Vermont Auto Transport: Rates by Vehicle and Route

Looking for auto transport in Vermont? What car shipping in Vermont costs depends on the route, the vehicle and whether it runs. We ran real quotes from our platform for thirty-two Vermont lanes around Burlington, Rutland and Brattleboro, from a 109-mile hop between Brattleboro and Boston to a 2,943-mile haul between Burlington and Los Angeles, and an open-trailer sedan ranged from $242 to $2,126. Here is what Vermont auto transport costs by vehicle type and route, including car shipping from Vermont to Florida, Boston, New York and Chicago, how the price changes by direction, how mountain roads and mud season affect pickups, and the registration, inspection and insurance rules if you are moving here. Every price is door to door, and you can read how that works in our door-to-door auto transport guide.

What it costs to ship a car to or from Vermont

Whether you need an auto transport service in Vermont for a move, a second home, a purchase or a dealer transfer, every figure below is a real quote from our platform for one vehicle on an open trailer, running, priced separately for each vehicle type. All lanes were priced on October 31, 2026. Burlington stands in for Chittenden County and Lake Champlain, with I-89 running to Montpelier and Boston, Rutland for central Vermont and the Killington and Okemo ski towns, and Brattleboro for the southeast and the I-91 corridor toward Massachusetts and Connecticut, and each lane is labeled by its actual cities. Most moves are quoted in both directions, so you can see what changes when the car is arriving in Vermont or leaving it. Montpelier, Stowe, Bennington, White River Junction and the small towns are served from the same lanes, with a meeting point when needed.

Distances are the road miles in each quote, and prices are in dollars. The price per mile falls fast as the trip gets longer, from $2.54 a mile on Albany → Burlington to $0.61 on Orlando → Brattleboro. Pickups cost a median of 31% more than a sedan on these lanes and vans a median of 19% more, while an SUV was priced below the sedan on 9 of 32 lanes. Treat these as a guide, and get a live quote for your exact pickup and delivery points. Some vehicle-type quotes looked uneven, such as a van from Burlington to Los Angeles at $4,218 against a $2,126 sedan and a van from Tampa to Burlington at $910 against a $1,246 sedan, so check the vehicle columns for your own route.

How the price per mile changes with distance

Distance is the biggest driver, but the price per mile falls as the trip gets longer. For a sedan it ran $1.63–$2.54 per mile under 450 miles and $0.61–$1.22 per mile at 1,000 miles or more. A short run costs more per mile because the driver still has to load, unload and reposition the truck whether the trip is 109 miles or 1,000. Brattleboro to Boston is 109 miles and cost $243, or $2.23 a mile, while Burlington to Los Angeles is about 27 times as far but only 9 times the price.

Pickups and vans cost more than sedans

A pickup cost a median of 31% more than a sedan on the same lane, from 5% less to 86% more, and a van a median of 19% more. An SUV was priced within a median of 2% of the sedan and was cheaper on 9 of 32. Vermont has plenty of pickups, SUVs and all-wheel-drive wagons, so if you are shipping one, check the pickup and van columns for your route, and dually trucks, lifted vehicles and box trucks need a quote of their own. Our pickup truck shipping guide and our study of how much more a pickup, SUV or van costs than a sedan have the details.

Popular Vermont car shipping routes

Burlington to Boston and Albany

Boston is the closest big market, down I-89 and I-93 through New Hampshire, and Albany is the short run south and west across the Hudson valley. Our Massachusetts guide and New York guide cover the other end. Boston: a sedan was $360 leaving Burlington (216 mi) and $412 into Burlington; Albany: a sedan was $334 leaving Burlington (154 mi) and $391 into Burlington.

Burlington to New York, Philadelphia and Washington

The Northeast corridor runs south from Vermont to the New York area, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, mostly on I-87, I-91 and I-95, and is where many relocations, college moves and second-home moves start. Our Pennsylvania and Washington, DC guides cover the other end. New York: a sedan was $663 leaving Burlington (308 mi) and $566 into Burlington; Philadelphia: a sedan was $622 leaving Burlington (382 mi) and $641 into Burlington; Washington, DC: a sedan was $1,071 leaving Burlington (526 mi) and $796 into Burlington.

Burlington to Orlando, Miami and Tampa

“Vermont to Florida” is the biggest route search for the state, a run of about 1,300 to 1,600 miles down I-95, popular with retirees and snowbirds. Our Florida guide covers the other end, and our Northeast to Florida study shows how direction changes Florida prices. Orlando: a sedan was $1,677 leaving Burlington (1,379 mi) and $1,246 into Burlington; Miami: a sedan was $1,417 leaving Burlington (1,584 mi) and $964 into Burlington; Tampa: a sedan was $1,641 leaving Burlington (1,437 mi) and $1,246 into Burlington.

Burlington to Chicago and Los Angeles

Chicago is the Midwest run across New York and the Great Lakes, and Los Angeles is a cross-country haul. Our Illinois and California guides cover the other end, and our cross country guide covers the long runs. Chicago: a sedan was $1,089 leaving Burlington (941 mi) and $1,095 into Burlington; Los Angeles: a sedan was $2,126 leaving Burlington (2,943 mi) and $1,845 into Burlington.

Rutland to Boston, New York and Orlando

Rutland stands in for central Vermont and the Killington and Okemo ski towns, on US-7 and US-4, with I-89 and I-91 a short drive away. Boston: a sedan was $367 leaving Rutland (171 mi) and $395 into Rutland; New York: a sedan was $528 leaving Rutland (246 mi) and $450 into Rutland; Orlando: a sedan was $1,409 leaving Rutland (1,316 mi) and $982 into Rutland.

Brattleboro to Boston, New York and Orlando

Brattleboro stands in for southeast Vermont and Windham County, on I-91 just north of Massachusetts, the nearest hub to Boston, Hartford and New York. Boston: a sedan was $243 leaving Brattleboro (109 mi) and $242 into Brattleboro; New York: a sedan was $448 leaving Brattleboro (201 mi) and $366 into Brattleboro; Orlando: a sedan was $1,209 leaving Brattleboro (1,281 mi) and $776 into Brattleboro.

Inside Vermont and across the border

Vermont is only about 160 miles from the Massachusetts line to the Canadian border, and Burlington to Brattleboro is under 200 miles on I-89 and I-91, so trips inside the state are served from the same lanes: Montpelier, Barre, Stowe, St. Albans, Middlebury, Bennington, Manchester, White River Junction, St. Johnsbury and the small towns from Burlington, Rutland and Brattleboro. Our New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and New York guides cover neighboring lanes. Quotes here are for U.S. lanes, so a car going to or from Canada needs separate cross-border paperwork.

Does direction change the price?

We quoted sixteen corridors both ways from Burlington, Rutland and Brattleboro:

A sedan leaving Burlington, Rutland or Brattleboro cost more than the same trip arriving on 10 of the 16 corridors: Brattleboro to Orlando 56% higher ($1,209 vs. $776), Burlington to Miami 47% higher ($1,417 vs. $964), Rutland to Orlando 43% higher ($1,409 vs. $982), Burlington to Orlando 35% higher ($1,677 vs. $1,246). Arriving at the hub cost more on 4: Albany to Burlington 17% higher ($391 vs. $334), Boston to Burlington 14% higher ($412 vs. $360), Boston to Rutland 8% higher ($395 vs. $367). About the same both ways: Burlington and Philadelphia, Burlington and Chicago, Brattleboro and Boston. The price follows how many cars are moving each way on that lane, so if you can ship in either direction, or can drive one way and ship the other, check both. We measured this across our whole dataset in our study of 287 lanes priced both ways.

Did you know?From 32 real Vermont lanes and recent jobs

1. +17% more into a Vermont hub

   Albany to Burlington cost 17% more than Burlington to Albany

   A sedan was $391 into Burlington against $334 going the other way on about 154 miles.

2. +56% more out of a Vermont hub

   Brattleboro to Orlando cost 56% more than Orlando to Brattleboro

   A sedan was $1,209 leaving Brattleboro against $776 coming in on about 1,281 miles.

3. $2.54 a mile, on a short lane

   A short lane cost the most per mile: $2.54 vs. $0.61

   A sedan from Albany to Burlington (154 miles) was $391. Orlando to Brattleboro (1,278 miles) was $776.

4. 9 of 32 lanes where the SUV beat the sedan

   On 9 of 32 lanes the SUV was priced below the sedan

   Size does not always cost more. Pickups, on the other hand, were a median of 31% above the sedan.

5. 32 real lanes, 4 vehicle types

   32 real Vermont lanes, priced for four vehicle types

   From a 109-mile hop to Boston to a 2,943-mile haul.

Get a Vermont auto quote →

Recent jobs to and from Vermont

These are two jobs that started or ended in Vermont in the fall of 2026, taken from the signed bills of lading and the pickup and delivery photos the driver filed. Customer names, street addresses, VINs and plates are left out, and the photos are blurred where needed. Dates are the signature dates on the bills of lading and miles are our approximation. Two jobs is a very small sample, so treat these as examples, not promises.

The Cadillac XT6 came up from a dealership in North Miami to Essex Junction, near Burlington, about 1,610 miles in eight days by the signature dates, which is a typical Florida-to-Vermont run, while the Prius went the other way, from White River Junction to a dealership in Boulder, about 2,040 miles in four days. The notes on the Prius order describe the pickup address as a meeting point and ask the driver to call ahead, which is common in the hills and on narrow roads, and a large trailer often cannot reach a gravel or mountain driveway, so expect to meet the driver on a main road or in a parking lot. Cars that do not run, motorcycles and anything oversized are priced separately, so describe the vehicle when you request a quote. Our auction and dealer car shipping guide has the details on dealer and auction pickups.

Inoperable and enclosed vehicles: what they add

On our platform an inoperable vehicle adds about 25% to the open-trailer price (a median of about $190 for a sedan in our tests), because the driver needs a winch and extra loading time, and enclosed transport adds about 75%, because enclosed trailers carry fewer cars. For example, a sedan quoted at $360 open from Burlington to Boston works out to about $630 enclosed, or about $788 if it also does not run. Collector cars, exotics and high-value vehicles are usually shipped enclosed, which many owners choose for winter road salt, gravel and hail. See our inoperable vehicle guide, our classic car transport guide and our exotic and luxury car shipping guide for details.

Florida, students, second homes, ski season and when to ship

A few patterns recur in Vermont car shipping. These are general industry experience and the state’s own calendar, not our quote data, so compare a live quote for your date:

• Vermont to Florida. “Vermont to Florida” is the biggest route search in our keyword data, driven by retirees and snowbirds, and it is a long run down I-95, so book a few weeks ahead in the fall and spring. Our Florida guide covers the other end.
• Students. The University of Vermont and Champlain College in Burlington, Middlebury College, Norwich University in Northfield and Vermont State University campuses bring move-in in late August and move-out in May, and Dartmouth, across the river in New Hampshire, draws from the same White River Junction area.
• Second homes and retirees. Many Vermont cars belong to people who live part of the year in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut or Florida, and seasonal moves are common in spring and fall.
• Dealer transfers. One of our two recent jobs started at a dealership in Florida, and the other ended at a dealership in Colorado. See our auction and dealer guide.
• Military. Vermont National Guard units in Colchester and at Burlington International Airport bring moves in and out. Active-duty members can ask about our military discount.
• Ski season and foliage. Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, Okemo and Jay Peak are busy from December to April, and fall foliage in late September and October fills the roads, so a driver may ask for a meeting point on a main road rather than a mountain street.
• Mud season. Spring thaw turns many Vermont dirt roads soft in March and April, and some are posted against heavy vehicles, so a car transporter may not be able to reach your door and you may need to meet the driver on pavement.
• Winter storms. Snow can close I-89, I-91 and the mountain roads, and a storm in New England or New York can delay a truck that is already on the road, so keep your window flexible.

A flexible pickup window of a few days usually gets a faster carrier match, and booking a few weeks ahead matters more in winter, at the start of the school year and around ski and holiday weekends.

Distance, transit time and the main corridors

Vermont’s traffic runs on a few roads:

• I-89 runs from the New Hampshire line at White River Junction through Montpelier and Burlington to the Canadian border, and I-91 runs along the Connecticut River from Massachusetts through Brattleboro and White River Junction to St. Johnsbury and Canada. They are the two roads most carriers use.
• US-7 runs north to south through the west of the state past Bennington, Rutland and Burlington, US-4 connects Rutland to White River Junction and Killington, and VT-9 and VT-100 serve the south and the Green Mountains, so a pickup in a small town is often routed to I-89 or I-91 first.
• Distances inside the state. Vermont is small, about 160 miles from north to south, so a trip from Burlington to Brattleboro is a half-day drive, and the whole state is in the Eastern time zone.
• Weather and mud season. Snow closes mountain passes, many dirt roads are posted against heavy vehicles in March and April, and a storm anywhere in the Northeast can delay a truck that is already on the road.

Typical open-trailer transit is about 1 to 2 days for trips under 450 miles, 2 to 4 days for 500 to 900 miles, 3 to 6 days for 1,000 to 1,500 miles and 6 to 9 days coast to coast, and a storm can add a day or more. Those are industry-typical ranges rather than guarantees, and the clock starts when a driver picks the car up, not when you book.

Moving to Vermont: registration, inspection and insurance

If you are moving to Vermont, the car arrives before the paperwork starts. These are the rules we found in search excerpts and the state’s pages, so confirm each item with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) before you go:

• Registration. The DMV’s moving-to-Vermont page says residents who move to the state have 60 days to register their vehicles, and secondary sources say purchases have about 30 days, so confirm with the DMV. Official information is at dmv.vermont.gov. Sources also say the application is made by mail or in person rather than online.
• VIN verification. Sources disagree on when a vehicle identification number (VIN) verification is required for out-of-state vehicles, with some saying always and some saying only in certain cases, so ask the DMV, because it can be done by a DMV agent or a Vermont law enforcement officer.
• Inspection. Vermont requires an annual safety inspection and, for 1996 and newer vehicles, an on-board diagnostics (OBD) emissions check, and sources say a newly registered vehicle has 15 days to be inspected at a licensed station. Bills in the 2026 legislature would move passenger cars to a different schedule, so check the current rule with the DMV. An active check-engine light will usually fail the inspection.
• Insurance. Most guides list minimum liability of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $10,000 for property damage, plus uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $50,000 and $100,000, and Vermont is an at-fault state. Sources differ on some figures, so confirm with the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation or your insurer, and most lenders and leases require more.
• Military. Active-duty members stationed in Vermont but domiciled elsewhere can often keep their home-state registration, so ask your base legal office.

Rules and fees change, so confirm each item with the state before you go. Our moving-to-Vermont tip: ship the car to arrive when you can start the registration and the inspection, so the deadline does not run out while the car is on a truck.

Burlington, Rutland, Brattleboro and the rest of Vermont

• Burlington and Chittenden County. Burlington, South Burlington, Essex Junction, Williston, Colchester and Winooski on I-89 have university, tech and relocation moves, and one of our recent jobs, a Cadillac XT6, was delivered in Essex Junction.
• Montpelier, Barre and Stowe. The capital area and the ski town of Stowe on I-89 and VT-100 have government, tourism and second-home moves, and are served from the Burlington lanes.
• Rutland and central Vermont. Rutland, Killington, Okemo, Middlebury and Manchester on US-7 and US-4 have ski, second-home and college moves.
• Brattleboro and the southeast. Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Windham County on I-91 are close to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut and have commuter and relocation moves.
• White River Junction and the Upper Valley. White River Junction, Hartford and Norwich on I-89 and I-91 sit across the river from Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, and one of our recent jobs, a Toyota Prius, started in White River Junction.
• Bennington and the Northeast Kingdom. Bennington in the southwest and St. Johnsbury, Newport and Jay Peak in the far northeast are served from the same lanes, often with a meeting point on a main road.

Dealerships and auctions in Vermont

Dealers and auction yards are some of the most common pickup and delivery points for car carriers, and they are commercial addresses where a full-size trailer can usually reach. There is no single official ranking of Vermont dealerships, so these are examples drawn from company listings and our own jobs rather than a top-ten list. For the full picture of auction pickups, see our auction and dealer car shipping guide.

Auction yards

• Copart — Copart’s listings show a Rutland yard on Old Route 4A, and its listings also show yards in nearby Albany, New York and Lyman, Maine.
• IAA — we did not find an IAA yard in Vermont in our search, so check IAA’s own site for the closest one.
• Verify first — these listings come from company pages and directories, and some are old, so confirm each on the company’s own location page before the driver arrives.
• After collisions and floods — Copart, IAA and other auctions sell damaged and salvage vehicles that often do not run, so price those as inoperable.

Each yard has its own release and gate-pass rules, so confirm them before the driver arrives. Auction locations change, so check each company’s own location finder. Dealers shipping cars to out-of-state buyers, and buyers having a car delivered to their Vermont home, are both common, and the same open, enclosed and inoperable pricing above applies.

How to choose a car shipping company in Vermont

Searches for auto transport companies in Vermont find long lists of names, but there is no official ranking, and the right company is the one that is clear about price and who does the work. Check these before you book with anyone:

• Look up the company’s federal registration. Every interstate auto transporter or broker needs a USDOT number and operating authority. You can check them on the FMCSA company snapshot and the FMCSA licensing and insurance search.
• Know whether you are dealing with a broker or a carrier. A carrier owns the trucks. A marketplace like Transportli matches your car with a vetted carrier on your lane and shows you the price up front.
• Ask what the quote includes. Our quotes are for one vehicle on an open trailer, and inoperable and enclosed are priced as adjustments, as shown above. Be wary of a price far below the others, because it may not find a driver.
• Understand the pickup window. Carriers give a window, not an exact time, and a flexible window of a few days usually gets a faster match.
• Document the car. The bill of lading is the condition report, so take dated photos at pickup and delivery and note any damage before you sign.

Preparing your car for pickup

1. Wash the car and photograph it from every side, inside and out, with the date on.
2. Leave about a quarter tank of fuel and check for leaks, since carriers may refuse a car that leaks fluid.
3. Remove personal items and toll tags. Carriers generally do not insure belongings left in the car, and any toll transponder should come off before pickup so you are not charged for the truck’s tolls.
4. In winter, clear the ice and snow and check the road conditions for your route and keep the car where a truck can reach it, and tell the carrier if a storm may delay the pickup.
5. Fold or secure mirrors, antennas and racks and tell the carrier about anything unusual: a lowered car, a lift kit, a roof rack or a car that does not run.
6. Plan the handoff. A large truck cannot always reach a gravel driveway or a narrow street, so be ready to meet the driver at a nearby lot, and make sure someone can inspect and sign the bill of lading at both ends.

Our auto transport guide has the full checklist.

Vermont auto transport: frequently asked questions

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