Along For the Ride: How to Move Your Car (Without Driving It!) to a New State

Are you planning a big move this year? 

If so, you’re not alone. Around 35.5 million Americans move each year.

If you’re planning to move to a new state, you want to be sure your car comes along for the ride. Check out these four ways to move your car to your new home state without driving it.

1. Professional or Independent Driving Service

When you’re wanting to move a car and not drive yourself, you can hire a driving service. You can hire either a professional or independent driving service. Yes, you can hire someone to drive your car to your destination for you.

When going this route, you want to be sure that the driver you hire is properly insured and has driving references. If you go for an independent driver, you may want to check into getting short-term insurance to cover the road trip.

2. Pull It by U-Haul

Another option to moving with your car is to drive a U-Haul and pull your car behind you. If you’re using a U-Haul to move your belongings, why not hitch your car to the back and bring it along for the ride. You won’t have to worry about adding miles to your car since you won’t be driving it.

3. Amtrak Auto Train

Looking for ways of shipping your car without driving or pulling it? Did you know you can ship a car via train? Amtrak auto train may be a great fit for your move if you’re going between D.C. and Orlando.

When you choose this option, they will load your vehicle onto the train. Someone will need to be on the train to accompany the vehicle, but don’t worry. You won’t have to sleep in your car. You can upgrade to a room with a bed.

4. Professional Auto Shipper

A popular way to ship your car is with a professional auto shipper. This is another great way to save wear, tear, and miles on your car. With professional auto shipping, you have the option of an open-air or enclosed truck for shipping your car.

An open-air truck is the cheaper option of the two. This rig weighs less so gas is cheaper. The open-air truck also allows for the driver to notice any damage that may occur to the vehicles during the trip.

Open-air trucks, however, are exposed to the elements which may lead to vehicle damage. 

An enclosed truck looks just like a semi-truck, but instead of hauling products, it carries vehicles. An attractive quality to enclosed trucks is the fact that the vehicles are protected and you can feel confident that your car is protected. It’s important to note that since it’s enclosed, the driver isn’t able to regularly inspect the cargo.

You can expect to pay quite a bit more for the enclosed option. With added security and the increased need for fuel to operate, enclosed trucks are a more expensive option. 

In either situation, you want to be sure that there is ample insurance carried by the car shippers and their company.

Move Your Car Without Driving It

When it comes to moving to another state or even another country, you have a lot of items to check off your to-do list. Knowing exactly how you will move your car is one that you now be comfortable checking off.

Is purchasing a new car in your future? Be sure to check out our automotive shopping blog for tips and advice for making this important purchase.