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Indian Pacific car transport: how to get your car to the other end, and what it costs
Crossing the country on the Indian Pacific and wondering what happens to your car? Here is the short version.
- The train itself. The Indian Pacific is Journey Beyond’s passenger train between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Only Journey Beyond can tell you whether it carries cars on your travel dates. We are a separate company and cannot book your car onto it.
- What we can do. Car Transport Express books your car with a contracted car carrier along the same corridor, between Perth and Adelaide, Sydney or Melbourne. It can be waiting for you whether you arrive by train, plane or road.
- What it costs. Direction matters more than you would expect. Over the past year, customers sending a car from Perth to Adelaide, depot to depot, typically paid $610. Going the other way, they typically paid $1,390.
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Latest prices: the last 90 days
What customers paid on completed depot to depot moves confirmed 27 July to 24 October 2026, GST included. Updated automatically from our booking records. A guide only, not a quote or a price offer.
| Route | Moves | Middle price paid | Most moves paid between |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide to Perth | 15 | $1,540 | $1,230 and $1,940 |
| Perth to Adelaide | 11 | $600 | $510 and $1,110 |
| Sydney to Perth | 18 | $1,990 | $1,810 and $2,400 |
| Perth to Sydney | 17 | $1,590 | $1,380 and $1,800 |
| Melbourne to Perth | 10 | $1,810 | $1,650 and $2,250 |
| Perth to Melbourne | 16 | $1,060 | $900 and $1,490 |
What customers paid on these routes
These are prices customers paid on past moves, not “from” prices. They are a guide to how the routes and directions compare, not a quote or a price offer, and prices change. The price for your car is the one on your quote.
| Route | Service | Moves | Middle price paid | Most moves paid between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
How to read the table
- Data period: completed moves confirmed 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026
- Source: Car Transport Express booking records, completed moves only (not quotes)
- Vehicles: cars, wagons, 4WDs and SUVs that can be driven
- Service: shown separately for depot to depot and for moves with a door pickup or delivery
- GST: included
- Figures: the middle price paid (median) and the range most moves fell within (the middle 80 per cent), rounded to the nearest $10
- Not included: vehicles that cannot be driven, motorbikes, caravans, boats and other vehicle types
Leaving Perth costs less than arriving
On every route in the table, customers moving a car out of Perth paid less than customers moving one into Perth.
The gap was widest between Perth and Adelaide. Depot to depot, Perth to Adelaide was typically under half the Adelaide to Perth price. Perth to Melbourne was typically $1,000 against $1,600 the other way, and Perth to Sydney $1,500 against $1,720.
That pattern can change from month to month, so treat it as a guide and check your quote.
How your car gets there
Your car travels on a car carrier, not on the passenger train. We book a contracted carrier for the long haul between Perth and the eastern capital. If you choose a door service, we also book the pickup and delivery at each end.
The estimated transit window for your car is shown on your quote, in business days.
Taking the train? Line up the two timetables
If you want your car waiting when you step off the Indian Pacific, the order you book things in matters.
- Compare the two timeframes first. Journey Beyond lists the Sydney to Perth crossing at 4 days and 3 nights. Your car’s estimated window is in business days, so weekends and public holidays are not counted.
- Book the car before the train. That way it can be collected before you leave.
- Need the car there before you arrive? Check its estimated delivery window, then choose your train date. Not the other way round.
- Collecting from a depot? Check the depot’s opening hours against your train’s arrival time.
Who does what
- Car Transport Express books and coordinates the move, and is your contact for updates the whole way through. We are not the carrier, and we are not connected with Journey Beyond or the Indian Pacific.
- A contracted carrier physically transports your car and completes the condition reports at collection and delivery.
- If there is damage or a complaint, you come to us, not to the carrier.
If something goes wrong: Transit Protection
Transit Protection is Car Transport Express’ own cover for physical damage caused to your vehicle by us or one of our contracted carriers while it is in our care.
- What it pays. Eligible claims are covered up to $80,000 per vehicle. We will either repair the vehicle or pay its current market value, whichever is the lesser amount.
- What it does not cover. Personal items left in the vehicle, pre-existing damage, underside or concealed areas, mechanical faults, or events outside our reasonable control.
- How to claim. Have the damage recorded on the delivery condition report and tell us in writing within 48 hours.
Transit Protection is not insurance. We hold no Australian Financial Services Licence and cannot arrange insurance for you, so we recommend keeping your own comprehensive policy in place for the move.
Getting your car ready
- Empty it. Our terms do not accept personal effects in the car and they are not covered. The one exception is a properly fitted child restraint seat (not a booster seat).
- Photograph it. Every side, including the roof and wheels, before collection.
- Read the condition report at collection. Make sure existing marks are on it.
- Inspect before you sign at delivery. Have any new damage written on the delivery paperwork.
- Tell us in writing within 48 hours of delivery if anything is wrong.
Questions people ask
Can you take your car on the Indian Pacific?
Only Journey Beyond, which runs the Indian Pacific, can tell you whether cars can travel on your dates. Car Transport Express cannot book it. If you want your car at the other end, we can book it with a car carrier on the same route.
How much does it cost to send a car from Adelaide to Perth?
It depends on your car, your dates and the service you choose, and prices change. As a guide only, across 73 completed depot to depot moves in the year to 31 August 2026, the middle price customers paid was $1,390, and most paid between $1,160 and $1,600. Going the other way, Perth to Adelaide, the middle price paid was $610. Your quote gives the price for your car and dates.
Is depot to depot cheaper than door to door?
On every route in the table, yes. In the year to 31 August 2026, the middle price paid for depot to depot was between $170 and $400 lower than for moves with a door pickup or delivery, depending on the route. This is a guide only, and your quote shows both options for your car.
Can I send my car from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth by train?
Not on the Indian Pacific through us. We book your car with a car carrier on the Sydney to Perth or Melbourne to Perth route. The price and the estimated window, in business days, are on your quote.
Is Car Transport Express part of the Indian Pacific?
No. We are a car transport company that books moves with contracted carriers. The Indian Pacific is operated by Journey Beyond.
Related pages
- Compare car transport by rail and road
- Adelaide and Perth car transport
- Sydney to Perth car transport
- Melbourne to Perth car transport
- Transit Protection in our terms and conditions
- Other questions about collection, delivery and damage
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Reviewed by Sia Bartrum, Car Transport Express. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Sources: Car Transport Express booking records (period as stated above), Car Transport Express terms and conditions, Journey Beyond’s Indian Pacific page.
