Florida is the busiest car shipping destination in the country — and that's good news for you. So many trucks move in and out of the state that they compete for your car, which keeps prices fair. This guide covers what shipping costs in 2026, the best time to ship, the routes drivers use, and how to avoid the fall price spike.
The short answer: Shipping a car to or from Florida costs about $700 to $1,700 on an open truck in 2026, and most trips take 1 to 8 days. Prices are lowest in late spring and summer, and highest from October through December, when snowbird demand peaks.
Most states are mainly a pickup spot or mainly a drop-off spot. Florida is both, in huge numbers. Retirees, snowbirds, families moving for work, and out-of-state buyers keep cars flowing in and out all year long.
This is the quiet reason your price is usually fair. When a truck driver knows they can fill the truck going down and coming back, they can charge less for each car. You're getting the benefit of simple supply and demand. A route into a remote town in another state doesn't have that, so it often costs more — even if it's a shorter trip.
The flip side is the season. Florida's demand isn't steady. It swings hard with the calendar. The difference between shipping in June and shipping in November can be $200 to $400 on the very same route. Get the timing right and Florida becomes one of the most affordable big destinations in the country.
Price comes down to a few things, with distance leading the way. Here's a realistic 2026 range by car type. These assume normal door-to-door service on a mid-length route. Short trips from nearby states cost less; coast-to-coast costs more.
| Car Type | Open Transport | Enclosed Transport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan / Coupe | $700–$1,300 | $1,200–$2,000 | The baseline. Most snowbird cars. |
| SUV / Pickup | $850–$1,500 | $1,400–$2,300 | Size and weight add $150–$250. |
| Classic / Luxury | Enclosed advised | $1,500–$2,800 | Protect the paint — go enclosed. |
| Motorcycle | $400–$800 | $600–$1,100 | Strapped or crated on a partial load. |
These are current 2026 market ranges, not quotes. Your real number depends on your exact pickup and drop-off, your dates, and your car. Run the calculator for a live figure built from real fuel prices and Google Maps distance. For the full story, see our cost to ship a car to Florida guide, or the cheapest way to ship to Florida for every money-saving trick.
Five things move your number the most. Once you know them, the price stops feeling like a mystery:
The standard choice, and the right one for almost every daily driver. It's the cheapest option and the easiest to book. Your car rides outside — just like it does in your driveway or on the highway. For a normal car, that's no risk at all.
Worth the extra money for classics, exotics, low cars, and high-value vehicles. The walls and roof keep off road dirt, salty coastal air, and Florida's strong sun. Fewer trucks run enclosed, so book a little earlier.
Three big highways shape how cars move in Florida. I-95 runs down the east coast and carries everything coming from the Northeast — Jacksonville, Daytona, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. I-75 handles the Midwest flow and the Gulf side, dropping through Tampa and Naples before crossing into Miami. I-10 is the east-west road across the top of the state that ties in cars coming from the west.
Two local things affect your delivery. First, tolls. Florida uses an all-electronic toll system (SunPass) on the Turnpike and many express lanes. Those costs are built into carrier pricing on toll-heavy routes into South Florida. Second, community access. A full car hauler usually can't fit inside a gated community, a 55-plus development, or a tight downtown Miami block. The simple fix is a five-minute meet at a nearby store lot or plaza. Your driver sets it up, and it doesn't cost extra.
These are the routes people ask about most. Each one has its own price, travel time, and seasonal rhythm. Remember the seasonal flip: trips into Florida peak in the fall, while trips leaving Florida peak in the spring when snowbirds head home. Tap through for the route-specific numbers.
Snowbird demand pushes October-to-December prices up by hundreds of dollars. See your exact price now — it takes under a minute, and there's no obligation.
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If you're shipping around the snowbird migration, timing matters more than anything else on this page. Each year, huge numbers of seasonal residents move cars south in the fall and back north in the spring. That wave of demand moves prices up and down in a way you can plan around.
Everyone heads south at once. This is the busiest time and the highest prices on northern routes. Book 2 to 4 weeks ahead.
Snowbirds are heading home, so trucks going south have room to fill. This is the cheapest time to ship into Florida.
Hurricane season peaks. Storms can pause or reroute trucks. Build in a few buffer days and stay flexible on dates.
Planning a seasonal move? Our complete snowbird car shipping guide walks through round-trip booking, when to book shows how far ahead to lock it in, and best time to ship to Florida has the month-by-month price map.
If you've never shipped a car before, the process is simpler than it sounds. Here's the whole thing in five steps:
A quick tip before pickup: wash the car so any marks are easy to see, leave about a quarter tank of gas, and take out your toll pass and personal items. Carriers don't insure loose belongings.
Where your car picks up or drops off inside Florida changes both the price and the speed. The big freight hubs — Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami — get the most truck traffic and the fastest, cheapest service. Here are the local guides:
Florida's car culture runs deep. Think retirees with garage-kept classics, a big luxury market in Miami and Naples, and year-round car shows. For anything rare or worth a lot of money, enclosed transport is the standard, and it's smart to book with extra lead time. See enclosed car transport to Florida and classic and exotic car shipping in Florida for how that works and what it costs.
A few easy choices can lower your price by a lot:
Most Florida moves cost $700 to $1,700 on an open truck. Short trips from nearby states like Georgia and the Carolinas run about $600 to $900. Routes from the Northeast and Midwest are roughly $900 to $1,350. Coast-to-coast trips from California run $1,150 to $1,650. A covered enclosed trailer adds 40% to 60%. Your real price depends on distance, your car's size, the season, and how far your pickup and drop-off are from the main highways. The calculator gives a live number in under a minute.
Late spring and summer — roughly May through August — are cheapest for shipping into Florida. That's when snowbirds head back north, so trucks driving south have empty spots to fill. The priciest stretch is October through December, when huge numbers of seasonal residents move south at once. See our best time to ship to Florida guide for the month-by-month picture.
Plan on 1 to 8 days on the road. It's 1 to 2 days from the Southeast, 3 to 5 days from the Northeast and Midwest, and 5 to 8 days from the West Coast. Add a day or two during the busy fall season or active storms. Full details in our Florida transit-time guide.
For an everyday car, open transport is the right call. It's how 97 out of 100 Florida cars move, and it costs 40% to 60% less. Pick enclosed for a classic, exotic, luxury, or low car, where protection from road dirt, salt air, and sun is worth the extra cost. Compare both in our open vs enclosed guide.
Yes, with one small step. A full car hauler (often 75 to 80 feet long) usually can't fit inside a gated community, an HOA neighborhood, or a 55-plus development. Narrow streets, low trees, and gates get in the way. The fix is a quick meet-up at a nearby wide spot — a store lot or plaza a few minutes away. Your driver sets it up before delivery, and it doesn't cost extra.
They can. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and is busiest from August to October. An active storm can close roads and make trucks pause or reroute, which may add a few days. Drivers will never take a loaded truck into a storm. Read our hurricane-season guide to plan around it.
Florida is the most-shipped-to state in the country. It draws retirees, snowbirds, families relocating for jobs and no state income tax, and out-of-state buyers. All that traffic means more trucks and more competition — which usually works in your favor on price.
The full 2026 price breakdown — what drives every dollar of your rate.
Read more →How seasonal residents ship south and back without overpaying.
Read more →Real travel times from every region of the country.
Read more →Tell us where you're shipping — we'll handle the rest. No obligation, no hidden fees.