The cost to ship a car from California to New Jersey is typically $1,700 to $2,100 on an open trailer, and takes between 7 to 11 days in transit time. Southern California runs $1,700 to $1,950. Northern California runs $1,825 to $2,100.

Distance, mostly. San Jose to Newark is about 140 miles further than Los Angeles to Newark. The Bay Area is also a quieter outbound market than the Los Angeles basin, so a truck takes a little longer to fill.

There is, and it is unusual. Interstate 80 starts at US 101 in San Francisco and ends at I-95 in Teaneck, New Jersey. It is 2,900 miles long and it is the one interstate that most closely follows the historic Lincoln Highway.

Often from Northern California, yes. From Southern California a carrier usually takes I-40 or I-10 east first, then turns north. Both roads end up on the same New Jersey corridor.

It can, from November into March. The I-80 climb over Donner Pass takes chain controls in a storm. A Bay Area pickup can gain a day. Southern California is unaffected, because the southern road is natural for it anyway.

Yes, and you are on the cheaper side. New Jersey back to Southern California is $1,850 to $2,050 on our New York to California page. California to New Jersey is $1,700 to $1,950.

More cars want to leave the New York and New Jersey metro than arrive in it. So a westbound truck fills faster than an eastbound one. A driver prices that in, and we pass the real figure on.

No. New Jersey is about 170 miles end to end, so one price covers the state. Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Iselin, Edison, Princeton, Trenton and Toms River all quote the same from a given California origin.

Iselin is one of our six service areas. It sits in Middlesex County, in the middle of the state and right on the Metropark corridor, which makes it a practical reference point for almost any New Jersey delivery.

From 7 to 11 days in transit. Southern California is 7 to 10 days. Northern California is 8 to 11. The days start when the car goes on the trailer.

When the car is loaded. Your pickup window comes first. That is 6 days as standard, or 3 days with expedited.

Federal rules cap how long a driver may be behind the wheel each day. A nine-car trailer also has eight other pickups and drop-offs to fit in. A loaded carrier covers under 400 miles in a driving day.

Yes, door to door. The driver comes to your address wherever the truck can legally and safely get in. If your street is tight, we agree a wide spot nearby at booking.

Same, door to door. A lot of New Jersey streets are narrow and a lot of buildings have garage height limits, so tell us the address type when you book. We plan a nearby spot if the street will not take a 75-foot trailer.

All of them. Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Chula Vista and Gardena in the south. San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Berkeley and Palo Alto in the north.

Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Visalia and Merced we quote live rather than publish. The Valley is a thinner outbound market, so what you pay depends on how your dates fit a run a driver is already making.

Because a published band would be wrong often enough to be worse than useless. On a busy corridor the numbers hold steady. In a thinner market they move with the week, so we would rather give you the real one.

Yes. Your car travels under the assigned carrier's Carrier Cargo Insurance. Cover starts when the car is loaded. It ends when the car is handed back in New Jersey.

Yes. We give you the carrier's name and USDOT number. Look them up on the FMCSA SAFER system to see their active authority and insurance. Look us up under USDOT 2887232.

A vetted carrier from our network of more than 16,000 transport professionals nationwide. Smart Auto Move is a car shipping company. We arrange and manage the move end to end.

Carriers haul the car. We handle the price, the routing, the paperwork and the updates. You get one phone number for all 2,900 miles.

Every carrier we assign holds active federal authority and current cargo insurance. We check both before the job goes out. You can check the same records yourself in a minute.

It is the condition report and the receipt in one. The driver walks the car with you in California and records how it looks. In New Jersey you compare, note anything, and sign.

Wash it so the condition report is accurate. Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. Fold the mirrors and remove a toll tag. Take photos with a date on them.

Usually yes, within reason. Keep it light. Keep it in the trunk or below the window line. Cargo insurance covers the vehicle rather than the contents, so valuables travel better with you.

Yes, as long as it rolls, steers and brakes. The carrier brings a winch. The extra starts at $200 and rises with the work involved.

About 80 percent more than open. On a coast to coast run that is a real step up, so it is worth being honest: most cars do not need it.

A classic, a collector car, an exotic, a fresh restoration or anything low to the ground. Also worth considering if the car is going to a show rather than a driveway.

Expedited narrows the pickup window from 6 days to 3, which is 72 hours. The road days stay the same, because federal driving-hour limits apply to every truck on the interstate.

We give you a window and keep you posted as the truck moves. On a 2,900-mile run weather and the other cars on the trailer both move the clock. A window we can hold beats a date we cannot.

Usually up to nine on an open trailer. The route is built around all of them, which is why the transit range on this page is a range.

Call or message us any time. We will tell you where it is and when it is due. You also have the driver's number once the car is loaded.

Two weeks is comfortable on a coast to coast lane. Book earlier for enclosed, earlier again for a summer move, and earlier still if you want a Bay Area pickup in January.

Sixty days. The New Jersey MVC gives a new resident 60 days to transfer the out-of-state title and registration. That is double what many states allow.

There is less to it than in most states. New Jersey eliminated the mechanical defects portion of the inspection for passenger vehicles in August 2010, so the safety side is gone.

A newly purchased or leased vehicle gets a one-time five-year inspection exemption decal from the New Jersey MVC. So a recent car may have nothing to do at all.

The out-of-state title, your registration, your license and your insurance information. Sorting the New Jersey policy before the car lands is the thing that makes the visit quick.

Almost always, on this lane. It is about 2,900 miles, which is four to five days of driving, plus fuel, plus four nights, plus the wear. And you still need to get yourself back if it is a one-way trip.

Then ship the second car and drive the first. That is the most common California to New Jersey booking we take. One driver, two vehicles, one trip.

Yes. A mid-size SUV or crossover adds about $150. A full-size pickup or a three-row SUV adds about $300. Those steps apply to every row in the table.

Yes. They usually travel on a dedicated bike carrier, or crated inside an enclosed trailer. Tell us the model and we will price it properly.

Yes, and most go enclosed. Tell us the ground clearance, whether it runs, and whether it has a battery cut-off. A low car needs a lift gate or long ramps.

Yes. California to New Jersey is an active dealer and auction corridor in both directions. Those jobs run on their own timelines and paperwork.

Often. A car bought from a California seller and shipped to New Jersey is one of the steadiest jobs on this lane. We can collect from a private seller, a dealer or a storage lot.

Southern California, at $1,700 to $1,950. Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego all price in that band.

Northern California, at $1,825 to $2,100. San Jose is the furthest point and sits at the top of that range.

Virginia is closer and cheaper. We publish Southern California to Northern Virginia at $1,600 to $1,850 over about 2,700 miles. New Jersey is roughly 80 miles further on.

Massachusetts is further and costs more. Los Angeles to Boston is about 2,984 miles at $1,850 to $2,150. New Jersey sits between Virginia and Massachusetts on both counts.

They move with demand and with fuel. Summer is the busiest stretch. January and February are quieter on this corridor, apart from the Sierra crossing.

Late spring and early fall. The weather is settled at both ends, the Sierra is clear, and the summer rush has not started or has finished.

Occasionally. A nor'easter in January or February can slow the last leg by a day. Carriers run the corridor all winter, they just take the final miles slower.

A wider window gives us more runs to fit you into, and on a coast to coast lane that matters more than on a short one. If your dates are fixed, tell us and we plan around them.

Yes. That is the Smart Price Promise. The price we quote is the price you pay, as long as the vehicle, the route, the condition and the shipping details stay the same.

Only a change on your side. A different vehicle, a different address, a car that will not start, or a pickup outside the agreed window. Tell us early and we reprice it openly.

You pay when the car is delivered in New Jersey, at the price you were quoted. We will set out the payment methods the carrier accepts before pickup.

Note it on the Bill of Lading before you sign, and photograph it. Then call us. The claim goes to the carrier's cargo insurance and we help you through it.

Yes. Give us their name and number. They can sign the Bill of Lading at either end. Make sure they check the car properly before signing.

No. It goes from your California address onto the carrier and stays covered under Carrier Cargo Insurance until it is handed back in New Jersey. There is no terminal in between.

Not at present. Service covers the lower 48 states.

Yes. Los Angeles, at 5111 Harold Way Suite 301, on 213-766-0064. That is one of our four staffed offices and it covers the California end of this lane.

Registered business address: 4208 Six Forks Rd Ste 1000, Raleigh, NC 27609. Our four staffed offices are Lakewood WA, Los Angeles CA, Chicago IL and Kissimmee FL.

Yes. USDOT 2887232 and MC 969368. Smart Auto Move is BBB A+ accredited, and our BBB record is under our Raleigh address.

Yes. California has a heavy military presence and so does the Northeast corridor. Read your orders first, since some vehicle moves are covered.

Yes. Princeton, Rutgers and Stevens are all in New Jersey, and the California campuses send cars east every August. Late August and mid-May are the tight weeks.

Give us both ZIP codes. Then the year, make and model, whether the car runs, your first date, and open or enclosed. Use the form on this page or call 888-709-9078.