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Sizes and capacity

Can a car fit in a shipping container?

Updated August 23, 2026 · Answered by Containers Delivered, Woodlawn VA
The short answer

Usually, yes, in a standard 20 or 40 ft container, but it depends on your car and your box. Most sedans and midsize trucks clear the roughly 7 foot 8 inch door opening with room on either side. Oversized trucks and lifted vehicles need checking first. Measure your vehicle against the numbers stencilled on the door before you commit.

It depends on the car and the box

There is no single yes or no that covers every car and every container, because two things are doing the deciding: the vehicle you are trying to store and the individual box you end up with. A compact sedan and a lifted dually are not the same question, and neither are two containers off the same used lot.

The container's own listed dimensions are a solid starting point, but the honest answer for your specific pairing comes from measuring both sides against each other, not from a general rule.

The numbers most cars clear without trouble

A standard container's door opening runs roughly 7 feet 8 inches wide and about 7 feet 5 to 6 inches tall, and the interior width past the door frame is a little under the 8 foot exterior. Most sedans, coupes, and midsize trucks fit through with room on either side.

  • Door opening width: roughly 7 feet 8 inches.
  • Door opening height: roughly 7 feet 5 to 6 inches on a standard box, about 8 feet 5 inches on a high-cube.
  • Interior width past the doors: a little under the 8 foot exterior, so plan against roughly 7 feet 8 inches, mirrors included.

Where it gets tight

Lifted trucks, work vans with roof racks, and anything with wide mirrors that do not fold in are the vehicles that start bumping against these numbers. Length is rarely the problem inside a 20 ft or 40 ft; height and width at the door are what to check first. A high-cube's extra foot of door height is worth asking about if you are storing anything raised.

How to pin it down before you commit

Measure your vehicle's actual width, including mirrors, and its height at the tallest point, roof racks and all. Compare that against the door figures above, and then against the exact stencilled dimensions on the specific container's own door beside its CSC plate, since used units vary slightly.

If the numbers are close, call us with your vehicle's measurements before delivery day. It is a five-minute conversation that saves you from finding out the hard way at the door.

Key takeaways

  • Fit depends on your specific vehicle and your specific container, not a blanket rule.
  • Most sedans and midsize trucks clear the roughly 7 foot 8 inch door opening with room to spare.
  • Lifted trucks and wide mirrors are the usual reason a vehicle does not clear.
  • Measure your vehicle against the exact figures stencilled on your container's own door before you commit.
Usually, yes. Most sedans and midsize trucks pass through the roughly 7 foot 8 inch opening without any trouble.
Lifted trucks, vehicles with roof racks or wide mirrors that do not fold, and anything unusually tall are the ones worth measuring first.
The door opening is the same size on both. What the 40 ft gives you is more length behind the vehicle for a workbench, shelving, or a second vehicle.
Storing a specific vehicle

Give us your vehicle's measurements

Tell us the width, height, and which container you're eyeing and we will confirm the fit before the truck loads up.

or (276) 237-6144