Florida to California car shipping
Shipping a car from Florida to California costs roughly $1,620–$1,850 and takes 7–9 days over 2,510 road miles (Orlando to Los Angeles). Below is what moves that number, and how to get real quotes for this lane.
| Vehicle & trailer | Price | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan, open trailer | $1,620–$1,850 | 7–9 days |
| SUV or crossover, open | $1,740–$1,970 | 7–9 days |
| Any vehicle, enclosed | $2,230–$2,530 | 7–9 days |
Estimates from distance and vehicle type. Actual price depends on how busy the lane is the week you ship.
Every cross-country move opens with the same worry: whether anyone will take the job. On this corridor that worry belongs somewhere else. The pickup end holds the deepest register of licensed companies this site counts, and it sits at the start of a coast-width crossing. Every other transcontinental run here begins in a thinner market.
What is scarce here is not a company. It is a deck slot pointed west on the dates you want, and a delivery address a truck is already routed near. The distance beside this text was measured Orlando to Los Angeles, and the legs do not share a multiplier — this one is the lower. The return has its own page, and unlike most corridors out of Florida it has a real audience.
This corridor, measured
| Florida → California | back | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured between | Orlando → Los Angeles | Los Angeles → Orlando |
| Road miles | 2,510 | 2,509 |
| Transit | 7–9 days | 7–9 days |
| Open carrier, sedan | $1,620–$1,850 | $1,640–$1,860 |
| Direction multiplier | 0.976 | 0.989 |
| Carrier reloads at the far end | 0.95 — easily | 0.87 |
| Licensed companies based there | 609 | 303 |
Distance is measured between Orlando and Los Angeles by a routing engine, not as a straight line. Registered companies at the Florida end cluster in Miami, Hialeah, Kissimmee; at the California end, in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fontana. A register counts businesses filed at an address, not trucks on this road today.
The other direction has its own page: California to Florida.
The brokerage sits at one end and the equipment at the other
Depth is not the only thing the register shows. Florida's list carries a heavy layer of brokers alongside its carriers — firms that place a load rather than own the deck it rides on — while California's leans toward operators running their own trucks. On a crossing this long that split is simply the shape of the move: the job gets placed where the car is standing and hauled by a company filed where it is going. It also means the name on your quote and the name on the driver's door can differ. That is legal and routine. Ask which one you are speaking to.
A warm-coast run priced on the retiree calendar
The seasonal swing in this model was built around Florida: the months cars pour into the state, and the months they go home. Every other Florida corridor here uses that calendar to reach somewhere colder. This one ends on another warm coast, and the model does not care — it reads the run as gaining latitude, so the full directional swing lands on it. The window that makes a run north out of Florida expensive makes this one expensive, and the window that discounts those discounts this. The swing acts on more driving than any other lane leaving Florida carries. Set the month before you read the figure.
When to ship it
This lane runs with the retiree migration, and that migration is one-way at a time: southern California fills up from October and empties from March. Whichever way the trucks are scarce is the way that costs more, so a month of flexibility is worth more here than any amount of negotiating.
| Month | Sedan, open trailer | vs year-round |
|---|---|---|
| January | $1,790–$2,030 | +10% |
| March | $1,950–$2,210 | +20% |
| May | $1,620–$1,850 | level |
| July | $1,820–$2,070 | +12% |
| October | $1,430–$1,620 | -12% |
Indicative only. Fuel is indexed to the U.S. weekly retail diesel average, last read 2026-09-07.
What drives the price on this lane
- Distance. 2,510 miles puts this lane at about $0.69 a mile. Coast to coast is the cheapest per mile and the slowest in days. Trucks fill up completely before departing, so flexible dates are worth real money here.
- Season. This is a snowbird lane. Southbound fills from October and northbound from April, and in those windows a week of lead time is worth more than any amount of haggling. Running north, it fills up in spring when the same vehicles go home.
- Direction. California is a dense freight market, so a carrier delivering here can reload quickly and does not need the trip to pay for the run back. This direction usually prices a little under California to Florida.
- Trailer. Enclosed protects from weather and road debris and costs about 37% more here ($2,230–$2,530). The premium grows with distance — an enclosed trailer carries fewer cars, so the longer the run the more deck revenue the carrier gives up. Worth it for low-clearance, classic or high-value cars; rarely worth it otherwise.
- Condition. A car that does not run needs a winch at both ends and adds about $200. Tell the broker up front — a driver who finds out at pickup can refuse the load.
Pickup and delivery on this lane
The companies that run Florida to California are registered in these cities. A carrier based near either end is the one most likely to already be heading your way, which is what makes the difference between a quote and a quote you can actually book.
Picking up around Florida
- Miami103
- Hialeah28
- Kissimmee27
- Homestead26
- Orlando22
- Jacksonville20
- Cape Coral19
- Boca Raton16
- Coral Springs12
- Lehigh Acres12
Delivering around California
- Los Angeles12
- San Diego10
- Fontana9
- Chula Vista8
- Hesperia8
- Jurupa Valley8
- Riverside8
- Stockton7
- Burbank6
- Corona6
Counts are companies with active FMCSA authority registered in each city.
Licensed companies based in Florida
609 companies with active FMCSA authority are registered in Florida.
- 2 J'S AUTO TRANSPORT INC.LAKE PARK, FL · broker · bonded
- 365 CAR TRANSPORTBOYNTON BEACH, FL · broker · bonded
- ROAD AMERICA AUTO TRANSPORTCOCONUT CREEK, FL · broker · bonded
- LITE AUTO TRANSPORT CORPLUTZ, FL · broker · bonded
- A OK AUTO TRANSPORT LLCDEERFIELD BEACH, FL · broker · bonded
- ABOVE THE REST AUTOTRANSPORTBOCA RATON, FL · broker · bonded
All Florida auto transport companies →
Florida to California: common questions
Is the California to Florida direction priced the same?+
No. Each leg carries its own multiplier and this one is the lower; the return is the leg the model marks up. Search interest leans the same way — the westbound side is looked up more often — so the eastbound page is the quiet one. The return carries a factor of its own; nothing here is flipped to produce it. A car coming back later is a separate request, made when you need it.
Does it matter that Florida's companies are not where this distance starts?+
On a short lane it would. Here it mostly does not. Florida's registered companies sit away from the metro the road was measured from — the largest block is Miami's, with Hialeah, Kissimmee and Homestead trailing behind — so a truck answering from that end has road to cover first. Across a crossing this wide that stretch is absorbed rather than decisive. The California end is where precision pays: the delivery address is where the run stops.
Who will be quoting me, and are you one of them?+
Not us. We hold no operating authority, we run no trucks, and no car is ever in our custody; the paperwork you sign belongs to the company you book. Requests go to licensed companies at either end, more of them filed in Florida than in California — the Florida side heavier on brokers, the California side on carriers. Whether any given company replies is not in this site's hands. Check the authority of whoever does before money moves.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Florida to California?+
Expect $1,620 to $1,850 for a running sedan on an open trailer. An SUV on the same lane runs about $1,740–$1,970, and an enclosed trailer about $2,230–$2,530.
How long does it take to ship a car from Florida to California?+
About 7 to 9 days in transit over 2,510 miles, plus one to three days to schedule pickup after you book.
Can the carrier pick up and deliver to my door?+
Yes on almost every lane. The truck gets as close as it legally and physically can — on a narrow residential street the driver will ask you to meet at a nearby lot.
How do I ship my car from Florida to California?+
Give the two ZIP codes and what you drive, and the request goes to a panel of licensed companies at once instead of you calling down a list. They quote, you compare side by side, and you deal directly with whoever you pick — we take no commission and nobody gets your number until you hand it over. You do not travel with the car: the driver collects it, you both sign an inspection report, and the same happens at the far end.
More lanes from Florida
More lanes to California
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.
Shipping somewhere else in California? California car transport →