Plan on $550 to $850 to move a running sedan from Jackson to Houston on an open trailer, typically delivered 2 to 4 days after pickup. The 64 pairs we routed span 403 to 918 road miles through Louisiana or Arkansas. Book one to two weeks ahead and check your Texas county for emissions testing.
How Does a Car Get From Mississippi to Texas?
We routed 64 pairs between eight Mississippi towns and eight Texas cities, and mississippi to texas car shipping comes out at about 403 to 918 road miles. The road a carrier takes depends on where the car starts and which part of Texas it is headed for. Loads from Gulfport, Biloxi and Hattiesburg bound for Houston, San Antonio, Austin or Corpus Christi head west on I-10 across southern Louisiana, past Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles, and enter Texas at Beaumont. Cars from Jackson, Hattiesburg, Meridian and Starkville going to Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington or Lubbock take I-20 west through Vicksburg, Monroe and Shreveport. From Southaven, every load we routed runs through Memphis, Little Rock and Texarkana.
How Much Does Car Shipping From Mississippi to Texas Cost?
Your quote depends on your vehicle, the exact pickup and delivery addresses, the season and the trailer type, so run the calculator for a figure on your dates.
The Mississippi start changes the miles more than most people expect. To Houston, Gulfport is about 403 road miles, Biloxi 415, Hattiesburg 435 and Jackson 441, while Meridian sits near 522, Starkville 568, Southaven 584 and Tupelo 636.
The Texas end matters just as much. From Jackson, Dallas is the shortest leg at about 403 miles and Houston close behind at 441, Austin and San Antonio run about 542 and 620, and Lubbock is the far point at roughly 749.
Next comes the vehicle itself and the trailer you pick. A pickup, full-size SUV or minivan takes more room on the deck than a sedan, and a covered trailer loads fewer cars, so each spot on it is priced higher.
Timing plays a smaller part on a haul this short. Flexible pickup dates give dispatch more carriers to choose from, and that tends to show up in the quote more than the month does.
Right now a running sedan carried open from Jackson to Houston typically prices between $550 and $850. To price your own pickup and delivery points, open the car shipping calculator.
A full-size SUV, pickup or minivan usually costs about $100 to $200 more than a sedan. Choosing a closed trailer pushes the open figure up by 40 to 60 percent.
- Northern starts. Starkville, Southaven and Tupelo sit about 127 to 195 more road miles from Houston than Jackson does, and the quote reflects it.
- Far Texas cities. Corpus Christi and Lubbock are the long legs, about 611 to 918 miles from the Mississippi starts we routed.
- Season. Early summer pickups can price a little above late summer and fall ones, so a loose date in May, June or July helps.
A quote well below the rest often means the order sits unassigned until the price goes up, so compare what each company actually commits to.
What Factors Actually
Influence Pricing on This Route?
Five things move the price on any lane: the vehicle's size, whether it runs, how easy each end is to reach, the season and the trailer type. Booking early protects your timeline, keeps pricing steady and reduces the risk of last-minute carrier changes.
Type
Size decides how much deck space your vehicle takes and how many other cars fit alongside it. A standard sedan is the cheapest thing to move because it slots almost anywhere on the trailer. SUVs, pickups and vans take more room and usually cost more on the same lane.
Is It Cheaper to Ship or Drive a Car From Mississippi to Texas?
Shipping Instead of Driving
Shipping fits when you are flying to a new job in Houston or Dallas, when a household moving two cars has only one driver, or when the car is a new purchase you have not seen in person.
It also spares you the return trip. A one-way drive of eight hours or more still leaves you with a flight or bus ride back to Mississippi for the second car or for the rest of the move.
Driving the Route Yourself
On this lane, driving is a real option. Our routing puts Jackson to Houston at about 8 hours behind the wheel, which most people can cover in one long day with fuel and meal stops.
Longer pairs change the math. Biloxi to Lubbock is about 16 hours of driving and an overnight stay, so add fuel, a room, food and a missed work day, then compare the total with a shipping quote.
How Long Does Car Shipping From Mississippi to Texas Take?
After loading, a Mississippi car typically reaches Texas in 2 to 4 days. Jackson to Dallas, about 403 miles and our shortest routed pair, usually sits at the low end, while Biloxi to Lubbock, roughly 918 miles, may use the whole range.
The step before loading matters as well. Rivalane normally has your carrier confirmed one to three working days out, and offering several workable pickup dates speeds that up more than anything.
On a haul of a few hundred miles the trailer itself moves quickly, since carriers often log 400 to 500 miles daily. Stops for other cars on the load, a summer storm on I-10 or winter ice on I-20 may still cost a day.
When Should You Book Car Shipping From Mississippi to Texas?
Plan to book one to two weeks ahead of the pickup date you have in mind, and add a few days in the fall, since interest in this trip climbs then. That leaves dispatch time to find a carrier already heading west rather than taking the first one that answers. For another trip that starts in Mississippi, see the Mississippi to New York route, and for another delivery into Texas, the Illinois to Texas route.
From June through November, tropical weather in the Gulf can push a Houston, Beaumont or coastal Mississippi date back a day or two, so build slack into plans for those months.
Open or Enclosed Car Shipping From Mississippi to Texas?
Most Mississippi to Texas customers pick open car transport. The vehicle sits on a two-level trailer in the open air and sees roughly the sun, rain and dust of a westbound drive.
Enclosed car transport keeps the car under a hard roof and side walls between the Mississippi pickup and the Texas delivery. Because fewer cars fit inside, a spot runs higher and may need more lead time.
Collector cars, exotics, freshly painted cars and very low cars are where enclosed earns its price. A daily driver handles the open deck well.
Enclosed Car Transport
Enclosed demand rises for high-value, specialty and seasonal vehicles, and enclosed trailers protect against road debris and weather, which matters most on longer hauls. Enclosed rigs are a small fraction of the trailers working any given lane, and that scarcity is what drives both the higher price and the longer booking lead time.
Open Car Transport
Most vehicles move on open trailers, and for most routes that is the more cost-effective way to ship a car.
Open transport works well for standard vehicles and keeps costs predictable. It also offers the widest carrier availability.
Which Texas Rules Depend on Your County, and Which Do Not?
Most Texas rules for new residents apply statewide, yet a few change with the county you call home, since registration goes through the county tax assessor-collector under TxDMV rules. Split your to-do list along that line before the car leaves Mississippi.
Set by your county
- Emissions testing. TxDMV lists 18 emissions counties: Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston around Houston; Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker and Rockwall around Dallas and Fort Worth; Travis and Williamson around Austin; and Bexar and El Paso. Living in one means the car must pass an emissions test at a DPS certified station before it can be registered.
- The office visit. Registration happens at your own county tax office, and some of these offices work by appointment. Counties may also add local fees on top of the state fee.
The same everywhere in Texas
- A 30 day window. New residents have 30 days from the move to register. Take your insurance card, proof of ownership such as the Mississippi title or registration, plus Form 130-U, the state title and registration application. A Texas title is optional. The full order of steps is in our Texas registration walkthrough.
- Insurance. Your policy needs liability coverage of $30,000 per injured person, up to $60,000 per crash, and $25,000 in property damage.
- No safety check. Since 2025, non-commercial vehicles in Texas have not needed a safety inspection, and the county collects an inspection replacement fee with the registration.
- The $90 new resident tax. If the car is already registered to you in Mississippi and arrives within 30 days of you becoming a resident, this flat tax takes the place of use tax and is paid at the county office, as the Texas Comptroller explains.
- Driver license. Plan to switch to a Texas license through the Department of Public Safety within 90 days of the move, TxDMV advises.
Before you go, note that Mississippi does not refund the unused part of a registration once you leave the state, according to its Department of Revenue.
What to Expect at Pickup in Mississippi and Delivery in Texas
Settle both addresses with dispatch early: where the car waits in Mississippi and where it lands in Texas. A full-size carrier needs a broad street or open lot where it can park, set down its ramps and turn around.
In Mississippi, long gravel driveways, narrow county roads and tight older streets often shift a pickup to a store lot or a spot near the highway. In Texas, master-planned subdivisions with truck limits, townhouse blocks in Houston and busy streets near downtown Dallas often shift delivery to a nearby open lot. Our pages on car shipping in Mississippi and car shipping in Texas explain what to expect locally.
At each end, walk around the car with the driver and get every scratch, chip or dent written onto the bill of lading. Before loading day, shoot dated photos of all four sides and the roof.
Key Things to Know Before Shipping a Car From Mississippi to Texas
Rivalane coordinates Mississippi to Texas orders from Melville, New York, books a licensed carrier for each car, generally one to three working days from the order, then provides real-time tracking until delivery. Find out if your Texas county requires emissions testing before the car arrives, because in those counties the test comes before registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
