Fort Lauderdale, FL car shipping
Car Shipping in Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Estimates clearly labeled
- Independent company rankings
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$555 – $4,480
Typical price
Sedan, open transport
2–6 days
Transit time
Most major cities
Los Angeles, Atlanta
Top destinations
$310 – $860
Trips within Florida
Published range for an in-state trip
Free · No obligation · About a minute
Get a Fort Lauderdale car shipping quote
About car shipping in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a port city as much as a beach one, and shipping a car here is shaped by water on two sides. Everything funnels onto I-595, the one freeway that ties the coast to the Turnpike, the Sawgrass and I-75, and the city's canals and drawbridges decide where a carrier can actually reach you. Out west, the only road to the Gulf Coast runs straight across the Everglades.
- I-595 ties the coast to the Turnpike, the Sawgrass and I-75 in one east-west run
- Port Everglades loads ocean-going cars and takes in most of South Florida's fuel
- Canals and low drawbridges put many isle addresses out of a carrier's reach
- Alligator Alley is the only limited-access road across the Everglades to the Gulf
- Broward fills with snowbirds in fall and empties in spring, flipping the busy direction
- Main highways
- I-95, I-595, Florida's Turnpike
- Typical transit
- 2–6 days
- In-state trips
- $310 – $860
Car shipping rates from Fort Lauderdale
Estimated from published industry figures for a standard car. Your quote depends on season, vehicle and exact addresses.
| Destination | Distance | Open transport | Enclosed transport | Transit time | Route page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 2,790 mi | $975 – $5,275 | $1,270 – $8,435 | 6–12 days | Florida to California |
| Atlanta, GA | 700 mi | $510 – $1,325 | $655 – $2,115 | 2–3 days | Florida to Georgia |
| Houston, TX | 1,150 mi | $805 – $2,175 | $1,045 – $3,480 | 3–5 days | Florida to Texas |
| New York City, NY | 1,280 mi | $895 – $2,420 | $1,165 – $3,870 | 3–6 days | Florida to New York |
| Charleston, SC | 550 mi | $400 – $1,040 | $515 – $1,665 | 2–3 days | Florida to South Carolina |
| Chicago, IL | 1,400 mi | $980 – $2,645 | $1,275 – $4,235 | 3–6 days | Florida to Illinois |
Snowbird season moves prices
No source publishes monthly prices by city, so this is what the studies say about timing.
Demand runs heavily southbound from October to December and northbound from March to May. Booking three to six weeks ahead of those windows gives carriers room to schedule the pickup.
Direct Connect Auto Transport reports snowbird routes running 5% to 8% higher.
Published price adjustments
- Pickup truckPickups cost about 38% more to ship than standard cars.Source: Move.org
- SUVAt 500 miles, an SUV averaged $743 against $696 for a car.Source: Move.org
- Non-running vehicleAdd $150 to $300 for a vehicle that does not run.Source: Direct Connect Auto Transport
Transit times from Fort Lauderdale
Typical days on the road after pickup.
- Charleston, SC · 550 mi2–3 days
- Atlanta, GA · 700 mi2–3 days
- Charlotte, NC · 760 mi2–4 days
- Birmingham, AL · 780 mi2–4 days
- Houston, TX · 1,150 mi3–5 days
- New York City, NY · 1,280 mi3–6 days
- Chicago, IL · 1,400 mi3–6 days
Popular routes from Fort Lauderdale
Car shipping companies serving Fort Lauderdale
Researched companies ordered by Trustpilot rating, adjusted for review count. Not ranked by city data.
Pickup areas around Fort Lauderdale
Where trucks reach easily, and where a meeting point helps.
- Weston, Sunrise, PlantationLaid out off I-595 and the Sawgrass Expressway with wide roads and large lots. Among the simplest handovers in Broward.
- Las Olas Isles and the barrier beachFinger-isle streets reached by low drawbridges; drivers load on the mainland a few blocks away instead.
- Port Everglades and the airport districtBuilt for cargo and cruise traffic, and the staging ground for any car leaving by sea.
- Downtown and Victoria ParkOlder blocks beside the New River; a nearby shopping lot beats the narrow one-way streets.
Good to know in Fort Lauderdale
- I-595 is the spine the whole metro hangs offI-595, the Port Everglades Expressway, runs east to west across Broward and ties I-95, Florida's Turnpike, the Sawgrass Expressway and I-75 together before it reaches the airport and the port. A carrier working Fort Lauderdale is on it at some point almost every time, so a pickup gets planned around its interchanges rather than around your street.
- The port ships cars, not only cruise passengersPort Everglades is one of the busiest cruise ports anywhere, but it also loads roll-on, roll-off automobiles and takes in most of South Florida's gasoline and jet fuel. A car leaving the country sails from the port on an ocean carrier, which is booked separately from the truck that drives it the short distance there.
- The Gulf Coast is on the far side of the EvergladesA car going from Fort Lauderdale to Naples or Fort Myers crosses Alligator Alley, the roughly eighty-mile toll run of I-75 through the Everglades with no towns, exits or fuel along it. Drivers treat it as a single leg, and during the June-to-November hurricane season it doubles as a signed evacuation route with tolls lifted.
- Canals and drawbridges decide the pickup pointFort Lauderdale is cut through with canals, and the isle streets off Las Olas and along the Intracoastal are reached only by low drawbridges that a loaded carrier will not cross. The normal answer is to load on the mainland a few minutes away rather than try to thread an island cul-de-sac with eighty feet of truck.
- Moving to Fort LauderdaleIf you're moving from another state, you'll generally need to register your vehicle in Florida. Check Florida's motor vehicle agency for deadlines and inspection rules.
Sources: Port Everglades (Broward County), Florida Department of Transportation, NOAA National Hurricane Center: season dates
Other Florida cities
Starting prices on popular routes.
Helpful guides for Fort Lauderdale
Why ship from Fort Lauderdale?
- Carriers already serving Florida
- Door-to-door pickup where trucks can reach
- Open and enclosed transport options
- Published price ranges you can compare before booking
- Common for relocations, students, military moves and car purchases
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to ship a car from Fort Lauderdale?
Published figures put a standard car on an open carrier at about $555 – $4,480 from Fort Lauderdale to other major cities, depending on distance, season and vehicle. Shorter trips, such as to Charleston, run about $400 – $1,040.
Car shipping cost calculatorHow long does it take to ship a car from Fort Lauderdale?
About 2–3 days to Charleston and 7–14 days to Seattle, plus the pickup window before the car is loaded.
How long car shipping takesCan the truck pick up at my home in Fort Lauderdale?
Often, yes. On narrow, busy or restricted streets, the driver may ask to meet at a nearby open lot where a full-size carrier can load safely.
Door-to-door car shipping
Should I ship open or enclosed from Fort Lauderdale?
Open transport suits most everyday cars and costs less. Consider enclosed for luxury, classic or exotic cars, or anything with fresh paint.
Open vs. enclosed shippingIs my car insured when shipping from Fort Lauderdale?
Licensed carriers must carry liability insurance, and most carry cargo coverage for the cars they haul. Ask for the certificate of insurance before pickup.
Car shipping insuranceWhat's the cheapest way to ship a car from Fort Lauderdale?
Choose open transport, be flexible with dates, book one to three weeks ahead and meet the truck near a main highway if your street is hard to reach.
Cheapest way to ship a car
Where these figures come from
Published industry studies, not Haulwide shipments. Checked Sep 16, 2026.
- SGT Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
Published Sep 9, 2026. 30 months of the company's own shipping data (January 2024 to June 2026) across all 50 states and 1,581 state-to-state lanes, limited to completed single-vehicle open transport deliveries and mix-adjusted for distance.
- Move.org(opens in a new tab)
Published Mar 4, 2026. Nearly 800 broker quotes analyzed, priced for a running 2025 Toyota Camry with a one-week lead time using October 2025 quotes.
- Kelley Blue Book(opens in a new tab)
Published Jan 12, 2026. Quotes requested from eight transport companies for a 2025 Honda Accord on three routes from Orlando, on standard open carriers.
- Direct Connect Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
No publication date given. The company's own carrier data for an operable sedan on open transport; the page states no publication date.
- RoadRunner Auto Transport(opens in a new tab)
Published Sep 1, 2026. The company's completed shipment history, which it describes as over 1 million vehicles delivered across 30+ years, updated September 2026. Its nationwide average is $1,215 at a median distance of 987 miles and a median $1.23 per mile.
The sources disagree, so figures are shown as the span across them rather than a single price. Pricing methodology
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