Licensed & bonded brokerFMCSA MC-1496533USDOT 3990000
Mon–Sat 9am–7pm ET$0 upfrontCancel free before dispatch
State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from New Mexico, why Albuquerque and Las Cruces are easy and Taos is not, and what the MVD asks for once the car arrives.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
Prefer a human? Call (917) 594-5566. A coordinator answers.
The short answer
In October 2026 a running sedan on an open carrier costs about $520 from Denver to Albuquerque, $650 from Dallas to Las Cruces, $760 from Los Angeles to Las Cruces, and $1,475 from New York to Albuquerque. Leaving costs about $550 from Albuquerque to Houston and $725 to Los Angeles. Winter closures on I-25 and I-40 add days.
Leaving New Mexico costs less on 3 of the 6 pairs priced this month. Carriers price the empty miles home, so the busier direction costs more. Each pair below is the same out-of-state city in both directions, running sedan, open carrier.
Denver
Dallas
Los Angeles
Houston
Chicago
New York
What it costs
A car hauler crossing New Mexico is usually on its way somewhere else. I-40 runs from Amarillo through Albuquerque and Gallup toward Flagstaff and Southern California. I-10 cuts across the southwest corner from El Paso through Las Cruces, Deming, and Lordsburg to Tucson. I-25 ties them together from Las Cruces north through Albuquerque and Santa Fe to Raton and Denver. Albuquerque sits where I-25 and I-40 cross and Las Cruces where I-25 meets I-10, so both cities see plenty of trucks and fill quickly.
Our October 2026 lanes for New Mexico start and end at those two cities, quoted for a running sedan on an open carrier. Prices are low on the regional runs. Denver to Albuquerque came in around $520 and Albuquerque to Houston around $550. The long eastbound lanes cost more. Las Cruces to New York was about $1,945, against $1,475 for New York to Albuquerque. Anything away from the interstates, including Taos, Los Alamos, Ruidoso, Farmington, and the oil towns in the southeast, waits longer for a truck or meets one on the corridor.
These are October 2026 figures for the state. Your exact lane, vehicle, and week take about 30 seconds.
See my exact priceLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Approximate prices, October 2026 · open carrier · running sedan · 12 New Mexico lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the New Mexico lanes we priced in October 2026. Albuquerque and Las Cruces sit on two interstates each and price at the low end; mountain towns and the far corners of the state wait longer for a truck. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds.
What moves the number
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier. Larger vehicles, enclosed trailers, and peak weeks cost more; the calculator prices your exact shipment.
Lanes · October 2026
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, with the range most trucks on the lane land in. “Truck assigned in” is how long it usually takes to find a carrier. Transit is what one driver covers at 400 to 500 miles a day after that.
$1,475most trucks $1,200–$1,745
2,017 mi5–6 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1 hour
Carriers either run I-81 and I-40 or come west through St. Louis on I-44 to join I-40 at Oklahoma City, about 2,017 miles. The lane priced about $1,475 in October, well under the $1,945 for Las Cruces to New York.
Price this route$650most trucks $550–$745
682 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–17 hours
The road is I-20 west across Texas to I-10 near Kent, then through El Paso to Las Cruces, about 682 miles. It priced about $650 in October, most trucks between $550 and $745, and takes about two days on the truck.
Price this route$520most trucks $375–$665
448 mi1–2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–20 hours
Carriers follow I-25 south through Colorado Springs and Pueblo and over Raton Pass, a 448-mile run. It priced about $520 in October, against about $695 for Las Cruces to Denver, and snow on the pass is the main winter delay.
Price this route$760most trucks $540–$980
762 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 hours
Drivers take I-10 east through Phoenix and Tucson, about 762 miles. October's price was about $760, with a wide band of $540 to $980, close to the $725 for Albuquerque to Los Angeles.
Price this route$550most trucks $470–$630
888 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 days
The usual route runs I-40 east to Amarillo, US-287 down to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and I-45 to Houston, about 888 miles. Carriers heading home to Texas want the load, so it priced about $550 in October, below the $635 for Houston to Las Cruces.
Price this route$1,945most trucks $1,895–$1,990
2,227 mi5–6 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
Carriers head north on I-25 to Albuquerque and then east on I-40, about 2,227 miles. The lane priced about $1,945 in October, the highest New Mexico figure on this page, with a tight band of $1,895 to $1,990.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO → Albuquerque, NM | 448 | $520 | $375–$665 | 1–20 hours | 1–2 days | 448 mi · 1–2 days · truck in 1–20 hours |
| Dallas, TX → Las Cruces, NM | 682 | $650 | $550–$745 | 1–17 hours | 2 days | 682 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA → Las Cruces, NM | 762 | $760 | $540–$980 | 1–5 hours | 2 days | 762 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–5 hours |
| Houston, TX → Las Cruces, NM | 786 | $635 | $555–$715 | 1–22 hours | 2 days | 786 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–22 hours |
| Chicago, IL → Albuquerque, NM | 1,337 | $1,170 | $1,020–$1,320 | 1–5 days | 3–4 days | 1,337 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| New York, NY → Albuquerque, NM | 2,017 | $1,475 | $1,200–$1,745 | 1 hour | 5–6 days | 2,017 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM → Dallas, TX | 648 | $600 | $500–$700 | 1–4 days | 2 days | 648 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Las Cruces, NM → Denver, CO | 672 | $695 | $430–$960 | 1–3 days | 2 days | 672 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Albuquerque, NM → Los Angeles, CA | 789 | $725 | $600–$855 | 1–4 hours | 2 days | 789 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–4 hours |
| Albuquerque, NM → Houston, TX | 888 | $550 | $470–$630 | 1–5 days | 2–3 days | 888 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Las Cruces, NM → Chicago, IL | 1,448 | $1,215 | $1,000–$1,430 | 1–3 hours | 3–4 days | 1,448 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Las Cruces, NM → New York, NY | 2,227 | $1,945 | $1,895–$1,990 | 1–2 days | 5–6 days | 2,227 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1–2 days |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in New Mexico prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in New Mexico the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Albuquerque is where I-25 meets I-40 at the Big I interchange, and carriers on both interstates pass through every day. Kirtland Air Force Base and UNM drive the summer and August moves, and the Balloon Fiesta crowds the north side in early October. That month Denver to Albuquerque priced about $520 and New York to Albuquerque about $1,475.
Las Cruces is where I-25 ends at I-10, about 45 miles from El Paso, with New Mexico State University on the south side of town and many White Sands Missile Range staff living nearby. Dallas to Las Cruces priced about $650 in October, Los Angeles to Las Cruces about $760, and Las Cruces to New York about $1,945.
Santa Fe's south side, along Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive near I-25, gets door pickups. Around the Plaza the streets narrow and adobe walls crowd the curb, so a driver will load at a Cerrillos Road lot instead. The opera season and Indian Market pack the city in July and August, which makes those weeks slower to schedule.
Price a pickup in Santa FeRio Rancho spreads across the mesa northwest of Albuquerque, reached from I-25 on US-550 or NM-528, and is home to Intel's chip plant. It sits in Sandoval County, so a car registered here skips the emissions test that Albuquerque requires. The wide streets in its newer subdivisions suit a full-size carrier.
Price a pickup in Rio RanchoFarmington is the trade center of the Four Corners, about 180 miles northwest of Albuquerque on US-550, and oil and gas work in the San Juan Basin moves people in and out. The closest interstate is I-40 at Gallup, roughly two hours south on US-491. Expect extra days for a carrier, or meet one in Albuquerque.
Price a pickup in FarmingtonAlamogordo sits at the foot of the Sacramento Mountains, about 70 miles from Las Cruces on US-70 over San Agustin Pass, with Holloman Air Force Base just west of town. White Sands National Park lies between the two. Most Holloman families hand the car off in Las Cruces, or wait a few extra days for a truck heading their way.
Price a pickup in AlamogordoClovis sits on the Texas line near Cannon Air Force Base, about 100 miles southwest of Amarillo on US-60. Carriers on I-40 detour here mostly for base moves, which peak in summer. When a door pickup would take too long to assign, Amarillo is the usual place to meet the driver.
Price a pickup in ClovisHobbs is an oil town in the Permian Basin, a few miles from the Texas line and roughly 100 miles from I-20 at Midland-Odessa. Drilling crews and contractors rotate in and out as the rig count rises and falls. Plan on a longer wait for a carrier, or meet one in Midland or Odessa.
Price a pickup in HobbsFour military installations bring a steady stream of PCS moves. Kirtland Air Force Base is inside Albuquerque, on the main truck routes. Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo and White Sands Missile Range sit in the Tularosa Basin east of Las Cruces, and Cannon Air Force Base is outside Clovis near the Texas line. Fort Bliss is across the state line in El Paso, about 45 miles from Las Cruces. A car going to Kirtland is an ordinary Albuquerque delivery, and White Sands' main post is a short run east of Las Cruces on US-70. Holloman and Cannon sit 60 to 90 miles from the nearest interstate, so a car going there either waits for a truck heading that way or meets the driver in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, or Amarillo. Most of these moves happen in summer.
The rest of the inbound traffic is relocations and cars bought elsewhere. Texas is the closest big source, with Dallas to Las Cruces at about $650 this month and Houston to Las Cruces about $635. From the west, Los Angeles to Las Cruces came in near $760, and from the north Denver to Albuquerque about $520. Chicago to Albuquerque was about $1,170 and New York to Albuquerque about $1,475. Students arrive in August at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico State in Las Cruces, and New Mexico Tech in Socorro, which sits right on I-25.
Outbound prices depend heavily on direction. Trucks that delivered into Texas or came across from California want a load going back, so Albuquerque to Houston was about $550, Albuquerque to Dallas about $600, and Albuquerque to Los Angeles about $725. North and east cost more. Las Cruces to Denver came in around $695, Las Cruces to Chicago about $1,215, and Las Cruces to New York about $1,945, with an unusually narrow band of $1,895 to $1,990 on that last lane.
Dealers trade cars through Albuquerque all year. Manheim New Mexico runs its sales on Broadway Boulevard SE in Albuquerque, and out-of-state buyers ship from there along I-25 and I-40 like everyone else. If you are selling a car to someone in another state or moving it for a job, an Albuquerque or Las Cruces address is the easy case. From Santa Fe's historic center, the Taos valley, or Los Alamos up on its mesa, plan to drive the car to a meet-up lot on I-25.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the New Mexico addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
On the interstates, coverage is good. Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Belen, Socorro, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe's south side are on I-25. Gallup, Grants, Santa Rosa, and Tucumcari are on I-40, and Deming and Lordsburg are on I-10. Raton sits at the top of I-25 below the pass into Colorado. Those towns get door pickups or a meet-up within a few minutes of the exit, and they price close to the lane averages on this page.
Off the interstates, New Mexico is big and empty, and a 75-foot carrier rarely goes there without a reason. Taos is about 70 miles north of Santa Fe on two-lane highways. Farmington and the Four Corners are around three hours northwest of Albuquerque on US-550. Ruidoso and Cloudcroft are mountain towns with steep grades. Roswell, Carlsbad, and Hobbs in the southeast are hours from any interstate, and Carlsbad and Hobbs are oil field towns in the Permian Basin. A pickup in any of these either waits for a carrier heading that way or meets one on the nearest interstate. Your coordinator tells you which before you book.
New Mexico's elevation brings real winter to its interstates. Raton Pass on I-25 climbs to about 7,800 feet at the Colorado line, and I-40 east of Albuquerque, through Tijeras Canyon and past Clines Corners, closes in heavy snow. I-40 west near Gallup gets the same storms. When the state closes a road, the carrier waits it out, your coordinator texts a new window, and the quoted price does not change. Most delays last a day.
Spring brings wind. From March into May, blowing dust can shut I-10 near Lordsburg when visibility drops close to zero, and car haulers stop with everyone else. Then the monsoon arrives in July and runs into September, with afternoon storms that flood arroyos and low crossings across the state. Neither season adds cost, but both can move a pickup by a day.
Your coordinator confirms the pickup window by text the day before.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the New Mexico lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
New Mexico rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division is the source, and the one to check before you register; call ahead to confirm your field office does VIN inspections.
Questions
In October 2026, Denver to Albuquerque runs about $520 for a running sedan on an open carrier, Chicago to Albuquerque about $1,170, and New York to Albuquerque about $1,475, most trucks on that last lane between $1,200 and $1,745. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds and the figure holds for 14 days in writing.
Albuquerque to Houston was about $550 in October 2026 and Albuquerque to Dallas about $600, for a running sedan on an open carrier. Trucks heading home to Texas look for a load in Albuquerque, which keeps these lanes low. Coming the other way, Dallas to Las Cruces was about $650 and Houston to Las Cruces about $635.
Fewer trucks run full from the Southwest to the Northeast than the other way, so carriers charge more to fill the deck. In October 2026, Las Cruces to New York was about $1,945 for a running sedan on an open carrier, against about $1,475 for New York to Albuquerque. The calculator shows the exact figure for your ZIP pair.
Yes, for any vehicle coming from another state. An MVD agent or a certified VIN inspector at a partner office does it, but not every field office offers VIN inspections and some need an appointment, so call first. If you live in Bernalillo County you also need an emissions test. New residents have 30 days to register and need New Mexico insurance first.
Santa Fe's south side is on I-25 and usually gets a door pickup. The historic center has narrow streets, Taos and Los Alamos are up two-lane mountain highways, and few trucks head that way. Most people meet the driver at a lot near I-25 in Santa Fe or Albuquerque. The lot is chosen with your coordinator ahead of booking.
Carriers cover about 400 to 500 miles a day once loaded. Denver to Albuquerque takes a day or two, Dallas or Los Angeles to Las Cruces about two, Chicago to Albuquerque three to four, and New York to Albuquerque five to six. Winter closures on I-25 and I-40, or a dust closure on I-10, usually add a day.
Both bases are well off the interstates, Holloman near Alamogordo and Cannon near Clovis, so the car either waits for a carrier going that way or meets the driver in a city on the corridor, such as Las Cruces for Holloman or Amarillo for Cannon. Tell your coordinator when you report and when the car can leave, and the delivery plan is fixed before you book.
The data
The numbers are rebuilt from our own pricing each month and published with the page, so the dates above are the real ones.
Other state guides
or call (917) 594-5566. A person answers.
