U-Haul offers competitive pricing on a wide selection of moving trucks, additional services, and packing supplies. U-Haul provides cost flexibility, allowing you to pick and choose additional services during the booking process. This includes options for moving labor.
Renting a moving truck from the right company can alleviate some of the hassles you’ll inevitably face on moving day. Quality moving truck rental providers are transparent about billing and insurance policies and may even offer additional moving services. Our team has researched the best moving truck rental companies. In this guide, we narrow our choices down to the cheapest moving truck rentals.
5 Cheapest Moving Truck Rental Companies
We found the following truck rental options to be the cheapest providers:
- U-Haul
- Enterprise
- Penske
- Home Depot
- Budget
Compare Alternative Moving Companies
If you do not want the stress of handling your move on your own, you can reach out to a full-service moving company. The movers we’ve listed in the table below can offer more comprehensive assistance for moves of all sizes. You’ll pay a premium price for their services but will have a more hands-off moving experience.
International Van Lines
Many of the companies on this list offer some moving labor via third-party companies for loading and unloading, but if you want an all-inclusive moving experience, we recommend International Van Lines (IVL). IVL can handle practically every part of your move for you, including furniture disassembly and reassembly, packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, and transportation.
IVL offers multiple contents protection plans that cover your personal belongings. It also offers vehicle relocation services and can provide specialty services for handling unique and difficult items, such as pianos and antiques.
We received an estimate to move a two-bedroom home from Chicago to Houston within a month’s time for $2,015–$3,445 with International Van Lines. This includes the company providing loading and driving services and requires a 25% deposit to reserve your moving date.
U-Pack
U-Pack is an inexpensive alternative that allows someone else to handle the driving for you. A self-service portable storage container company, U-Pack delivers your choice of either its ReloCube (70 x 82 x 93 inches) or a 27-foot moving trailer to your home.
You then have up to three days to load all your belongings and notify U-Pack when to pick up and deliver your items to your new home. You’ll have another three-day window to unload your belongings.
U-Pack only provides its services for moves more than 150 miles, but its pay-for-what-you-use policy for its moving trailers allows you to make a budget-friendly move with some driving assistance.
We received an estimate from U-Pack for two ReloCubes going from Philadelphia to Tampa, Florida, in roughly a month for $2,713. This quote is all-inclusive and features no hidden fees.
Things To Consider When Renting an Affordable Moving Truck
Renting a moving truck is no small task. A lot of responsibility comes with tackling this DIY approach to relocation. Just like planning a full-service move, you’ll need to consider different factors in the lead-up to your DIY relocation.
Truck Size and Type
There is a wide variety of moving trucks and vehicles you may be able to rent. Think about how much space you need to fit all of your belongings. Having too much space is better than too little, as you can tie down your belongings.
If you are planning a local move, you might be able to save money by renting a cargo van or pickup truck and making multiple trips back and forth. Long-distance moves will probably require larger trucks.
Truck type is extremely important when selecting a truck rental company for a DIY relocation. U-Haul trucks are fairly easy to drive but offer marginally fewer cubic feet of storage than Penske or Enterprise trucks across all size options. U-Haul trucks feature a lower cab and a familiar Ford F-650 engine in the 26-foot model. Penske and Enterprise, on the other hand, offer more standard trucks with seats that are further off the ground. Consider your overall comfort when selecting a rental truck.
Truck sizes across different companies should have the capacity for the following move sizes:
- Cargo van: Student moves and single-room moves
- 10 feet: Studio apartments
- 12 feet: One-bedroom homes and studio apartments
- 16 feet: Small two-bedroom homes and large one-bedroom residences
- 20 feet: Small three-bedroom homes and nearly all two-bedroom residences
- 26 feet: Most three-bedroom homes
Insurance Coverage Plans
One of the most unexpected costs with moving truck rentals can be insurance coverage plans. You will, at least, want to get a damage waiver of some kind. This way, you are not responsible for any damages that may occur to the company’s vehicle while in your possession.
If you have valuable belongings or are concerned about personal safety, you may want to consider more comprehensive coverage plans that include cargo insurance and personal injury coverage.
Truck rental companies offer different insurance plans. Many basic insurance offerings sound all-inclusive but cover collisions only. This means that the box and your belongings within won’t be covered by a basic policy. Ask about this when you book your truck rental.
Additionally, consider contacting your existing insurance provider about temporary supplemental coverage. Some homeowners and car insurance policies offer this at an added cost. For example, Lemonade provides renters insurance or homeowners insurance that can protect your valuable items during a move. Lemonade will only cover your stuff while you’re moving if you’re moving independently (i.e., packing your stuff and transporting it yourself, not hiring a moving company). If you hire a moving company, you’ll need third-party insurance.
Roadside Assistance
Another important factor to look out for when reviewing coverage options is roadside assistance. You never know what might happen on the road, so it’s best to opt for a moving truck rental company that provides roadside assistance for flat tires, fluid leakage, and other mechanical problems.
This could cost you extra, or it could be included in your base rental agreement. In many cases, equipment failure will be covered, while operator error may not.
Customer Service
Though moving truck rentals are a DIY service, you still want good customer support. An effective way to gauge the quality of the customer support of a moving truck rental company is to read through some online customer reviews. Popular online review sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), TrustPilot, and Yelp all help provide a window into how a company’s customer service operates.
Look into customer service hours for your given truck rental company branch. Some may advertise 24-hour customer service, but response times could be slow if calls are bounced to a call center during off hours. This could be of greater concern for long-distance clients who will likely be on the road past business hours.
Our Conclusion
Renting a truck and handling your move on your own is the cheapest relocation option. That said, DIY truck rentals are better suited for smaller local moves. Unless you’re experienced with manual labor or are moving to and from a first-floor apartment or one-floor house, consider hiring a professional moving service. Your choice entirely depends on your comfort with planning and executing a move on your own. If you’re on the fence, we recommend getting quotes from full-service movers in your area to find the cheapest option that meets your needs.
Other Moving Resources
We’ve done in-depth research on the best moving companies in the United States and have compiled these easy-to-digest comparisons:
- Best Cheap Moving Companies
- Best Moving Companies for Small Moves
- Best Moving Companies for Military Moves
- Best Moving Companies for Apartments
- Best Moving Companies for Antiques
- Best Moving Companies for Senior Discounts
FAQ About Cheap Moving Truck Rentals
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our moving company ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each company. We conduct research by reading through the company websites, analyzing customer reviews, conducting consumer surveys, requesting quotes, and speaking with customer representatives. We then score each moving company against our review standards for services, contents coverage, scheduling, trailer and container options, additional benefits, and reputation to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.