Car/Vehicle Shipping Cost from San Francisco, California to San Salvador

You can generally ship passenger cars to El Salvador if they are up to 8 years old, buses up to 10 years old, and trucks up to 15 years old, though newer regulations in 2025 mention 8 years max for light vehicles, 7 years for hybrid/electric, and specifics for heavy vehicles (2010+) with potential duty-free imports for returning families, requiring proper emissions certificates and consulate authentication.

When shipping cars to El Salvador, import authorization permit is essential for the vehicle as well as written approval from the department of environmental affairs. If you are bringing your car to the port, we will provide you with instructions to present them when you arrive.

The cheapest way to ship a car internationally is generally Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO), where cars drive onto and off the ship, costing around $900-$2,500+ depending on destination, as it avoids packaging and crane costs. For more protection, Shared Container shipping (grouping cars) is the next cheapest, while booking through platforms like Shiply or using companies with price matching, like SGT Auto Transport or Sherpa, can also find competitive rates.