Tennessee to New York 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 Tennessee and when dropping it off in New York.

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

If you’re driving your car at all in either state, you should understand the requirements. Tennessee drivers need to fulfill liability insurance criteria of 25/50/15 ($25,000 for individual bodily injury, $50,000 for total bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 for property damage per accident). Valid proof of insurance is crucial for registration and may be requested by law enforcement during traffic stops. Motorists have the flexibility to choose additional coverage for an added layer of vehicle protection.

To register your vehicle in New York, you must have state-issued auto liability insurance meeting minimum requirements $10,000 property damage, $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury/death for one person, $50,000/$100,000 for two or more people in an accident. Failure to comply may lead to the suspension of both your car registration and New York driver's license. Stay compliant and protected on the road with the required coverage.

Car shipping companies can travel about 500 miles per day. The trip from Tennessee to New York is about 918 miles, and that’s as fast as about 2 days. However, most car transport companies will take two to seven days to travel from Tennessee to New York.

In Tennessee, vehicles must pass annual safety and emissions inspection. Cost is around $15 and more information can be found at Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security's website.

If your vehicle was registered in another state that issues an inspection sticker, you have one year from the registration date or until the sticker expires to get a New York State vehicle inspection. If the previous inspection was performed in a jurisdiction that does not issue an inspection sticker, you must get a New York State inspection immediately.

New York residents must obtain a state driver license within 30 days of moving to the state.

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

If you bought a vehicle from a NY State dealership or an out-of-state dealership authorized to collect NY State sales tax, bring the dealer's bill of sale that shows NY State sales tax was paid. Also bring the MV-50 form (for NY State dealers only) or the DTF-803 form (for out-of-state dealers). If NY State sales tax was paid to a NY State dealer, the DMV will not collect sales tax or issue a receipt when you apply for vehicle registration.

We recommend that you always check for updated tax information in both Tennessee and New York to avoid any hidden costs.

The cheapest way to ship a car from Tennessee to New York 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 Tennessee to New York costs $838 to $1,325.