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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Rhode Island, how deliveries work in Newport, on Aquidneck Island, and to Block Island, and the inspection a newly registered car needs within five days.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
Prefer a human? Call (917) 594-5566. A coordinator answers.
The short answer
In October 2026 a running sedan on an open carrier costs about $1,095 from Providence to Orlando and about $1,060 from Warwick to Miami, with up to 20% more in the November rush. Warwick to Los Angeles runs about $1,570 and Providence to Chicago about $935. Newport and Block Island deliveries usually need a meet-up or the ferry.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Rhode Island addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
What it costs
Rhode Island is small enough that the distance inside the state almost never decides the price. Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and Pawtucket sit on or beside I-95, the main car-hauler route between New York and Boston, and I-295 loops around the west side for trucks that skip downtown. A carrier heading to or from New England passes within a few miles of most addresses in the state.
Each figure is an October 2026 price for a running sedan on an open carrier, refreshed monthly. The addresses that need planning are the ones a 75-foot carrier cannot reach easily: College Hill and Federal Hill in Providence, Newport's colonial streets, the towns on Aquidneck Island across its bridges, and Block Island, which only a ferry reaches. Once a used car from another state is registered here, it has five days to pass a Rhode Island inspection.
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 · 13 Rhode Island lanes
Prices on this page are for a running sedan on an open carrier, priced in October 2026, and are meant for planning. Almost every Rhode Island address is close to I-95, so the other end of the lane and the season move the price more than the town does. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds and holds the figure for 14 days.
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.
$1,095most trucks $880–$1,305
1,272 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–45 hours
Trucks leave on I-95 through Connecticut and New York and stay on it to Daytona before switching to I-4, about 1,272 miles and three days. It priced at about $1,095 in October 2026, most trucks between $880 and $1,305.
Price this route$1,060most trucks $890–$1,230
1,464 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–7 days
About 1,464 miles down I-95, this lane priced at about $1,060 in October 2026, a little less than Providence to Orlando even though Miami is roughly 190 miles farther. Count about three days after loading.
Price this route$960most trucks $725–$1,195
1,476 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–6 days
Coming north in October, Miami to Providence priced at about $960, most trucks between $725 and $1,195, below the $1,060 for the southbound Warwick to Miami lane. Expect tighter space in March and April, when winter residents return.
Price this route$1,570most trucks $1,320–$1,820
2,970 mi6–8 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–8 days
This is the longest Rhode Island lane we priced, about 2,970 miles, six to seven days after loading. Warwick to Los Angeles came to about $1,570 in October 2026, nearly the same as the $1,565 for Los Angeles to Providence.
Price this route$935most trucks $790–$1,080
967 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–3 days
Carriers take the Massachusetts Turnpike or I-84 west to the New York Thruway, then follow I-90 along Lake Erie, about 967 miles. It priced at about $935 in October 2026, and lake-effect snow near Buffalo and Erie can slow it in winter.
Price this route$1,040most trucks $815–$1,270
1,736 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1 hour
Dallas to Providence priced at about $1,040 in October 2026, against about $1,430 for Warwick to Dallas, the widest direction gap among Rhode Island's lanes. The 1,736-mile run usually takes about four days after loading.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL → Warwick, RI | 969 | $950 | $730–$1,170 | 1–6 hours | 2–3 days | 969 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–6 hours |
| Atlanta, GA → Warwick, RI | 1,054 | $1,030 | $770–$1,285 | 1–23 hours | 3 days | 1,054 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Orlando, FL → Warwick, RI | 1,261 | $1,055 | $760–$1,350 | 1–3 hours | 3–4 days | 1,261 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Miami, FL → Providence, RI | 1,476 | $960 | $725–$1,195 | 1–6 days | 3–4 days | 1,476 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–6 days |
| Dallas, TX → Providence, RI | 1,736 | $1,040 | $815–$1,270 | 1 hour | 4–5 days | 1,736 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1 hour |
| Mansfield, TX → Wakefield, RI | 1,752 | $1,125 | $735–$1,515 | 1–8 days | 4–5 days | 1,752 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–8 days |
| Los Angeles, CA → Providence, RI | 2,968 | $1,565 | $1,265–$1,865 | 1–17 hours | 6–8 days | 2,968 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence, RI → Chicago, IL | 967 | $935 | $790–$1,080 | 1–3 days | 2–3 days | 967 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Providence, RI → Atlanta, GA | 1,066 | $1,075 | $880–$1,270 | 1–39 hours | 3 days | 1,066 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–39 hours |
| Providence, RI → Orlando, FL | 1,272 | $1,095 | $880–$1,305 | 1–45 hours | 3–4 days | 1,272 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–45 hours |
| Warwick, RI → Miami, FL | 1,464 | $1,060 | $890–$1,230 | 1–7 days | 3–4 days | 1,464 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–7 days |
| Warwick, RI → Dallas, TX | 1,724 | $1,430 | $1,165–$1,695 | 1–4 days | 4–5 days | 1,724 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–4 days |
| Warwick, RI → Los Angeles, CA | 2,970 | $1,570 | $1,320–$1,820 | 1–8 days | 6–8 days | 2,970 mi · 6–8 days · truck in 1–8 days |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Rhode Island prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Rhode Island the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Providence sits on I-95 with I-195 branching east toward Cape Cod, and I-295 gives through trucks a western bypass. Brown, RISD, Providence College, and Johnson & Wales bring student moves each May and August. Providence to Orlando priced at about $1,095 in October 2026, Providence to Chicago about $935, and Dallas to Providence about $1,040.
Warwick is where I-95 and I-295 meet, beside Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, and the big retail lots along Route 2 are common meet-up spots. Warwick to Miami priced at about $1,060 in October 2026, Warwick to Los Angeles about $1,570, and Chicago to Warwick about $950. Most suburban streets here take a carrier at the door.
Newport sits at the south end of Aquidneck Island, reached over the tolled Pell Bridge or on RI-114 and RI-138 from the north. Naval Station Newport, the Naval War College, and Salve Regina University turn people over each summer, and seasonal residents arrive for the warm months. Bellevue Avenue is wider than the colonial core, but many owners still meet the driver in Middletown.
Price a pickup in NewportKingston is the University of Rhode Island's home in South Kingstown, reached from I-95 or US-1 on RI-138. Campus roads and large parking lots make a student pickup here easier than one on College Hill. Mansfield, Texas to nearby Wakefield priced at about $1,125 in October 2026, with a wide band of $735 to $1,515.
Price a pickup in KingstonNarragansett runs down the west shore of the bay to Point Judith, where the Block Island car ferry leaves from Galilee. Summer renters and URI students living in beach houses off-season keep May and August busy. Carriers reach the town on US-1 and RI-108, and many Block Island deliveries end in a lot near the ferry terminal.
Price a pickup in NarragansettWesterly is Rhode Island's southwest corner, on US-1 a few miles south of I-95 and across the Pawcatuck River from Connecticut. Summer homes at Watch Hill and Misquamicut draw seasonal owners from May to September. Watch Hill's village streets get tight in summer, so a lot on US-1 is the usual meet-up.
Price a pickup in WesterlyBristol sits on RI-114 at the north end of the Mount Hope Bridge and is home to Roger Williams University and the country's oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration. Ferries to Prudence Island leave from Church Street Wharf. The parade closes Hope Street around July 4, so schedule a pickup for a different week.
Price a pickup in BristolShipping between Rhode Island and Florida runs on a calendar. Seasonal residents leave in late October and November and come back in March and April, and the I-95 trucks that carry them fill up in those weeks. This month Providence to Orlando priced at about $1,095 and Warwick to Miami at about $1,060, around three days in transit after pickup. Going the other way in October, Miami to Providence was about $960 and Orlando to Warwick about $1,055, with the northbound rush still months away.
If you are shipping south for the winter, book two to three weeks ahead for a November pickup and give the driver a window of a few days. A fixed date in the week before Thanksgiving is the hardest one to fill, and it tends to cost the most.
Providence is a college city. Brown and RISD sit on College Hill, Providence College is on the north side, and Johnson & Wales has its downtown campus. The University of Rhode Island is in Kingston, a few miles off I-95 by Route 138. Students arrive in late August and leave in May. College Hill streets are steep and narrow, and a carrier will not get near most dorms, so the driver meets the student at a lot on a main road. URI is easier, with more room around campus.
Naval Station Newport brings its own traffic: officers and sailors arriving for the Naval War College and the schools on base, and leaving when their orders end, with summer the busiest stretch. Relocations run all year, with the longer lanes priced like this in October: Warwick to Los Angeles about $1,570, Warwick to Dallas about $1,430, and Providence to Atlanta about $1,075. Coming in, Dallas to Providence was about $1,040 and Chicago to Warwick about $950.
Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth share Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay, and every road onto it is a bridge. From the west, the Newport Pell Bridge from Jamestown is tolled; from the east, the Sakonnet River Bridge from Tiverton and the Mount Hope Bridge from Bristol connect to the mainland. A carrier can reach the island, but Newport's oldest streets, the Point, the Hill, and the blocks off Thames Street, date from the colonial era and are too narrow for a 75-foot truck. Plan on meeting the driver at a larger lot in Middletown or near the bridge approaches.
Block Island has no bridge at all. Cars reach it on the ferry from Point Judith in Narragansett, and car space on the boat is booked separately with the ferry line, often well ahead in summer. A carrier delivers on the mainland, at or near Point Judith, and you take the car across. Jamestown, on Conanicut Island, is connected by bridges on both sides and works like any other small town, with a meet-up if the street is tight.
Winter storms in Rhode Island come off the ocean. A nor'easter brings heavy snow inland and wind and flooding along the bay and the south coast, and the bridges onto Aquidneck and Conanicut islands are exposed to all of it. When a storm closes a road the carrier needs, the driver waits for it to reopen. The pickup usually moves a day or two, your coordinator texts the new window, and the price holds.
Hurricane season runs June through November. Storms that track up the coast reach Rhode Island now and then, and when a watch or warning is up for the pickup or delivery area, carriers hold off until it lifts. For a car leaving for Florida in the fall, a pickup window that spans a weekend gives the driver room to work around a storm on either end of I-95.
Your coordinator confirms the pickup window by text the day before.
Leaving Rhode Island 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.
Chicago
Atlanta
Orlando
Miami
Dallas
Los Angeles
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Rhode Island lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
Rhode Island rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles is the source for registration deadlines and insurance requirements, and the one to check before you register; the state inspection program publishes inspection rules.
Questions
In October 2026, Providence to Orlando runs about $1,095 for a running sedan on an open carrier, with most trucks between roughly $880 and $1,305. Warwick to Miami is about $1,060, most trucks between $890 and $1,230. Prices in the fall rush can be up to 20% higher. Count about three days in transit. The calculator prices your ZIP pair and holds that price for 14 days.
Miami to Providence runs about $960 in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $725 and $1,195, and Orlando to Warwick about $1,055. These northbound lanes are tightest in March and April, when seasonal residents come home. Book two to three weeks ahead for a spring move and give a pickup window of a few days.
Warwick to Los Angeles runs about $1,570 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $1,320 and $1,820. The reverse, Los Angeles to Providence, is about $1,565. Count six to seven days in transit after pickup, plus a day or two if winter weather slows the northern route.
Warwick to Dallas runs about $1,430 for a running sedan on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $1,165 and $1,695. Dallas to Providence is cheaper, about $1,040, with most trucks between $815 and $1,270. Both lanes are a little over 1,700 miles, so count about four days in transit after the car is loaded.
Newport, yes, usually as a meet-up. The oldest streets near Thames Street, the Point, and the Hill are too tight for a 75-foot carrier, so the driver meets you at a larger lot in Middletown or near a bridge approach. Block Island has no bridge, so the car is delivered near the Point Judith ferry terminal and you take it across. Book ferry space first, especially in summer.
Within five days of registering it, unless it already carries a valid Rhode Island sticker. The inspection covers safety and emissions together, plus a gas cap test, and repeats at least every two years. Electric cars skip the emissions test. Check the DMV's registration and insurance requirements before the car arrives so the five days are enough.
It can. A nor'easter can close roads for a day, and carriers hold off under a hurricane watch or warning. Expect a day or two of slip, sometimes more for a hurricane, and a text from your coordinator with the new window. The price you were quoted holds.
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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