Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, shipping a car from the USA to Canada costs approx. $1,500 on an open carrier and approx. $2,250 enclosed (October 2026 quote). Most cross-border lanes run 3-7 days. Canadian duty is 6.1% on non-NAFTA-origin vehicles, plus GST and RIV registration fees.
- Open-carrier transport from the USA to Canada runs approx. $1,500; enclosed runs approx. $2,250 (October 2026) — SUVs, trucks and low-clearance cars price higher than sedans.
- CBP requires your title and export paperwork filed at the border 72 hours before the vehicle crosses; CBSA then collects duty, GST and the RIV fee.
- Canada charges 6.1% duty on vehicles not manufactured in North America, plus 5% GST (more in HST provinces) and a $325 CAD RIV program fee.
- The calculator on this page takes your route, vehicle and service level; a cross-border specialist confirms the exact price, usually the same business day.
Cross-border vehicle moves are a trucking job wrapped in a customs job. The freight price is simple; the paperwork timing is what decides whether your car arrives in 3 days or sits at the border for a week.
Get your instant quote
Enter your pickup ZIP, Canadian destination and vehicle — a cross-border specialist confirms the exact price, usually the same business day.
Go to the calculator →Approximate prices: shipping from the USA to Canada
| Shipment | Price |
|---|---|
| One vehicle on an open carrier | ≈ $1,500 |
| One vehicle on an enclosed carrier | ≈ $2,250 |
| 10 kg courier box | $1051 day |
Prices without ≈ were quoted by our system on October 4, 2026. ≈ Published market freight (ConsumerAffairs / A1 Auto Transport (cars) and NFFI / ExFreight (cross-border full truckload), 2026), turned into each service with what it adds on our own lanes; excludes origin and destination charges. The calculator on this page takes your shipment and confirms the exact price.
How much does it cost to ship a car to Canada from the USA?
Quick Answer: Shipping one vehicle from the USA to Canada costs approx. $1,500 on an open carrier and approx. $2,250 on an enclosed carrier (October 2026). Price moves with origin state, vehicle size, running condition and season. Duties, GST and RIV fees are separate and paid to Canadian authorities, not to the carrier.
Those two numbers are the same ones shown in the price card on this page. They cover door-to-door truck transport for a standard running passenger vehicle on a typical lane.
Vehicle size moves the number first. Carriers sell deck space by length and weight, not by unit. A full-size SUV or a crew-cab pickup eats the space of roughly a sedan and a half, so the cost to ship an SUV to Canada sits above a sedan rate on the same route.
Distance and deadhead move it second. Short hops like Seattle→Vancouver or Detroit→Windsor price under long hauls like Los Angeles→Vancouver or Miami→Toronto. Long lanes also carry empty-return risk for the carrier, and that risk lands in your rate.
Typical door-to-door window for a cross-border truck move from the USA to Canada. Seattle→Vancouver can clear in 1-2 days; Miami→Toronto usually needs 6-8.
- Non-running vehicles need a winch truck — expect a surcharge and a longer pickup window
- Lowered, modified or low-clearance cars require ramps or a lift gate, which narrows the carrier pool
- Roof boxes, racks and oversized tires add measured height and can bump you into a higher band
- Duty, GST/HST and RIV fees are government charges, never part of the freight quote
Readers weighing other destinations often compare the Canadian lane against southbound routes. Our Car Shipping to Costa Rica Calculator: 2026 Rates breaks down an ocean lane for the same kind of shipper, so you can see where a truck move and a RoRo move diverge on both cost and timing.
Get your instant quote
Open or enclosed, sedan or SUV — see your working estimate in seconds, no email required.
Go to the calculator →How does the car shipping calculator for Canada work?
Quick Answer: The calculator on this page takes your pickup ZIP code, Canadian delivery city, vehicle year, make, model and service level. It returns a working estimate in seconds. Because cross-border moves carry customs steps, a specialist confirms the final price — usually the same business day, with no obligation.
The whole entry takes about two minutes. You are not filling out a lead form — you are feeding a pricing engine that already knows the lane.
- Enter your origin ZIP code and the Canadian delivery city or province.
- Select the vehicle year, make and model so the system reads real length and curb weight.
- Mark the vehicle as running or non-running — this changes the equipment and the price.
- Choose open deck or enclosed service.
- Add the VIN, which CBP's 72-hour export filing requires anyway.
Adding the VIN early saves a day. CBP will not accept the export filing without it, and our operations desk attaches it to the quote notes so the border file starts immediately after booking.
Pro Tip
Quote your flexible pickup window as a three-day range rather than a single date. Carriers running the Buffalo, Detroit and Blaine crossings fill decks by route, not by date, and a three-day window typically shaves real money off a cross-border rate.
There is no email wall, no signup and no follow-up call campaign. If a classic, modified or low-clearance vehicle is involved, select enclosed — our Classic Car Shipping Calculator: 2026 Instant Quotes explains why collector cars price differently from daily drivers.
What documents do CBP and CBSA require to ship a car to Canada?
Quick Answer: CBP requires the original title or certified copy plus an AES/EEI export filing submitted at least 72 hours before the vehicle reaches the border. CBSA then requires Form 1 (Vehicle Import Form), proof of ownership, a bill of sale and a recall clearance letter from the manufacturer before releasing the car.
Export side first. Per 19 CFR 192.2, the original Certificate of Title or a certified copy must be presented to CBP at the port of export, together with the AES/EEI filing containing the VIN. Plain photocopies are refused.
- Original Certificate of Title or certified copy — photocopies alone are refused at the export port
- AES/EEI export filing with the VIN, submitted 72 hours before the vehicle reaches the border
- Bill of sale showing the purchase price in USD
- Lienholder release letter if the title names a lender
- Manufacturer recall clearance letter addressed to the RIV program
- CBSA Vehicle Import Form 1, completed at the port of entry
Import side next. CBSA processes Form 1 at the crossing, collects duty and GST, then hands the file to the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. You have 45 days to complete the federal RIV inspection and any required modifications, such as daytime running lights or a metric cluster.
The lienholder letter is the #1 delay
If your title shows a lender — even a loan you paid off years ago but never cleared from the title — CBP will stop the export. The lender's original release letter on company letterhead must travel with the title. Requesting it can take two weeks, so start before you book transport.
Transport Canada will not allow registration without the recall clearance letter from the manufacturer. Request it from the automaker's Canadian customer service line, not the US line, and quote the VIN.
One common mix-up: CBP Form 3299 covers household goods and personal effects moving with you. It does not cover the vehicle itself. The car has its own export and import track.
What taxes and duties does Canada charge on an imported car?
Quick Answer: Canada charges 6.1% duty on passenger vehicles not manufactured in North America, 5% GST federally, and provincial sales tax on registration. The RIV program fee is $325 CAD. An air-conditioning excise tax of $100 CAD applies to most vehicles, and a Green Levy hits high-consumption models.
Origin decides the duty. Vehicles built in the USA, Canada or Mexico enter duty-free under USMCA with proof of origin. Everything else — a Japanese-built SUV, a German sedan, a Korean hatchback — pays 6.1%.
Canadian import charges on a $20,000 USD vehicle
See the data
| Charge | Rate | Amount on $20,000 USD |
|---|---|---|
| Duty (non-North-American build) | 6.1% | $1,220 |
| GST (federal) | 5% | $1,061 |
| RIV program fee | Flat | $325 CAD |
| Air-conditioning excise tax | Flat | $100 CAD |
| Green Levy (over 13 L/100 km) | Tiered | $1,000–$4,000 CAD |
Source: CBSA Memorandum D19-12-1, Transport Canada RIV program schedule · October 2026
Here is the math behind the GST line. Duty is calculated on the value for duty, which is your declared purchase price. GST is then charged on the duty-paid value: $20,000 + $1,220 = $21,220, times 5% = $1,061.
GST provinces
Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec collect only the 5% federal GST at the border. Provincial sales tax, where it applies, is collected later when you register the vehicle at the provincial office.
HST provinces
Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and PEI use a harmonized tax. CBSA still takes 5% at the crossing; the provincial portion is collected at registration, which can push your total tax past 13%.
The Green Levy catches thrifty-looking imports more often than people expect. Any vehicle rated above 13 L/100 km combined pays $1,000 to $4,000 CAD depending on the rating band. Large V8 SUVs and performance cars are the usual targets.
We move the freight, not the tax filing. For a binding duty classification or a USMCA origin ruling, speak with a licensed Canadian customs broker.
Get your instant quote
Freight only — duties, GST and RIV fees go to Canadian authorities separately.
Go to the calculator →Open carrier, enclosed or container: which is right for your vehicle?
Quick Answer: Open carrier at approx. $1,500 suits daily drivers and most SUVs. Enclosed at approx. $2,250 protects classics, exotics and new vehicles from road salt and debris. Container or RoRo only makes sense when the car continues overseas from a Canadian port, not for a straight cross-border truck move.
Open carrier — approx. $1,500
The widest carrier network and the fastest pickup windows. Most cross-border lanes run 3-7 days. Your car rides exposed, the same way new cars reach dealerships. Right choice for daily drivers, leases, family SUVs and anything you would park outdoors anyway.
Enclosed carrier — approx. $2,250
Pay the difference for three real reasons: winter road salt on I-94 and I-90, stone chips on long hauls, and low ground clearance that open ramps cannot handle. Standard for classics, exotics, show cars and factory-fresh deliveries.
SeattleWA
VancouverBC
MiamiFL
TorontoON
Los AngelesCA
MontrealQC
Shipping a motorcycle to Canada
Motorcycles ride crated or strapped on an enclosed deck with a chock system. Pricing sits below a car, but it depends on whether you supply the crate. Bikes frequently share a trailer with a car on the same booking, which is the cheapest way to move both.
Canadian import rules apply to motorcycles the same way. RIV registration, Form 1 and the recall clearance letter are all required.
What about RVs, trucks and heavy equipment?
RVs, motorhomes, semi-trucks and heavy machinery do not fit in a container. They move by flat rack or RoRo vessel when ocean transport is involved, or by lowboy trailer across the border. A specialist quotes them after the calculator takes your request — there is no automated price for this equipment.
Book around the peaks
Snowbird and summer peaks — April-May northbound and September-October southbound — tighten carrier capacity hard on the Canadian corridor. Book 2-3 weeks ahead during those windows or expect pickup delays of several days.
Container and RoRo only enter the picture when the car continues overseas from Halifax, Montreal or Vancouver. For shippers comparing southbound ocean lanes instead, see our Car Shipping to Panama Calculator: Instant Quotes 2026, the Car Shipping to Honduras Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026), and the Car Shipping Calculator: Miami to Colombia Rates & Costs 2026.
Get your instant quote
Open, enclosed or oversized — the calculator takes the request and a specialist confirms the exact price.
Go to the calculator →Start your Canada vehicle shipment today
Quick Answer: Enter your pickup ZIP, Canadian destination, vehicle details and service level in the calculator on this page. You get a working estimate in seconds. A cross-border specialist confirms the exact price, usually the same business day, and files the CBP export paperwork for you.
Two things decide how smoothly this goes: clean title paperwork and a realistic pickup window. Get both right and a US-to-Canada move is one of the easiest international vehicle shipments there is.
- Pull your original title and confirm no lien is listed on it
- Request the manufacturer recall clearance letter using your VIN
- Run your route and vehicle through the calculator on this page
- Book at least 72 hours before your target border crossing date
Use the calculator on this page to price your exact lane — Seattle to Vancouver, Detroit to Toronto, Los Angeles to Calgary or anywhere in between. No email required, no signup, no follow-up call campaign. A cross-border specialist takes it from there and handles the AES/EEI filing with CBP.
Ship your car with AB Group Shipping
Explore our overseas car shipping services: RoRo, container or air from any US port, with your rate in 60 seconds.
Yes, but the vehicle must be admissible under Transport Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles program and carry a manufacturer recall clearance letter. Most US-market cars under 15 years old qualify; a few models are listed as inadmissible. Check the RIV admissibility list before you book transport.
Most cross-border truck moves run 3-7 days door to door, depending on distance and border crossing. Seattle to Vancouver can clear in 1-2 days, while Miami to Toronto typically needs 6-8. Border processing adds time if the 72-hour CBP export filing was not submitted correctly.
It depends on where the vehicle was manufactured. Vehicles built in the USA, Canada or Mexico enter duty-free under USMCA with proof of origin; vehicles built elsewhere pay 6.1% duty. GST of 5% applies either way, plus the $325 CAD RIV fee and a $100 CAD air-conditioning excise tax.
SUVs cost more than sedans because carriers sell deck space by length and weight. Full-size SUVs and pickups typically add a few hundred dollars over a mid-size sedan on the same lane. Enter your exact year, make and model in the calculator on this page to see your figure.
Yes. Motorcycles ship crated or strapped on an enclosed deck, and they often ride alongside a car on the same trailer. Pricing is lower than a car but depends on whether you supply a crate. Canadian import rules and RIV requirements apply to motorcycles too.