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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Connecticut, how the Merritt Parkway and I-95 shape a Fairfield County pickup, and what the DMV asks for when a car arrives from another state.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
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The short answer
In October 2026, shipping a running sedan on an open carrier from Stamford to Miami costs about $1,210 and Hartford to Orlando about $1,070. Coming north is cheaper this month: Orlando to Stamford about $885, Miami to Hartford about $1,015. Stamford to Los Angeles runs about $1,635. Book Florida lanes two to three weeks ahead in October and November.
On every pair priced this month, coming into Connecticut costs less than leaving. Carriers price the empty miles home, so the busier direction costs more. Each pair below is the same out-of-state city in both directions, running sedan, open carrier.
Chicago
Atlanta
Orlando
Miami
Dallas
Los Angeles
What it costs
Connecticut is about 110 miles from Greenwich to the Rhode Island line, and car haulers cross it constantly on the way between New York and Boston. Trucks pass through every day, so the harder part of a pickup here is finding room for one to stop. In Fairfield County the Merritt Parkway is closed to trucks and trailers and I-95 is often stop-and-go, so a Greenwich or Westport pickup often happens in a lot near an I-95 exit. Hartford, New Haven, and the towns along I-91 and I-84 are simpler.
The prices on this page come from the Connecticut lanes we priced this month and describe a running sedan on an open carrier. October is the start of the southbound season, which is why Stamford to Miami costs more right now than Miami to Hartford. The sections below cover that calendar, the roads, the winter, and the DMV steps for a car registered somewhere else.
These are October 2026 figures for the state. Your exact lane, vehicle, and week take about 30 seconds.
See my exact priceLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Approximate prices, October 2026 · open carrier · running sedan · 17 Connecticut lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Connecticut lanes we priced this month. They are planning figures. Florida-bound lanes run higher from October into December and Florida-to-Connecticut lanes tighten in March and April. Enter both ZIP codes in the calculator for an exact price in about 30 seconds.
What moves the number
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier. Larger vehicles, enclosed trailers, and peak weeks cost more; the calculator prices your exact shipment.
Lanes · October 2026
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, with the range most trucks on the lane land in. “Truck assigned in” is how long it usually takes to find a carrier. Transit is what one driver covers at 400 to 500 miles a day after that.
$1,210most trucks $1,035–$1,380
1,328 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–4 days
Trucks run I-95 nearly the whole 1,328 miles, about three days on the road. October and November are the busy southbound weeks, which is why this lane costs about $1,210 right now while Miami to Hartford runs about $1,015.
Price this route$1,070most trucks $870–$1,265
1,202 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
About $1,070 for 1,202 miles this month. Many drivers leaving Hartford take I-84 west to I-81 and run down through Pennsylvania and Virginia to skip New York City traffic, then pick up I-95 in the Carolinas for the last stretch.
Price this route$885most trucks $690–$1,085
1,124 mi3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 hours
Northbound is the light direction in the fall, and at about $885 this is the lowest of this month's Florida-to-Connecticut prices. Drivers who just dropped snowbird cars want a load home. Expect the price to climb in March and April, when the same trucks fill up going north.
Price this route$1,635most trucks $1,360–$1,910
2,829 mi6–8 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 days
At 2,829 miles this is the longest regular lane out of Fairfield County, about $1,635 and six to seven days on the truck. Carriers cross on I-80 or I-40 depending on the season. A Palm Springs-area address prices close by, with Stamford to Cathedral City about $1,575.
Price this route$860most trucks $685–$1,030
828 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–18 hours
About $860 for 828 miles. Trucks come east on I-80 across Ohio and Pennsylvania and often cross the Hudson on the Mario Cuomo Bridge to reach Fairfield County. Hartford to Chicago, the westbound trip, is about $890, so the two directions price almost the same.
Price this route$1,295most trucks $1,170–$1,415
1,587 mi4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
About $1,295, with most trucks priced between roughly $1,170 and $1,415, a tighter spread than the Florida lanes. Drivers typically head west on I-78, down I-81, and across Tennessee on I-40, three to four days in all. Dallas to Hartford runs about $1,130.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL → Stamford, CT | 828 | $860 | $685–$1,030 | 1–18 hours | 2–3 days | 828 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Atlanta, GA → Stamford, CT | 917 | $940 | $705–$1,175 | 1–11 days | 2–3 days | 917 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–11 days |
| Orlando, FL → Stamford, CT | 1,124 | $885 | $690–$1,085 | 1–5 hours | 3 days | 1,124 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–5 hours |
| West Palm Beach, FL → Hartford, CT | 1,344 | $965 | $680–$1,245 | 1–29 hours | 3–4 days | 1,344 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–29 hours |
| Miami, FL → Hartford, CT | 1,406 | $1,015 | $790–$1,240 | 1 hour | 3–4 days | 1,406 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Dallas, TX → Hartford, CT | 1,688 | $1,130 | $925–$1,330 | 1–4 days | 4–5 days | 1,688 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Los Angeles, CA → Hartford, CT | 2,891 | $1,555 | $1,355–$1,760 | 1–17 hours | 6–8 days | 2,891 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford, CT → Chicago, IL | 891 | $890 | $680–$1,100 | 1–21 hours | 2–3 days | 891 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–21 hours |
| Hartford, CT → Atlanta, GA | 1,020 | $1,030 | $880–$1,180 | 1–4 days | 3 days | 1,020 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Hartford, CT → Orlando, FL | 1,202 | $1,070 | $870–$1,265 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,202 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Hartford, CT → Sarasota, FL | 1,311 | $1,145 | $910–$1,380 | 1–2 days | 3–4 days | 1,311 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Stamford, CT → Miami, FL | 1,328 | $1,210 | $1,035–$1,380 | 1–4 days | 3–4 days | 1,328 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Waterford, CT → North Port, FL | 1,352 | $1,115 | $960–$1,265 | 1–2 days | 3–4 days | 1,352 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Stamford, CT → Dallas, TX | 1,587 | $1,295 | $1,170–$1,415 | 1–3 days | 4 days | 1,587 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Stamford, CT → Cathedral City, CA | 2,769 | $1,575 | $1,260–$1,890 | 1–9 days | 6–7 days | 2,769 mi · 6–7 days · truck in 1–9 days |
| Stamford, CT → Los Angeles, CA | 2,829 | $1,635 | $1,360–$1,910 | 1–5 days | 6–8 days | 2,829 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Meriden, CT → San Diego, CA | 2,911 | $1,745 | $1,430–$2,065 | 1–5 days | 6–8 days | 2,911 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–5 days |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Connecticut prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Connecticut the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Stamford sits on I-95 under 40 miles from Midtown Manhattan, and the office parks and big retail lots near the highway give a 75-foot carrier room to load. Most of the state's long lanes start here, at about $1,210 to Miami, $1,295 to Dallas, and $1,635 to Los Angeles. Orlando to Stamford runs about $885 this month.
Greenwich is the first Connecticut town on I-95, with the Merritt Parkway crossing its backcountry to the north. Estates up there often have long gated drives, and the streets in Old Greenwich and Riverside are narrow, so most pickups move to a lot near an I-95 exit. Fall is the busy stretch, when Florida-bound trucks work this corridor every day.
Price a pickup in GreenwichNew Haven is where I-91 splits from I-95 toward Hartford, so carriers coming from either direction pass close by. Yale's May move-out and late-August arrivals bring most of the student shipments in the state. Downtown one-way streets and the campus blocks leave no room for a carrier, and drivers meet customers at a retail lot near an I-95 or I-91 exit.
Price a pickup in New HavenHartford sits where I-84 crosses I-91, the simplest place in Connecticut for a carrier to load. Priced lanes from here run about $1,070 to Orlando, $1,145 to Sarasota, $1,030 to Atlanta, and $890 to Chicago. Heading north, Miami to Hartford is about $1,015 and West Palm Beach to Hartford about $965.
Meriden sits halfway between Hartford and New Haven, where I-691 meets I-91, an easy stop for trucks already running the I-91 corridor. Meriden to San Diego, one of the longest priced lanes in the state, runs about $1,745 for 2,911 miles. Wallingford and Cheshire next door share the same quick interstate access.
Groton is home to Naval Submarine Base New London and Electric Boat, and the Coast Guard Academy sits across the Thames River in New London. Navy and Coast Guard orders drive most shipments, heaviest in summer. Carriers usually cannot drive onto the base, so the handoff happens at a lot off I-95. From nearby Waterford, a car to North Port, Florida, runs about $1,115.
Price a pickup in GrotonDanbury sits on I-84 a few miles from the New York line, and trucks bound for Pennsylvania and the Midwest leave the state this way. Western Connecticut State University adds a small May move-out. Hill towns to the north along US-7, such as New Milford and Kent, take longer to schedule than a Danbury address.
Price a pickup in DanburyFlorida-bound cars fill the fall calendar. Retirees from Fairfield, New Haven, and Hartford counties winter in Florida, and some of them ship the car rather than drive I-95 for two days. This month Stamford to Miami costs about $1,210, most trucks between $1,035 and $1,380, and Hartford to Orlando about $1,070. Those lanes stay firm through November and into December, then ease after the holidays. Book two to three weeks ahead and give a pickup window of a few days.
Beyond Florida, Stamford to Dallas is about $1,295, Hartford to Atlanta about $1,030, Hartford to Chicago about $890, and Stamford to Los Angeles about $1,635. Yale in New Haven, UConn in Storrs, Wesleyan in Middletown, and Quinnipiac in Hamden add a May move-out, and the Naval Submarine Base in Groton and the Coast Guard Academy in New London turn people over on their own transfer schedules.
Northbound Florida lanes are the cheaper direction in October: Orlando to Stamford costs about $885 and Miami to Hartford about $1,015. That flips in spring. March and April are when the snowbirds come back, and Florida-to-Connecticut prices tighten for about six weeks. If you are moving a car up from Florida and the date is flexible, the fall and early winter are the better time.
Other inbound lanes are steady through the year. Chicago to Stamford is about $860, Atlanta to Stamford about $940, Dallas to Hartford about $1,130, and Los Angeles to Hartford about $1,555. A car arriving from out of state needs an emissions test, or a VIN check at an emissions station if it is one of the newest models, plus Connecticut insurance, and your town sends a property tax bill. The rules table below has the details.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Connecticut addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
Three interstates do the work. I-95 follows the shore from Greenwich through Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London. I-91 runs north from New Haven through Hartford to Springfield, and I-84 crosses from Danbury through Waterbury and Hartford toward Massachusetts. Hartford, where I-84 meets I-91, is the easiest pickup in the state, and anything near those exits prices at the low end.
The Merritt Parkway, Route 15, bans trailers and anything over 8 feet tall, and its old bridges are far too low for a car hauler, so the towns between it and the Sound lean on I-95 access. Expect a meet-up at a commuter or retail lot near an exit if you live on a shoreline street in Darien, Westport, or Old Greenwich. The Litchfield Hills and the Quiet Corner in the northeast sit off the interstates, and a pickup there may wait a day or two longer for a truck or meet one on I-84 or I-395.
Connecticut's shipping weather problem is the nor'easter. A big one can drop a foot or more of snow from Fairfield County to the Rhode Island line, and car haulers stop with everyone else until the plows catch up on I-95, I-91, and I-84. Expect a day or two of slip and a text from your coordinator with the new window. The quoted price does not change.
Hurricane season reaches Connecticut too, usually as a tropical storm in August or September, and the shoreline towns are the ones it affects. Outside those two windows the state is easy to ship from. The calm stretches are late January through February for a car going south and June through September for one coming north.
The driver calls roughly 24 hours before pickup, and the coordinator's text the day before confirms the time window.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Connecticut lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Connecticut rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is the source, and the one to check before you register.
Questions
In October 2026, Stamford to Miami runs about $1,210 for a running sedan on an open carrier, most trucks between roughly $1,035 and $1,380, and Hartford to Orlando about $1,070. Southbound Florida lanes stay firm through November. Booking two to three weeks out with a flexible pickup window helps, and your quote stays fixed for 14 days.
Orlando to Stamford runs about $885 on an open carrier in October 2026 and Miami to Hartford about $1,015, most trucks between roughly $790 and $1,240. Northbound is the cheaper direction in the fall. In March and April, when the snowbirds come home, the same lanes tighten for about six weeks.
A day or two to assign a carrier, then about 400 to 500 miles a day on the truck. That is about three days to South Florida, two to three to Atlanta, two to Chicago, three to four to Dallas, and six to seven to Los Angeles. A nor'easter can add a day or two in winter.
Often not at the door. The Merritt Parkway is closed to trucks and trailers, many shoreline streets are too narrow for a 75-foot rig, and I-95 traffic makes a curbside stop hard. The driver meets you at a lot near an I-95 exit instead. You agree the exact lot with your coordinator in advance, at no extra charge.
Register within 90 days of becoming a resident, in person at the DMV. Bring the out-of-state title and Connecticut insurance that meets the state minimums. A car older than four model years needs an emissions test first; a newer one gets a VIN verification at an emissions station instead. Your town then bills a yearly property tax on the car.
Stamford to Los Angeles runs about $1,635 for a running sedan on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,360 and $1,910. The reverse, Los Angeles to Hartford, is about $1,555. It is about 2,800 miles, so count six to seven days on the truck.
Yes. Connecticut itself has no tolls, but a carrier heading south crosses toll bridges in New York and New Jersey, and a transponder left on the windshield can read and bill your account. Put it in a drawer at home or in a foil bag in the glovebox.
The data
The numbers are rebuilt from our own pricing each month and published with the page, so the dates above are the real ones.
Other state guides
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