Shipping your car to Florida: costs and companies compared

Most snowbirds want their own car in Miami, but not everyone wants to spend two or three days on I-95 to get it there. Shipping the car is the usual answer, and the Amtrak Auto Train is the other. This guide explains how car shipping actually works, what it costs, how to check a company before you hand over your keys, and how to time it around the fall and spring rush.

Your three options

There are really three ways to get your car to Miami for the season:

• Drive it yourself. Cheapest in cash, most expensive in time and wear on you and the car.
• Ship it on a truck. You fly down, and the car arrives within a pickup and delivery window.
• Take the Amtrak Auto Train. You and the car ride the same overnight train from northern Virginia to central Florida, then you drive the rest of the way.

If you’re also deciding whether you need a car at all, or whether to rent one for part of the season, our snowbird budget guide walks through the trade-offs.

Open vs. enclosed transport

Open transport is what you see on the highway: the two-level trailers carrying several cars, exposed to weather and road dust. It is the standard, most affordable way to ship a car, and it’s what most snowbirds use for an everyday sedan or SUV.

Enclosed transport puts your car inside a covered trailer. It protects against weather, gravel and road grime, and it’s often used for classic, luxury or low-clearance cars. Kelley Blue Book’s January 2026 survey notes that enclosed transport can add 50% or more to the cost of shipping.

A simple rule: if you’d be upset by a rock chip or a layer of road grime, pay for enclosed. If not, open is fine.

Broker vs. carrier: who are you actually hiring?

This is the part that confuses most people. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) puts it plainly: auto brokers only arrange the transportation of your car. A carrier owns the truck and does the hauling. A broker takes your booking, posts the job, and hires a carrier to do it.

Most of the companies you’ll find when you search online are brokers or work mainly as brokers. That isn’t a bad thing. A good broker can find a truck on your route faster than you could. But you should know who is who, because:

• The broker’s quote is an estimate of what a carrier will accept. If it’s too low, no truck may take the job, and your pickup date slips.
• The carrier’s insurance, not the broker’s, is usually what covers damage on the road.
• The name on the truck that shows up may not be the name on your booking.

FMCSA’s advice is to be suspicious of any website where it isn’t clear whether the company is a broker or a transporter. Ask directly, and get the carrier’s name before pickup day.

How to check a company with FMCSA

Both auto transport brokers and carriers that operate across state lines must be registered with FMCSA. Each is given a six-digit MC number, and carriers also have a seven-digit USDOT number.

Before you pay anything:

1. Find the numbers. FMCSA says to avoid any transporter or broker that does not prominently display its MC number on its website.
2. Look them up. Search the MC or USDOT number in FMCSA’s public licensing and insurance database (linked from FMCSA’s consumer advisory in our sources). Check that the company name, address and phone number match what you were given.
3. Check the carrier too. Once a broker assigns your car to a truck, ask for that carrier’s name and numbers and look them up the same way.
4. Watch your card. If you pay a deposit by card, FMCSA suggests checking your statement to make sure only the amount you authorized was charged.

If something goes wrong, you can file a complaint with FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database online or by calling 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238).

Red flags

ConsumerAffairs’ guide to choosing a shipper lists warning signs that match what I’ve seen over the years:

• No MC or USDOT number, or a name that doesn’t match the FMCSA record
• Won’t say whether it’s a broker, a carrier or both
• Won’t put the price, timing and payment terms in writing
• Asks for a large deposit before pickup
• Asks you to sign blank or incomplete paperwork
• Says “everything is covered” but won’t show you the insurance terms

What it costs

Car shipping prices move with distance, season, fuel costs, vehicle size and how popular your route is that week, so treat any figure as a starting point.

The most useful recent numbers I’ve found come from Kelley Blue Book’s January 2026 survey, in which the author asked eight transport companies to quote moving a 2025 Honda Accord on an open carrier:

Distance	Quote range	Average
About 500 miles	$650–$890	$751
About 1,000 miles	$800–$1,350	$1,020
About 2,500 miles	$1,050–$1,800	$1,406

A few things to keep in mind:

• Per-mile cost falls as distance grows. Short trips cost more per mile than long ones.
• Enclosed transport costs more, often 50% or more on top, per the same KBB article.
• Bigger vehicles cost more. Large SUVs and pickups take more room on the trailer.
• Season matters. uShip notes that southbound routes used by snowbirds can see higher demand and higher prices in winter, while northbound return trips sometimes offer savings.

Get at least three written quotes for your exact route and dates, and be wary of any quote far below the others. A low quote that no carrier will accept just means a late pickup.

Timing around the snowbird rush

Car shipping to Florida has its own rush hours. Southbound demand rises in the fall as seasonal residents head down, and northbound demand rises in spring when they head home. Trucks fill up on those routes, and prices follow.

Practical timing tips:

• Book three to four weeks ahead in peak periods. uShip suggests that’s when you’ll have the most flexibility; one to two weeks is more typical in quiet periods.
• Give yourself a cushion. Pickup is usually a window of a few days, not a fixed appointment. Don’t schedule pickup the morning of your flight.
• Avoid the holiday crunch. If you want the car in Miami before Thanksgiving or Christmas, start getting quotes in September or early October.
• Plan the return trip now. If you know you’re heading north in April, ask about booking the return leg early.

For a bigger picture of the season, see when to arrive and when to leave.

The Amtrak Auto Train

The Auto Train is a favorite with snowbirds from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It runs nonstop between Lorton, Virginia (south of Washington, D.C.) and Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando). Amtrak lists the trip at about 17.5 hours overnight, with a brief service stop in Florence, South Carolina. Your car rides in an auto carrier on the same train.

What to know before you book, from Amtrak’s own pages:

• Check-in opens at 11:30 a.m. on departure day. Standard and extended vehicles must check in by 2:30 p.m. Motorcycles, oversize vehicles and cars with Priority Offloading must check in by 2 p.m. Amtrak says it can’t make exceptions.
• Size limits apply. Standard vehicles can be up to 16 feet long and extended vehicles up to 18 feet, both no taller than 85 inches and no wider than 84 inches including mirrors.
• You can’t get to your car during the trip, so carry your medications and overnight bag with you.
• Pack the car with luggage. This is one real advantage over trucking.
• Priority Offloading is an extra-cost option that aims to get your car among the first 30 off the train.
• Seniors save 10% on rail fares, per Amtrak’s discount listing. Fares start at about $95 plus the cost of your vehicle; check current fares for your dates.

From Sanford, it’s roughly 250 miles, about a four-hour drive, to Miami. For someone driving from New England or New York, the Auto Train still means a long drive to Lorton first, so do the math on total travel days.

Insurance and inspection checklist

Most car shipping disputes come down to what was written on the paperwork at pickup. Use this checklist:

Before pickup

• Ask in writing what the carrier’s cargo insurance covers, the deductible, and the limits.
• Call your own auto insurer and ask whether your policy covers the car while it’s being shipped.
• Wash the car so damage is visible.
• Photograph every side, the roof, bumpers, windshield, wheels and interior, with the date showing.
• Remove personal items, garage openers and toll transponders.
• Ask how much fuel to leave in the tank, and follow that.
• Note any existing dents, chips and scratches on the inspection report or bill of lading before you sign.

At delivery

• Inspect the car in daylight before you sign anything.
• Note any new damage on the delivery paperwork, and take photos.
• Contact the company right away and ask how to file a claim.

Your Florida car insurance and registration questions are a separate topic. See snowbird car insurance and registration in Florida, and confirm details with your insurance agent.

Getting quotes from Montway and SGT Auto Transport

Two national companies many snowbirds come across are Montway Auto Transport and SGT Auto Transport. Both offer open and enclosed shipping and both list their MC and USDOT numbers on their websites, so you can look them up with FMCSA before booking. Ask either one whether it is acting as a broker or carrier for your shipment, and who will haul your car.

• Get a quote from Montway
• Get a quote from SGT Auto Transport

Compare their written quotes with at least one other company, and choose on clear terms and a verified FMCSA record, not just the lowest price.

Putting it together

For most snowbirds, the simple plan is: get three written quotes in September, check every company with FMCSA, book open transport a few weeks ahead, photograph the car, and fly down. If you live near northern Virginia and like the idea of bringing a full car of belongings, look hard at the Auto Train.

Add car shipping to your snowbird checklist, and if you’re still lining up a place to stay, our guide to finding a seasonal rental is the next step.