Snowbird Auto Transport

Shipping your car south for the winter and north for the summer? See estimate ranges in both directions on six snowbird routes, when the lanes are busiest, and what to check before the truck arrives.

If you spend the winter in Florida or Arizona and would rather fly than drive, shipping your car is a common answer. The routes and timing repeat every year, so the useful questions are when to ask for estimates, which direction costs more in which month, and whether shipping beats driving or keeping a second car.

Six snowbird routes, both directions, in November

Sedan, open transport, estimate ranges for this month
Route	Road miles	Typical transit	Heading south	Heading north
New York, NY ↔ Miami, FL	1,285	4–6 days	$1,070 – $1,670	$960 – $1,300
Boston, MA ↔ Orlando, FL	1,339	4–6 days	$1,080 – $1,700	$900 – $1,400
Chicago, IL ↔ Tampa, FL	1,141	4–6 days	$1,020 – $1,590	$920 – $1,240
Detroit, MI ↔ Fort Myers, FL	1,319	4–6 days	$1,080 – $1,690	$890 – $1,390
Minneapolis, MN ↔ Phoenix, AZ	1,689	5–7 days	$1,200 – $1,880	$1,080 – $1,460
Chicago, IL ↔ Phoenix, AZ	1,804	5–8 days	$1,240 – $1,940	$1,120 – $1,510

Prices are for November. Heading south means from the northern city to the winter home; heading north is the return. SUVs, pickups, enclosed transport and rural pickups change the range.

Formula v2026.09.2 · EIA U.S. diesel $6.29/gal, week of Nov 2, 2026, 52-week average $4.93 · November pricing · road miles from OpenStreetMap routing where cached, otherwise straight-line distance ×1.2.

Estimate, not a quote. Produced automatically by our published formula from public data; your price comes from the licensed auto transport partner you choose. How we estimate · Get your free estimate

Fuel: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Routing: © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM). ZIP locations: U.S. Census Bureau.

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The same routes in the busy and quiet months

In our formula southbound trips peak in October and November (+15%) and northbound trips peak in April and May (+15%). The columns compare a fall and a December departure south with a spring and a June departure north. See the whole year on the busy season calendar.

Sedan, open transport, estimate ranges by departure month
Route	South, October	South, December	North, April	North, June
New York ↔ Miami	$1,070 – $1,670	$930 – $1,260	$1,070 – $1,670	$1,090 – $1,480
Boston ↔ Orlando	$1,080 – $1,700	$870 – $1,360	$1,080 – $1,700	$1,020 – $1,590
Chicago ↔ Tampa	$1,020 – $1,590	$890 – $1,200	$1,020 – $1,590	$1,040 – $1,410
Detroit ↔ Fort Myers	$1,080 – $1,690	$860 – $1,350	$1,080 – $1,690	$1,010 – $1,580
Minneapolis ↔ Phoenix	$1,200 – $1,880	$1,050 – $1,420	$1,200 – $1,880	$1,230 – $1,660
Chicago ↔ Phoenix	$1,240 – $1,940	$1,080 – $1,460	$1,240 – $1,940	$1,270 – $1,720

Same vehicle, route and fuel input in every column; only the month, and with it the seasonal factor, changes.

Fuel: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Routing: © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM). ZIP locations: U.S. Census Bureau.

Questions about this estimate? Call (800) 930-7417

Booking window

Southbound lanes fill in the fall, and the formula prices that direction at a premium. General advice, not a measured figure: ask for estimates three to four weeks before you want the car picked up, keep the pickup window open for a few days, and pick a pickup point near a major highway. Leaving earlier or later than the fall rush can lower the range, as the second table shows. For the return trip, the spring plays the same role in the other direction.

Before the truck arrives

Battery. AAA reports batteries typically last three to five years, and about three in hot southern climates, and advises an annual test once a battery reaches its third year ^[2]. A car that goes from a northern winter to a Florida or Arizona summer, or sits for weeks, is a good reason to have an older battery tested first.
Tires. NHTSA says to check pressure on all tires, including the spare, at least once a month and when tires are cold, using the figure on the label on the driver's door edge or in the owner's manual ^[1]. Check before pickup and again on arrival.
Registration and insurance. Florida requires vehicles to be insured, titled and registered within 10 days of establishing residency, and lists criteria for what counts as residency ^[3]. That page does not address seasonal visitors, and Arizona and other states have their own rules. Ask the destination state's motor vehicle agency and your insurer before you ship.
General preparation (no source, common practice). Take personal belongings out, note existing dents and scratches with photos, keep the fuel level low, and agree on a pickup and delivery contact who can be there when the truck arrives.

Common snowbird corridors

These lanes repeat every season, so offers tend to be easy to find on them. The estimate tables above cover six; others follow the same pattern.

Michigan and the Great Lakes to Florida. Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing to Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami, mostly along I-75.
New York and New Jersey to Florida. The I-95 corridor from the tri-state area to Southeast Florida.
Ohio and Pennsylvania to Florida. Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Columbus to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Upper Midwest to Arizona. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois to Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson, a longer haul than the Florida lanes.
Northeast to the Carolinas and Georgia. A shorter alternative for snowbirds who choose the Southeast coast over Florida.
Upper Midwest to Texas. Minnesota and Iowa to the Rio Grande Valley and Houston.

For a specific pair of cities, open the matching page under car shipping routes, or see every lane on the route map for November.

Round trips and the return leg

Many snowbirds ship twice a year, south in the fall and north in the spring. Ask for estimates for both legs early so the spring rush does not catch you out, and remember each leg is priced for its own month and direction. If you do not need the car for the first weeks, shipping a little later than your own flight can avoid the busiest fall weeks.

Ship the car or keep a second one?

Shipping fits best when you stay several months and want your own car. A short stay, an existing spare vehicle or very little driving can favor a second car, but count its insurance, registration and upkeep for the months it sits unused. Price both legs, then compare the total with that cost. For a drive-versus-ship comparison, see ship or drive, and for current ranges on any route use the shipping cost estimator.

Snowbird questions

Southbound estimates run highest in October and November (+15% in our formula), so the fall is when lanes to Florida and Arizona are busiest. As general advice, not a measured figure, start asking for estimates three to four weeks before you want the car picked up and give a flexible pickup window of a few days.

It depends on your trip. Shipping saves the miles, fuel, hotels and days of driving, and lets you fly. Driving costs you the trip but no transport fee. Compare the estimate range for your route with what a drive would cost you in fuel, lodging and time.

Rules differ by state and by how long you stay. Florida says vehicles must be insured, titled and registered within 10 days of establishing residency, and lists criteria for residency; its page does not say how that applies to seasonal visitors. Ask the motor vehicle agency of the state you are going to, and ask your insurer, before you ship.

AAA says a battery typically lasts three to five years and about three in hot southern climates, and advises testing it annually once it reaches its third year, so have an older battery tested before the car sits or ships. NHTSA says to check tire pressure at least monthly, with the tires cold, against the label on the driver's door edge or in the owner's manual.

The usual reasoning is that trucks fill heading south in the fall and often run lighter coming back, so the formula puts southbound trips at a premium and northbound trips slightly below typical during those months. In the spring the pattern flips. These are our own seasonal estimates, not transaction data.

You can ask for estimates for both legs at once, but each leg is its own request and the company that offers on the fall trip may not be the one that offers on the spring trip. Each direction is priced for its own month, so compare the offers for each leg separately.

No. They are formula-based estimate ranges from public data. Offers come from licensed auto transport companies, and the price is agreed between you and the company you choose.

Sources

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