Moving a car in or out of the Crescent City takes some local knowledge. Historic neighborhoods were laid out long before car carriers existed, festival season closes streets for days at a time, and the metro is split by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. Our New Orleans auto transport service handles those details for you. When you book car shipping New Orleans LA with Sahara, we match your order with a carrier that runs I-10 regularly and knows where a loaded truck can and cannot go.
Most long-haul carriers enter the metro on I-10, from Baton Rouge and Houston to the west or from Mississippi and Florida to the east, then use I-610 or the Pontchartrain Expressway to reach the city. Cars on the Westbank cross the Crescent City Connection, and Northshore pickups in Slidell, Mandeville and Covington depend on the I-10 Twin Span or the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which is a toll bridge. We factor in those crossings when we set your pickup window.
Climate shapes the calendar too. Hurricane season runs June through November, and a Gulf storm can halt pickups and deliveries across southeast Louisiana for several days. Heavy downpours can briefly flood low-lying streets, so drivers sometimes shift an appointment by a few hours to stay safe. Carnival season, which builds from January to Mardi Gras day, and Jazz Fest in late April and early May bring road closures and crowds, so plan a little extra time around those dates.
Service area
New Orleans car transport, door to door
French Quarter and Marigny
Narrow one-way streets and limits on large commercial vehicles in the historic district mean pickups are usually set at a wider street or parking lot just outside.
Uptown and the Garden District
Low live-oak limbs, the St. Charles streetcar line and cars parked on both sides make many side streets off Magazine Street a poor fit for a loaded carrier.
Mid-City and Lakeview
Residential streets near City Park and the lakefront are easier to reach from I-610, though some blocks hold water after heavy rain.
Metairie and Kenner
Jefferson Parish addresses near Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport usually allow true door-to-door service.
Westbank (Gretna, Algiers and Harvey)
Reached over the Crescent City Connection, with open subdivision streets and quick access to the West Bank Expressway.
Northshore (Slidell, Mandeville and Covington)
Growing family suburbs across the lake along I-12, popular with relocating households and convenient for carriers coming in on I-10 and I-59.
Ship a car to New Orleans
People ship a car to New Orleans for medical residencies, graduate programs at Tulane, Loyola and UNO, film and hospitality work, and jobs in the port, energy and petrochemical industries along the river. We also arrange transport for families settling on the Northshore and for service members assigned to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chasse. Most inbound cars arrive on I-10 from Texas or from the Florida Panhandle, or down I-59 from Atlanta and Birmingham.
Delivery in older neighborhoods works best with a backup plan. If your new home is on a narrow Uptown block or a busy street in the Quarter, the carrier will likely call and suggest meeting at a larger road or a store parking lot nearby. Condo buildings in the CBD and the Warehouse District usually want deliveries at a loading zone, so ask your building manager about rules and hours before the truck rolls in.
Ship a car from New Orleans
Customers who ship a car from New Orleans most often head to Houston, Dallas and Atlanta for work, or to Chicago and the Northeast after a school program or residency ends. Students wrapping up at Tulane in May create a spring surge, and storm evacuations or post-storm relocations can create sudden demand in late summer and fall. When a hurricane threatens the coast, booking early is the best way to secure a truck.
For pickup, plan on a window of one to several days and stay reachable by phone. Clean out the car, leave about a quarter tank of gas, and photograph it from every side before loading. If you live across the lake, meeting near I-12 can speed things up. On festival weekends, we plan around parade routes so the driver is not stuck behind barricades on St. Charles Avenue.
Pricing
New Orleans car shipping cost
Estimated prices from New Orleans to popular destinations, updated November 2026. The same ranges apply in the other direction.
New Orleans → Houston, TX
350 miles · 1 to 2 days
- Sedan, open
- $550 to $725
- SUV, open
- $650 to $825
New Orleans → Atlanta, GA
470 miles · 1 to 3 days
- Sedan, open
- $650 to $800
- SUV, open
- $725 to $925
New Orleans → Dallas, TX
505 miles · 2 to 3 days
- Sedan, open
- $650 to $850
- SUV, open
- $750 to $975
New Orleans → Chicago, IL
925 miles · 2 to 4 days
- Sedan, open
- $875 to $1,100
- SUV, open
- $1,000 to $1,275
New Orleans → New York City, NY
1,310 miles · 3 to 5 days
- Sedan, open
- $1,025 to $1,300
- SUV, open
- $1,175 to $1,475
New Orleans → Los Angeles, CA
1,900 miles · 5 to 7 days
- Sedan, open
- $1,200 to $1,525
- SUV, open
- $1,375 to $1,775
Estimates, not quotes. Your exact price depends on addresses, vehicle, condition, season and carrier availability. Non-running vehicles usually add $150 to $250.
What moves the price in New Orleans
- Hurricane season: a storm in the Gulf can pause pickups across southeast Louisiana and push rates up while carriers adjust their routes.
- Festival dates: Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest bring street closures and heavy traffic, which makes tight pickup times harder to guarantee.
- Street access: historic districts with narrow streets often require a meeting point instead of a doorstep pickup.
- Bridge and lake crossings: Westbank and Northshore addresses add drive time over the Crescent City Connection, the Twin Span or the Causeway.
- Route popularity: I-10 toward Houston and Florida is a busy, competitive lane, while less traveled routes into rural Louisiana can take longer to fill.
New Orleans vehicle shipping
New Orleans vehicle shipping includes everyday cars for students and medical residents, pickups and work trucks for the energy and maritime industries, and vehicles for film crews working on location. We also ship classic cars and convertibles to shows across the South in enclosed trailers, and we can move cars that were damaged or left inoperable after flooding, as long as we know the condition in advance.
Dealers in Metairie and on the Westbank use carriers for auction purchases and inventory transfers, and we can quote single units or full loads. If you bought a car from a private seller in another state, we can coordinate pickup with the seller and bring it to your door in Louisiana, which saves you a long drive back on I-10.
Car shipping companies in New Orleans
When you look at car shipping companies in New Orleans, ask about hurricane plans first. A reliable company will tell you how it handles evacuation orders, what happens if a pickup is delayed by a storm, and how it keeps you informed. After that, confirm federal registration, the carrier's cargo insurance, and whether your quote covers door-to-door service rather than a terminal drop-off.
Sahara Auto Transport is based in Hollywood, Florida, so we plan around hurricane season every year just like you do. Call us any day of the week between 6am and 11pm ET, and we will set up your New Orleans car transport around your schedule, your street and the season. We will also tell you honestly when a storm or a parade schedule makes a different date the smarter choice.