Route guide · IA → FL

Car shipping from Iowa to Florida

Car transport from Iowa to Florida runs 1,570 road miles between the biggest metros. Shipping a running sedan from Des Moines to Miami costs about $1,025–$1,475 on an open carrier and $1,550–$2,225 in an enclosed trailer, with 4–6 days in transit. It ranks #250 among the 250 busiest car-shipping lanes, based on Census moving data.

Prices updated October 2026 · Estimates, not quotes · Calculate for your car →

Open carrier, sedan: $1,250
Road miles: 1,570
Days in transit: 4–6
People moving a year: 3.0K
Companies at both ends: 188

City to city

Cost to ship a car from Iowa to Florida, city to city

Open-carrier prices for a running sedan between Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Sioux City and Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa — 1,090 to 1,740 road miles apart.

From	Miami	Orlando	Jacksonville	Tampa
Des Moines	$1,025–$1,4751,570 mi · 4–6 days	$975–$1,4001,350 mi · 3–6 days	$925–$1,3251,210 mi · 3–5 days	$975–$1,3751,330 mi · 3–6 days
Cedar Rapids	$1,025–$1,4501,530 mi · 4–6 days	$975–$1,3751,300 mi · 3–5 days	$900–$1,3001,150 mi · 3–5 days	$950–$1,3751,290 mi · 3–5 days
Davenport	$1,000–$1,4251,460 mi · 3–6 days	$950–$1,3501,240 mi · 3–5 days	$875–$1,2751,090 mi · 3–5 days	$950–$1,3501,230 mi · 3–5 days
Sioux City	$1,075–$1,5501,740 mi · 4–7 days	$1,025–$1,4501,520 mi · 4–6 days	$975–$1,4001,380 mi · 3–6 days	$1,025–$1,4501,500 mi · 3–6 days

Estimate, not a quote

A pickup or delivery far from these metros usually adds $75–$150. Quotes move with fuel prices and truck space, so treat these as a yardstick. Price your own addresses →

By vehicle

Price by vehicle type

Des Moines to Miami, 1,570 miles. Bigger and heavier vehicles take more room and weight on the trailer, so they cost more.

Vehicle	Open carrier	Enclosed
Sedan or small car	$1,025–$1,475	$1,550–$2,225
Midsize SUV or crossover	$1,150–$1,650	$1,750–$2,475
Large SUV (Tahoe, Expedition)	$1,300–$1,850	$1,950–$2,775
Pickup truck	$1,350–$1,925	$2,025–$2,875
Motorcycle	$625–$875	$925–$1,325

By month

Best time to ship

Prices on this lane peak in December (snowbird season, when retirees ship cars south for the winter and the holidays), running about 20% above the quietest months. The cheapest time to ship from Iowa to Florida is February–May and September.

Cheapest: about $1,250 Peak: about $1,500

About this route

Why so many cars go from Iowa to Florida

About 3,046 people moved from Iowa to Florida in each of the last two years, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (4,367 in 2023, 1,724 in 2024). That is 4.2% of everyone who left Iowa for another state.

Traffic runs both ways — about 3,172 people a year move from Florida back to Iowa — so carriers run this lane year-round and quotes tend to be steady.

How the price compares

At a typical $1,250, shipping from Iowa to Florida is among the most expensive routes out of Iowa; Arizona ($1,175) and Texas ($950) cost less. That works out to about 80¢ a mile — long hauls cost less per mile because loading and paperwork are spread over more distance.

Distance and transit time

Your car spends 4–6 days on the road for the roughly 1,570 miles from Des Moines to Miami, after a pickup window of a few days while the carrier assembles a full load. The car heads southeast and crosses one time zone — from Central to Eastern time — so confirm whether the delivery window you are given is in local time.

On the road

Winter storms in Iowa can slow pickups and deliveries in December through February — leave slack in your schedule.
Hurricane season (June–November) occasionally delays Gulf and Atlantic coast deliveries; carriers will reschedule rather than drive into a storm.

Companies

Car transport companies from Iowa to Florida

Companies headquartered at either end of the route usually run this lane often. Filter by services, company type and safety record — every listing is matched to its FMCSA record.

Pickup end Iowa 6 companies · 6 carriers · 0 brokers · 16 trucks · 7 yrs avg.
Delivery end Florida 182 companies · 159 carriers · 27 brokers · 1,618 trucks · 10 yrs avg.

Filter companies

Based in

Both ends Iowa Florida

Services Open car transport38 Cross-country shipping27 Enclosed car transport26 Door-to-door delivery23 Luxury car transport19 State-to-state shipping18 Classic car transport18 Terminal-to-terminal shipping17

Company type

Any Carrier Broker

Years in business

Any 5+ 10+ 20+

Safety & insurance Satisfactory FMCSA safety rating Cargo insurance $250K+

Include 164 companies from other states that serve both Iowa and Florida

188 companies for this route

Echo Road Auto Car Transport

Featured FMCSA verified

Orlando, FL · Carrier · 3 trucks · 13 yrs in business · USDOT 2459617

At Echo Road Auto Car Transport, we are committed to providing safe, dependable, and hassle-free vehicle shipping services for customers across the United…

Open car transport
Enclosed car transport
Door-to-door delivery
+1 more