Ship car to Maui from California, Seattle or Oahu

When you ship car to Maui with us, the car comes in through Kahului Harbor, the only vehicle port on the island. Port to port from California, we quote $1,250 to $2,800, and the route your car takes decides where you land in that range. A direct sailing calls at Kahului every two weeks and has cars ready about 9 days after it leaves California. The other route stops in Honolulu and waits for a monthly barge, so it takes 33 to 45 days from sailing. If your car is already on Oahu, the barge crossing takes one day. We choose the route and run every leg from pickup to release.

$1,250 – $2,800 California port to Kahului
About 9 days From sailing, direct
33 – 45 days From sailing, via Honolulu
1 day At sea, Oahu to Maui

MAUI PRICING

How much does it cost to ship a car to Maui?

Port to port from a California terminal, we quote $1,250 to $2,800 for a standard car, SUV or small pickup. Door pickup adds the truck run to the port, from about $200 in Northern California up to $1,250 from the Seattle area. A car that’s already on Oahu crosses to Maui for $450 to $820, depending on its registered weight.

What you’re shippingOur price
California port to Kahului, standard vehicle$1,250 – $2,800
Pickup in Northern CaliforniaAdd $200 – $350
Pickup in Phoenix or Las VegasAdd $300 – $600
Pickup in the Seattle areaAdd $700 – $1,250
Oahu to Maui, by registered weight$450 – $820, before Hawaii tax
EV or plug-in hybridAbout $375 extra
Priority space on a set voyageFrom $3,800

The cost to ship a car to Maui comes down mostly to the route. The direct sailing carries your car all the way to Kahului on one ship, with no barge transfer, which keeps the price near the bottom of the range. Through Honolulu, the car comes off the ship, waits for the barge and gets handled again, which pushes the price toward the top. If the direct sailing has space on your dates, that’s the one we book. If it’s full, we quote the Honolulu route and show you the added cost and time before you decide. When your date can’t move, we can hold priority space on a specific direct sailing from $3,800.

Size matters less on the ocean leg than most people expect. A sedan, SUV or small pickup pays the same ocean rate as long as it fits within 21 ft 8 in long, 8 ft wide and 7 ft high. Size does change the truck price. On the Oahu barge it also sets your bracket, because that barge prices by the weight printed on your registration. The season doesn’t change the ocean rate. It moves the truck leg, since fewer haulers are free in the busy months.

Every Maui quote covers the ocean booking, terminal handling at both ends, the Honolulu connection if your route needs one, and release at Kahului. Door to port quotes also include the truck run and the signed authorization our driver needs to hand your car over. A few charges sit outside the quote:

Hawaii tax on the Oahu barge
The state’s inbound fee for invasive species inspections
Storage past the free days at the port
About $500 for a non-running car the terminal has agreed to accept

Comparing islands? See our Hawaii car shipping costs for every island.

TRANSIT TIME

How long it takes to ship a car to Maui

Counted from the day the ship leaves California, a car on the direct sailing is ready at Kahului in about 9 days. Through Honolulu it’s 33 to 45 days, because the connecting barge runs once a month. Neither clock starts until your car reaches a California port and makes its booked sailing.

Phase Direct sailing Through Honolulu
01 Truck to a California port 1 – 4 days on the road 1 – 4 days on the road
02 Wait for the sailing Up to 2 weeks Set by your booking date
03 Ocean crossing About 7 days 5 – 8 days to Honolulu, plus 3 – 5 days loading and unloading
04 Barge to Kahului Not needed 14 – 32 days
05 Release at Kahului At least 2 days after arrival Auto lot open days only
Total from sailing About 9 days 33 – 45 days

Your starting city sets the truck leg. Once loaded, cars from Sacramento, Phoenix or Las Vegas reach a port in 1 to 3 days, and cars from the Seattle area take 2 to 4. Getting a car onto a truck takes its own time, so we book the sailing first and schedule your pickup back from that date.

Most Maui delays happen before the car sails. A missed direct sailing means two weeks until the next one. Miss the monthly barge in Honolulu and the wait stretches into weeks. Terminals also turn away cars that show up too early or without an appointment. Drop-off appointments for the direct sailing open 30 days before it leaves, so we lock in that slot first and time the truck to it. Weather is the one delay we can’t plan away. Storms close harbors and push sailings back, so when a tropical system is near the islands, we build extra days into the booking.

For other islands, see transit times for every Hawaii route.

Ship car to Maui

ROUTES INTO KAHULUI

How we route your car into Kahului Harbor

Two ocean routes reach Kahului from California. The direct sailing leaves every two weeks and carries your car all the way to Kahului on one ship. The Honolulu route takes it to Oahu first, then onto the monthly barge. We choose between them for each car based on whether it’s electric, how firm your date is, how big it is and what you want to spend. EVs and tight dates go direct.

Direct sailing: every two weeks, about 9 days from sailing, takes EVs and plug-in hybrids, lower end of our price range.

Through Honolulu: monthly barge from Oahu, 33 to 45 days from sailing, no EVs or plug-in hybrids, upper end of our price range.

Shipping a car to Maui from California

The Honolulu route loads at Long Beach and Oakland. The direct sailing takes cars at receiving lots in the Los Angeles area, the Bay Area and San Diego, and its 7-day run to Kahului is counted from San Diego. If you live near a port, you can drop the car off yourself and skip the truck leg. We book the appointment and send you the paperwork.

Measure a big vehicle before it goes to Oakland. The limit there is under 76 inches tall and under 76 inches across the outside of the tires, which rules out many full-size SUVs and lifted trucks. We send those through Long Beach or onto the direct sailing. For Oahu and the other islands, see how we handle shipping a car from California to Hawaii.

Shipping from Seattle and Washington

Personal vehicles don’t sail to Hawaii from Seattle or Tacoma, so every Washington car reaches Maui through California. We can pick yours up and truck it south, which takes 2 to 4 days once it’s rolling. Or you can drop it at the Auburn receiving lot, where it joins a truck run down to the California sailings. Auburn works by appointment only. Either way, we book the ocean space first and set the pickup to meet it. Our Seattle to Hawaii car shipping page covers pickup anywhere in the state.

EVs and plug-in hybrids

Battery-powered cars have one way to Maui: the direct sailing. The Honolulu route stopped accepting EVs and plug-in hybrids over lithium-ion battery safety concerns.

The battery has to read between 20 and 50 percent at drop-off, and the car has to run, because inoperable EVs aren’t accepted. Switch on shipping or power-save mode if your car has one, and stay out of the app, because remote check-ins drain the battery. The surcharge is about $375. If the charge drops under 20 percent while the car’s in the terminal’s care, it can be turned away or recharged at about $250 a time. Tell us it’s an EV when you request a quote, and we’ll confirm eligibility and the sailing before anything is booked.

INTER-ISLAND

Shipping a car between Maui and Oahu

A car that’s already in Hawaii skips the ocean ship and rides the inter-island barge. Young Brothers, the state-regulated barge line, sails between Honolulu and Kahului three times a week each way, with one day at sea. Barges leave Honolulu on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and they leave Kahului on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The car is ready the next business day after it lands, and the price runs $450 to $820 by registered weight. Book about a month ahead to get the sailing you want.

When you ship a car from Maui to Oahu, the same rules apply. The barge is open to the air, so plan a wash for the salt that settles on the paint. The car has to be free of mud, soil and seeds for the agricultural check at the harbor. Anyone other than the owner who drops it off needs the original notarized authorization. The harbor won’t take a copy. For the other islands, see our inter-island car shipping rates and sailing days.

BEFORE IT SHIPS

What your car and paperwork need before it ships

Terminals inspect every car at drop-off, and one that breaks the rules can be refused and miss its sailing.

Leave 1/8 to 1/4 of a tank of fuel, never more. The car has to roll, brake and steer, with a working parking brake and no fluid leaks. A check-engine, airbag or tire-pressure light on the dash can get it refused, and lowered cars need at least 6 inches of ground clearance. Take out toll tags, bike racks, spare batteries and fire extinguishers, and switch off the alarm. Personal items stay off the ocean sailings, and that includes the trunk and truck bed. The spare, jack, floor mats and a secured child seat can stay. Vehicles over standard size get measured and priced on their own, and most lifted builds land in that group. See how we handle shipping a lifted truck or oversized vehicle.

For paperwork, we need a copy of your current registration or title, a photo ID and the booking signed by the registered owner. A company-owned car also needs a company authorization letter. When our driver delivers your car, the terminal wants a notarized letter from the owner allowing it. Trucks that show up without one get turned away at the gate, so we have it signed before we dispatch. Each handoff comes with a bill of lading and a vehicle condition report, one written at your driveway and one at the terminal, and we keep copies of both.

ARRIVAL AND PICKUP

When your car arrives at Kahului

A ship docking at Kahului doesn’t mean your car is ready to collect.

Each route releases cars on its own clock. On the direct sailing, plan on at least 2 days between docking and release. Honolulu route cars come out of an auto lot that only opens on certain days. Barge cars from Oahu are ready the next business day. We track all three and give you a pickup date only after your car is released.

Bring a photo ID and the booking number we send you. Only the person named on the booking, or an alternate we’ve listed, can collect the car, so tell us before it ships if someone else is picking it up. Walk around the car with the condition report in hand before you leave. If you find damage, have it written on the bill of lading at the lot, because a claim gets much harder once the car’s gone. Storage runs about $20 to $25 a day after the free days, so we line up your pickup inside them.

Every car bound for Maui comes off at Kahului Harbor, whether you live in Kihei, Wailea, Lahaina, Upcountry or out toward Hana. If you’d rather not make the drive, we can arrange a local truck from the harbor to your address, priced per address.

MAUI SHIPPING FAQ

Maui car shipping FAQ

Usually, if it’s a car you plan to keep. Weigh how much to ship a car to Maui, $1,250 to $2,800 from a California port, against selling yours and buying from the island’s smaller used-car market. For a car worth little more than the shipping bill, selling first usually wins.

The one that quotes your actual route. A solid Maui quote names the routing, gives a release date at Kahului and says whether an EV qualifies. Ours puts all three in writing. Here’s what to look for in a Hawaii car shipper.

Not on the ocean sailings from the mainland. The Oahu to Maui barge takes a few items under a signed waiver, at your risk. They have to be secured, clear of the front seat and the spot behind the driver, and no higher than the bottom of the rear windows. Firearms, ammunition, fire extinguishers and hazardous materials always come out.

Yes. Kahului to a California port runs $1,150 to $2,100, depending on whether the car sails direct or connects through Honolulu. Leaving Hawaii takes more paperwork: the title, the registration and, for a financed or leased car, a lien holder authorization letter from your lender. See how we handle shipping a car from Hawaii to the mainland.

Yes, within 30 days of arrival. Take the car to a safety inspection station with your Hawaii insurance card and mainland registration. It fails on registration alone, which is normal. Bring that certificate and the bill of lading we send you, which shows the arrival date, to a County of Maui motor vehicle office for Hawaii plates or an out-of-state permit. Then go back to the station for your sticker.

If you’re switching to Hawaii plates and the car is a current, previous or next model year bought out of state, you’ll also need a stamped G-27 form from the state tax office in Wailuku.

Basic carrier liability covers your car in transit, but it isn’t full-value insurance. On the direct sailing it tops out at $3,000. On the Oahu barge, basic cover runs to $5,000, and you can declare a higher value in writing before the sailing for about $1.30 per $1,000 above that. If your car is worth more, tell us when you request a quote, and we’ll add declared-value coverage or help you check that your own auto policy covers ocean transit.

Start about a month out. Drop-off appointments for the direct sailing open 30 days before it leaves, and the Oahu to Maui barge books about a month ahead. If your car has to go through Honolulu, start earlier, because it needs 33 to 45 days after sailing. Booking early is fine. Arriving early isn’t, since terminals can refuse a car that shows up before its window.

Get a Maui quote with the route already picked

Ready to ship car to Maui? Send us the pickup city, the year, make and model, and the date you need it on the island. We’ll come back with the route that fits, one price for every leg and the day it should be ready at Kahului. You can also request your Maui car shipping quote online.

Start my quote →

Or call (808) 865-5525. Same-day response on weekdays.

Tell us up front if the car is an EV or plug-in hybrid. It decides which sailing we can book, so it’s the first thing we check. If you’re already on Oahu, have your registration handy. The weight printed on it sets your barge price. If you’re shipping a lifted truck or full-size SUV, measure the height and the width across the tires first. Those numbers decide which port it can leave from.