Louisiana to Alabama Car Shipping (2025 Cost Guide)

Most companies will require that an adult of at least 18 years of age be present when picking up your car in Louisiana and when dropping it off in Alabama.

If you’re not driving the vehicle from Louisiana to Alabama, you aren't required to have typical car insurance. Your car hauler should have adequate insurance if an accident happened on the drive to Alabama, which you should verify before loading your car in Louisiana.

If you’re driving your car at all in either state, you should understand the requirements. The insurance limit represents the maximum payout for a claim, and in Louisiana, the minimum liability limits are $15,000 for bodily injury per person, $30,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage; these limits can be raised beyond the state-mandated minimums.

Alabama state government requires motorists possess liability insurance, which must provide a minimum coverage of 25/50/25. This specification includes coverage for bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage per accident.

Car shipping companies can travel about 500 miles per day. The trip from Louisiana to Alabama is about 388 miles, and that’s as fast as about 1 day. However, most car transport companies will take one to four days to travel from Louisiana to Alabama.

In Louisiana, the annual safety and emissions inspection includes checks on the vehicle's safety equipment, anti-tampering of emissions systems, and a test on the integrity of the gas cap.

In Alabama, a safety inspection must be completed prior to selling a vehicle and a VIN inspection is mandatory when registering an out-of-state vehicle. Emissions inspections are not required by the state, though cities and municipalities may have their own laws mandating them.

When you move to Alabama with an out-of-state driver's license, you have 30 days to surrender it and obtain an Alabama license.

It’s important to understand any tax implications if you’re having a car shipped from Louisiana to Alabama after purchasing it.

In Alabama, a 2% state sales tax is levied on the purchase of vehicles, including off-road motorcycles and ATVs. With the addition of city and county vehicle sales taxes, the total sales tax owed will amount to between 3.375% and 4% of the vehicle's cost.

We recommend that you always check for updated tax information in both Louisiana and Alabama to avoid any hidden costs.

The cheapest way to ship a car from Louisiana to Alabama is to ship it on a train or choose an open trailer transport method, avoid expedited shipping, and be flexible with your pickup dates.

Shipping a car from Louisiana to Alabama costs $697 to $917.