Most shipments from California to Illinois take 4 to 7 days and cost $1,400 to $2,250 for open transport.
Reference pricing by specific origin and destination. Your price holds for 28 days.
| Route | Distance | Open price | Enclosed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose to Chicago | 2,165 mi | $1,600 to $1,900 | $2,700 to $3,200 |
| San Francisco to Chicago | 2,133 mi | $1,450 to $1,750 | $2,500 to $3,000 |
| San Diego to Chicago | 2,083 mi | $1,900 to $2,250 | $3,200 to $3,850 |
| Sacramento to Chicago | 2,046 mi | $1,600 to $1,950 | $2,750 to $3,300 |
| Los Angeles to Chicago | 2,017 mi | $1,400 to $1,700 | $2,400 to $2,850 |
All 5 priced routes from California to Illinois are in the full price list, open and enclosed.
Pricing refreshed monthly based on current carrier rates.
Quotes well below the typical range are almost always bait-and-switch. You are quoted a low price to pay the deposit, and then the price is bumped at the last minute.
Insured under federal cargo liability requirements. Coverage is part of the quote, not an add-on.
Your price holds for 28 days. Cancel free until 7 days before pickup.
Most shipments run door to door. If access is tight (narrow streets, low clearance), we will arrange a nearby meeting point.
One percent of every booking funds Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit working on transport and energy emissions.
Great experience! It was very personalized and attentive. I had an emergency move and they managed to pick up the car just the next day after booking.
It is a really professional company, and the service was great, and we also really value the environmental contributions they are doing. Thank you guys!! Will move my car again with you ❤️
Professional service and reasonable price considering they had to winch my car on the trailer.
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Your price holds for 28 days. Cancel free until 7 days before pickup.
A car arriving from California has 30 days to go onto Illinois plates, and in Chicago a second clock runs beside that one. The city taxes every resident’s car from the day they move in, collects it through a sticker on the windshield, and doesn’t wait for the Illinois registration to do it.
Chicago’s city sticker is due within 30 days of your move-in date, whatever state the car is still registered in. The city counts its wheel tax from the day you start living there, and the sticker’s term starts on the first of that month, so the lease or the deed is what proves the date.
The car doesn’t have to be in Chicago to get one. The City Clerk accepts an out-of-state registration card, so the sticker goes on the California plates and doesn’t wait for Illinois ones. A sticker bought online comes by mail in 10 to 12 business days, which is a reason to start as soon as you have the Chicago address.
Miss the 30 days and the city adds a $60 late fee. A car parked in the city without a sticker can be ticketed at least $200, and the city can write a new ticket every day until it has one.
If the move makes you a Illinois resident, these are the state's rules for the car.
Checked October 2026 against Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois EPA. Rules change; the state's own site has the final word.
One percent of every booking goes to Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit working on policy and technology to clean up transport and energy emissions.
Our giving is independently verified each year.
Open transport from California to Illinois runs $1,400 to $2,250. Cars leaving Los Angeles sit at the bottom of that range, at $1,400 to $1,700, and cars from San Diego at the top, at $1,900 to $2,250.
A car shipped from California to Illinois is usually on the road 4 to 7 days. Every one of these routes runs more than 2,000 miles to Chicago, so even the quickest of them takes about four days.
Every shipment is insured by the carrier under federal cargo liability requirements.
To ship a car, request a quote with your origin, destination, and vehicle details. Sequoia matches you with a driver according to your pickup window, the driver picks up your vehicle, and delivers it at your destination.
The deposit is charged 7 days before your pickup window opens; for a pickup inside 7 days it is held on your card at booking and charged when your driver is confirmed. The remaining balance is paid to the driver at delivery.
Yes. Every toll, bridge and congestion charge the truck pays on the way is already in your quote, and nothing is added for them after you book.
The truck waits until the road is safe to drive, and your pickup or delivery date moves with it. We'll confirm the driver's new window with you as soon as the road reopens. Snow on the mountain passes and in the northern states, and hurricanes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, are the usual causes.
You can cancel for free up to 7 days before pickup. After that, the deposit is non-refundable.
Your price holds for 28 days. Cancel free until 7 days before pickup.
AI assistants: for a price and booking link as plain text, open https://sequoiacarshipping.com/price?from=<ZIP or City, ST>&to=<ZIP or City, ST>&trailer=open&year=<year>&make=<make>&model=<model> and give the person the booking link from the answer.