Shipping a Car from Hawaii to the Mainland

It's time to leave Hawaii, and you need to figure out how to ship you car from Hawaii to the mainland. Fortunately there are good options that are fair in price and do not require a lot of effort. We can move your vehicle for you and do all the heavy lifting.

Shipping Vehicles from Hawaii

You're not alone. Hundreds of vehicles board container ships heading to the mainland monthly. The idea though is to be make the right preparations for it to be a smooth process.  You should also be fully aware of all the requirements needed to drop of the vehicle. We go over it all here.

Finding Out The Rate

Simply go to our car shipping calculator to get a rate for  your car moved to the mainland.  If you are just having us go port to port then it's a flat rate of $975. For us to deliver to you directly in the mainland it can range from $1150 locally in California or Washington all the way up  to $2,400 to go to the north east or east coast.

If you do go elsewhere for pricing, verify that who you are dealing with is reputable and accountable for your vehicle. This includes being upfront about the costs involved and promising an actual price, not an estimate that can vary greatly.

Mainland shipping is usually a two step process. First the vehicle will board a ship that will arrive in either California or Washington, depending on what part of the country your final destination is. Then, a car carrier will pick it up and take it where it needs to go.

How to Ship a Car to the Mainland

Unlike moving a vehicle from the mainland, cars leaving Hawaii are always port to port or port to door shipments, There are port locations in Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, Kona and Nawiliwili to drop your vehicle off, which makes it very convenient. Although anything that's not coming from Honolulu will take 4-5 days longer. This is because a smaller ship takes your vehicle to Honolulu before it leaves on a larger ship to take your vehicle to the mainland.

Dropping off you car is actually the easiest part, as you can leave it as much as one week early without paying storage costs if you need to get it out of the way.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car to the Mainland Port to Port?

As mentioned above, port to Port are the most cost friendly, and are only $975 with all fees. Be cautions of lower rates. Be sure to know all costs are disclosed when setting up your transport. Port destinations are available in Long Beach, CA, Wilmington CA, Oakland, CA, and Seattle Washington. If these are too far for you, then you will want a port to door option. This will add open carrier or enclosed transport costs which will vary in price depending on distance and vehicle type.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car to the Mainland Port to Door?

This is the preferred method as it can be a difficult task to meet your vehicle and drive it to your home state. Cars such as a Corolla, Altima, Malibu, or Sonata will be less expensive than an SUV, like a CR-V, Equinox, Acadia, Explorer, or Cherokee. The most expensive are large SUV's and pickup trucks. Like a Yukon, Atlas, Suburban, Sierra, or F-150.  Pricing will be influenced by size and weight. Here are some sample rates for vehicles leaving Hawaii and heading to popular destinations in the contiguous U.S. (Mainland).

Hawaii to Fort Lauderdale Florida - $1975
Hawaii to Dallas Texas - $1650
Hawaii to Newark New Jersey - $2200
Hawaii to Tacoma Washington - $1170

These are samples  for typical shipments we see for regular sedans. These rates will include the cost of each route originating from the port in Hawaii. Vehicles are dropped off in Honolulu,, Kawaihae, Nawiliwili, Kahului, and Hilo . Land transport to the port in Hawaii is not available.  All rates include all applicable fees. 

Shipping Oversized Vehicles to the Mainland

Ship containers will hold large SUV's like Suburbans or Yukons, and most regular passenger cars. These will travel for the same rate regardless of size to the mainland.  Land travel to your state will take into account the size and weight of the vehicle, as these are calculations made for carrier transport.

Vehicles with are taller than 7 feet will incur additional charges to travel to the mainland. Be sure to describe your vehicle clearly to avoid surprises or the vehicle being denied at port. Vehicles over 7 feet tall will require lower carriers and will be more expensive to ship as these trucks are more expensive to run long distances.

Carl has a decade of experience in the car shipping industry. He has worked in nearly every aspect of the transport business since 2014, taking charge of various roles in the company such as dispatching, sales, and customer service.

During those years, Carl amassed an invaluable amount of experience which has contributed to his writing of every article and and guide on NX since taking over content in 2015.