Michigan Car Shipping

The cost to ship a car to or from Michigan is typically $450 on a short regional run and up to $2,100 coast to coast, on an open trailer, and takes between 1 to 8 days in transit time. Detroit to Chicago is about 280 miles. Detroit to Los Angeles is about 2,280 miles. Your quote gives the real figure for your dates.

We only publish a route price once we have real Michigan loads behind it. Until then, each row shows the national range for that distance, and your quote gives the exact figure. We would rather show you an honest range than a number we cannot stand behind.

Distance comes first. Then the size of the vehicle, whether it runs, open or enclosed, the time of year, and how easily a truck can reach your street. A wider pickup window helps the most. It gives us more trucks to fit your car onto.

Most Michigan moves take 1 to 8 days on the road. Ohio, Indiana and Chicago are 1 to 2 days. The East Coast and the Southeast are 2 to 4 days. Florida is 3 to 6 days. The West Coast is 6 to 8 days.

Pickup happens inside a window that starts on the date you ask for. Standard service is a 6-day window. Expedited service is a 3-day window. Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids usually fill early in the window. The Upper Peninsula and the far north take more of it.

Ship in the shoulder of the season. Southbound books up from October through December, and northbound from April through May. If you can go in September or early October, or wait until late May, you join a truck that is not fighting for space.

Interstate 75. It starts at Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula and runs south through Detroit, Toledo, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Tampa before turning east toward Miami. One road carries most of the trip, and carriers run it every week.

Yes. Give us a little more notice, about two to three weeks, and a window rather than one fixed date. Fewer trucks head north of the Mackinac Bridge, so a few extra days lets us fit you onto one that is already going.

Yes. The bridge carries trucks all year. In very high wind the bridge authority can slow or hold heavy traffic, so a crossing can wait a few hours. Your driver plans around it, and it rarely changes the delivery day.

Sometimes by a day, rarely by more. Carriers run Michigan all winter. Lake-effect snow hits West Michigan hardest, near Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon. Clear and salt the loading spot, and brush the snow off so the inspection is accurate.

Open is the right call for most cars. Plan on about 80 percent more than open for enclosed. A $1,000 open move is roughly $1,800 enclosed. A hard-sided trailer holds two to six cars where an open one holds ten, so each car carries more of the cost. Worth it for a classic, an exotic, fresh paint, or a car too low to clear a ramp. For a daily driver, open is the right call.

Yes. Your car is covered by the carrier's Carrier Cargo Insurance from pickup to delivery. Once your order is assigned to a truck and carrier, we can send you the certificate of insurance right away.

Smart Auto Move is. We place your car with a carrier we have vetted and worked with, and we stay with the move from pickup to delivery. We will get your car moved, or your money back.

Usually yes, within reason. Most drivers will take a few things as a courtesy. Keep it under about 100 pounds, pack it neatly, and keep it out of sight from outside the car. Think a few boxes in the trunk rather than a carload. The one thing to know is that you are paying to move the vehicle, so the carrier's insurance covers the car itself. Keep anything you would hate to lose with you.

Yes, wherever a 75-foot carrier can safely reach. Most suburban streets are fine. Tight streets, low trees and weight-limited roads are where we meet at a nearby lot instead. A grocery store or big-box lot a few minutes away works well, and it costs nothing extra.

Wash it so the inspection is clear. Take photos from every side. Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Take out toll tags, garage openers and loose valuables. Tell us about any leaks or problems with starting. Then hand over one key.

One to two weeks is enough for most routes. Give two to three weeks for the Upper Peninsula, the far north, and the snowbird weeks in fall and spring. Booking earlier does not cost more. It gives us more trucks to choose from.

We take a deposit when you book and the balance is due at delivery. Drivers usually take a cashier's check, money order or cash. You can also put the full amount on a credit card, but only at the time of booking, so the funds are ready for the carrier.

Cancel any time before we assign a carrier and your deposit comes back to you. Once we assign one and send you the driver's details, that money is spoken for. It is not gone, though. You can push the move back and use it on a later shipment.

Check its USDOT and MC numbers on the FMCSA site, and read its reviews on the BBB and Google. Smart Auto Move is USDOT 2887232 and MC 969368, with a BBB A+ rating. Be careful of a quote far below the others. Ask that company if the rate is confirmed, then look for complaints about the price going up later.

A deposit means we only work with committed customers, and it shows we are confident we can book a carrier at the price we quoted. A company that takes nothing up front is often not sure it can. Those are often the ones that come back later with a higher rate.

Michigan No-Fault insurance first. The Secretary of State requires it to register or renew, and it does not accept an out-of-state policy. When you move to Michigan you buy a Michigan plate for the vehicle. Michigan has no state emissions test and no regular safety inspection.

Yes. A non-running car needs a winch or a carrier with a lift, so it usually costs $200 or more above the same car running. Tell us when you book. We will talk it through and give you an accurate price.

You get the driver's phone number for calls or texts, plus email updates from us. GPS tracking is there when the carrier and the truck support it. We will tell you which applies once your carrier is assigned.

Yes, and it is one of the shortest runs on this page at about 280 miles from Detroit and 180 from Grand Rapids. If the car runs and you have the time, driving it is a fair choice. Ship it when it does not run, when you have two cars and one driver, or when nobody can make the trip.

It depends on where the car is going. Grand Rapids is about 100 miles closer to Chicago and the West. Detroit is closer to Ohio, the East Coast and the I-75 run to Florida. Distance sets the band, and the pickup that is closer to the destination usually wins.

Our closest staffed office is in Chicago at 742 E 87th Pl. It handles dispatch and coordination for Michigan moves. Your car is picked up at your address or a nearby lot and goes straight onto the carrier. It is never stored anywhere.

Yes. Give us the dealer's name and the hours they release vehicles. Many dealers want a set pickup time. The driver inspects the car with the dealer's staff and you get the report.

The driver calls ahead with a time. You walk around the car together and compare it with the pickup report. You note anything new on the Bill of Lading, sign, and pay the balance. Then the car is yours.