Seasonal lane
From $1,200 · 5–7 days · Door-to-door on I-94 and I-55 and I-40 and I-17
Compare quotes from licensed, bonded carriers.
No obligation · Takes 60 seconds · We never sell your data
Price by vehicle
Ranges come from carrier quotes received on the Michigan to Arizona lane, last checked September 12, 2026. Your firm price depends on the exact addresses and dates.
No deposit until a carrier is assigned.
| Vehicle | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan / coupe | $1,200 – $1,700 | $1,750 – $2,450 |
| SUV / crossover | $1,350 – $1,900 | $1,950 – $2,750 |
| Pickup truck | $1,450 – $2,050 | $2,100 – $2,950 |
| Van / minivan | $1,500 – $2,125 | $2,200 – $3,075 |
| Motorcycle | $950 – $1,350 | $1,400 – $1,950 |
What moves the price: the season (peak months run 5–10% higher), whether the vehicle runs (winch loading adds about $150), how flexible your pickup window is (a 3–5 day window beats a fixed date), and modifications such as lift kits or oversized tires.
At nearly 2,000 miles, Michigan to Arizona is the longest trip that a large number of seasonal residents make with a car every year. The reward is a winter in the East Valley, Scottsdale or Tucson rather than on the Gulf Coast, and the cost is a day or two more on the truck and a price a step above every other Midwest snowbird lane. Carriers run it steadily from October to January and in the spring return, sharing trucks with the Chicago-to-Phoenix corridor from Illinois onward.
Michigan also sends Arizona a steady flow that has nothing to do with winter: relocations to the Phoenix employers, students to Arizona State and Arizona, and cars bought at Michigan's auctions for Arizona dealers. The quote form above is set to the lane; add your vehicle and a specialist calls with a firm carrier price within business hours.
Seasonality
Peak demand runs October–January. Booking ahead of the peak keeps your price at the lower end of the range.
Outlined bar is the current month. Amber months are when carrier space sells out first.
The season begins in early October, a little earlier than the Northeast because the weather turns sooner, and peaks from November through Christmas. A car booked at short notice then pays the top of the range and a fixed date in a snowstorm week adds to it. Two to three weeks of lead time with a three-day pickup window is what keeps the number down on a lane this long.
The return runs late March through mid-May, later than Florida because the desert spring is mild, so February and March are the cheapest southbound months. September is a second quiet window, after the summer relocations and before the season. Weather is the variable at both ends: lake-effect snow or a hard freeze holds a Michigan pickup, and the I-40 plateau between Albuquerque and Flagstaff closes in a storm.
On the ground
Carriers pick up and deliver anywhere in these regions; addresses outside them are quoted on request.
A truck loads across metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, runs I-94 west across the state collecting Kalamazoo and the lakeshore towns on the way, and reaches Chicago in a day. From there it follows the southwest corridor: I-55 to St. Louis, I-44 through Tulsa to Oklahoma City, I-40 through Amarillo, Albuquerque and Gallup to Flagstaff, and I-17 down to the Valley. Drivers cover 450 to 550 miles a day and reach Phoenix on the fifth day.
Phoenix is first, with the East Valley, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, and the West Valley Sun Cities worked in whichever order the load dictates. Tucson is a day later down I-10 and about $50 to $100 more. Prescott, Sedona and the Verde Valley are handled from I-17 on the way in.
A key, a quarter tank, personal items under about 100 pounds, and photographs of every panel and the odometer before the driver arrives. In winter, start the car that morning, keep the battery charged and clear the driveway. Expect road dust at the far end after five days on an open deck; a wash in Phoenix is part of the plan.
Timeline
Most shipments on this lane are complete 6–10 days after booking. Expedited pickup shortens the front end.
Day 0
Confirm your route, vehicle and first available pickup date.
1–3 days
A licensed carrier accepts the load; you get the name, DOT number and insurance certificate.
Agreed window
Driver inspects the car with you and both of you sign the bill of lading.
5–7 days
About 1,980 miles at 400–500 miles per driving day, with stops for other customers.
Driver calls ahead
Inspect against the pickup report, sign, and pay the carrier the balance.
Open vs enclosed
Michigan salts hard from December through March, and the lane then crosses the open plains where spring hail and summer dust storms happen. A car with paint you care about, a convertible or a classic is the case for enclosed transport at 40 to 60 percent more. For a daily driver, open is the answer, and on a 2,000-mile lane the saving is several hundred dollars.
Most popularSedan on this route · Baseline price
PremiumSedan on this route · 40–60% more than open
City pairs
The same lane priced to and from the individual metros. Each row links to the city guide with pickup notes for that area.
| City pair | Road miles | Open carrier | Enclosed | On the truck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit to Phoenix | 2,058 mi | $1,125 – $1,600 | $1,650 – $2,325 | 5–8 days |
| Detroit to Scottsdale | 2,048 mi | $1,125 – $1,600 | $1,650 – $2,325 | 5–8 days |
| Detroit to Tucson | 2,045 mi | $1,125 – $1,600 | $1,650 – $2,325 | 5–8 days |
| Detroit to Mesa | 2,045 mi | $1,125 – $1,600 | $1,650 – $2,325 | 5–8 days |
| Grand Rapids to Phoenix | 1,913 mi | $1,150 – $1,650 | $1,675 – $2,400 | 5–8 days |
Running sedan on a flexible pickup window. City rows are priced from road miles on the same curve as the lane range above; SUVs add about 12%, pickups 20%.
Metro Detroit is direct to the door across Oakland, Macomb and western Wayne, Ann Arbor and Downriver, anywhere a 75-foot truck can turn. Inside Detroit and in the tighter parts of Royal Oak, Ferndale and Dearborn, the driver names a lot on a main road. DTW's hotel lots along Merriman Road are the usual handover for people flying the same day. Grand Rapids, Holland and Kalamazoo are on the truck's way west and often a little cheaper than Detroit for this lane. Lansing and Flint are collected on I-69 and I-75. Northern Michigan takes longer to assign and a meeting point in Grayling or Gaylord helps.
Arizona is easy at the delivery end. Wide suburban streets, no weather, and communities used to car haulers. Scottsdale's gated developments, the Sun Cities, Anthem, Fountain Hills and the East Valley's active-adult communities admit delivery vehicles with a call to the gate, or the driver meets you at the nearest plaza. Mesa's RV and park-model resorts have receiving areas. Tucson's foothills communities and Green Valley are the same.
Two desert notes for a car that will sit outside all season: a windshield shade, and a tire-pressure check after the first hot week. A car left in Arizona over summer should be under cover with the battery on a tender.
At pickup the driver needs a key and a photo ID; the title stays with you, and a financed or leased car needs no lender approval to ship within the country. If the car came from a Michigan auction, book the day the sale closes so it is off the lot before storage fees start.
After delivery
Shipping to Arizona: the paperwork Arizona asks of a new resident, so you can book the DMV visit for the week the car lands rather than discover it at the counter.
Register as soon as you establish residency or take a job in Arizona; the state gives no fixed grace period.
A Level I VIN inspection (free at an MVD office) is required for some out-of-state vehicles, typically when the title or registration cannot be presented.
Emissions testing is required in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas for most vehicles more than five years old, and must be passed before the first Arizona registration. Out-of-state emissions certificates are not accepted.
Fully electric vehicles are exempt from emissions testing.
Source: Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) . Checked September 15, 2026. Deadlines and inspection rules change; confirm on the official page before you go.
Related
Pickup state
I-75 runs straight from Detroit to Florida, which is why Michigan is one of the smoothest snowbird origins.
State guideDelivery state
The Midwest’s winter destination, served by the I-40 and I-10 corridors into the Valley.
State guideQuestions
Not covered here? A specialist can answer route-specific questions in a couple of minutes.
888-706-8784$1,200–$1,700 for a running sedan on an open carrier and $1,750–$2,450 enclosed. At nearly 2,000 miles it is the longest common snowbird lane in the country and priced accordingly. SUVs and pickups add 12–20%.
Five to seven days on the truck. Detroit cars typically pass Chicago on day one, Oklahoma City on day two or three, and reach Phoenix on day five. Add one to five days for pickup.
I-94 to Chicago, I-55 to St. Louis, I-44 across Missouri and Oklahoma, I-40 through the Panhandle and New Mexico to Flagstaff, and I-17 into Phoenix.
Distance, mostly: 1,980 miles against 1,250. Fewer trucks run the southwest lane from Michigan, which adds a little in the quieter months.
February and March, before the spring return, and September, before the season. October through December is peak and the most expensive.
It can at both ends: Michigan snow on pickup day, and storms on the Flagstaff plateau. Carriers wait at no charge. Start the car the morning of pickup so it loads without a winch.
Yes. Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Holland are on the truck's way to Chicago on I-94 and I-196 and are collected regularly, often a little cheaper than Detroit for this lane.
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 guide
7 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 guideCarriers on this lane are quoting $1,200–$1,700 for a running sedan. Lock in a pickup window in about a minute.
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
