Fully insured, door-to-door auto transport. No deposit until you accept a carrier option and confirm the pickup plan. FMCSA-licensed and bonded.
San Diego is a strong and active auto transport market with some unique advantages. I-5 runs straight through the city connecting it to Los Angeles 120 miles north and to the Mexican border at San Ysidro. I-15 heads inland and north toward Riverside and Las Vegas. Carriers running the LA to San Diego corridor are constant because there is always demand in both directions. Auction activity is real here. Manheim San Diego operates out of Oceanside at the north end of the county. ADESA San Diego is located near the border in Otay Ranch. Copart and IAA both have San Diego locations as well. Add in the military presence from Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, and NAS Coronado and you have a steady drumbeat of military relocation shipments year round. This is a solid, dependable market.
Most pickups in San Diego happen within 2 to 4 days. The city is spread out and the county covers a lot of ground, from Chula Vista in the south to Oceanside in the north. Carriers prefer to pick up from accessible areas like Mission Valley, Kearny Mesa, El Cajon, and Chula Vista rather than beach neighborhoods with tight parking. If you are near the coast in areas like La Jolla or Pacific Beach, a quick meetup at a nearby lot usually makes things faster. Military personnel should know that getting on-base pickup is not always possible, so plan to meet your carrier at the gate or a nearby commercial area. Give us your zip and we will tell you exactly what to expect.
Oakland is the auto transport workhorse of the Bay Area. While San Francisco gets all the attention, Oakland is where carriers actually want to be. The Port of Oakland is one of the top five busiest ports in the United States and handles significant vehicle import and export traffic on Ro-Ro vessels. Carriers can maneuver in Oakland in a way they simply cannot in San Francisco. I-880 runs through the heart of Oakland and connects directly to I-80 and I-580, giving carriers easy access in every direction. Manheim's Bay Area auction operations are based in Hayward, just south of Oakland, which keeps carrier activity flowing through this part of the metro constantly. ADESA operates in the Bay Area as well. The East Bay dealer market is deep. This is a high activity market.
Oakland is one of the better delivery destinations in Northern California. Carriers coming up I-5 from LA or coming off I-80 from the East find the East Bay a natural stopping point. The Port area has wide road infrastructure built for freight. Residential neighborhoods in Oakland and surrounding cities are accessible for standard car haulers. Delivery timelines are predictable once your car is in transit.
Shipping a standard sedan from San Diego to Oakland on open carrier currently estimates between $325 and $625. That is based on the 555-mile distance and current market conditions.
San Diego runs close to the national average on most routes. The LA to San Diego lane is one of the most competitive short hauls in the country because carriers are constantly running it. Longer routes like San Diego to Phoenix, Las Vegas, or the Pacific Northwest are very active and priced well. Routes to the Midwest or East Coast price similarly to LA because carriers use I-5 or I-40 to get there and San Diego is a natural first or last stop. Military PCS season in the spring and summer can push prices up slightly as demand spikes. Get a current quote for your route and shipment details.
Oakland and the East Bay price similarly to the broader Bay Area market, which runs slightly above the national average. You get better carrier access here than in San Francisco proper, and that helps on pricing. The Oakland to Los Angeles lane on I-5 is one of the most active in California and priced very competitively. Routes to Portland and Seattle are solid. East Coast routes through I-80 are consistent. Summer sees the highest demand. January through March is typically when you can find the best rates. Get a current quote for your route and shipment details.
The estimate above is for open transport, which is how the large majority of vehicles on this route move. Enclosed transport runs $400 to $800 above the open rate and is the right call for classic, exotic, luxury and lowered vehicles — anything that should not meet weather or road debris between San Diego and Oakland.
Get a current-market quote in 30 seconds. No deposit until you accept a carrier option and confirm the pickup plan.
Get Your Free Quote