Service
From $850 · $900–$1,450 for 500–1,500 miles · Pickup in 1–5 days
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Every autumn several hundred thousand people leave the Northeast and Midwest for Florida, Arizona and the Gulf Coast, and a large share of them want their own car waiting when they land. Snowbird car shipping is the service built around that migration: a southbound trip in October, November or December, a northbound return between March and May, and the option to book both legs at once so the spring schedule is already yours.
It is for retirees with a second home in Naples or Scottsdale, for couples who winter in a rental in Sarasota or Mesa, for anyone who has driven I-95 or I-55 in December enough times to know they would rather fly, and for adult children arranging the trip for parents. The car is picked up at your northern address, rides south on a carrier with others making the same trip, and is delivered to your winter address or the entrance of your community. Someone you trust can receive it if you have not arrived yet.
What sets this service apart is timing. The same lanes that are quiet in February are the busiest in the country in November, and the price and the pickup window both move with demand. This page explains the booking calendar, what the trip costs from the main departure regions, how delivery works in gated and retirement communities, and why open transport is fine for most snowbirds while enclosed makes sense for a few.
Benefits
Reserve the spring return when you book the fall trip. Your place on the northbound schedule is held, and the two legs are priced as a pair.
A property manager, neighbour or community office can receive and sign for the car. Land, collect the keys, and drive.
Drivers on these lanes deal with truck restrictions every day. Meeting points at visitor gates and clubhouse lots are arranged in advance.
Tell us your flight and the pickup is scheduled a day or two ahead of it, so you hand over the keys before you leave.
You see where your dates fall in the season on every route page, and a specialist tells you what a week's flexibility saves.
Hurricane watches in the Gulf and Atlantic, ice in the Northeast: carriers wait it out, you are kept informed, and nothing is charged for the delay.
Pricing
Typical ranges for a running sedan. Enclosed adds 40–60%; SUVs and pickups 12–20%; peak months 5–10%.
| Distance | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short (under 500 miles) | $500 – $750 | $725 – $1,100 | 1–3 days |
| Medium (500–1,500 miles) | $900 – $1,450 | $1,300 – $2,100 | 2–5 days |
| Cross-country (1,500+ miles) | $1,200 – $1,750 | $1,750 – $2,550 | 5–10 days |
Running sedan, flexible pickup window. SUVs add about 12%, pickups 20%, inoperable vehicles about $150.
How it works
Three steps, one signature at each end, and a specialist on the phone throughout.
Enter your northern and southern addresses, the vehicle and your travel dates. The estimate shows the seasonal range for your lane. Submit, and carriers building southbound loads see the request; a specialist calls with firm prices, asks about your flight and suggests the pickup window that fits it.
No deposit and no obligation until you choose a carrier.
Confirm the carrier and, if you like, the spring return at the same time. The driver calls the day before pickup, inspects the car with you at the truck and completes the bill of lading. Keep the copy; you will compare against it in the spring as well.
The pickup inspection report protects you if anything is disputed later.
The car travels south with others on the same trip, three to seven days depending on the lane. The driver calls whoever is receiving it the day before delivery and agrees a spot at your community. At delivery the car is inspected, the report signed, and the carrier paid the balance.
Pay the carrier only when the car is in front of you and checked.
Open vs enclosed
For most snowbird trips an open carrier is the sensible choice: the car is a daily driver, it will be washed on arrival anyway, and the price difference pays for a winter of golf. Enclosed earns its premium for convertibles, classics and freshly detailed cars making the December run over salted roads.
Most popularTypical 500–1,500 mile sedan · Baseline price
PremiumTypical 500–1,500 mile sedan · 40–60% more than open
Vehicle types
Every class below ships on open and enclosed carriers. The note shows how each affects the price against a standard sedan.
Sedans and coupes
Baseline price
SUVs and crossovers
About 12% more
Pickup trucks
About 20% more
Vans and minivans
About 25% more
Motorcycles
Crated or strapped, from 20% less
Classic and exotic
Enclosed recommended
Electric vehicles
Ship at 30–50% charge
Inoperable
Winch loading, about $150 more
The carrier's cargo policy covers the car from loading to delivery, and the certificate of insurance reaches you before pickup with the limit and deductible. Check the limit against the car's value, particularly for the newer luxury sedans and SUVs that make up much of the snowbird fleet; a specialist assigns higher-limit carriers where it matters.
Because the person receiving the car is often not the person who shipped it, the inspection paperwork needs a little planning. Photograph the car at pickup and send the photos and the signed bill of lading to whoever will meet the truck. Ask them to compare panel by panel before signing, in daylight if possible, and to call us with the driver present if anything is new. The same applies in reverse in the spring.
Two practical notes for a car that will sit for months: leave the fuel at a quarter tank for shipping and fill up on arrival, and make sure your own auto policy stays active over the winter rather than being suspended, both because some carriers require it and because it is your second layer of coverage while the car is on the truck.
Routes
Lanes where this service is booked most, with current ranges.
Questions
Not covered here? A specialist can answer route-specific questions in a couple of minutes.
888-706-8784Two to three weeks before you want the car picked up, and earlier if your dates are fixed. Southbound demand builds from the first week of October and peaks in November and December; northbound return trips fill from mid-March to early May. Bookings placed inside a week during those periods pay the top of the range.
From the Northeast, $850–$1,300 on an open carrier and $1,225–$1,900 enclosed for a sedan. From the Midwest to Florida, $850–$1,350 open; to Arizona from Chicago or Minneapolis, $1,100–$1,550 open. Round trips booked together at both ends are usually priced a little lower per leg.
Yes, and it is a good idea. Booking the spring return when you book the fall shipment locks a place on the northbound schedule, which sells out in April, and lets us quote both legs together.
No. A neighbour, a family member, a property manager or the office at your community can receive the car, inspect it and sign. Many snowbirds have the car delivered a day or two before they fly down.
Most retirement and golf communities in Florida and Arizona restrict commercial trucks. The driver meets you or your representative at the visitor gate, a nearby plaza or the clubhouse lot, and the car is driven the last stretch. It is routine and costs nothing extra.
For a daily driver, open is fine. For a convertible, a classic or a car with fresh paint, enclosed is worth considering in December through February, when the first thousand miles of the trip run over salted northern roads.
Carriers pause loading in storm areas and resume when roads open, usually a day or two later. Your specialist keeps you informed and, if you are flying, can often reschedule pickup around your travel. Nothing is charged for a weather delay.
Guides
10 min read
Book southbound shipments 2–3 weeks before you fly, ideally before mid-October. Expect $900–$1,450 open from the Northeast or Midwest to Florida and 3–6 days in transit. Reverse the plan in late March.
Read the guide
7 min read
Most shipments deliver 1–3 days after pickup for under 500 miles, 3–5 days for 1,000–1,500 miles and 7–10 days coast to coast. Add 1–5 days for the carrier to be assigned and reach you.
Read the guide7 min read
Wash the car, photograph every panel, leave a quarter tank of fuel, remove personal items and toll tags, fold in mirrors, note existing damage on the Bill of Lading, and hand over one set of keys.
Read the guideEnter your route and vehicle in about a minute. A specialist confirms the carrier, the price and the pickup window within business hours.
Average response time under 5 minutes during business hours (Mon–Sun 7am–9pm ET).
Last updated September 12, 2026 · Written by the AutoShippingUS Editorial Team · Reviewed by Christofer Whiteman, Editor · Industry review by Sarah Williams, Independent auto transport consultant, 20 years in the industry
