Shipping a car to Kauaʻi

Shipping a car from the west coast to Kauaʻi costs a little over $1000 and takes roughly three weeks. Arrangements can be handled via the web and the process is straightforward. If the car must arrive on a specific date that can be arranged for a higher rate.

We were recommended to ship via either Matson or Horizon Lines. The Matson web site is great, providing rates and details (the other web site by contrast I found unhelpful and hard to use) which for this consumer is all I needed to make my choice.

Cars must be clean, in good repair, and have less than 1/4 tank of gas. No personal belongings are allowed in the car at all. As with everything going to Hawaii it must pass agricultural inspection so there should be no mud, leaves, etc. inside or out. Matson car preparation details here. Note that the basic rate may not fully insure the value of your car and your car insurance may not cover shipping, so you may need supplemental coverage to be fully insured against damage or loss (consult your insurance agent and the shipper for details).

You will need to have valid registration of course and the owner must drop off and pick up the car or you will need notarized authorization paperwork for someone else. They also offer to pick up at your home for a considerable additional charge (over $200 for the ten miles from our house to the port) and it adds four business days to the transit time. Matson car delivery details here.

When we made arrangements they were running ships every two weeks so if you can deliver the car just in time for sailing it will speed up the process considerably. When the shipment arrives they contact you to come pick it up.

In Kauaʻi pick up the car at Matson in Nawiliwili, the main port not far from the Lihue airport. The give you a four business days to come get the car after which storage fees will apply. Pickup details for Matson are here. Remember that after arrival you have thirty days to get the vehicle inspected registered with the state of Hawaii (Kauai county DMV office which also issues Hawaii state driver's licenses).