Best Moving Truck Rental Companies

If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person and you’d rather eat slugs than pay thousands of dollars for a full-service mover to schlep your stuff across the country, then renting a truck might be perfect for you. You get total control over how you pack, how fast you drive, and when you unload.

But which company should you choose? It all comes down to what you need. We’ve rounded up all the best-known truck rental companies and put them in one place so you can choose the best option for your move.

1. U-Haul: Best overall

U-Haul is the best-known truck rental company for a reason—it’s everywhere and has lots of truck sizes.

If you’ve ever thought about renting a moving truck, U-Haul is probably the first name that comes to mind. And for good reason!

U-Haul is the oldest moving truck rental company in the biz, and it’s still one of the best. Just watch out for those super-low advertised prices—they’re not exactly accurate.

U-Haul truck options

Part of the art of moving successfully with a rented truck is finding the right truck size. The less room your stuff has to shift around, the less likely it is that something will get broken as you drive across town (or across the country). Plus, why pay for extra space you don’t need?

Luckily, U-Haul has a pretty wide selection of trucks that should work for just about anyone.

Pricing

U-Haul has pretty middle-of-the-road pricing. When we looked at prices for a 15-foot truck to move from San Diego to Chicago, U-Haul’s price came within $100 of a 16-foot truck from Penske. (Budget’s price for the same move was way lower, because . . . it’s Budget.)

^{Source: U-Haul}

U-Haul’s long-distance prices give you seven days with the truck and a certain amount of miles. It’s usually a bit more mileage than you should need, but it’s not a huge buffer zone and you could potentially end up paying extra mileage fees.

If you don’t want to worry about miles at all, we’d recommend going with Penske or Budget. Both give you unlimited miles on long-distance moves.

What about those low advertised prices?

If you’ve seen U-Haul trucks driving around advertising that they cost $19.99 or $29.99, then you might think you can pick up a U-Haul cargo van and lug your stuff across town for only $20.

In the words of Dwight Schrute, “False.” U-Haul conveniently forgets to include mileage rates, surcharges, and fuel costs in that advertised price. My cost to rent a U-Haul cargo van for a few hours for a quick move covering only 10-ish miles was around $60 when all was said and done.

Making a reservation

U-Haul lets you handle the reservation process online. Just enter your move details and click through all your truck and add-on options to finish reserving your vehicle. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can also call U-Haul directly or go through the online chat.

Once you make your reservation, a U-Haul rep should call you the day before to confirm the truck you chose and your pick-up time.

Be careful if you don’t get a call. If you don’t, U-Haul can switch up exactly what vehicle you get, where you pick it up, and when it’s available. You might show up at the rental center and find out they don’t have what you need.

Moving experience

U-Haul has rental centers all across the country, so finding a location near you shouldn’t be a problem. Once you have your truck, you’re in charge of loading, driving, and unloading. (And not crashing or damaging the truck along the way.)

If you need extra packing supplies, furniture dollies, or even an auto towing setup, U-Haul has you covered—it offers a ton of add-on supplies and features. And if you do need an extra hand, U-Haul can direct you to third-party moving crews who can help.

2. Penske: Best for long-distance moves

Penske takes pride in having some of the most well-maintained moving trucks in the industry, so you know your vehicle is reliable.

If you’re moving 800 miles away, the last thing you want is for your moving truck to break down along the way. That’s why Penske’s a good choice for long-distance moves: its trucks are consistently well-maintained and relatively new.

Penske truck options

Penske has a decent array of truck sizes—more than Budget, but fewer than U-Haul or Enterprise. The best thing about Penske trucks is that they’re known for being reliable, clean, and easy to use.

Just like with life, sometimes it’s the little things that matter with moving trucks. And in Penske’s case, those little things are helpful details like non-slip floors and more flat space in the truck interior.

Penske trucks also have translucent roofs so you can see better while you’re loading up that couch sectional you thought was great until you had to fit it in a truck.

Pricing

Penske’s prices are roughly on par with U-Haul and more expensive than Budget when it comes to long-distance moves. We do like that Penske includes unlimited miles for one-way moves, though, so you don’t have to worry about extra mileage charges.

We also like that Penske’s up-front with its pricing. It doesn’t give you lower advertised prices then surprise you with the surcharges like U-Haul does.

^{Source: Penske}

Just keep in mind, if you use Penske for a local move, then you do have to pay per mile.

Making a reservation

Penske lets you see price quotes and make reservations online, but its system is harder to use than any of the other companies on this list. We weren’t even sure at first if we could make a reservation online, because it just says “Get a Quote.”

We also don’t like that Penske makes you enter your name, email address, and phone number before you can see the truck prices and finish your reservation.

That just seems like you’re giving reps a way to annoy you if you don’t end up reserving a truck. And none of the other companies on this list make you give them personal info before you can check prices. For shame, Penske.

Moving experience

The moving experience with Penske is pretty standard, although its nicer trucks make everything just a little bit easier. We also like that Penske’s larger trucks have really high weight limits. That way you don’t have to worry if your grandpa’s heavy antique dresser is going to tip the payload limit.

3. Enterprise Truck Rental: Best for local moves

Enterprise has a stunning array of vehicles and truck sizes—but they’re for local moves only.

You’re probably familiar with Enterprise from that time you rented a Kia on your trip to Hawaii. But did you know Enterprise does moving truck rentals too? No? We didn’t either, to be honest.

Not only does Enterprise do truck rentals, it has a lot of truck options. More than any other company we’ve seen. But if you want an Enterprise moving truck, you’ll have to keep it in town.

Enterprise Truck Rental truck options

Enterprise puts other rental truck companies to shame when it comes to vehicle options. We didn’t even list everything it offers here because we assume you don’t need to haul tree logs in a stakebed truck as part of your move. But just know that if you did, then Enterprise would have a truck for you.

Considering Enterprise restricts you to in-town moves, we especially appreciate its selection of cargo vans. If you’re just going from one apartment to another, you can probably find a van that works for you.

Pricing

Enterprise might initially seem pricey, but it’s about on par with the competition. Enterprise is just more up-front about its pricing than some other companies. (Lookin’ at you, U-Haul.)

When we entered details for a move in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Enterprise listed out all the expenses that would be part of the rental. And honestly, we appreciate the transparency.

^{Source: Enterprise Truck Rental}

Making a reservation

Enterprise Truck Rental lets you set up your reservation online (which we love), so it’s pretty easy to navigate the system and finalize your move.

Just remember that Enterprise doesn’t even give you the option to return the truck to a different location. This is why we say it works only for local moves: you have to take the truck back to the same place you got it. Not a huge deal if you’re moving across town, but a very big deal if you’re going more than 30 miles away.

Moving experience

Enterprise Truck Rental does seem to function more like a regular car rental service and less like a regular moving truck service (like, say, U-Haul or Penske). You have to be 21 or older to rent a car or moving truck (and Enterprise really prefers that you’re 25 or up).

If you need a lot of add-on supplies and equipment, like hand trucks or furniture pads, then Enterprise also might not be the right choice for you.

The website says you can check with individual rental locations to see if they have moving supplies, but that’s a bit too much hassle for us when other companies make it so easy to add on supplies or equipment to your reservation.

4. Budget Truck Rental: Best budget pick

If you’re looking for cheap, then Budget’s where it’s at. Budget’s prices are consistently lower than anyone else’s.

Budget’s name is no joke—it really is cheaper than the competition. By a lot, actually. For our hypothetical move from San Diego to Chicago, Budget gave us a way lower quote than U-Haul or Penske. And it always has extra discounts on offer.

Budget Truck Rental truck options

This is the part where Budget kind of lets us down: it doesn’t have that many truck options. Budget offers three trucks where other companies offer five or more. But if one of those truck sizes does work for you, then great, because you’ll save some serious cash.

Pricing

Have we said it enough times? Budget is cheap. So cheap. Where we’d pay over $2,000 for a 15- or 16-foot truck for a long-distance move with the competition, with Budget, we’d pay about $400 less.

^{Source: Budget}

We also love that Budget gives you unlimited miles. And it gives you eight days to move, while the competition gives you only seven.

For most people, that extra day won’t make or break anything. But it’s a nice little bonus.

Prices aside, Budget trucks tend not to be as nice as Penske’s, and they don’t have the low ramps you get with U-Haul for easy loading. But if saving money is your goal, then Budget Truck Rental is your best friend.

Making a reservation

Budget’s reservation process was super easy for us. Just enter your move details online and select your truck.

Like U-Haul, Budget also has a ton of different add-on supplies and equipment. If you need to tow your car, Budget can rent you a towing dolly. If you need a hand truck to lug that fancy wardrobe into your truck, Budget will rent you one of those too. It also has all the usual packing boxes and furniture pads, if you need those.

Moving experience

Budget has rental centers basically everywhere. So you’re probably not far from a place that does Budget truck rentals—no matter where you’re moving.

Availability aside, Budget works just like every other truck rental company: you show up to pick up the truck, use it for your move, and return it when you’re done.

If you’re staying in town for your move, we recommend taking the truck back to the same rental center you got it from if you can. It’s an easy way to save a bit more money.

Recap

Moving truck rental companies make it easy to move on the cheap. Just pick the company that has what you need.

All moving truck rental companies work about the same: you pick up the truck and you do the move yourself. But getting the right size and kind of truck (and for the right price) can make your move a lot easier.

Best overall—U-Haul: U-Haul’s the biggest name in moving truck rentals for a reason. It has a variety of trucks for a decent price and its EZ-load ramps make it easier to get your stuff on board. Just watch out for higher-than-advertised pricing.

Best for long-distance moves—Penske: Penske has well-maintained trucks with good lighting and non-slip floors, so you can drive the truck across five states and still feel confident everything will go well. We just hate that Penske wants our contact info before it will give us a quote.

Best for local moves—Enterprise Truck Rental: Enterprise has a seriously huge variety of vehicles, so you find the exact right van or truck for your needs. Just keep in mind you have to be 21 or older, and Enterprise restricts you to local moves only.

Best budget pick—Budget Truck Rental: The name says it all. Budget Truck Rental is consistently cheaper than the competition, and it gives you unlimited miles on long-distance moves. Not a bad deal! Just make sure you can get the size of truck you need because its options are somewhat limited.

Have you ever rented a moving truck for a move? How did it go? Do you recommend moving trucks for long-distance moves or just local ones? Let us know in the comments!