2,400-3,050
MILES, DEPENDING ON ENDPOINTS
7-11
DAYS IN TRANSIT, TYPICAL
$1,300-$2,000
OPEN TRANSPORT, BY SEASON
Key Takeaways
Typical cost: $1,300-$1,800 for a sedan on open transport, depending on season and exact endpoints. Enclosed transport typically runs 40-60 percent more, and oversized trucks or SUVs price toward the top of the range.
Transit time: 7-11 days door to door for most bookings. The run covers 2,400-3,050 miles, almost always on the I-10 southern route.
Seasonality: Fall and winter bring the snowbird flow west to east, pushing Florida-bound demand and prices up. Spring reverses the pattern. California outbound is generally cheaper than California inbound, because more vehicles leave the state than return to it.
Savings tip: Flexible pickup dates save the most money. LA and Orange County to the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa metros price best per mile because carriers fill trucks fastest on those endpoints.
Process: You get a dedicated coordinator, a vetted and insured carrier, and you pay nothing until a driver is assigned. GPS tracking covers the whole run.
The Southern Cross-Country Route
Nearly every carrier running California to Florida uses the I-10 corridor: Los Angeles through Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston, and on to Jacksonville before splitting off toward the Florida metro that matches your drop-off. At 2,400-3,050 miles it is one of the longest common lanes in the country, so carrier schedules matter more here than on short regional runs. A truck that leaves a day late arrives several days late.
Typical pickup windows run 2-5 days in the Southern California metros, where carrier density is highest. The two directions behave differently: eastbound trucks fill with snowbird and relocation traffic, while westbound trucks compete for fewer loads heading back to California. That difference shows up directly in the price you pay.
Shipping East: California to Florida
Eastbound pricing runs $1,300-$1,800 for a sedan on open transport, moving with the season. Rates peak in fall and early winter as snowbirds and seasonal residents send vehicles to Florida ahead of their arrival. The most popular drop-offs are Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Naples, all of which see enough carrier traffic to keep pricing competitive. Pickups in the SoCal metros are usually straightforward, while Bay Area pickups can add a day or two to the window because fewer trucks originate that far north, so build a little slack into your dates if you are shipping out of San Francisco or Sacramento.
Shipping West: Florida to California
Westbound often prices higher than eastbound, which is the opposite of what most customers expect. The reason is simple: fewer carriers run toward California, so trucks heading west have less competition for the loads that exist and price accordingly. Spring brings some relief as returning snowbird traffic gives westbound carriers more to haul, but the imbalance never fully disappears. If you are shipping Florida to California, book 1-2 weeks ahead so your coordinator can match you with a carrier already planning the westbound run rather than paying a premium to pull one onto the lane.
Popular City Pairs on This Lane
- Los Angeles to Miami - 2,730 miles, 7-10 days
- Los Angeles to Orlando - 2,510 miles, 7-9 days
- San Diego to Tampa - 2,470 miles, 7-9 days
- San Francisco to Miami - 3,050 miles, 8-11 days
- Sacramento to Jacksonville - 2,780 miles, 7-10 days
California to Florida Car Shipping FAQs
Open transport for a standard sedan runs $1,300-$1,800 depending on season, exact endpoints, and how flexible your dates are. Trucks, large SUVs, and anything oversized price toward the top of the range. Metro-to-metro moves like Los Angeles to Miami or Orlando usually land near the middle.
Westbound usually costs $100-$300 more than the same vehicle going east, so plan on roughly $1,400-$2,000 for open transport. Fewer carriers run toward California, which means less competition on the lane and higher rates. Spring is the best time to catch westbound pricing, when returning snowbird traffic puts more trucks on the route.
Most vehicles deliver in 7-11 days door to door. The route covers 2,400-3,050 miles on the I-10 corridor, and drivers are limited by federal hours-of-service rules, so even a nonstop run needs about a week. Add 2-5 days on the front end for the pickup window.
Late spring and summer are cheapest going eastbound, after the snowbird surge has passed and before the fall rush begins. Fall and early winter are the most expensive months to ship into Florida. If your dates are flexible by even a week, tell your coordinator, flexibility is the single biggest lever on price.
Book 1-2 weeks ahead for the best combination of price and pickup timing. The lane has enough carrier traffic that last-minute bookings can work, but they usually cost $100-$200 more because your coordinator has less time to match you with a truck already running the route.
Open transport is the right choice for most vehicles and is what 9 out of 10 customers use. Enclosed adds $520-$1,080 on this lane and makes sense for classics, exotics, and anything with soft paint. One route-specific note: the I-10 crossing runs through desert heat in Arizona and Texas, which is hard on covers and wraps but harmless to a vehicle riding on an open trailer.
Most carriers allow up to 100 lbs of personal items in the trunk. Keep it below the window line and out of the driver’s seat area. Be aware that personal items are not covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance, so nothing valuable or irreplaceable should ride in the vehicle.
Yes. Non-running vehicles need a carrier with a winch, which adds $100-$200 to the price. The vehicle must roll, steer, and brake so it can be loaded safely. Let your coordinator know up front so the right equipment is dispatched the first time.
Every carrier we dispatch carries cargo insurance, with coverage up to $2 million available for high-value vehicles. Your vehicle is covered from pickup inspection to delivery inspection, and we can provide a certificate of insurance (COI) on request before your vehicle ever loads.
