Illinois to Texas Car Shipping

Illinois to Texas car shipping, in Neptune Auto Transport’s records, is mostly a trip to Houston. Almost six in ten cars went to Greater Houston, more than on any other busy Texas-bound lane we track, and a third went to Dallas-Fort Worth. Chicago supplied about a quarter of the pickups, and the south suburbs and Joliet almost as many. If you are moving from Illinois to Texas, the median trip took 2 days once the car was loaded. Nine in ten arrived within 1 to 3 days. To ship a car from IL to TX, start with the tables below.

Where Illinois cars went in Texas

Greater Houston took 58 percent of deliveries: Houston itself, plus Conroe, Rosharon, Katy, Pearland, League City, Spring, Tomball and Pasadena. Dallas-Fort Worth took a third (Irving, McKinney, Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, DeSoto). San Antonio, Austin and Killeen took the few that remained. Going north, Houston supplies about four in ten cars, so the pull toward Houston is stronger on the way south.

Chicago supplied about a quarter of pickups. The south suburbs and Joliet (Matteson, Orland Park, Frankfort, Crest Hill, Chicago Heights, Alsip) supplied almost as many, a much bigger share than they take going the other way. The rest came from the northwest and west suburbs (Schaumburg, Elgin, Oak Park, Huntley), from Naperville, Downers Grove and Plainfield, from Evanston, Des Plaines and Gurnee, from downstate towns between Springfield and Bourbonnais, and from the Illinois side of St. Louis.

How long does it take to ship a car from Illinois to Texas?

The median in our records was 2 days from loading to delivery, and nine in ten cars arrived within 1 to 3 days, the same pace as the trip north. Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth deliveries both ran to 2 days. Cars from Chicago itself to Houston also took 2 days at the median, while cars from the south suburbs and Joliet to Houston ran to 3.

By road, Chicago is about 1,080 miles from Houston and about 930 from Dallas. Pickup on standard service usually comes 2 to 5 business days after you book; ask about expedited auto transport if your date is fixed. The figures describe finished shipments, not a promised delivery date.

Chicago to Houston, Chicago to Dallas and other pairs

• Chicago to Houston. The busiest trip: Chicago and its suburbs to Greater Houston ran a median of 2 days once loaded, over about 1,080 miles.
• Chicago to Dallas. Chicago-area cars to Dallas-Fort Worth, about 930 miles, also ran a 2-day median. Irving and McKinney took the most.
• The south suburbs to Houston. Matteson, Orland Park, Alsip, Thornton and Lynwood to Houston, Pearland, Spring and Rosharon, at a median of 3 days.
• Naperville and DuPage to Dallas-Fort Worth. Naperville, Downers Grove and Plainfield cars went mostly to the Dallas side.
• Downstate Illinois to Texas. Springfield, Bourbonnais, Centralia and Princeton sent cars to both Houston and Dallas.

Most people who ship a car from Chicago to Texas in our records were headed for Houston.

Moving from Illinois to Texas: registering the car

If you are moving from IL to TX, Texas gives new residents 30 days to register the car, and you can drive on your Illinois plates in the meantime. Since January 2025 most passenger cars no longer need a Texas safety inspection. A car registered in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Dallas, Tarrant, Collin or Denton County, which covers most of the Houston and Dallas areas, still needs a passing emissions test first. Register at your county tax office with proof of Texas insurance and your Illinois title or registration. TxDMV’s New to Texas page lists the steps and every emissions county.

Moves on this lane ran from February through August in our records and slowed from November to January, the quietest stretch of the year.

Older cars and pickups heading south

This lane carried older vehicles than most: the typical one was a 2012 model, one of the four oldest mixes among our 50 busiest lanes, and about a third were 2010 models or older. Pickup trucks were nearly one in ten. Shipping an older car or a pickup truck from Illinois to Texas works the same way as any other vehicle, but tell us about a weak battery, a slow leak or brakes that need a firm foot, so the driver can load it safely.

Open or enclosed from Chicago

An open carrier is the usual and least expensive choice for a two-day trip. Enclosed car transport from Chicago to Texas suits a classic, a collector car or a car you would rather keep off salted winter roads before it leaves Illinois, and it needs a few more days of notice. Our Chicago auto transport page covers pickups around the city.

Getting the car ready in Illinois

• Book about 10 days ahead. Half our customers on this lane booked at least 10 days before pickup, which leaves room to choose a date.
• Remove your I-PASS or other toll transponder, so tolls on the way south don’t reach your account.
• Clean out the car and keep any personal items light and below the window line; see what you can pack inside your car.
• Pick a meeting point if you live on a Chicago street with permit parking or a winter parking ban; a nearby lot keeps the handoff simple.
• Photograph the car at pickup and keep the Bill of Lading until it is delivered in Texas.

How we measured it

These shares and times come from Neptune Auto Transport’s records of Illinois to Texas orders placed from September 2022 to June 2026, not counting voided orders. Areas group ZIP codes by their first three digits. Transit is counted from loading to delivery; one record showing delivery on the day of pickup was left out, and the median is 2 days either way. Comparisons with other lanes use our 50 busiest, and percentages are rounded to 100. No order, customer or address is shown, and nothing on this page promises a price or a delivery date.