A running sedan shipped open from Nashville to Orlando costs $675 to $1,025. The 16 pairs on this page cover 462 to 975 road miles through Georgia, and Memphis loads cross Mississippi and Alabama too. Loading to delivery usually takes 2 to 5 days, and Florida requires at least $10,000 each of PIP and property damage liability.
How Many Road Miles Separate Four Tennessee Cities From Florida?
This page covers 16 routed pairs. Pickups start in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville or Chattanooga, Tennessee, and each car is delivered to Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa or Miami, Florida. Tennessee to Florida car shipping across that set spans 462 to 975 road miles, from Chattanooga to Jacksonville at the short end to Memphis to Miami at the long end. Nashville to Orlando, the core pair, measures 684 miles and about 12.6 hours of driving, with 477 of those miles on I-75, 133 on I-24 and 16 on I-475. On 12 of the 16 pairs, I-75 is the road that covers the most distance: these are the Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga loads, and all 12 pass Atlanta and Macon. The four Memphis pairs take US 78 through Mississippi and Alabama before they cross into Georgia. Every pair passes Valdosta and Lake City on the way into Florida.
What Moves the Price of a Car Shipped From Tennessee to Florida?
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.
Where the car ends up in Florida matters more than where it starts in Tennessee. Orlando lies 92 miles beyond Jacksonville from every start, Tampa another 17 or 18, and Miami 224 beyond Orlando, which puts a Miami delivery 316 miles past Jacksonville.
Chattanooga is the nearest start to every Florida city. Knoxville adds 85 miles to the Chattanooga figure, Nashville 129 to 130 and Memphis 197, whichever Florida city the car is bound for.
Fifteen pairs fall in the 500 to 1,500 mile band, which is the mid-range row on the Tennessee car shipping table and on the Florida car shipping table, and that row anchors the price range below. Only Chattanooga to Jacksonville, at 462 miles, lands on the regional row in both.
Nashville to Orlando runs $675 to $1,025 for a sedan that drives, loaded on an open trailer. Memphis pickups add about 197 miles over Chattanooga and Miami deliveries add about 224 miles past Orlando, which moves a quote toward the top of the range; Chattanooga pickups and Jacksonville deliveries move it toward the bottom. To price your own pair and date, enter both cities in the car shipping calculator.
SUVs, pickups and minivans use more deck space and are typically quoted $100 to $200 higher. A vehicle that cannot run needs a winch, which carries a fee, and enclosed shipping adds 40 to 60 percent.
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 Hire a Carrier or Make the Tennessee Drive Yourself?
Putting it on a carrier
A carrier covers the 684 miles from Nashville to Orlando, which saves about 12.6 hours behind the wheel plus the fuel and any hotel night that drive brings.
It fits a family with a spare car to move, a relocation where the vehicle can arrive after you do, or an owner who flies to Florida first.
Driving it south yourself
Nashville to Orlando takes about 12.6 hours at the wheel, and many drivers break it into two days with a stop for the night. Gas and food over 684 miles add to the hotel bill.
If the car must reach Florida the moment you do, driving is the answer. Compare that total of gas, meals and lodging with a shipping quote before deciding.
How Long Does a Car Spend on the Road From Tennessee to Florida?
Across the 16 pairs, transit usually runs 2 to 5 days after loading. The mid-range window on both state tables says the same, and one broker lane page generally agrees at 2 to 4 days after pickup. Chattanooga to Jacksonville, the shortest pair at 462 miles, sits on the regional row, which usually shows 1 to 3 days, while Memphis to Miami at 975 miles is the longest.
Carrier assignment at dispatch takes one to three working days, during which the car waits at its pickup address. Tracking begins at loading.
What Is the Right Month to Book a Tennessee to Florida Shipment?
Two broker rate pages cover this lane, and they read the calendar differently. One lists May through July roughly 5 percent over its annual average and August through October roughly 5 percent under. The other points to snowbird travel instead, with southbound demand from October through January and trucks filling fast between October and December. A quote tied to your own date says more than either calendar.
Florida sits inside the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, so a delivery in those months is worth scheduling with some room. Booking one to two weeks ahead usually gets the best rates, and for October through December one broker suggests three to four weeks.
Open or Enclosed for a Tennessee Car Headed to Florida?
Open carriers cost less and suit most cars on this lane. An open carrier leaves the car exposed for the whole 462 to 975 miles, so expect road dust and perhaps a few rain marks on arrival in Florida.
Classics, exotics and cars with fresh paint belong in enclosed car transport. Solid sides and a roof keep road spray, grit and summer storms off the finish. Enclosed trailers are fewer and each space costs more, so book earlier.
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.
Who Handles Each Florida Step After a Tennessee Car Arrives?
Florida asks for three things after delivery, and each has its own handler. Lining them up before the car arrives saves return trips.
- The insurer. Florida requires proof of PIP and property damage liability coverage, at least $10,000 each, from anyone who registers a vehicle there. The Department of Financial Services says the same applies when a vehicle stays in Florida for more than 90 of the last 365 days, in a row or not. Ask your Tennessee insurer to confirm it is licensed in Florida, since the state motor vehicle agency wants proof of coverage from an insurer licensed there.
- The VIN verifier. A car last titled in another state may need its VIN verified before Florida titles it, a step the Polk County Tax Collector describes. An officer from any state, a Florida-licensed dealer or a Florida notary public can do it, and tax collector staff can too, though it may take longer. Form HSMV 82042 is filled in before the visit.
- The county tax collector. Bring the Tennessee title to the office. When the car is financed, request the title from the lender before the appointment. Counties set their own procedures, so check the page for the county where the car will be registered.
Back in Tennessee, the Department of Revenue says plates stay with the owner rather than the vehicle, that a renewal notice arriving after a move out of state can be disregarded, and that renewals stop once Tennessee receives the surrender notice for the title. Unused registration time is generally not refunded by Tennessee.
Which Roads Carry a Tennessee Load South, and What Happens at Each End?
The start city sets the first leg. Nashville loads head southeast on I-24 through Chattanooga to I-75, and Knoxville loads reach I-75 directly. Chattanooga loads join it almost at once. From there all 12 loads run through Atlanta, Macon and Valdosta to Lake City, where Jacksonville loads turn east onto I-10. Orlando, Tampa and Miami loads stay on I-75 into central Florida, and the Tampa loads finish on I-275. Memphis loads take US 78 east through Tupelo and Birmingham, cross into Georgia, and reach I-75 near Valdosta.
Gated communities and dead-end streets are common at both ends, and a full-length car carrier may not fit through them, so the driver may ask to meet in a wide parking lot nearby.
When the driver arrives, go around the car together and confirm the condition report records each existing mark. Take photos from every side, clear out personal items, keep the tank near one quarter full and give the driver one key. After delivery in Florida, check the car again, ideally in daylight, and list any fresh damage on the condition report before signing.
What Does Rivalane Handle on a Tennessee to Florida Order?
Rivalane is a broker, so it arranges the move from its Melville, New York office rather than from a depot in either state. There is no Rivalane office or lot in Tennessee or Florida, and no trucks of its own. Each order is assigned to a licensed carrier, which is the trucking company that does the physical moving, and that assignment takes one to three working days. Tracking runs from the moment of loading. The Florida section below walks through insurance, VIN and title steps one handler at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
