Shipping a running sedan on an open carrier between the two states costs $650 to $1,000 in most cases, with delivery usually 2 to 4 days after the truck loads. Our 64 pairs run 608 to 984 road miles. Book one to two weeks ahead, and get a Georgia license before registering the car.
Which Road Your Car Takes From Pennsylvania to Georgia
Pickups from Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Erie, Allentown, Scranton and State College in Pennsylvania follow different roads south, which is why pennsylvania to georgia car shipping has no single corridor. We routed those eight towns to eight Georgia cities, and the 64 pairs run 608 to 984 road miles. Philadelphia cars head down I-95 past Baltimore and Washington and around Richmond, and those bound for Atlanta, Athens and Columbus, Georgia pick up I-85 at Petersburg, Virginia. Most loads from Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton, Lancaster and State College run I-81 down the Shenandoah Valley, join I-77 in southwest Virginia and turn onto I-85 near Charlotte or onto I-20 at Columbia, South Carolina. Pittsburgh cars, and most from Erie, go south on I-79 through West Virginia to I-77. Three Erie loads, for Atlanta, Columbus and Albany in Georgia, cross Ohio on I-71 instead and come down I-75 by Knoxville, Tennessee.
How Much Does Car Shipping From Pennsylvania to Georgia 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.
Where the car is going in Georgia moves the miles more than where it starts in Pennsylvania. From any one of the eight Pennsylvania towns we routed, the farthest Georgia city sits about 230 to 250 road miles beyond the nearest, while the eight starts differ by about 150 miles at most for the same Georgia city. Augusta is the nearest delivery on average and Albany the farthest; Pittsburgh is the nearest start and Scranton the farthest.
Larger vehicles take up more of the trailer, so a pickup, minivan or full-size SUV prices above a sedan, and covered space prices above open space.
A quote that undercuts every other one by a wide margin is worth one question: has a carrier actually signed on to that price?
Room in your pickup dates helps most. A spread of a few days lets dispatch place the car on a truck already headed south.
A running sedan on an open carrier usually runs $650 to $1,000 for this move, and the Georgia address moves the miles more than the Pennsylvania pickup does. To check your own pickup and delivery addresses, use the car shipping calculator.
Size and trailer type move it next. A full-size SUV, pickup or minivan typically costs $100 to $200 above a sedan, and a covered trailer is about 40 to 60 percent pricier than an open deck.
- A south Georgia delivery. From Philadelphia, Albany adds about 143 road miles over Atlanta and Valdosta about 101.
- A northeast Pennsylvania pickup. For an Atlanta delivery, Scranton sits about 57 miles farther out than Philadelphia, while Pittsburgh is about 92 miles closer.
- A flexible pickup window. A few workable days give dispatch more southbound trucks to choose from, which tends to keep the price down.
Atlanta loads that join I-85 around Charlotte share that last leg with the North Carolina to Georgia route.
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 Drive or Ship a Car From Pennsylvania to Georgia?
Shipping Instead of Driving
Shipping fits best when the move is one way, when two cars are going at once, or when a flight south frees up the days you would spend on the road.
It also keeps 608 to 984 miles of highway off the odometer and usually saves a motel night, the fuel and the meals along the way.
Driving the Route Yourself
By our routing, Philadelphia to Atlanta is about 15 hours of driving, which most people split over two days. Scranton to Albany, Georgia, the longest pair, comes to about 19 hours, and Pittsburgh to Augusta, Georgia, the shortest, about 12.
Driving can still come out ahead when you need the car the day you arrive and nobody has to fly back. Price the fuel, a motel night, meals and the flight back against the quote before deciding.
How Long Does Car Shipping From Pennsylvania to Georgia Take?
Once the car is loaded, most deliveries on this lane land 2 to 4 days later. Philadelphia to Atlanta, about 774 road miles, often lands at the short end, while Scranton to Albany, Georgia, about 984 miles, is more likely to use the whole window.
Ahead of the pickup itself, securing the carrier tends to need one to three working days, and more open pickup dates help it go faster.
With a loaded hauler logging something like 400 to 500 miles between dawn and dusk, the longest pairs here still come to two to three days on the interstate, plus stops for the rest of the load.
When Should You Book Car Shipping From Pennsylvania to Georgia?
Give dispatch one to two weeks of notice before the day you want the car picked up; on a trip of this length that usually leaves enough room. Searches for this lane ran highest from October through January in the keyword data we read, so give a little more notice in those months.
Winter is the season to watch at the Pennsylvania end. Snow and ice on the ridges, along I-81 and on the I-79 and I-77 stretches through West Virginia and Virginia can hold a pickup or slow a truck for a day, so keep some slack in the delivery date from December to March.
Philadelphia pickups start the same way as the Pennsylvania to Florida route, south on I-95.
Open or Enclosed for a Pennsylvania to Georgia Car?
The usual choice is open car transport: the car shares a two-level trailer with other vehicles, and it costs the least.
Enclosed car transport hauls it inside a closed box trailer, clear of winter road salt, rain and kicked-up gravel, and that cover adds roughly 40 to 60 percent.
The premium earns its keep on a collector car, fresh paint, a lowered car or any car you would rather not risk to stone chips over several hundred highway miles.
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.
What Each Pennsylvania Document Becomes in Georgia
Georgia wants the license before the registration, and both within 30 days of the move. Here is what each Pennsylvania item turns into once the car reaches Georgia.
- Your Pennsylvania driver license becomes a Georgia one. Fill in the License, ID and Permit form online before visiting a Department of Driver Services customer service center; the form asks for your full Social Security number. Bring one proof of identity and two proofs of your Georgia address from separate sources. You hand over the Pennsylvania license there, and a valid one needs only a vision exam.
- Your Pennsylvania policy becomes Georgia liability coverage. Your insurer files it electronically with the state, or you bring a binder that shows the liability coverage.
- Your Pennsylvania title becomes a Georgia title and plate. At the County Tag Office, bring the signed form MV-1 and the original Pennsylvania title, or Form T-17 when the car still has a loan or lease on it. The names on every document have to match. Title Ad Valorem Tax is charged at 3 percent of fair market value, and our guide to the Georgia title tax explains how it is figured.
- A metro Atlanta address adds an emissions test. Residents of 13 counties around Atlanta, among them Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett, need the inspection before registering.
- Your Pennsylvania plate goes back to PennDOT. Once the Georgia plate is on, mail the old one to the Return Tag Unit that PennDOT runs in Harrisburg, which records it as a dead tag. PennDOT says returning the plate and registration card when a Pennsylvania policy ends helps avoid a registration suspension.
Source: the Moving to Georgia page on Georgia.gov, with the document lists from the Georgia Department of Revenue and the Department of Driver Services and the plate step from PennDOT. For the full walkthrough, see registering an out-of-state car in Georgia.
Where the Truck Meets You in Pennsylvania and Georgia
Settle both meeting points with dispatch ahead of carrier assignment. A full car hauler is long, heavy and slow to turn, and it needs space to park and drop its ramps, so wide streets and empty lots work best.
In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia rowhouse blocks, steep Pittsburgh streets and narrow lanes in older towns often move pickup to a nearby store or school lot. In Georgia, gated subdivisions and tight cul-de-sacs around Atlanta and the old squares of Savannah often move delivery to the closest open parking area. Our guides to car shipping in Pennsylvania and car shipping in Georgia cover each end.
At each end, inspect the car alongside the driver and get every chip, dent and scratch written on the bill of lading before signing it. Photograph every side with the date showing, and take personal items out first.
Key Things to Know Before Shipping a Car From Pennsylvania to Georgia
Rivalane coordinates Pennsylvania to Georgia moves from Melville, New York; expect it to take one to three working days to confirm a licensed carrier for your car. Real-time tracking follows the car from the Pennsylvania pickup to the Georgia address. Once the Georgia plate is on the car, send the Pennsylvania plate back to PennDOT.
Frequently Asked Questions
