Sending a car home from Florida to New York has an estimated price of $890–$1,030 on an open carrier, depending on the vehicle. Enclosed transport is $450 more per vehicle.
Plan on 1,100 to 1,400 miles of road between the two addresses. Most trips of this length take about 2–4 days on the road once the car is picked up; your dispatcher gives you an honest pickup window.
Heading north in spring
For New York snowbirds this is the return leg. Somewhere between March and May the Florida place gets closed up, you fly home, and the car follows. Upstate, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse can still see snow in March or April.
This leg is booked and priced on its own. What you paid going south in the fall doesn’t carry over, because carriers are paid differently on the northbound lane in spring. Once you sign the new price, Price Lock covers it: if the carrier’s rate climbs before pickup, we pay up to $200 per vehicle.
Distances by city
A few city pairs:
- Orlando to Syracuse — about 1,220 miles
- Miami to Manhattan — about 1,280 miles
- Sarasota to White Plains — about 1,250 miles
- Naples to Rochester — about 1,400 miles
Enclosed is +$450 per vehicle, and a car that doesn’t run is +$150. Your exact pair of ZIP codes goes in the calculator.
The way north
From Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, I-95 runs up Florida’s Atlantic coast to Jacksonville, then through Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Baltimore and New Jersey to the George Washington Bridge. From Tampa or Orlando, I-4 connects to I-95 at Daytona Beach; from Naples, Fort Myers and Sarasota the trip starts north on I-75.
For upstate addresses the carrier may leave the coast earlier and come up through the Virginias and Pennsylvania on I-77, I-81 or I-79 — on a truck with several cars, the route follows everybody’s stops.
Closing up the Florida place
Many winter homes sit in 55+ communities, condo towers and gated neighborhoods — a tight entry, a low gate arm, a guard who needs a name on a list.
- Send us the access details when you book: gate code, guard check-in, any hours the community allows trucks. We pass them to the carrier.
- If the truck can’t safely reach the building, the carrier may meet you at a nearby safe location.
- Leaving before the car does? Name an adult — a neighbor, the building manager, a friend down the street — to hand over the keys and sign the Bill of Lading with the driver.
- Want the truck on a set day, say the day before your flight? A Fixed pickup day is $200: pickup on that date, anytime that day, or the $200 comes back. Choose a date at least 5 days out.
The seasonal side of this is on our snowbirds page.
Delivery in New York City
The same street rules apply on the way back. New York City keeps tractor-trailers on designated truck routes and caps them at 55 feet on city streets without a special permit, so a full-size car carrier often can’t turn onto a residential block in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. In that case the carrier may meet you at a nearby safe location, and your dispatcher sets it up with you ahead of time.
Garage parking? Give us the garage address and hours, and name whoever will take the car. On Long Island, in Westchester and upstate there’s usually more room.
Getting the car ready to leave Florida
- Toll tag: pull the SunPass or E-ZPass out of the car. A SunPass Pro reads on E-ZPass roads up north, so a tag left inside can be billed for the carrier’s trip.
- After months parked: check that the car starts. If it won’t run, it can still go — it must roll, steer and brake (+$150 per vehicle).
- Personal items: up to 100 lbs, in the trunk or below the window line; more only if your dispatcher confirms it in writing with the carrier (it may cost extra). Always at your own risk.
- Condition check: before the car leaves, go around it with the driver, mark any damage on the Bill of Lading and take photos.
Moving to New York for good? New York DMV asks new residents to register their vehicle within 30 days of moving, with proof of New York insurance. Check the current rules with the DMV before the car arrives.
Open or enclosed going north
Open is the usual choice. For a convertible or a classic, enclosed transport keeps it out of weather and road debris for +$450 per vehicle; open transport explains the standard trip. The assigned carrier’s cargo insurance covers the car either way, at least $100,000 — if it’s worth more, let us know before booking.
The carrier, checked
We’re a licensed broker: we arrange the carrier and verify them on every load — an SMS to their FMCSA phone, their insurance confirmed by the agent, the driver’s location at pickup, and the truck’s VIN plate checked against the vehicles on their policy. See how our verification works. Once your car is on the truck, you get the driver’s name and phone.
Paying for the trip home
You pay nothing to get a price or to book. A $150 deposit is charged to your card after a carrier is assigned — it’s part of your total. The remaining balance goes on the same card at pickup in Florida, or, if you pick pay on delivery, to the driver when the car arrives in New York: cash, Zelle, Venmo or a cashier’s check.
Get your price for the trip home.