Two Ways to Ship, Two Different Price Points
Every Hawaii car shipping quote starts with one decision: port-to-port or door-to-port. Port-to-port means you drive your vehicle to the departure terminal yourself and pick it up at the arrival terminal in Hawaii. Door-to-port means a carrier picks your vehicle up from your home or office and delivers it to the departure port for you. Port-to-port is the lower-cost option because it removes the overland leg from the price.
Current Rates by Port
Port-to-port pricing starts at $1,680 from Oakland and $1,730 from Long Beach to Oahu. Oakland runs slightly cheaper and has a shorter ocean crossing, saving 1 to 2 days of transit time. Door-to-port service starts at $2,050 and up from Oakland, or $2,100 and up from Long Beach, with the final number depending on how far your vehicle needs to travel overland to reach the port. Southern California, the Southwest, the Midwest, the South, and the Northeast route through Long Beach. The Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Idaho, and Montana typically route through Oakland.
What an All-Inclusive Rate Actually Covers
Every rate we quote includes Matson ocean freight, terminal handling fees at both the departure and arrival port, basic cargo insurance, USDA agricultural inspection coordination, a real-time Matson tracking number, and sailing date management. For door-to-port bookings, the overland carrier fee is quoted upfront at the time of booking. Nothing gets added once your vehicle is on its way.
The Deposit: $200 or $600
Booking requires a deposit that locks your Matson ocean freight rate and secures your sailing date: $200 for port-to-port, $600 for door-to-port. Both amounts are applied directly to your total cost, never added on top. Book online with K'AI and save $100 off the deposit. This is the single most important number to compare when you are shopping quotes, because a low deposit with a vague total is a common way brokers make their price look better than it actually is.
Neighbor Island and Return Shipping Rates
If your vehicle is headed to Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island rather than Oahu, expect port-to-port pricing around $2,340. That reflects the additional inter-island transfer by barge after the vehicle reaches Honolulu. Shipping a vehicle back to the mainland from Hawaii starts at $1,122, which is typically lower than the outbound rate.
Want an exact number for your route? Call (808) 378-7540 or use our online rate calculator, and we will give you a locked, all-inclusive quote in minutes.
