Snowbird Car Shipping: When to Book South and North, and What It Costs
For snowbird car shipping, the spring trip home needs more planning than the fall trip south. Ship A Car, a broker that published its booking data, says southbound pickups spread “almost evenly from August through January,” while northbound pickups “peak in May.” Sherpa, another broker, marks “Oct-Nov, Mar-Apr” as snowbird season. One way between New York and Florida, FreightWaves Checkpoint, a consumer guide with an advertiser disclosure and quote links, estimates $879–$1,363 south and $837–$1,377 back. Both brokers report a similar southbound range from their own shipments, and mostly higher figures for the trip home. Book two to four weeks ahead in the busy windows.
When snowbird season peaks: the booking calendar
The two brokers describe the year differently, so here they are side by side. Ship A Car’s column is from its own dispatch records; Sherpa’s columns are its published guidance.
| Months | Sherpa, calculator page | Sherpa, New York → Florida page | Ship A Car, its own orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug–Sep | — | — | Trip south under way: it “spreads almost evenly from August through January” |
| Oct–Nov | Snowbird season: “significant price increases” to/from Florida and Arizona | Southbound rates up “from October through December” | Prices “stay close to normal,” but trucks “fill fastest” from October to December and “Southbound carrier spots fill up fast in October and November” |
| Dec | — | Southbound rates up | Trucks still “fill fastest”; some snowbirds wait out the holidays |
| Jan | “Off-peak (January-March)” | — | “January is quietly one of its strongest months” southbound |
| Feb | Off-peak | — | Northbound pickups start to climb: they “triple between February and April” |
| Mar–Apr | Snowbird season | Northbound rates up “in March and April” | Return wave builds |
| May | — | One passage says “March through May heading north” | Northbound pickups “peak in May” |
| Jun | “Peak season (June-August)” for summer moves | — | Northbound pickups “stay heavy into June” |
The practical read from Ship A Car: “capacity gets tight on the way home, not on the way down.” Note that Sherpa’s calculator page counts March as both “Off-peak (January-March)” and snowbird season. Sherpa gives no percentage for snowbird season, and neither does Ship A Car, so our calculator doesn’t add one. Its peak-season box covers only June–August.
Cost of shipping south and back
Open transport, standard car, one direction. Each column is one source.
| Lane | FreightWaves Checkpoint (consumer guide with quote links, 2026 estimate) | Sherpa (broker, its shipments) | Ship A Car (broker, middle half of orders since 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Florida (south) | $879–$1,363 | $1,050–$1,350 | $1,000–$1,250 |
| Florida → New York (home) | $837–$1,377 | $1,025–$1,500 | $1,050–$1,450 |
| New Jersey → Florida | $873–$1,394 | $1,000–$1,250 | $800–$1,050 |
| Massachusetts → Florida | $1,027–$1,537 | $1,075–$1,300 | $900–$1,150 |
| Illinois → Florida | — | $925–$1,150 | — |
| Florida → Illinois (home) | — | — | $1,000–$1,350 |
| Illinois → Arizona | — | $1,025–$1,225 | $1,200–$1,550* |
*Not a lane figure: Ship A Car’s “Chicago to Scottsdale” row is what its customers paid for open-carrier moves “of 1,500 to 2,000 miles between September 2025 and August 2026.”
Round trip, New York ↔ Florida, adding each source’s two legs (our arithmetic; two one-way ranges added together are not a round-trip average): FreightWaves $1,716–$2,740, Sherpa $2,075–$2,850, Ship A Car $2,050–$2,700. Ship A Car says “South is the cheaper direction” in its data; FreightWaves’ estimate has the two directions almost level. For other states, see shipping a car to Florida.
How early to book
| Source | Advice |
|---|---|
| Sherpa, calculator page | “Peak season (summer, snowbird): 3-4 weeks ahead”; “Standard booking: 2-3 weeks ahead” |
| Sherpa, New York → Florida page | in snowbird season “book three to four weeks ahead”; elsewhere on the same page, “booking two to three weeks ahead helps” |
| Ship A Car | “Two to three weeks ahead in the peak windows, October through December going south and March through May coming north” |
| FreightWaves Checkpoint | “at least two to four weeks ahead” |
Ship A Car’s data shows most people book much later: “The median snowbird books southbound transport 7 days before pickup, and the return trip just 5 days before.” It warns that in the April–May wave “a five-day lead time can mean settling for a later pickup or a higher rate.”
Preparing the car for a season away
From Ship A Car’s checklist:
- “take time-stamped photos from all angles before the carrier arrives,” and check the driver’s bill of lading against them.
- Clear out the trunk, back seat, glove box and door pockets. “Personal belongings are not covered by carrier insurance.”
- Keep fuel at “approximately a quarter tank.”
- Wash the car so road salt doesn’t hide scratches at inspection.
- “Remove or deactivate your electronic toll transponder before pickup,” or it may log tolls on the way south.
- Give the company gate codes and HOA or condo access rules when you book.
At delivery, inspect with the driver before you sign. What the carrier’s policy covers is explained in car shipping insurance.
Round-trip planning
- Check the company each season. A broker assigns a carrier for each shipment, so the carrier on your spring trip may not be the one from the fall. Look up both with the Broker Check on our calculator page and read how to choose a car shipping company.
- Book both legs together. Ship A Car suggests booking “the trip north at the same time as your southbound shipment,” so the spring leg is on the calendar before you leave.
- Quote each direction on its own. Prices differ by direction and month (table above). Ship A Car says it “quotes every snowbird move on its own lane and season.”
- Traveling with neighbors? Ship A Car says it can look for “one carrier that can take several on the same run,” but “Each car is still quoted on its own.”
- Another option on the East Coast. Amtrak’s Auto Train runs daily between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.) and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando). You ride the same train, the car travels in an enclosed auto carrier, and Amtrak lists the trip at 17 hours 29 minutes. You still have to drive to Lorton and from Sanford.
Before paying a deposit, check the company's USDOT or MC number.
Illustrations on this page are AI-generated to help you picture the situation. They are not photos of real homes, jobs or people.
Sources
- Ship A Car, Inc. (broker) — The Snowbird Migration Index: What Our Booking Data Reveals (Aug 24, 2026; updated Sept 5, 2026)
- Ship A Car, Inc. (broker) — Seasonal Relocation: Snowbirds, lane prices and checklist (updated Oct 3, 2026)
- Sherpa Auto Transport (broker) — Car Shipping Cost Calculator, seasons and booking lead time (updated July 2026)
- Sherpa Auto Transport (broker) — New York to Florida Car Shipping (updated Oct 2, 2026)
- FreightWaves Checkpoint (a consumer guide with an advertiser disclosure and quote links) — Car Shipping Cost Calculator: Instant Car Transport Quotes (updated May 29, 2026)
- Amtrak — Auto Train, Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL (checked Nov 2, 2026)
Updated November 2, 2026