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How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car from California to Florida?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car from California to Florida?

If you are relocating from California to Florida, you might be wondering how to get your car from one state to the other. While driving may seem like a plausible option at first, it is important to consider the toll this would take on you and your vehicle. A cross-country trip puts an enormous amount of wear and tear on your vehicle, not to mention your budget. When you consider the cost of gas, meals, and lodging, you will find that your expenses quickly add up. A cross-country drive is also exhausting and time consuming for you. When you consider all of these factors you might find that auto shipment is cheaper and more convenient.  Here are a few factors that can determine the cost to ship your car from California to Florida. 

Distance and Route

One of the most important factors in the cost of shipping a car is the actual distance you will be shipping it. It is difficult to get a quote from one state to another without including the actual address of pick-up and drop-off. Another factor to consider is the route that your carrier will be taking to transport your car. For instance, traveling between major cities will generally be cheaper than traveling to a rural destination. 

Type of Vehicle

Another determining factor is the size and weight of your vehicle. Due to capacity limitations on carriers, larger cars cost more to transport. 

Shipping Time and Seasonality

How quickly you need your car can also affect your shipment cost. If you are flexible on delivery dates, you can usually get a better price. If you require any kind of expedited delivery, your cost will increase. Your cost will also go up in the summer because this is peak season. The cheapest time to ship your car is during the winter months. 

Shipping Method

There are a few options to consider when shipping your car. The first is terminal-to-terminal or door-to-door shipping. Although door-to-door service is more convenient, it is also more expensive. Your other option is to choose whether you want an open or enclosed carrier to transport your car. Open carriers are more common and less expensive than enclosed transport. 

When you decide to ship your car from California to Florida, you want to choose a shipping expert that is both reliable and affordable. Take the time to get quotes from different companies and be sure to compare their reviews and credentials. Be sure to inquire about additional fees, surcharges, and any other hidden costs that could affect your price. Also, don’t fall into the trap of going with the lowest price. If a company’s price is significantly lower than the others, that’s usually a bad sign. Sometimes this is a way to get customers to book a shipment and then the company either tacks on fees or they aren’t a reputable company. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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