Michigan to Indiana Car Shipping (2024 Cost Guide)
Fact Checked by: Quick answer: The average cost to ship a car 324 miles from Michigan to Indiana ranges from $514 to $680 and takes one–four 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 Indiana to Michigan car shipping guide.
The best Michigan to Indiana car shipping companies
We’ve done the research and these are the best car shipping companies to help transport your vehicle from Michigan to Indiana:
- Best for accurate pricing: Sherpa Auto Transport
- Best cross-country shipper: Montway Auto Transport
- Best for quick pickup: Easy Auto Ship
- Best for discounts: AmeriFreight Car Transport
- Best for overall value: SGT Auto Transport
- 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
- No upfront deposit
- Expedited shipping
- No hidden fees
- Ships motorcycles & RVs
- Discount for cash payments
- 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
Alternative ways to ship your car from Michigan to Indiana
- Drive it yourself. This is straightforward but not always an option, and it will put about 324 miles on your car going from Michigan to Indiana. 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 Michigan for a move to Indiana, 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 Michigan to Indiana 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!
MI to IN auto transport costs and transit times
The tables below detail the costs and estimated transit times for shipping a car between popular cities in Michigan and Indiana. The average travel distance is about 324 miles, with shipping times typically ranging from one to four days .
Cost to ship a car from Detroit, MI to Indiana
| From Michigan to Indiana | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI to Indianapolis, IN | $465 – $641 | 287 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Detroit, MI to Fort Wayne, IN | $400 – $540 | 162 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Detroit, MI to Evansville, IN | $605 – $909 | 455 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Detroit, MI to South Bend, IN | $479 – $588 | 217 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Detroit, MI to Carmel, IN | $509 – $668 | 279 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Grand Rapids, MI to Indiana
| From Michigan to Indiana | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids, MI to Indianapolis, IN | $435 – $624 | 262 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Grand Rapids, MI to Fort Wayne, IN | $410 – $527 | 175 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Grand Rapids, MI to Evansville, IN | $604 – $862 | 431 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Grand Rapids, MI to South Bend, IN | $337 – $500 | 116 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Grand Rapids, MI to Carmel, IN | $458 – $600 | 239 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Warren, MI to Indiana
| From Michigan to Indiana | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren, MI to Indianapolis, IN | $514 – $722 | 304 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Warren, MI to Fort Wayne, IN | $439 – $538 | 180 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Warren, MI to Evansville, IN | $612 – $918 | 473 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Warren, MI to South Bend, IN | $467 – $574 | 229 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Warren, MI to Carmel, IN | $484 – $654 | 296 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Sterling Heights, MI to Indiana
| From Michigan to Indiana | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Heights, MI to Indianapolis, IN | $498 – $680 | 308 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Sterling Heights, MI to Fort Wayne, IN | $427 – $549 | 183 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Sterling Heights, MI to Evansville, IN | $682 – $927 | 476 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Sterling Heights, MI to South Bend, IN | $449 – $612 | 232 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Sterling Heights, MI to Carmel, IN | $514 – $673 | 300 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Cost to ship a car from Ann Arbor, MI to Indiana
| From Michigan to Indiana | Cost | Distance | Estimated transit time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor, MI to Indianapolis, IN | $466 – $624 | 269 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Ann Arbor, MI to Fort Wayne, IN | $365 – $505 | 141 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Ann Arbor, MI to Evansville, IN | $598 – $854 | 434 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Ann Arbor, MI to South Bend, IN | $418 – $549 | 179 miles | 1 – 4 days |
| Ann Arbor, MI to Carmel, IN | $475 – $599 | 258 miles | 1 – 4 days |
Shipping an SUV or truck from Michigan to Indiana
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 Michigan to Indiana you should expect to pay between $643 and $850.
Factors that affect car shipping costs from MI to IN
When transporting your vehicle from the Wolverine State to the Hoosier 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 Indiana.
- Distance and route: The journey from Michigan to Indiana spans approximately 324 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 Michigan, 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 Michigan and Indiana 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 Michigan to Indiana should take between one and four days. Expedited services are available but come at a higher cost.
Indiana vehicle regulations you need to know
- Car insurance requirements: Indiana's minimum auto insurance coverage is $25,000/$50,000/$10,000, providing $25,000 per person and a maximum of $50,000 per incident for bodily injury, along with $10,000 for property damage in the event of a covered accident. Liability coverage in Indiana includes property damage, protecting your assets in case you're legally responsible for damages to another party's property, and bodily injury, covering expenses related to harm sustained by others in a covered accident.
- Vehicle inspection: Indiana does not mandate safety inspections for vehicles. However, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles requires a VIN inspection for vehicles not previously registered in the state.
- Driver’s license: As a new resident of Indiana, you have 60 days to obtain an Indiana driver's license if you have a valid license from another state. You must also transfer the titles and registrations of your vehicles from your previous state to Indiana.
- Additional taxes: If you purchase a car in another state and pay sales tax there, you receive a credit for the amount paid. If the tax rate in that state is lower than Indiana's 7%, you'll need to pay the difference in order to obtain the Indiana title for the car.
Learn more with our car shipping checklist.
Transporting your vehicle from Michigan
More than 39 million people call Michigan home. Nicknamed 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.
Transporting your vehicle to Indiana
About 22 million people are living in the Hoosier State. In the past, most of Indiana had cold winters and hot, wet summers. Only the very bottom of the state had a different climate with more rain. But in 2016, about half of Indiana now has that rainier climate. The temperatures are different in the northern and southern parts of the state.
FAQ
Does someone have to be present when you ship a car for pickup in Michigan and delivery in Indiana?
Most companies will require that an adult of at least 18 years of age be present when picking up your car in Michigan and when dropping it off in Indiana.
Do you need car insurance when shipping your car from Michigan to Indiana?
If you’re not driving the vehicle from Michigan to Indiana, you aren't required to have typical car insurance. Your car hauler should have adequate insurance if an accident happened on the drive to Indiana, which you should verify before loading your car in Michigan.
If you’re driving your car at all in either state, you should understand the 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.
Indiana's minimum auto insurance coverage is $25,000/$50,000/$10,000, providing $25,000 per person and a maximum of $50,000 per incident for bodily injury, along with $10,000 for property damage in the event of a covered accident. Liability coverage in Indiana includes property damage, protecting your assets in case you're legally responsible for damages to another party's property, and bodily injury, covering expenses related to harm sustained by others in a covered accident.
How long does it take to ship a car from Michigan to Indiana?
Car shipping companies can travel about 500 miles per day. The trip from Michigan to Indiana is about 324 miles, and that’s as fast as about 1 day. However, most car transport companies will take one to four days to travel from Michigan to Indiana.
Will I be required to have a vehicle inspection in either state?
Michigan does not require vehicle inspections for registration purposes. There is no state mandate for car safety inspections or emissions testing.
Indiana does not mandate safety inspections for vehicles. However, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles requires a VIN inspection for vehicles not previously registered in the state.
If I have a driver’s license in Michigan, will I need one in Indiana?
As a new resident of Indiana, you have 60 days to obtain an Indiana driver's license if you have a valid license from another state. You must also transfer the titles and registrations of your vehicles from your previous state to Indiana.
If I bought a car in Michigan, will I be required to pay sales tax in Indiana after shipping it there?
It’s important to understand any tax implications if you’re having a car shipped from Michigan to Indiana after purchasing it.
If you purchase a car in another state and pay sales tax there, you receive a credit for the amount paid. If the tax rate in that state is lower than Indiana's 7%, you'll need to pay the difference in order to obtain the Indiana title for the car.
We recommend that you always check for updated tax information in both Michigan and Indiana to avoid any hidden costs.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car from Michigan to Indiana?
The cheapest way to ship a car from Michigan to Indiana 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 Michigan to Indiana?
Shipping a car from Michigan to Indiana costs $514 to $680.
