A running sedan going north on an open carrier from Miami to Newark costs $850 to $1,300 for most bookings. Plan on 857 to 1,303 road miles, most of them on I-95, and typically 3 to 5 days on the truck. Spring books up fast, and the New Jersey MVC allows 60 days after a move for title and registration.
How a Car Gets From Florida to New Jersey
Florida to New Jersey car shipping spends most of its distance on I-95, and all 64 pairings we routed join it by Yulee, the last Florida town before Georgia. Cars collected in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach head up the Atlantic side past Daytona Beach, which is where Orlando loads come in on I-4. Tampa and Fort Myers cars take I-75 to US 301 and pass Ocala and Starke before reaching I-95, while Tallahassee cars come across on I-10 past Lake City. North of the state line the run goes by Brunswick, Georgia, and a Miami to Newark trip hits its halfway point near Timmonsville, just short of Florence, South Carolina. From there it continues past Fayetteville, Wilson and Rocky Mount in North Carolina, then Emporia, Petersburg and Fredericksburg in Virginia, through the Baltimore section of the I-95 corridor and past Wilmington, Delaware, before it crosses into New Jersey for the final miles.
What Does It Cost to Ship a Car From Florida to New Jersey?
Your quote depends on your vehicle, the exact pickup and delivery addresses, the season and the trailer type, so run the calculator for a figure on your dates.
The Florida pickup is what moves the mileage most on this lane, and the mileage sets most of the price. Headed for Newark, a car from Jacksonville covers about 936 road miles, one from Orlando about 1,076, Tallahassee about 1,093 and Tampa about 1,128. The far south adds the most: West Palm Beach about 1,219, Fort Myers about 1,246, Fort Lauderdale about 1,255 and Miami about 1,280. Pickups in other parts of the state are covered on our Florida car shipping page.
The delivery town matters far less. From Miami, Camden was the nearest drop we measured at about 1,201 miles and Paterson the farthest at about 1,303, so the eight towns we measured across New Jersey sit within a spread of roughly 100 miles. That order held for every Florida city on our list.
The vehicle and the month count as well. A full-size pickup or van uses more trailer space than a compact car, and northbound trucks leaving Florida are usually at their busiest in spring. Our car shipping calculator gives a starting number once you type in the pickup and delivery addresses. If the car is going the other way for the winter, see New Jersey to Florida car shipping.
Moving a running sedan from Miami up to Newark on an open trailer runs $850 to $1,300, and cars collected closer to the Georgia line come in under that. South Florida pickups bound for Paterson or Jersey City sit toward the top.
Bigger vehicles take more deck space: a full-size SUV, a van or a pickup typically lands $100 to $200 higher. Put the car in an enclosed trailer and the open figure generally climbs 40 to 60 percent.
Three things usually settle where in that range a quote lands:
- The spring wave. Between March and May, snowbirds who wintered in Florida send their cars back to New Jersey and the rest of the Northeast, and trailers heading north book up sooner. A trip north in fall or winter usually finds room more easily.
- The Florida handover. Plenty of South Florida condo towers and gated streets do not let a big rig through the entrance, so the car might change hands on a public road just outside. A pickup close to I-95 or I-75 is the simplest kind to fit into a route.
- The New Jersey street. Tight blocks in Newark or Jersey City can mean meeting the truck around the corner, while most suburban streets leave room close to the house.
A price far under every other offer is worth a question about what it skips before you sign up.
What Factors Actually
Influence Pricing on This Route?
Five things move the price on any lane: the vehicle's size, whether it runs, how easy each end is to reach, the season and the trailer type. Booking early protects your timeline, keeps pricing steady and reduces the risk of last-minute carrier changes.
Type
Size decides how much deck space your vehicle takes and how many other cars fit alongside it. A standard sedan is the cheapest thing to move because it slots almost anywhere on the trailer. SUVs, pickups and vans take more room and usually cost more on the same lane.
Should You Drive or Ship Your Car From Florida to New Jersey?
Reasons to Ship It North
Shipping fits snowbirds who fly back to New Jersey when the season ends, retirees moving north to be closer to family, and service members reporting to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
It also keeps a relative from losing two long days on I-95 and then paying for a flight back to Florida.
Reasons to Drive It Yourself
If two people are heading north together and the car is carrying their luggage, driving can come out cheaper, and we will point that out if it applies to you. The routing estimate for Miami to Newark is about 24 hours of driving, which in practice means two nights in hotels plus fuel, meals and tolls.
Once nobody has to ride along, shipping usually wins. The closest pair on our list, Jacksonville to Camden, still covers about 857 miles.
How Long Does Car Shipping From Florida to New Jersey Take?
Once the car is loaded, the drive north typically takes 3 to 5 days. Jacksonville cars going to South Jersey tend to finish early in that window, Miami to Newark usually lands in the middle, and a truck with several stops ahead of yours can use all of it.
Placing the car with a northbound carrier that has room normally comes first and takes one to three working days, a little longer in the spring rush.
Drivers deliver in the order of their route, so a car for Paterson or Jersey City may come off after stops in Maryland or Delaware. If you can name three or four days that work for pickup, dispatch has more trucks to choose from.
When Should You Book Car Shipping From Florida to New Jersey?
The crowded weeks on this lane come in spring, when New Jersey snowbirds who spent the winter in Florida all start home at once. The article on seasonal auto shipping for snowbirds covers the trip south in the fall and the trip back north.
Aim to book three to four weeks out for a move north between March and May. Outside those months, ten days or so of notice is normally enough, and a few spare days in your schedule help dispatch catch the first truck with room.
Summer thunderstorms in Florida sometimes delay a pickup by a day, and winter weather in New Jersey can slow a delivery the same way.
Open or Enclosed Transport From Florida to New Jersey?
Most cars on this route ride open transport, on the two-level trailers that work the I-95 corridor all year. Over about 1,280 miles from Miami to Newark the car meets the same weather as any long drive, and a spring trip can leave a layer of pollen and road film on the paint.
On enclosed transport, the car makes the whole trip inside a walled, roofed trailer, from the Florida pickup to the New Jersey delivery, out of the sun, rain and grit. Those trailers carry fewer vehicles, which is why the price is higher and why spring dates can fill early.
Collectors, owners of exotic or show cars and anyone with brand new paint tend to choose the covered trailer, and almost every daily driver and snowbird sedan on this lane rides open.
Enclosed Car Transport
Enclosed demand rises for high-value, specialty and seasonal vehicles, and enclosed trailers protect against road debris and weather, which matters most on longer hauls. Enclosed rigs are a small fraction of the trailers working any given lane, and that scarcity is what drives both the higher price and the longer booking lead time.
Open Car Transport
Most vehicles move on open trailers, and for most routes that is the more cost-effective way to ship a car.
Open transport works well for standard vehicles and keeps costs predictable. It also offers the widest carrier availability.
What New Jersey Requires When Your Car Arrives
These steps are for people moving to New Jersey. The MVC sets one clock for both halves of the move: 60 days from moving in to transfer the vehicle title and registration, and the same 60 days to switch to a New Jersey driver license, unless the Florida license expires sooner.
For the car, book a New Title or Registration appointment through the MVC online appointment system. Bring proof of identity, which is usually your driver license, the original Florida title, your insurance information, the Universal Title Application (OS/SS-UTA) and the Vehicle Registration Application (BA-49).
A Florida title still held by a bank or credit union changes the order. Use form OS/SS-54, the Application for Release of a Title from Lienholder, and the MVC will tell you when to return and finish once it receives the title.
For the license, the MVC counts your documents under its 6 Points of ID rule, and the Florida license is handed in when the New Jersey one is issued.
Then close the Florida file. Under FLHSMV rules, a former Florida resident who still has Florida tags on the car must register it in the new home state, and a car that keeps a Florida registration has to stay insured in Florida unless the owner is an active-duty service member stationed in another state. Turn in the Florida plate and decal before canceling that policy, at a county tax collector office, a license plate agent or a driver license office, in person with ID or by mail with a signed statement of the reason and a copy of a photo ID. Mailing the plate is explained in our article on Florida plate surrender.
Sources: the New Jersey MVC page on moving to New Jersey, plus the FLHSMV insurance page and procedure RS-43. Agencies revise these rules, so check both before the car leaves Florida.
Pickup in Florida and Delivery in New Jersey
Agree on both meeting spots before the car is dispatched. A loaded rig takes up a lot of curb, and the driver has to be able to stop, lower the ramps and get back on the road without blocking traffic for long.
On the Florida end, condo buildings and gated communities across South Florida frequently stop big trucks at the gate, so the car may be loaded at the curb outside or in a nearby store parking lot. Around Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, plenty of subdivisions have room at the curb.
On the New Jersey end, narrow streets in Newark and Jersey City often move the handover to a broader road a block or two away. Suburbs like Edison and Toms River usually have space near the driveway, and in the Shore towns a weekday delivery usually misses the worst of the summer traffic.
Before the truck pulls away in Florida, inspect the car with the driver and read every remark on the condition report before signing, since the delivery inspection is checked against it. Dated photos of all four sides give you your own record to compare at the New Jersey curb.
Key Things to Know Before Shipping a Car From Florida to New Jersey
Rivalane coordinates each Florida to New Jersey shipment from its office in Melville, New York, placing the car with a northbound carrier that has space, and real-time tracking lets you follow it to the New Jersey address. Moving north for good? Keep the Florida policy in force until the plate and decal are surrendered, since FLHSMV expects Florida insurance on any car that is still registered in Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
