Kentucky to Michigan Car Shipping (2024 Cost Guide)
Fact Checked by: Quick answer: The average cost to ship a car 553 miles from Kentucky to Michigan ranges from $661 to $986 and takes one–six days depending on factors like the transport type and season. For a more detailed quote, use our car shipping cost calculator.
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Shipping a car the reverse route? We’ve got you covered with our Michigan to Kentucky car shipping guide.
The best Kentucky to Michigan car shipping companies
We’ve done the research and these are the best car shipping companies to help transport your vehicle from Kentucky to Michigan:
- Best for accurate pricing: Sherpa Auto Transport
- Best cross-country shipper: Montway Auto Transport
- Best for discounts: AmeriFreight Car Transport
- Best for overall value: SGT Auto Transport
- Best for quick pickup: Easy Auto Ship
- Price Lock Promise
- Pay by credit card
- Free car wash at delivery
- No upfront deposit
- Door-to-door service
- No upfront payment
- GPS tracking
- Multiple insurance options
- Competitive pricing
- Door-to-door shipping
- Competitive pricing
- Last-minute car shipments
- Guaranteed & expedited shipments
- Gap insurance coverage
- Multiple discounts
- No hidden fees
- Free online quotes
- Door-to-door service in 48 states
- Exact pickup dates
- Ships to & from HI
- No upfront deposit
- Expedited shipping
- No hidden fees
- Ships motorcycles & RVs
- Discount for cash payments
Alternative ways to ship your car from Kentucky to Michigan
- Drive it yourself. This is straightforward but not always an option, and it will put about 553 miles on your car going from Kentucky to Michigan. If you’re not sure, here are the pros and cons of driving your car vs shipping it.
- Ship it with your movers. If you need to ship your car from Kentucky for a move to Michigan, you may want to hire a moving company that can handle car shipping, as well. Many long-distance moving companies work with reputable car shippers to coordinate auto transport.
- Hire a driver. Hire someone to drive the car from Kentucky to Michigan for you. It’s an option, but will probably be a very costly one and involve trusting a driver to safely get your car to its destination.
- Ship by train. If this is an option for you, it’s an affordable and secure way of shipping your vehicle. Shipping a car by train is actually the cheapest way to ship your car!
KY to MI auto transport costs and transit times
The tables below detail the costs and estimated transit times for shipping a car between popular cities in Kentucky and Michigan. The average travel distance is about 553 miles, with shipping times typically ranging from one to six days .
Cost to ship a car from Louisville, KY to Michigan
| From Kentucky to Michigan | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville, KY to Detroit, MI | $552 – $740 | 362 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Louisville, KY to Grand Rapids, MI | $558 – $755 | 372 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Louisville, KY to Warren, MI | $585 – $785 | 378 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Louisville, KY to Sterling Heights, MI | $603 – $769 | 383 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Louisville, KY to Ann Arbor, MI | $558 – $771 | 352 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Lexington, KY to Michigan
| From Kentucky to Michigan | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington, KY to Detroit, MI | $550 – $737 | 345 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Lexington, KY to Grand Rapids, MI | $591 – $810 | 437 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Lexington, KY to Warren, MI | $552 – $778 | 362 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Lexington, KY to Sterling Heights, MI | $558 – $786 | 366 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Lexington, KY to Ann Arbor, MI | $523 – $766 | 336 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Bowling Green, KY to Michigan
| From Kentucky to Michigan | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY to Detroit, MI | $661 – $846 | 481 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Bowling Green, KY to Grand Rapids, MI | $629 – $925 | 492 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Bowling Green, KY to Warren, MI | $616 – $899 | 498 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Bowling Green, KY to Sterling Heights, MI | $657 – $895 | 502 miles | 1 – 6 days |
| Bowling Green, KY to Ann Arbor, MI | $636 – $881 | 472 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Owensboro, KY to Michigan
| From Kentucky to Michigan | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owensboro, KY to Detroit, MI | $604 – $847 | 467 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Owensboro, KY to Grand Rapids, MI | $623 – $864 | 455 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Owensboro, KY to Warren, MI | $609 – $854 | 484 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Owensboro, KY to Sterling Heights, MI | $616 – $907 | 488 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Owensboro, KY to Ann Arbor, MI | $661 – $864 | 457 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Covington, KY to Michigan
| From Kentucky to Michigan | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington, KY to Detroit, MI | $434 – $610 | 265 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Covington, KY to Grand Rapids, MI | $569 – $786 | 357 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Covington, KY to Warren, MI | $469 – $679 | 282 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Covington, KY to Sterling Heights, MI | $483 – $660 | 286 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Covington, KY to Ann Arbor, MI | $429 – $592 | 255 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Shipping an SUV or truck from Kentucky to Michigan
Since vehicles like SUVs, trucks, and vans are larger and heavier, it’s a bit more expensive to ship them than a sedan. How much more?
If you’re shipping a larger vehicle from Kentucky to Michigan you should expect to pay between $826 and $1,233.
Factors that affect car shipping costs from KY to MI
When transporting your vehicle from the Bluegrass State to the Wolverine State, these factors will influence your final price:
- Type of transport: Options like open, enclosed, or top-loaded transport cater to different needs. Open carriers are cost-effective, while enclosed transport provides added protection for luxury or classic cars. If you’re not sure, check out our guide comparing open vs. enclosed car shipping.
- Vehicle size and type: The dimensions and weight of your vehicle directly affect shipping costs. The larger and heavier your vehicle, the more it will cost to ship your car to Michigan.
- Distance and route: The journey from Kentucky to Michigan spans approximately 553 miles, influencing fuel and labor costs. The longer the distance, the bigger the price tag.
- Time of the year: Seasonal demand impacts the price of getting your car out of Kentucky, with summer and winter holidays often seeing a spike due to increased moving and travel activity.
- Fuel prices: Fluctuating fuel prices can significantly affect transport costs. This is an important consideration given the distance between Kentucky and Michigan and the varying gas prices across the country.
- Delivery expectations: Because it’ll make their job easier, your auto shipper may give you a pricing discount if you’re flexible on delivery dates. That being said, getting your car from Kentucky to Michigan should take between one and six days. Expedited services are available but come at a higher cost.
Michigan vehicle regulations you need to know
- Car insurance requirements: Michigan requires a minimum auto insurance coverage of $50,000/$100,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage in case of an accident.
- Vehicle inspection: Michigan does not require vehicle inspections for registration purposes. There is no state mandate for car safety inspections or emissions testing.
- Driver’s license: Michigan law requires new residents to promptly title and register their vehicles, with no grace period provided. A person is considered a resident if they live in the state and prove their legal presence in the US. To comply with these requirements, new residents should visit a Secretary of State office to obtain a Michigan driver's license, title, and registration as soon as they establish residency.
- Additional taxes: In Michigan, a 6% sales tax is imposed on all vehicle purchases.
Learn more with our car shipping checklist.
Transporting your vehicle from Kentucky
More than 39 million people call Kentucky home. Nicknamed the Bluegrass State, Kentucky has relatively hot, humid, rainy summers, and moderately cold and rainy winters. Kansas rarely experiences the extremes cold of the northern states nor the heat of the state in the Deep South.
Transporting your vehicle to Michigan
About 22 million people are living in the Wolverine State. Michigan has a continental climate, although there are two distinct regions. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula (south of Saginaw Bay and from the Grand Rapids area southward) have a warmer climate with hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate (Köppen Dfb), with warm, but shorter summers and longer, cold to very cold winters. Some parts of the state average high temperatures below freezing from December through February, and into early March in the far northern parts. During the winter through the middle of February, the state is frequently subjected to heavy lake-effect snow. The state averages 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year. These can be severe, especially in the southern part of the state. The state averages 17 tornadoes per year, which are more common in the state's extreme southern section.
FAQ
Does someone have to be present when you ship a car for pickup in Kentucky and delivery in Michigan?
Most companies will require that an adult of at least 18 years of age be present when picking up your car in Kentucky and when dropping it off in Michigan.
Do you need car insurance when shipping your car from Kentucky to Michigan?
If you’re not driving the vehicle from Kentucky to Michigan, you aren't required to have typical car insurance. Your car hauler should have adequate insurance if an accident happened on the drive to Michigan, which you should verify before loading your car in Kentucky.
If you’re driving your car at all in either state, you should understand the requirements. The insurance coverage includes Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability with limits of $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident and $25,000 respectively; Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage (not required); Personal Injury Protection with a limit of $10,000; and optional Collision and Comprehensive coverage for vehicle repair or replacement expenses, with no requirement.
Michigan requires a minimum auto insurance coverage of $50,000/$100,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage in case of an accident.
How long does it take to ship a car from Kentucky to Michigan?
Car shipping companies can travel about 500 miles per day. The trip from Kentucky to Michigan is about 553 miles, and that’s as fast as about 2 days. However, most car transport companies will take one to six days to travel from Kentucky to Michigan.
Will I be required to have a vehicle inspection in either state?
When moving to Kentucky from another state, a one-time Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) inspection is required. To complete the VIN inspection, bring the vehicle and its title to the Sheriff's office in the county where the car will be registered.
Michigan does not require vehicle inspections for registration purposes. There is no state mandate for car safety inspections or emissions testing.
If I have a driver’s license in Kentucky, will I need one in Michigan?
Michigan law requires new residents to promptly title and register their vehicles, with no grace period provided. A person is considered a resident if they live in the state and prove their legal presence in the US. To comply with these requirements, new residents should visit a Secretary of State office to obtain a Michigan driver's license, title, and registration as soon as they establish residency.
If I bought a car in Kentucky, will I be required to pay sales tax in Michigan after shipping it there?
It’s important to understand any tax implications if you’re having a car shipped from Kentucky to Michigan after purchasing it.
In Michigan, a 6% sales tax is imposed on all vehicle purchases.
We recommend that you always check for updated tax information in both Kentucky and Michigan to avoid any hidden costs.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car from Kentucky to Michigan?
The cheapest way to ship a car from Kentucky to Michigan is to ship it on a train or choose an open trailer transport method, avoid expedited shipping, and be flexible with your pickup dates.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Kentucky to Michigan?
Shipping a car from Kentucky to Michigan costs $661 to $986.
