Route

Ship a Car to Florida: Cost by State, Days and Snowbird Season (2026)

Shipping a car from New York to Florida on an open trailer costs about $879–$1,363, according to the 2026 estimate from FreightWaves Checkpoint, a consumer guide with an advertiser disclosure and quote links. Two brokers that publish their own booking data land in a similar range: Sherpa Auto Transport at $1,050–$1,350 and Ship A Car at $1,000–$1,250. From California, FreightWaves puts it at $1,413–$2,205 and Sherpa at $1,250–$1,675. Once loaded, the car spends 1 to 6 days on the truck from the Northeast, depending on whose estimate you read. On the New York lane, Sherpa calls snowbird season “the biggest price driver.”

Cost to ship a car to Florida, by starting state

Open transport, standard car. Each column is one company’s published figure; they measure different things, so don’t average them.

From → to	FreightWaves Checkpoint (consumer guide with quote links, 2026 estimate)	Sherpa (broker, its shipments)	Ship A Car (broker, middle half of its orders since 2023)
New York → Florida	$879–$1,363	$1,050–$1,350	$1,000–$1,250
New Jersey → Florida	$873–$1,394	$1,000–$1,250	$800–$1,050
Pennsylvania → Florida	$896–$1,297	$975–$1,225	—
Massachusetts → Florida	$1,027–$1,537	$1,075–$1,300	$900–$1,150
Illinois → Florida	—	$925–$1,150	—
Ohio → Florida	—	$950–$1,200	—
Michigan → Florida	—	$1,000–$1,250	—
Texas → Florida	—	$800–$1,050	—
California → Florida	$1,413–$2,205	$1,250–$1,675	—
Florida → New York (return)	$837–$1,377	$1,025–$1,500	$1,050–$1,450

FreightWaves says East Coast routes “often follow the I-95 corridor” and “tend to have frequent carrier availability.” Sherpa calls its figures “real route data” from its own shipments; Ship A Car’s are “the middle half of our own open-carrier orders since 2023.” For an SUV, pickup, enclosed trailer or a car that doesn’t run, see what changes the price.

City pairs from New York

Sherpa’s New York to Florida page lists distance and price by city. The last column is what our calculator returns for the same miles. It is wider because it is built from national per-mile bands, not from this one lane.

Route	Miles (Sherpa)	Sherpa	CarShipMath calculator
New York → Miami	1,284	$1,075–$1,325	$830–$1,540
New York → Tampa	1,130	$1,000–$1,225	$730–$1,360
New York → Orlando	1,074	$950–$1,125	$700–$1,290

The same Sherpa page puts the whole lane at “$925 to $1,325,” a little below the $1,050–$1,350 on Sherpa’s calculator page.

Transit time

Source	New York area → Florida	Note
FreightWaves Checkpoint	4–6 days	its table uses “New York → Miami” as a 1,000–1,500-mile example
Sherpa	“usually takes 1 to 4 days once your car is loaded”	about 1,177 miles on average
Ship A Car	“typically takes 3 to 5 days” to South Florida

From California, FreightWaves’ 2,000+ mile row is 7–10 days. FreightWaves and Sherpa count from pickup. Before that comes the pickup window: FreightWaves says “Most carriers require a pickup window of one to five business days after your scheduled date.” More in how long car shipping takes.

Snowbird season: which direction costs more

The two brokers say fall and spring matter, but they don’t agree on the months. FreightWaves, for its part, says “Prices are usually highest in spring and summer.”

Sherpa’s calculator page: “Snowbird season (Oct-Nov, Mar-Apr): Routes to/from Florida and Arizona see significant price increases.”
Sherpa’s New York to Florida page: snowbird season is “pushing southbound rates up from October through December and northbound rates up in March and April.”
Ship A Car’s own orders: the trip south “spreads almost evenly from August through January,” so “southbound rates stay close to normal,” though the same page says “Southbound carrier spots fill up fast in October and November.” The trip home is the crunch: “April and May pickups going home are priced above the rest of the year.” In its table, Florida → New York ($1,050–$1,450) sits above New York → Florida ($1,000–$1,250).

None of them gives a percentage. Our calculator’s peak-season option covers only June–August, so it doesn’t add a snowbird surcharge. The month-by-month booking calendar is on snowbird car shipping.

Door-to-door vs terminal in Florida

FreightWaves’ prices assume “door-to-door open transport.” It calls terminal-to-terminal “Less convenient, but typically cheaper than door-to-door,” without a number. Sherpa says terminal service “(where available) can save money” and that rural or remote addresses “may add $50-$200.”

Door-to-door doesn’t always mean your driveway. Sherpa notes that “Many Florida communities are gated or have HOA rules against large trucks, so a meeting point near the entrance is common there too.” Ask the company where the truck will actually stop, and tell it about gate codes or HOA rules when you book.

Booking tips

Lead time. FreightWaves: book “at least two to four weeks ahead.” Sherpa: “2-3 weeks ahead,” and “3-4 weeks ahead” in peak season (summer, snowbird). Ship A Car: “Two to three weeks ahead in the peak windows.”
Flexible dates. Sherpa says a five-day pickup window “usually earns you a lower rate on the busy I-95 corridor.”
Quotes expire. FreightWaves: “Most quotes are only valid for 24–48 hours.” Compare several on the same day.
Check who you pay. Sherpa and Ship A Car are brokers: they arrange the move and a separate carrier hauls the car. See how to choose a car shipping company.

Estimate your route

Before paying a deposit, check the company's USDOT or MC number.

Sources

Updated November 2, 2026