Florida to Minnesota car shipping
Shipping a car from Florida to Minnesota costs roughly $1,380–$1,560 and takes 5–6 days over 1,546 road miles (Orlando to Minneapolis). Below is what moves that number, and how to get real quotes for this lane.
| Vehicle & trailer | Price | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan, open trailer | $1,380–$1,560 | 5–6 days |
| SUV or crossover, open | $1,470–$1,670 | 5–6 days |
| Any vehicle, enclosed | $1,910–$2,170 | 5–6 days |
Estimates from distance and vehicle type. Actual price depends on how busy the lane is the week you ship.
The distance on this page is measured Orlando to Minneapolis, and the ends of it look nothing alike on the federal register. Florida's list is deep and concentrated, with Miami ahead of Hialeah, Kissimmee, Homestead and Orlando itself. Minnesota's is short and anchored nowhere in particular — Saint Paul edges out Minneapolis, and what is left sits in Elk River, Farmington and Cambridge.
That asymmetry is most of the price story. A carrier who unloads at the Minnesota end is not stepping into a crowded market for the next load, so this direction prices above the middle of the book while the same road southbound prices below it. The miles do not change. The reload does.
This corridor, measured
| Florida → Minnesota | back | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured between | Orlando → Minneapolis | Minneapolis → Orlando |
| Road miles | 1,546 | 1,540 |
| Transit | 5–6 days | 5–6 days |
| Open carrier, sedan | $1,380–$1,560 | $1,320–$1,500 |
| Direction multiplier | 1.022 | 0.974 |
| Carrier reloads at the far end | 0.57 — the hard way | 0.87 |
| Licensed companies based there | 609 | 36 |
Distance is measured between Orlando and Minneapolis by a routing engine, not as a straight line. Registered companies at the Florida end cluster in Miami, Hialeah, Kissimmee; at the Minnesota end, in Saint Paul, Elk River, Farmington. A register counts businesses filed at an address, not trucks on this road today.
The other direction has its own page: Minnesota to Florida.
Why Minnesota's short register lands on the northbound price
Distance is symmetric; price is not. Picking up is the easy part of this lane — Florida's register is deep, and the towns carrying most of it, Miami and Hialeah and Homestead and Kissimmee, hold more companies than the metro this distance was measured from. Emptying at the far end is the hard part. Minnesota's reload sits in the middling band and its companies are scattered rather than clustered anywhere in particular, so a carrier prices the odds of running light back out into the northbound figure. Reverse the arrows and that risk belongs to the other end.
A snowbird lane pointed north, so the premium arrives late
This is a snowbird corridor pointed north, and that flips the calendar people expect. In autumn, when the seasonal traffic is heading into Florida, trucks running the other way are repositioning and will discount rather than roll empty — that is the soft window for this direction. Late winter into spring, when those same cars go home, northbound deck space is the scarce side and the quotes say so. Demand is lopsided too: far more people price this direction than price the leg back to Florida, so the return is the thinner market.
When to ship it
This lane runs against the retiree migration. Florida fills up from October and empties from March, so the direction you are going is the cheap one in autumn and the dear one in spring — trucks come back out of it needing a load.
| Month | Sedan, open trailer | vs year-round |
|---|---|---|
| January | $1,510–$1,720 | +10% |
| March | $1,650–$1,880 | +20% |
| May | $1,380–$1,560 | level |
| July | $1,540–$1,750 | +12% |
| October | $1,210–$1,380 | -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. 1,546 miles puts this lane at about $0.95 a mile. Past 1,200 miles the per-mile rate keeps dropping but driver hours start to bind — the run needs rest stops, and a carrier will hold for a second or third car before rolling.
- 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. Minnesota is a thinner freight market than Florida, so a carrier coming this way prices in the odds of driving back out empty. Expect this direction to run a little above the reverse lane — and expect more movement in the quotes, because it depends on whether the driver already has a load home.
- Trailer. Enclosed protects from weather and road debris and costs about 39% more here ($1,910–$2,170). 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota
- Saint Paul3
- Elk River2
- Farmington2
- Minneapolis2
- Afton1
- Andover1
- Anoka1
- Audubon1
- Austin1
- Avon1
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 Minnesota: common questions
Why does Orlando to Minneapolis price differently from the reverse?+
Because the freight market is not symmetric even when the road is. A carrier dropping a car in Minnesota has to price the chance of leaving light; a carrier dropping in Florida can usually reload without hunting for it. This page applies a direction factor above par northbound and below par on the return, and the estimate beside this text is the northbound leg only.
When is the cheap window for shipping north out of Florida?+
Autumn. The seasonal flow then runs into Florida, so trucks heading the other way are repositioning and will take a lighter rate rather than run empty. Late winter into spring is the opposite: the same cars are going home, northbound space is scarce, and the seasonal factor beside this text rises to match. Flexible dates are the strongest lever you have on this lane.
Does the company have to be registered in Minnesota?+
No. The company you book can hold authority in any state; carriers work this lane from wherever their loads put them. Worth knowing, though: Minnesota's register is short and spread thin — Saint Paul, Elk River, Farmington, Minneapolis and Cambridge each hold a piece and none of them anchors the state. Check any MC number on the FMCSA register before you sign. This site is not a carrier or a broker, so your contract is with them.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Florida to Minnesota?+
Expect $1,380 to $1,560 for a running sedan on an open trailer. An SUV on the same lane runs about $1,470–$1,670, and an enclosed trailer about $1,910–$2,170.
How long does it take to ship a car from Florida to Minnesota?+
About 5 to 6 days in transit over 1,546 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 Minnesota?+
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 Minnesota
Where is the car going?
Two ZIP codes. No account, no obligation.
Shipping somewhere else in Minnesota? Minnesota car transport →