Truck rentals are a nice middle ground between hiring expensive full-service movers and asking your best friend if you can use their pickup truck to move . . . for the fifth time.
As truck rental companies go, Budget is a pretty good option. It doesn’t have the biggest truck size selection in the world, but it is cheaper than its main competitor (*cough* U-Haul *cough*), and it always has some kind of discount available.
Budget moving truck rental details
| Type of truck | 12-foot truck (small) | 16-foot truck (medium) | 26-foot truck (large) |
| Dimensions | 10 ft. x 6 ft. 3 in. x 6 ft. | 16 ft. x 6 ft. 3 in. x 6 ft. 7 in. | 26 ft. x 8 ft. 1 in. x 8 ft. 1 in. |
| Weight limit | 3,100 lbs. | 3,400 lbs. | 12,000 lbs. |
| # of rooms it holds | 1–2 rooms | 3–4 rooms | 5–8 rooms |
| Auto towing option | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| See details | Learn more | Learn more | Learn more |
How Budget Truck Rental works
Just like with other truck rental companies, Budget lets you rent a truck for either a day (to make a round-trip move in your same area) or a multi-day one-way trip (to move to another city or state).
If you’re just moving across town, plan to pay a daily rate with Budget. If you’re hauling your stuff hundreds of miles away, you’ll get a five-day flat rate in your quote. If you need more time than that, you’ll just pay by the day.
Budget does give you unlimited mileage on long-distance moves, which is nice because some other companies don’t. Plus, Budget always has some kind of discount you can get. Click on the “Deals” section on the website to check out your options.
Deal alert
What you get with Budget
Budget’s actual truck selection is a bit limited. If you want a cargo van, you’ll be out of luck with Budget. And if you need something between a medium truck and a super big gargantuan truck, then you’ll be out of luck with Budget’s inventory.
That said, Budget does have the usual array of add-on features. You can get equipment to tow your car, or you can get furniture pads so your antique dresser doesn’t get scratched during your journey.
Budget moving truck rental features
| Feature | Available |
| Local round-trip rentals | Yes |
| Long-distance one-way rentals | Yes |
| Multiple truck sizes | Yes |
| Pricing transparency | Yes |
| Moving/packing supplies available | Yes |
| Low ramps (for easy loading) | No |
| Car/tow dollies available | Yes |
| Online reservations | Yes |
| Long-term leases | No |
| Furniture pads available | Yes |
| Toll passes available | Yes |
| For-hire help available | Yes |
| Roadside assistance | Yes |
| Learn more |
If you don’t want to do quite all the work yourself, then Budget can also hook you up with a loading/unloading crew to carry your boxes and maneuver your couch.
Protection options
When you rent a truck, the rental company’s usually more concerned about what could happen to its truck than what could happen to your stuff—and Budget’s not much different.
Budget has three protection plans to pick from, but keep in mind that only the top-tier plan has any kind of insurance for the cargo you’re hauling to your new house. The other two mostly protect the rental truck itself. (Not that that’s not important too. Those trucks don’t come cheap.)
Budget rental truck protection plans*
| Value Protection Package coverage1 | Choice Protection Package coverage2 | Complete Protection Plan coverage3 | |
| Loss or damage to the rental truck | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Roadside assistance (for a flat rate) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Injury/property damage claims from other people if you get in an accident | No | Yes | Yes |
| Injury/property protection for you and your cargo | No | No | Yes |
* Terms and restrictions apply.
Budget moving experience
The reservation and moving processes for Budget are pretty straightforward. You might face some tricky situations if you’re taking your truck across state lines, but for the most part, it’s easy to make a reservation, pick up your truck, and return it when you’re done.
Making your reservation
Good news for our fellow phone call haters: Budget lets you do the entire reservation process online. It has an instant quote generator, and it doesn’t even make you give your contact info unless you’re officially going to book the truck.
It took us less than five minutes to get a quote for our hypothetical move from Salt Lake City to Seattle, and we didn’t even have to surrender our email address to get full pricing details.
Source: BudgetTruck.com
Budget’s price was also way cheaper than what we’d pay with U-Haul for the same truck and the same trip—and that’s without any extra discounts.
Also, Budget’s online reservation tool lets you see all your auto towing and add-on options, with full pricing info. If you need to pull your car behind your truck, you can add the dolly you want at the same time you book the reservation. (That way you don’t have to bother with a car shipper.)
Source: BudgetTruck.com
Keep in mind that your pricing might look different depending on the dates you choose and where you live.
Are you struggling with the online system?
Packing your truck
Once you pick up your truck from the dealer on moving day, loading and unloading is up to you. We recommend choosing the smallest truck you can safely fit all your stuff in. That way, things are less likely to slide around and break.
As with all truck rental companies, the actual loading and unloading are up to you. But if you do want some extra help, Budget lets you add on some moving services through MoveLift.
MoveLift is a broker that lets you compare prices from different companies. For our move, the prices were super variable. We could pay either $200 for extra loading help or over $1,000—for the same amount of time and the same number of movers.
Source: MoveLift.com
Moving
If you’re just moving your stuff across town, then it’s pretty easy to unload your stuff and return the truck to the same place you picked it up from. But if you’re moving farther away—especially to a different state—then you might face some extra costs.
For example, if you cross any toll roads on your multi-state journey, plan on paying the tolls yourself, unless you sign up for Budget’s PlatePass system. With PlatePass, you still pay the tolls, but it automates the process, so you don’t have to dig loose change out of your wallet or avoid toll gated roads.
Heads up
Recap — Is Budget a good truck rental company?
If you need a super-specific truck size, then Budget might not have what you want. But for the most part, Budget offers trucks that will work for most people—and for a lower price than you’d get from a competitor.
We definitely recommend looking for open deals on Budget rentals because there’s always something available.
Features: Budget’s truck selection is limited—it offers only three sizes, but those sizes will work for most people. Other than that, Budget offers a full range of features like moving supply add-ons and protection packages.
Reservations: It’s super easy to make a reservation. Just use the online quote generator, the live chat function, or call in. We like that Budget doesn’t make you submit your personal info until you’re actually ready to book.
Packing: Budget can help you hire extra help for loading or unloading your truck. Just remember it will be more expensive, and the prices are super variable.
Moving: The actual moving process is pretty easy. Just make sure you return your truck on time to avoid paying for extra days. And be aware of toll roads.
Have you rented a moving truck before? Have you ever gotten a truck from Budget? How did it go? Let us know in the comments!
Sources
- Budget Truck Rental, “Value Protection Package”
- Budget Truck Rental, “Choice Protection Package”
- Budget Truck Rental, “Complete Protection Package”