September 2026 rate update: Matson’s published starting price for shipping a standard vehicle from the U.S. Mainland to Hawaii is now $1,790, up from the Q1 2026 base rates shown in the table below. Both carriers update fuel surcharges monthly. Get quotes from Matson and Pasha Hawaii directly before booking — the cheaper carrier varies by route and week.
Relocating households moving to Hawaii face an early, expensive question: ship the car or sell it on the mainland and buy local? With used vehicle prices running well above national averages on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, shipping the family sedan often pencils out — but the math depends on the carrier, the origin port, and how the household handles drop-off and pickup.
Two carriers handle nearly all passenger-vehicle traffic between the West Coast and Hawaii: Matson and Pasha Hawaii. Both run roll-on/roll-off service from multiple mainland ports to Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, and Nawiliwili. Rates, schedules, and prep rules differ in ways that can swing the final bill by hundreds of dollars and the timeline by a full week.
This side-by-side breaks down published rates, typical transit windows, booking lead times, and the documents and prep that shippers require. It also weighs shipping against the alternative most newcomers consider: selling the mainland vehicle and buying replacement transportation after arrival, where Hawaii’s island economics often produce sticker shock. For the full shipping process, complete 2026 cost breakdown, and a step-by-step shipping checklist, see our complete guide to shipping a car to Hawaii.
The two carriers and where they sail from
Matson operates from three primary West Coast auto terminals: Oakland, Long Beach, and Seattle. Vehicles sail to Honolulu first, with onward inter-island barge service to Kahului on Maui, Hilo on the Big Island, and Nawiliwili on Kauai. Drop-off happens at the auto receiving lot, which is separate from Matson’s container terminal.
Pasha Hawaii runs from San Diego, Long Beach, and Oakland, with a Tacoma option for Pacific Northwest customers. Pasha sails direct to Honolulu and Kahului on most routes, which can shave one to three days off the inter-island leg compared with routing through Oahu. For households moving directly to Maui, that direct service is often the single biggest factor in choosing between the two.
Both carriers publish standard rates that vary by origin port and destination island. Long Beach to Honolulu is the cheapest mainline lane on either carrier. Seattle and Tacoma sailings carry a premium because of less frequent service, and any leg routed through a neighbor-island barge adds both cost and a few days of transit.
Cost comparison: what a standard sedan actually costs
Published rates for a standard four-door sedan from West Coast ports to Honolulu have risen through 2026. Matson’s stated starting price as of September 2026 is $1,790; current all-route ranges run approximately $1,790–$2,400 before surcharges, port fees, and the Hawaii general excise tax of 4.712 percent that applies on Oahu. Full-size SUVs, crew-cab pickups, and lifted vehicles run $300 to $700 more, sometimes considerably more if oversized.
| Route | Carrier | Sedan base rate | Sail days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach → Honolulu | Matson | $1,425 | 4–5 |
| Long Beach → Honolulu | Pasha | $1,475 | 4–5 |
| Oakland → Honolulu | Matson | $1,650 | 5 |
| Oakland → Honolulu | Pasha | $1,725 | 5 |
| Seattle → Honolulu | Matson | $1,975 | 6–7 |
| Tacoma → Honolulu | Pasha | $2,050 | 6–7 |
| Long Beach → Kahului (direct) | Pasha | $1,650 | 5–6 |
| Long Beach → Hilo (via Honolulu) | Matson | $1,750 | 8–10 |
Those headline numbers are starting points, not totals. Add a fuel-related surcharge that has run 7 to 12 percent in recent quarters, plus port handling charges of $35 to $150 depending on terminal. Households shipping to Hilo, Kahului, or Nawiliwili pay an inter-island barge fee that typically lands in the $250 to $400 range when routed through Honolulu.
Matson and Pasha Hawaii both publish current auto rates and surcharge schedules on their websites, and both update fuel components monthly. Pricing engines on either site will quote a binding all-in figure once VIN, year, model, and origin terminal are entered. Households should request quotes from both before booking — the cheaper carrier varies week to week.
Compare quotes for shipping to Hawaiʻi.
Ocean freight to the islands is priced by the cubic foot and varies wildly by route. Tell us about your move and we’ll come back with the shipping options and quotes that apply to yours. Free, and no obligation.
Transit times and booking lead times
Pure ocean transit between the West Coast and Honolulu runs four to seven days depending on origin port. That is the sail time only. The real timeline a household needs to plan against is door-out to drive-away, which adds receiving cutoffs at the origin port, customs and agricultural inspection on arrival, and pickup processing in Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, or Nawiliwili.
A realistic full timeline from drop-off in Long Beach to driving off the lot in Honolulu is 10 to 14 days. Drop-offs in Oakland or Seattle add two to four days. Neighbor-island deliveries that route through Honolulu add another three to five days for barge transfer, plus an additional Hawaii Department of Agriculture inspection at the receiving port.
Booking lead time matters more than many newcomers expect. Sailings book up four to eight weeks ahead during peak relocation months — May through August and again in December. Households trying to align a vehicle drop-off with their own flight date should reserve a slot two months in advance, especially when the destination is Maui or Kauai, where weekly sailings are thinner than Honolulu service.
Drop-off, pickup, and vehicle prep
Both carriers require the vehicle delivered with no more than a quarter tank of fuel. This is a hard rule enforced by Coast Guard regulation on hazardous cargo, and lots will refuse to receive overfilled vehicles or drain fuel at the owner’s expense. Plan the final fill-up on the drive to the terminal so the gauge reads a quarter or less when handed over.
Personal items inside the vehicle are restricted on both lines. Pasha generally bars personal items entirely. Matson allows a limited amount of soft goods — clothing, bedding, light boxed items — up to roughly 100 pounds in the trunk only, with no electronics, no firearms, no hazardous materials, and no food. Any household tempted to fill the back seat for free shipping should expect refusal at intake.
Required paperwork is straightforward but unforgiving when missing. Drop-off requires:
- Original vehicle title, or lienholder’s notarized authorization letter
- Current registration matching the named owner
- Government-issued photo ID
- Booking confirmation with carrier reference number
- Two sets of keys, one surrendered at drop-off
On arrival, the receiving port runs a quick mechanical inspection and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture inspects the undercarriage for soil, seeds, and invasive species. Vehicles arriving caked in mainland mud get held until cleaned. A thorough wash before drop-off — engine bay, wheel wells, undercarriage — heads off delays at pickup.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Branch publishes the specific inspection rules. Vehicles registered out of state also need to be registered in Hawaii within 30 days of arrival, with a county safety inspection, proof of Hawaii insurance, and payment of the annual vehicle weight tax. The Hawaii Department of Transportation handles the licensing side of that process.
When shipping beats selling and rebuying
The decision usually comes down to vehicle value, vehicle condition, and how long the household plans to stay. A late-model paid-off car with low miles is almost always cheaper to ship than to replace. A high-mileage vehicle near the end of its useful life is often a sell-it-and-buy-local candidate, especially if it would not pass Hawaii’s annual safety inspection without repairs.
Used car pricing in Hawaii runs well above national averages. A three-year-old midsize SUV that books at $24,000 in a mainland market frequently lists for $27,000 to $30,000 on Oahu, with smaller selection and longer time on the lot. According to Census QuickFacts for Hawaii, the state’s median household income trails the cost of living, and the Honolulu CPI release shows transportation as a chronic cost pressure.
The simple break-even calculation: if shipping plus arrival registration costs less than the gap between selling the mainland car and buying a comparable Hawaii replacement, shipping wins. For a $20,000 mainland sedan that would resell for $19,000 on the mainland and replace at $23,500 locally, the $4,500 island premium more than absorbs an all-in shipping cost near $2,400.
Other costs belong in the math:
- One-way airfare for whoever drops off the car if origin is not home
- Hawaii general excise tax of 4.712 percent on Oahu shipping charges
- County vehicle weight tax, typically $50 to $300 per year
- Safety inspection sticker at $25 or so, repeated annually
- Two to three weeks of rental car coverage while the ship is at sea
The Hawaii Department of Taxation details GET application and the county weight tax, both of which a relocating owner pays on top of the shipping invoice. Rental car bridge coverage in Hawaii now runs $55 to $95 per day at major airports, so every day shaved off the transit timeline directly saves real money.
Choosing between Matson and Pasha
Once routing and destination are fixed, the carrier choice often comes down to schedule fit and direct-versus-transshipment service. Pasha’s direct-to-Kahului and direct-to-Hilo runs avoid the Honolulu transfer entirely, which matters for Maui and Big Island arrivals. Matson’s sailing frequency from Oakland and Long Beach is harder to beat for households whose move date is fixed and inflexible.
Service quality reports are broadly comparable. Both carriers handle tens of thousands of vehicles per year on the lane, and both carry cargo insurance. Damage claims happen on either line but at rates similar to mainland-to-mainland transporters. Photographing the vehicle from all four corners and the roof at drop-off is the single most useful claim-protection step a shipper can take.
Final advice: get two quotes for the exact vehicle, exact origin, and exact arrival window. Verify whether the destination island has direct service or requires barge transfer. Reserve early. Photograph everything. Budget an honest two-week window from drop-off in California or Washington to the moment the keys come back on Oahu, with longer windows for Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to ship a car to Hawaii or buy one there?
For a vehicle worth $15,000 or more in good condition, shipping is usually cheaper than buying a comparable replacement in Hawaii, where used prices typically run 10 to 20 percent above mainland averages. Total shipping costs of $1,800 to $2,800 generally beat the $3,000 to $5,000 markup on equivalent local inventory, especially for popular models with thin Hawaii supply.
How long does it take to ship a car from California to Honolulu?
Plan on 10 to 14 days from drop-off at a Long Beach or Oakland terminal to drive-away in Honolulu. Pure ocean transit runs four to five days. The remainder is receiving cutoffs, port handling, agricultural inspection on arrival, and pickup processing. Shipping to Kahului, Hilo, or Nawiliwili through Honolulu adds three to five more days for the barge transfer.
Can personal belongings be packed inside the car?
Matson permits up to about 100 pounds of soft goods in the trunk only — clothing, bedding, light boxed items — with strict bans on electronics, firearms, food, and anything hazardous. Pasha generally prohibits personal items entirely. Any household relying on the vehicle as a free moving container risks refusal at intake or extra unloading fees at the terminal.
How far in advance should a sailing be booked?
Reserve four to eight weeks ahead for routine moves, and up to two months ahead for sailings between May and August or in December. Maui and Kauai routes book up faster than Honolulu service because frequency is lower. A confirmed reservation pins the receiving date at the origin terminal, which matters when coordinating with movers, flights, and lease end dates.
Does the car need to be registered in Hawaii after shipping?
Yes. Vehicles registered out of state must be registered in Hawaii within 30 days of arrival. The process requires a county safety inspection, proof of Hawaii insurance, payment of the annual vehicle weight tax, title transfer paperwork, and a one-time use tax in some cases. Each county runs its own DMV; Honolulu, Hawaii County, Maui, and Kauai handle their own walk-in registration.