of 56% more than a sedan on the same lane, ranging from 3% less to 140% more, and a van a median of 53% more. An SUV was priced within a median of 6% of the sedan and was cheaper on 6 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 Seattle car shipping routes

Seattle to Portland, Spokane and Boise

South on I-5 to Portland, east over Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 to Spokane and on to Boise, the closest big markets and the shortest runs in and out of Seattle. Portland: a sedan was $305 leaving Seattle (181 mi) and $286 into Seattle; Spokane: a sedan was $457 leaving Seattle (279 mi) and $364 into Seattle; Boise: a sedan was $580 leaving Seattle (500 mi) and $457 into Seattle.

Seattle to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas

Down the West Coast on I-5 and across to Nevada, the runs that drive most Washington and California searches. San Francisco: a sedan was $762 leaving Seattle (815 mi) and $897 into Seattle; Los Angeles: a sedan was $861 leaving Seattle (1,143 mi) and $982 into Seattle; Las Vegas: a sedan was $1,012 leaving Seattle (1,118 mi) and $887 into Seattle.

Seattle to Salt Lake City, Denver and Phoenix

East and southeast across the Mountain West and into the Southwest, mid-range hauls where the direction you ship matters. Salt Lake City: a sedan was $809 leaving Seattle (837 mi) and $618 into Seattle; Denver: a sedan was $1,388 leaving Seattle (1,326 mi) and $851 into Seattle; Phoenix: a sedan was $938 leaving Seattle (1,420 mi) and $1,000 into Seattle.

Seattle to Dallas and Houston

The long haul to Texas, across the Mountain West and the southern Plains. Dallas: a sedan was $1,290 leaving Seattle (2,101 mi) and $1,268 into Seattle; Houston: a sedan was $1,405 leaving Seattle (2,339 mi) and $1,400 into Seattle.

Seattle to Minneapolis, Chicago and Indianapolis

East across the northern tier to the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes, among the longest regular runs out of Seattle. Minneapolis: a sedan was $1,176 leaving Seattle (1,660 mi) and $1,159 into Seattle; Chicago: a sedan was $1,231 leaving Seattle (2,066 mi) and $1,235 into Seattle; Indianapolis: a sedan was $1,281 leaving Seattle (2,224 mi) and $1,426 into Seattle.

Seattle to Atlanta and New York

Cross-country runs to the Southeast and the Northeast corridor. Atlanta: a sedan was $1,568 leaving Seattle (2,642 mi) and $1,536 into Seattle; New York: a sedan was $1,650 leaving Seattle (2,860 mi) and $1,619 into Seattle.

Seattle to Orlando and Miami

Corner to corner, to Florida, the longest hauls we priced from Seattle. Orlando: a sedan was $1,619 leaving Seattle (3,081 mi) and $1,671 into Seattle; Miami: a sedan was $1,833 leaving Seattle (3,304 mi) and $1,505 into Seattle.

Each lane shows what we were quoted in November 2026 for a sedan on an open trailer. Prices are the same for Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Everett and the rest of the Seattle area, because carriers treat Seattle as one pickup area, and Tacoma is close enough that the price is usually similar. A pickup in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula, in the San Juans or in the Cascades can cost more, so give the exact pickup address when you request a quote. For the whole state, see our Washington auto transport guide, and for freight, our Washington LTL freight guide.

Does direction change the price?

We quoted eighteen corridors both ways from Seattle:

A sedan leaving Seattle cost more than the same trip arriving on 7 of the 18 corridors: Seattle to Denver 63% higher ($1,388 vs. $851), Seattle to Salt Lake City 31% higher ($809 vs. $618), Seattle to Boise 27% higher ($580 vs. $457), Seattle to Spokane 26% higher ($457 vs. $364). Arriving in Seattle cost more on 5: San Francisco to Seattle 18% higher ($897 vs. $762), Los Angeles to Seattle 14% higher ($982 vs. $861), Indianapolis to Seattle 11% higher ($1,426 vs. $1,281). About the same both ways: Seattle and Minneapolis, Seattle and Chicago, Seattle and Dallas, Seattle and Houston, Seattle and Atlanta, Seattle and New York. 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 Seattle lanes and 6 recent jobs

1. +18% more into Seattle

   San Francisco to Seattle cost 18% more than Seattle to San Francisco

   A sedan was $897 into Seattle against $762 going the other way on about 815 miles.

2. +63% more out of Seattle

   Seattle to Denver cost 63% more than Denver to Seattle

   A sedan was $1,388 leaving Seattle against $851 coming in on about 1,326 miles.

3. $1.69 a mile, on a short lane

   A short lane cost the most per mile: $1.69 vs. $0.46

   A sedan from Seattle to Portland (181 miles) was $305. Miami to Seattle (3,307 miles) was $1,505.

4. 6 of 36 lanes where the SUV beat the sedan

   On 6 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 56% above the sedan.

5. 36 real lanes, 4 vehicle types

   36 real Seattle lanes, priced for four vehicle types

   From a 180-mile hop up the coast to a 3,307-mile haul.

Get a Seattle auto quote →

Recent jobs to and from Seattle

These are recent shipments that started or ended in the Seattle 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.

Six recent orders to and from Seattle, four arriving from Colorado and two leaving, show how long the hauls run: 827 to 2,267 miles, taking 1 to 8 days, including a Tesla Model Y from Loveland, a 2013 Corvette to Indiana and a Subaru Outback to California. The longest, a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette to Anderson, IN (about 2,267 miles), took 8 days. Trailer type is not on the bills of lading, so it is not listed. Five jobs have photos; the others are in the table only, because their orders have no usable 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 $1,290 open from Seattle to Dallas works out to about $2,258 enclosed, or about $2,822 if it also does not run. Collector cars, classics and high-value vehicles are usually shipped enclosed, and many Pacific Northwest owners also choose it for a newer car to keep it out of winter rain, road salt on the passes and gravel. Three of the jobs above are Mazda MX-5 Miatas and Corvettes, the kind of car many owners ship enclosed (trailer type is not on the bills of lading), and a car that does not run, such as a salvage or auction vehicle, is the usual inoperable case. See our inoperable vehicle guide and our classic car transport guide for details.

Military moves: shipping a car to or from Seattle

Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Station Everett on Puget Sound and Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane bring military moves in and out all year, with the busiest weeks in summer. Whether the government pays for a vehicle depends on your orders, so confirm eligibility with your unit’s transportation office before you book. Pickups and deliveries on a base usually need the driver to have base access, so arrange a meeting point at the gate or just off base if that is easier. Our military auto transport guide covers orders, timing and what to expect.

Passes, ferries, Alaska and when to ship

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

• Cascade passes. Snow can close Snoqualmie, Stevens and White passes in winter and slow I-90, so keep your window flexible if the trip crosses the mountains between November and March.
• Ferries. The San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island and the Kitsap Peninsula need a ferry, so a driver may meet you at the mainland terminal or a parking lot.
• Alaska. Many cars bound for Alaska go through the Tacoma and Seattle ports, so Washington is often the first leg of a longer trip. The ocean leg is booked separately with the ocean carrier, and our Alaska auto transport guide has the details.
• Tech and aerospace relocations. Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond have large software, cloud and aerospace employers, and Boeing and its suppliers around Everett and Renton bring moves in and out all year, and many owners ship a second car instead of driving two.
• Students. Move-in in August and September and move-out in June matter around the University of Washington, Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University, and many of those families ship a car instead of driving it.
• Military moves. Orders to and from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Puget Sound bases follow the military’s own summer peak, so summer pickups are busier.
• Rain and hills. Seattle has steep streets, many with parked cars on both sides, so a large truck often needs a meeting point on a flatter, wider street.
• Dealers and auctions. Manheim Seattle in Kent and the area’s other yards move cars around the region and to the Mountain West every day, and four of the six jobs above went through Colorado.

A flexible pickup window of a few days usually gets a faster carrier match, and booking a few weeks ahead matters more in winter, at the start of the school year and around military moving season.

Classic, exotic and collector cars in Seattle

Classic, exotic and high-value cars ship differently from an everyday sedan. Owners usually choose an enclosed trailer, which adds about 75% on our platform, and a carrier that handles low and wide vehicles and carries enough cargo insurance for the car. The open-trailer prices in the table above are for ordinary vehicles, so get a quote for yours. Two Mazda MX-5 Miatas, a 1990 and a 2025, and a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette are among the recent jobs above, so check the enclosed price for your own car. Our classic car transport guide and exotic car shipping guide cover insurance, enclosed options and how to prepare the car.

Shipping a car out of the country or to Alaska and Hawaii from Seattle

A domestic shipper like ours moves the car by truck inside the United States, for example to the Port of Tacoma or Seattle for a vessel to Alaska or Hawaii, to another seaport, or to an exporter’s yard. The ocean leg is a separate service run by the ocean carrier or an international vehicle shipper, with its own paperwork, and you will usually be asked for the title and an ID. Ask the carrier which port and delivery address it needs, then order the truck leg to that address. We do not move cars across the border into Canada, which is a separate service with its own import and export rules, so ask the importer or customs broker you are using. If you are shipping a car abroad, ask the exporter which documents and which delivery point they need first.

Pickup and delivery around Seattle

• Downtown, Belltown and South Lake Union. High-rise buildings, one-way streets, garages and tight loading zones limit large trucks, so drivers often meet customers at a nearby lot or a wider street.
• Capitol Hill, Queen Anne and the Central District. Steep, dense blocks with parked cars on both sides and permit parking, so a wide flat street or a nearby lot works better than a residential block.
• Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford. Older streets with narrow lanes and parked cars, so the driver may ask you to meet at a larger nearby lot.
• West Seattle, Magnolia and Alki. The bridges and hills limit access, and the West Seattle Bridge and the Magnolia Bridge are the main routes in, so allow for the traffic.
• Beacon Hill, Georgetown and SoDo. Industrial and mixed streets near I-5 and the ports with dealer rows and yards, where a full-size trailer can reach more easily.
• Northgate, Lake City and Shoreline. Wider north-end streets near I-5 that are usually easy for a car carrier, with some apartment complexes and a lot where the truck can stop.
• Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and Issaquah. Eastside streets along I-405, I-90 and SR-520 with many gated communities and HOAs, and many apartment complexes with a lot or a wide drive.
• Kent, Renton, Tukwila and Auburn. Auction yards, dealers and warehouses along I-5, I-405 and SR-167 with wide commercial roads that suit a full-size trailer, which is why many auction pickups happen here.

A full-size car hauler is about 75 feet long. If your street is narrow, steep, has parked cars on both sides, low trees, a gate or an alley, the driver will usually ask to meet you at a nearby lot, and that is normal in the city. Many Seattle apartment and condo buildings restrict loading, so ask your building management about delivery hours and where a truck can stop.

Distance, transit time and the main corridors

Seattle traffic runs on a few roads:

• I-5 runs north to south through the Puget Sound corridor from Bellingham through Everett, Seattle and Tacoma to Olympia, Portland and California.
• I-90 crosses the state from Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass to Spokane and on to Idaho and Montana, and I-82 and I-84 connect the Tri-Cities and Yakima to Portland and Boise.
• I-405 loops the east side of Lake Washington, and the SR-520 floating bridge, the SR-99 tunnel and the I-405 express toll lanes are tolled, so a toll tag, such as a Good To Go pass, should come off the car before pickup.

Typical open-trailer transit is about 1 to 2 days for trips under 800 miles, 2 to 4 days for 800 to 1,300 miles, 3 to 6 days for 1,300 to 2,200 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. Mountain snow on the passes and the I-5 corridor through Seattle and Tacoma, some of the most congested in the West, can add a day or more.

Moving to Seattle: registration, inspection and insurance

These are the rules we found in search excerpts, not an official page, so confirm each item with the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) before you go. The full list is on our Washington page:

• Titling and registration. Sources say new residents generally have 30 days to title and register a vehicle in Washington, and that the first registration may need an in-person visit. Official information is at dol.wa.gov.
• Inspections. Sources say Washington does not require a safety inspection to register a car, and that its emissions testing program ended on January 1, 2020, so the car does not need an emissions test. A vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection may still be needed in some cases, such as for rebuilt vehicles, so ask the DOL.
• Insurance. Sources list the minimum liability limits as $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $10,000 for property damage, with no change for 2026. Confirm with the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner or your insurer, and most lenders and leases require more.
• Military. Active-duty members stationed in Washington but domiciled elsewhere can often keep their home-state registration, so ask your base legal office.

Our moving-to-Seattle tip: ship the car to arrive when you can start the title and registration, so the 30 days do not run out while the car is on a truck.

Dealerships and auctions in the Seattle area

Dealers and auction yards are some of the most common pickup and delivery points for car carriers in the Seattle area, and they are commercial addresses where a full-size trailer can usually reach. There is no single official ranking of Seattle 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 Seattle in Kent is a wholesale dealer auction, so only dealers buy and sell there, and wholesale auctions mostly sell running dealer inventory.
• Copart and IAA — Copart’s listings show yards in Graham, Spokane (in Airway Heights), Pasco and Arlington, and IAA has a yard in Puyallup. They 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 suburbs along I-5, I-405 and SR-167 have large dealer groups, and the area has plenty of independent, truck, classic and exotic-car dealers.

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, and our Houston page shows how multi-car dealer loads work.

How to choose a car shipping company in Seattle

Searches for auto transport companies in Seattle 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 Good To Go pass, should come off before pickup so it does not bill you on the truck.
4. Plan for rain, snow and passes. In winter, tell the carrier if a storm may delay the pickup, clear snow and ice from around the car so it can be inspected and loaded, and keep the car where a truck can reach it.
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 steep street, a narrow block, an alley, a street with parked cars on both sides, a gated community or a base, 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.

Seattle auto transport: frequently asked questions

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