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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Missouri, how the carriers use Kansas City and St. Louis, and the inspection and tax paperwork Missouri asks for when the car arrives.
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 $585 from St. Louis to New York and about $915 from St. Louis to Orlando. Kansas City to Los Angeles runs about $1,070 and Kansas City to Dallas about $515. Coming in costs more: New York to Kansas City is about $1,175.
Leaving Missouri costs less on 4 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.
Chicago
Dallas
New York
Orlando
Phoenix
Los Angeles
What it costs
Missouri is a crossroads state, and its two big cities work as freight hubs for car carriers. I-70 ties Kansas City to St. Louis across the middle. I-44 leaves St. Louis for Springfield, Joplin and Oklahoma, I-55 heads south toward Memphis, and I-35 and I-29 run north from Kansas City. A car in either metro is on the way to almost everywhere, and the prices show it: St. Louis to New York is about $585 for 977 miles this month, roughly 60 cents a mile.
The numbers on this page come from Missouri lanes we priced in October 2026, for a running sedan on an open carrier. Inbound lanes cost noticeably more than outbound ones, so a round trip is not symmetric. The sections below cover the people who ship cars here, from soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood to students in Columbia and Rolla, the parts of the Ozarks that sit far from an interstate, the storm and ice seasons, and the title paperwork, which has more steps than most states ask for.
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 · 14 Missouri lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Missouri lanes we priced in October 2026, meant for planning. Leaving Kansas City or St. Louis is cheaper than arriving, because carriers that bring cars into the Midwest want a load for the return run. Your ZIP pair, vehicle and week set the final figure, and the calculator prices them 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.
$585most trucks $495–$675
977 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
About 980 miles east on I-70 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, two to three days on the truck. St. Louis to New York costs about $585, half of New York to Kansas City at about $1,175, because carriers headed back east want a load.
Price this route$915most trucks $710–$1,120
997 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
Trucks head southeast through Nashville and Chattanooga and pick up I-75 for Florida, about 1,000 miles. St. Louis to Orlando costs about $915 this month, while Orlando to Kansas City runs about $1,050.
Price this route$1,070most trucks $885–$1,255
1,619 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–15 hours
Most trucks take I-35 to Oklahoma City and I-40 west, about 1,620 miles, which stays clear of the Rockies in winter. Kansas City to Los Angeles costs about $1,070, against about $1,245 for Los Angeles to St. Louis.
Price this route$515most trucks $455–$570
554 mi2 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
I-35 runs the whole 554 miles, through Wichita and Oklahoma City. The lane costs about $515, with most trucks between $455 and $570, and the car usually arrives the day after loading.
Price this route$1,175most trucks $935–$1,410
1,218 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
About $1,175 for 1,218 miles, with most trucks between $935 and $1,410, roughly twice what the trip east from St. Louis costs. Westbound trucks fill up on the coasts, so a few days of flexibility on the pickup date helps.
Price this route$1,245most trucks $1,030–$1,460
1,826 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–44 hours
About 1,830 miles by I-40 to Oklahoma City and I-44 into St. Louis. Los Angeles to St. Louis costs about $1,245 this month, more than the westbound Kansas City lane, and takes four to five days on the road.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL → St. Louis, MO | 297 | $605 | $485–$730 | 1–21 hours | 1 day | 297 mi · 1 day · truck in 1–21 hours |
| Dallas, TX → St. Louis, MO | 663 | $640 | $540–$735 | 1 hour | 2 days | 663 mi · 2 days · truck in 1 hour |
| New York, NY → Kansas City, MO | 1,218 | $1,175 | $935–$1,410 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,218 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Orlando, FL → Kansas City, MO | 1,246 | $1,050 | $855–$1,245 | 1–19 hours | 3–4 days | 1,246 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–19 hours |
| Phoenix, AZ → Kansas City, MO | 1,357 | $1,065 | $945–$1,180 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,357 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Los Angeles, CA → St. Louis, MO | 1,826 | $1,245 | $1,030–$1,460 | 1–44 hours | 4–5 days | 1,826 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–44 hours |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO → Chicago, IL | 511 | $650 | $600–$695 | — | 2 days | 511 mi · 2 days |
| Kansas City, MO → Dallas, TX | 554 | $515 | $455–$570 | 1–2 days | 2 days | 554 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Jefferson City, MO → Bay City, MI | 688 | $710 | $535–$885 | 1–2 hours | 2 days | 688 mi · 2 days · truck in 1–2 hours |
| Saint Louis, MO → Sterling, VA | 827 | $770 | $660–$880 | 1–15 hours | 2–3 days | 827 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–15 hours |
| St. Louis, MO → New York, NY | 977 | $585 | $495–$675 | 1–3 days | 2–3 days | 977 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| St. Louis, MO → Orlando, FL | 997 | $915 | $710–$1,120 | 1–2 days | 2–3 days | 997 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| St. Louis, MO → Phoenix, AZ | 1,504 | $1,130 | $935–$1,325 | 1–24 hours | 4 days | 1,504 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–24 hours |
| Kansas City, MO → Los Angeles, CA | 1,619 | $1,070 | $885–$1,255 | 1–15 hours | 4–5 days | 1,619 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–15 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Missouri prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Missouri the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Kansas City sits where I-70, I-35, I-29 and I-49 meet, and outbound trucks fill here for the run to Texas or the West. Kansas City to Dallas costs about $515 this October and Kansas City to Los Angeles about $1,070. Arriving costs more, with New York to Kansas City at about $1,175. Chiefs home games jam I-70 near the stadium.
St. Louis to New York runs about $585 this month, about 60 cents a mile, and St. Louis to Orlando about $915. Coming in, Los Angeles to St. Louis is about $1,245. Older row-house streets in Soulard and Lafayette Square are tight for a 75-foot rig, so expect a meet-up off I-44 or I-55. Cars titled here need the Gateway emissions test.
Columbia is on I-70 roughly halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, where US-63 heads north and south. Mizzou students move in during August and out in May. Trucks between the two metros pass the city all day, and the store lots along I-70 work well for a meet-up when a campus street is too narrow.
Price a pickup in ColumbiaSpringfield is on I-44 where US-65 heads south to Branson, the hub for the whole southwest corner of the state. Missouri State students arrive in August. A carrier on the St. Louis to Oklahoma run passes the city, so a pickup here is quicker to assign than anything farther into the Ozarks.
Price a pickup in SpringfieldFort Leonard Wood sits beside I-44 at St. Robert, about 130 miles southwest of St. Louis. The Army trains engineer, military police and chemical corps soldiers here, and families move on PCS orders all year, most of them between mid-May and August. Send the report date and the first day the car can go.
Price a pickup in Fort Leonard WoodThe state capital is about 30 miles south of I-70 on US-54 and US-63, on the Missouri River. Lincoln University students arrive in August. Jefferson City to Bay City, Michigan, is priced at about $710, a run that heads north to I-70 before turning east.
Branson is about 40 miles south of Springfield on US-65, near Table Rock Lake, and many retirees live in the hills around it. Side roads climb steeply off the highway. A carrier can reach the US-65 interchanges, so most deliveries meet at a lot by the highway instead of a hillside drive.
Price a pickup in BransonOsage Beach and the lake towns sit on US-54 south of I-70, and their busy months run from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Lake houses sit on steep, winding roads where a full-size carrier often has no room to turn around. Plan a hand-off at a store lot on US-54 in Osage Beach or Lake Ozark.
Price a pickup in Lake of the OzarksOutbound is where Missouri prices best. St. Louis to New York runs about $585 in October 2026, with most trucks between $495 and $675, and St. Louis to Orlando about $915. Kansas City to Dallas is about $515 and Kansas City to Chicago about $650. West is the longer haul: Kansas City to Los Angeles is about $1,070 for 1,619 miles and St. Louis to Phoenix about $1,130.
Kansas City and St. Louis both have Manheim auctions, Manheim Kansas City on North Skiles Avenue and Manheim St. Louis in Bridgeton, and the lanes out of those sales feed dealers in every direction. For a private car, the useful advice is to start near an interstate. A pickup in Columbia, Rolla, Springfield or Joplin is on I-70 or I-44 and gets a truck about as fast as the big cities. A pickup in a small Ozarks town may need a day or two more.
Fort Leonard Wood, on I-44 in Pulaski County, is an Army training post, and soldiers and families come and go on PCS orders all year, heaviest from mid-May through August. Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 bomber wing, sits near Knob Noster on US-50, between Kansas City and Sedalia and south of I-70. Both are easy for a carrier to reach, and a pickup or delivery at either is a normal door-to-door job.
Students arrive in August for the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri S&T in Rolla, Missouri State in Springfield, and Washington University and Saint Louis University in St. Louis. Relocations land mostly in the two metros. Inbound prices run higher than outbound this month: New York to Kansas City is about $1,175, Los Angeles to St. Louis about $1,245, Orlando to Kansas City about $1,050, and Dallas to St. Louis about $640.
Most car haulers in Missouri stay on six interstates. I-70 runs Kansas City to Columbia to St. Louis. I-44 runs from St. Louis southwest through Rolla, Fort Leonard Wood, Springfield and Joplin. I-55 heads south from St. Louis through Cape Girardeau toward the Bootheel and Memphis, and I-49 runs Kansas City to Joplin. North of Kansas City, I-35 goes to Iowa and I-29 to St. Joseph. An address in either metro, or in a city on one of those lines, is an ordinary pickup.
The Ozarks are the main area away from them. Branson is about 40 miles south of Springfield on US-65, Lake of the Ozarks sits on US-54 south of I-70, and towns like West Plains, Poplar Bluff and the river country in between are a long way from any interstate. Lake roads and resort areas are hilly and narrow, and a 75-foot rig often cannot reach a lake house. In those places expect the driver to ask for a meet-up at a wide lot on the main highway. Your coordinator confirms the spot before you book.
Missouri's severe-weather season peaks in spring, and a tornado warning stops a car hauler until it passes. Damage to a road can hold a truck longer. Winter brings ice storms as well as snow, and a coat of ice on I-44 or I-70 parks carriers until the trucks can move safely. Floods along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers can close roads and bridges in wet springs. When any of this moves a pickup, your coordinator texts the new window. The quoted price stays the same.
Summer is the busy season for military moves at Fort Leonard Wood and for relocations generally. If your date is flexible, September and October sit between the spring storms and the first ice. In the Ozarks, a dry week makes a gravel road or a steep lake drive easier for the driver to use.
Your coordinator confirms the pickup window by text the day before.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Missouri lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Missouri rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Missouri Department of Revenue is the source for titles and registration, and the one to check before you go; inspection stations are licensed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Questions
In October 2026, St. Louis to New York runs about $585 for a running sedan on an open carrier, with most trucks between roughly $495 and $675. The reverse costs about twice as much: New York to Kansas City is about $1,175. The trip is about 1,000 miles, two to three days in transit. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair and holds it for 14 days.
Carriers that deliver cars into the Midwest want a full load for the run back to the coasts, so they price outbound Missouri lanes to fill the trailer. In October 2026, Kansas City to Los Angeles is about $1,070 while Los Angeles to St. Louis is about $1,245. St. Louis to New York is about $585 and New York to Kansas City about $1,175.
Yes. Fort Leonard Wood sits on I-44 between St. Louis and Springfield, so carriers reach it without a detour. Summer, mid-May through August, is the busiest stretch. Send your report date and the earliest day the car can go, and give a window of a few days around it. Whiteman AFB, south of I-70 near Knob Noster, works the same way.
A day or two to assign a carrier from Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia or Springfield, longer from the Ozarks. Transit runs about 400 to 500 miles a day: about a day to Chicago or Dallas, two to three to New York or Orlando, three to four to Phoenix, and about four to Los Angeles from Kansas City.
A VIN and odometer inspection at an authorized station before you title, which a Missouri safety inspection also covers. Under current law, cars over 10 model years old or past 150,000 miles also need the safety inspection, and cars titled in the St. Louis area need an emissions test. You have 30 days to title, and the county assessor's non-assessment statement or tax receipt goes with the paperwork.
Usually with a meet-up. Branson is on US-65 south of Springfield and Lake of the Ozarks on US-54, both off the interstates, and lake roads are often too steep or narrow for a 75-foot rig. The driver meets you at a wide lot on the main highway. Your coordinator sets the spot before you book.
St. Louis to Orlando runs about $915 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $710 and $1,120. The other way, Orlando to Kansas City, is about $1,050. The trip is about 1,000 to 1,250 miles, so count two to three days on the truck after pickup.
Kansas City to Dallas runs about $515 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $455 and $570, a run of about 550 miles. St. Louis to Phoenix is about $1,130 for roughly 1,500 miles, three to four days in transit. Coming the other way, Dallas to St. Louis is about $640 and Phoenix to Kansas City about $1,065.
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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