Most shipments from Texas to California take 3 to 6 days and cost $950 to $1,550 for open transport.
Reference pricing by specific origin and destination. Your price holds for 28 days.
| Route | Distance | Open price | Enclosed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston to San Francisco | 1,929 mi | $1,250 to $1,550 | $2,100 to $2,600 |
| Dallas to San Francisco | 1,735 mi | $1,150 to $1,400 | $1,850 to $2,300 |
| Houston to Los Angeles | 1,550 mi | $1,000 to $1,200 | $1,450 to $1,800 |
| Houston to San Diego | 1,471 mi | $1,100 to $1,350 | $1,750 to $2,150 |
| Dallas to Los Angeles | 1,438 mi | $950 to $1,150 | $1,350 to $1,600 |
| Austin to Los Angeles | 1,382 mi | $1,000 to $1,250 | $1,500 to $1,850 |
| San Antonio to Los Angeles | 1,353 mi | $1,050 to $1,300 | $1,600 to $1,950 |
All 9 priced routes from Texas to California 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.
We had to send the car back to the dealership in Georgia and Sequoia did a really great job for us. Highly recommended!!!
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.
Most cars going from Texas to California head west on I-10 through El Paso and Phoenix, three to six days on the truck, and arrive in a state that looks much harder at a car than Texas does. For a stock car that only means a smog test before the California plates, but for a modified one it can mean a part has to come off first.
Only if California has approved the parts. Texas stopped inspecting private cars for safety at the start of 2025 and tests emissions only in the counties around its biggest cities, so a pickup with a performance intake, a tuner or an aftermarket exhaust can be driven there for years without that ever coming up. California won’t register most cars from another state until they have a smog certificate, and the technician who issues it checks more than the readings, because any part that changes the emission controls has to carry an exemption number from the Air Resources Board. A car with a part that has none fails whatever its readings, while plain replacement parts built like the originals need nothing.
So if your car has been modified, or you’re buying one in Texas that has, look for the exemption label on or beside each part before it ships. A part without one has to come off before the car can be registered, and that’s easier to sort out in Texas, before we pick it up, than at a smog station after it has gone.
If the move makes you a California resident, these are the state's rules for the car.
Checked September 2026 against California DMV, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. 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.
Shipping a car from Texas to California costs between $950 and $1,550 for open transport. Enclosed transport costs about 40 to 70% more, rising with distance. Dallas to Los Angeles sits near the bottom of that range.
Shipping a car from Texas to California takes an estimated 3 to 6 days. Dallas to Los Angeles is about 1,400 miles and Houston to San Francisco about 1,900, so the Bay Area sits at the long end of that range.
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.
If you find damage at delivery, note it on the bill of lading before signing. We will manage the claim with the carrier from there.
Wash the car so its condition is easy to record, photograph it from each corner, and leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Take out anything above the 100 pound personal item allowance, and take your toll transponder such as FasTrak, E-ZPass or SunPass off the windshield, because toll gantries can read it while the car rides the truck. Have a working key ready for the driver.
Every shipment is insured by the carrier under federal cargo liability requirements.
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.
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.