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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Delaware, why a Wilmington pickup and a Rehoboth Beach pickup are different jobs, and what the DMV inspection lane wants 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 a running sedan on an open carrier costs about $1,005 from Dover to Miami and about $1,060 from Wilmington to Orlando. Coming north is cheaper this month: about $915 from Miami to Wilmington and $775 from Orlando to Dover. Dover to Los Angeles is about $1,455, and Wilmington to Chicago about $860.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Delaware lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
What it costs
You can drive Delaware end to end in about two hours, and the top and bottom of the state still ship differently. Wilmington and Newark sit on I-95 between Philadelphia and Baltimore, so trucks running from the Northeast to Florida on I-95 pass within a few miles of them. Dover is under an hour south on SR 1, and the beach towns of Sussex County are another hour past that, at the end of roads that carry beach traffic all summer. A car in Hockessin and a car in Bethany Beach can get quotes a fair way apart, and the difference has little to do with miles.
We priced the Delaware lanes on this page this month, each for a running sedan on an open carrier. Use them to plan, then get your exact figure from the calculator. The rest of the page covers what the numbers leave out: which direction is busy in which month, where a full-size carrier can and cannot load in Delaware, and the inspection lane, document fee, and insurance rules that apply when a car titled elsewhere becomes a Delaware car.
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 · 12 Delaware lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Delaware lanes we priced this month. Treat them as planning figures. New Castle County pickups usually land toward the low end because they sit on I-95; Sussex County beach addresses can wait longer for a truck. For an exact figure, the calculator takes 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.
$1,005most trucks $750–$1,260
1,151 mi3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
About $1,005 for 1,151 miles, with a wide range of roughly $750 to $1,260, partly because Dover sits about 40 miles south of the I-95 truck stream. A pickup window of several days pulls the price toward the low end during snowbird weeks.
Price this route$1,060most trucks $850–$1,270
967 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
Wilmington trucks drop straight onto I-95 for the 967-mile run, about two days. This month it costs about $1,060, well above the $775 Orlando to Dover trip, since the October rush to Florida fills southbound trailers first.
Price this route$915most trucks $760–$1,070
1,171 mi3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–25 hours
About $915 for 1,171 miles, roughly 78 cents a mile, because northbound space out of South Florida is easy to find in the fall. In March and April the snowbirds head home on the same trucks and this lane gets harder to book.
Price this route$775most trucks $625–$925
947 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–21 hours
At about $775 this is the cheapest Florida lane into Delaware right now. Drivers heading home after dropping cars in Central Florida look for a load north on I-95, and Dover is a modest detour down SR 1.
Price this route$1,490most trucks $1,310–$1,665
2,777 mi6–7 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
A 2,777-mile trip at about $1,490, six to seven days on the truck. Carriers usually come east on I-40 and then I-81 or I-70, favoring the southern route in winter. Dover to Los Angeles, going west, runs about $1,455.
Price this route$860most trucks $735–$985
754 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–5 days
About $860 for 754 miles, usually two days on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Ohio and Indiana toll roads. Chicago to Dover costs about $770, so westbound is the dearer direction between Delaware and Chicago this month.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA → Dover, DE | 741 | $700 | $615–$780 | 1–6 hours | 2 days | 741 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–6 hours |
| Chicago, IL → Dover, DE | 794 | $770 | $600–$940 | 1–7 days | 2 days | 794 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–7 days |
| Orlando, FL → Dover, DE | 947 | $775 | $625–$925 | 1–21 hours | 2–3 days | 947 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–21 hours |
| Miami, FL → Wilmington, DE | 1,171 | $915 | $760–$1,070 | 1–25 hours | 3 days | 1,171 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–25 hours |
| Dallas, TX → Wilmington, DE | 1,436 | $1,045 | $865–$1,225 | 1–18 hours | 3–4 days | 1,436 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–18 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA → Wilmington, DE | 2,777 | $1,490 | $1,310–$1,665 | 1–3 days | 6–7 days | 2,777 mi · 6–7 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington, DE → Chicago, IL | 754 | $860 | $735–$985 | 1–5 days | 2 days | 754 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Wilmington, DE → Atlanta, GA | 761 | $850 | $690–$1,010 | 1–23 hours | 2 days | 761 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Wilmington, DE → Orlando, FL | 967 | $1,060 | $850–$1,270 | 1–2 days | 2–3 days | 967 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Dover, DE → Miami, FL | 1,151 | $1,005 | $750–$1,260 | 1–3 days | 3 days | 1,151 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Dover, DE → Dallas, TX | 1,426 | $1,050 | $845–$1,250 | 1–35 hours | 3–4 days | 1,426 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–35 hours |
| Dover, DE → Los Angeles, CA | 2,767 | $1,455 | $1,265–$1,650 | 1–22 hours | 6–7 days | 2,767 mi · 6–7 days · truck in 1–22 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Delaware prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Delaware the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Wilmington sits on I-95 between Philadelphia and Baltimore, and I-495 lets carriers skirt downtown. Its priced lanes run about $1,060 to Orlando, $850 to Atlanta, and $860 to Chicago, while Miami to Wilmington is about $915. Rowhouse blocks near downtown usually mean meeting the driver on a wider road nearby.
Newark is the University of Delaware's town, a few minutes from the I-95 toll plaza near the Maryland line. Students move out in late May and arrive in late August, and Main Street and the campus blocks have no room for a carrier on those weekends. Drivers usually load at a shopping-center lot on Route 896 or Route 273.
Price a pickup in NewarkMiddletown has grown from about 6,000 people in 2000 to more than 20,000, with new subdivisions spread between SR 1 and the US-301 toll road that opened in 2019. Streets in the newer developments are often wide enough for a full-size carrier to reach the door, and trucks in both directions pass within minutes on SR 1.
Price a pickup in MiddletownDover is the state capital and home to Dover Air Force Base on SR 1 and Delaware State University on US-13. Military families on PCS orders ship mostly in summer, and carriers usually meet them outside the base gates. Dover to Miami runs about $1,005, Orlando to Dover about $775, and Atlanta to Dover about $700.
Lewes sits at the mouth of Delaware Bay, where the Cape May-Lewes Ferry docks and SR 1 bends south toward the beaches. Retirement communities west of town send cars to Florida in October and November. Carriers can reach most Lewes addresses after Labor Day; in summer the meet-up moves to a lot on SR 1.
Price a pickup in LewesRehoboth Beach fills up every summer weekend, and the outlet centers along SR 1 have the lots carriers use for meet-ups between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Year-round residents here ship south in the fall like the rest of Sussex County, and in the off-season a pickup on a quiet side street is often possible.
Price a pickup in Rehoboth BeachBethany Beach is reached by SR 1 over the Indian River Inlet Bridge or by SR 26 from the west, and both roads back up on summer weekends. From June through August, plan on a meet-up at a lot on SR 26 toward Ocean View. From fall through spring a carrier can usually get to the house.
Price a pickup in Bethany BeachFall is the busy season for leaving. Sussex County has drawn retirees for decades, around Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Milton, and the communities west of the beaches, and a share of them spend January through March in Florida. Their cars go south in October and November, the same weeks New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania send theirs, and the Florida lanes price accordingly. This month Dover to Miami runs about $1,005 and Wilmington to Orlando about $1,060, while the same trips in the other direction cost less. Book two to three weeks ahead in that window and give the driver a few days of flexibility on pickup.
The rest of the year, cars leave Delaware for ordinary reasons: a job in another state, a student heading home from the University of Delaware in Newark or Delaware State University in Dover, a car sold to a buyer who lives somewhere else. Dover Air Force Base adds military moves on the PCS calendar, heaviest in summer. Any of those leaving from New Castle County is a short hop onto I-95. Leaving from Kent or Sussex means a truck coming down SR 1 or US-13 for the car, which takes a little longer to schedule.
Northbound cars arrive in two waves. Snowbirds come home in March and April, and the Florida to Delaware lanes tighten for about six weeks. Then summer brings people moving to the beach towns, students arriving for the fall semester in Newark and Dover, and military families reporting to Dover AFB. Right now the northbound lanes are the cheaper direction: about $915 from Miami to Wilmington, $775 from Orlando to Dover, and $700 from Atlanta to Dover.
From farther away, Los Angeles to Wilmington runs about $1,490 this month and Dallas to Wilmington about $1,045. Once the car is here, it goes through a DMV lane before Delaware will title it, and you have 60 days from becoming a resident to finish that, so plan the delivery with enough time left to get the car to an inspection lane.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Delaware addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
I-95 enters from Pennsylvania, runs past Wilmington and Newark, and leaves for Maryland near the Newark toll plaza. I-495 gives trucks a bypass around downtown Wilmington, and I-295 runs to the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey. Everything along that strip, from Claymont down through New Castle and Bear, is easy for a carrier: wide arterials, big lots, and five minutes from the interstate. Older Wilmington neighborhoods with narrow rowhouse streets, like Trolley Square, are the exception, and a driver will ask to meet on a main road.
South of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, SR 1 is the main truck road to Dover and on to the beaches, with US-13 running parallel to the west through Smyrna, Dover, and down to Seaford. Dover itself is straightforward. Sussex is harder in summer. Rehoboth Beach, Dewey, and Bethany have narrow streets, tight parking, and weekend traffic on SR 1 that can stack up for miles, and a 75-foot carrier is not going to work a side street off Rehoboth Avenue in July. Expect the driver to meet you at a shopping-center lot along SR 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth, or further inland. After Labor Day the same addresses get much easier.
Delaware's worst shipping weather comes off the Atlantic. Nor'easters from late fall through early spring bring wind, coastal flooding, and sometimes snow, and the low roads around the Inland Bays and the beach towns flood first. Hurricane season runs June to November, and what usually reaches Delaware is the remnant of a storm, which still means heavy rain and flooded roads in Sussex for a day or two. When a storm warning covers the pickup or delivery area, carriers hold until it passes. Expect a few days of slip and a text from your coordinator with the new window. The quoted price stays the same.
Winter snow is lighter here than in New York or Pennsylvania, but a single storm can still close lots and back up I-95. If your car is going north from Florida in early spring, a pickup window that spans a weekend gives the driver room to route around a late storm along the way.
Your coordinator texts the pickup window the day before; the driver calls about 24 hours ahead.
Leaving Delaware costs less on 1 of the 6 pairs priced this month. 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.
Atlanta
Chicago
Orlando
Miami
Dallas
Los Angeles
Delaware rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles is the source, and the one to check before you title and register; fees there change from time to time.
Questions
In October 2026, Dover to Miami runs about $1,005 for a running sedan on an open carrier, with most trucks between roughly $750 and $1,260. Wilmington to Orlando is about $1,060. These are snowbird weeks, so the southbound lanes cost more than the northbound ones right now. Your quote for an exact Dover or Wilmington ZIP is held for 14 days in writing.
Miami to Wilmington runs about $915 in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $760 and $1,070, and Orlando to Dover about $775. Northbound is the cheaper direction in the fall. That changes in March and April, when seasonal residents head home and Florida to Delaware lanes tighten for about six weeks.
Assigning a carrier usually takes a day or two for New Castle County, a little longer for Sussex. After pickup, one driver covers about 400 to 500 miles a day, so Florida is two to three days away, Chicago about two, Texas three to four, and California six to seven. Storms on the coast can add a few days at either end.
Outside summer, often yes. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day the beach towns have narrow streets, tight parking, and heavy weekend traffic on SR 1, so the driver will usually meet you at a shopping-center lot along SR 1 or further inland. Your coordinator confirms the spot before you book.
Yes. Before Delaware issues a title, a car from another state goes to a DMV inspection lane; cars seven model years old or newer get a VIN check there. You have 60 days from becoming a resident to title and register, and you need Delaware liability insurance and the original out-of-state title.
Delaware has no sales tax. Titling carries a 5.25% document fee based on the sale price or the NADA trade-in value, whichever is higher. If you paid tax to another state and the car was titled there within the previous 90 days, the DMV gives a credit. Check the DMV fee page before you go, since fees change.
Los Angeles to Wilmington runs about $1,490 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,310 and $1,665. Dover to Los Angeles, going the other way, is about $1,455. Count six to seven days in transit after pickup.
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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