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About U-Haul
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U-Haul is well known for supplying truck rentals and packing supplies to do-it-yourself movers across the nation. U-Haul advertises trucks for $19.95 per day for local moves, but long-distance moves costs significantly more. Additional charges include fuel, damage protection and environmental fees. Even with these expenses, U-Haul can be a budget-friendly option.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Economical choice
- Roadside assistance
- Nationwide availability
Cons
- Preferences not guaranteed
Bottom Line
U-Haul, when used appropriately, is an affordable option for DIY movers, especially for local moves. Be aware of extra fees and make sure to understand that a reservation is not a final confirmation.
Featured Reviews
I rented a truck from the U-Haul location in San Angelo, Texas back in February of 2014. I also rented a storage room from them at the same time. This had to have been the best cu...
Read full reviewWanted to take a minute and review my experience with U-Haul - it was the best! … The people at both ends of the U-Haul companies were so nice, extremely courteous and very helpfu...
Read full reviewHow does U-Haul work?
U-Haul rents moving trucks for local and long-distance moves. Because U-Haul has so many locations, it’s easy to request a truck for a last-minute move. An online reservation, however, doesn’t confirm an exact location, time of pickup or truck size — it only indicates a preference. Be sure to call your preferred U-Haul location ahead of time to check on availability and have flexible plans so you can pick up a truck at another location if necessary.
U-Haul price
U-Haul’s local moves have the following base rates:
- 10-foot truck ($19.95/day): Good for studio apartments.
- 15-foot or 17-foot truck ($29.95): Good for a two-bedroom apartment.
- 20-foot or 26-foot truck ($39.95): Good for a three-bedroom home
Long-distance moves with U-Haul cost significantly more. For a 1,000-mile move, expect prices close to the following:
| Truck type | Estimated price |
|---|---|
| 10-foot | $1,350 |
| 15-foot | $1,400 |
| 20-foot | $1,700 |
| 26-foot | $2,100 |
U-Haul moving services
U-Haul provides additional services to help renters and owners with their moves.
- Insurance: U-Haul’s most popular insurance plan is the SafeMove plan. It includes a damage waiver, which reduces the amount you owe if you damage the rental truck. The plan also comes with cargo, medical and life coverage.
- Storage: Certain U-Haul locations offer free 30-day storage, which is a big perk most other moving companies cannot match.
- Roadside assistance: For a flat $5 fee, renters can tack on roadside assistance. We recommend this — especially at such a low price.
Additional paid services from U-Haul include loading and unloading, packing, furniture assembly and disassembly, moving supplies and trailer hitches.
U-Haul FAQ
Does U-Haul charge per mile?
For local moves, yes, U-Haul charges from 59 cents to 99 cents per mile. U-Haul does not have per-mile charges for long-distance moves.
Is it cheaper to rent a U-Haul one way?
Yes, one-way rentals are cheaper for long-distance moves. U-Haul has locations all across the nation, so plan to drop off the truck at your destination. For in-town moves, however, one-way rentals might not be cheaper.
How many miles per gallon does a 15-foot U-Haul get?
A 15-foot U-Haul truck gets 10 miles to the gallon without cargo.
Does U-Haul have unlimited miles?
No. Local moves have per-mile fees, and long-distance moves have mileage limits.
Is U-Haul worth it?
Although U-Haul has more fees than most people expect, a long-distance move with U-Haul is still considerably cheaper than using a traditional full-service moving company. Local moves are also an affordable option. For consumers who want to save money and are willing to do the labor and driving themselves, U-Haul is a worthwhile option.
U-Haul Reviews
ConsumerAffairs has collected 1,257 reviews and 2,918 ratings.
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Reviewed Oct. 13, 2023
The location at 6295 Edsall Rd. in Alexandria, VA did not perform the truck check before pulling off. The gas tank was at the 1/4 mark when it was picked up. The total mileage driven was 34 miles. Upon return, the gas tank was returned to the 1/4 mark. The receipt #** not only claimed the tank should have been full, which would cost more than the truck rental itself, there was a $30 fuel service fee! What is that?? The card the truck was on was charged an extra $80 two weeks after drop-off! Prior to that, U-Haul attempted to take $107.50 and does not explain why. It seems this location is determined to extort money from their customers, and without explanation. The dolly that was intentionally paid for was not in the truck, and the funds not reimbursed. This location is scamming its customers. BEWARE!
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2023
Rented truck and trailer two miles from my house. With less than 24 hours notice, they said I had to pick up the truck two cities away and the trailer in ANOTHER city. The lady was rude as well when I complained.
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Reviewed Aug. 17, 2023
Broke down along the road. U-haul gave run around for 3 hrs until they sent a guy in a service truck to come out and say, "Yep it's broke down. I'll dispatch a tow truck." Tow truck shows up after being along the road for 5hrs now and says, "That's too high to tow. I'll dispatch another Uhaul." Going on another hour waiting on truck to show up...still not here.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2023
I made an appointment to have a trailer hitch installed on a 2018 Jeep Compass. I had to wait 2 weeks for the appointment but that was not a big deal. They had all of the information about my vehicle. Year, Make, Model. I was given a cost for the job at that time. I dropped off my SUV which I had to wait in line for a half hour to do. I tried to just give them my keys and was rudely told that's not how it works there. I got a call about 1 hour later telling me that the job was going to cost 4 times the original estimate because it was going to be a difficult install. The hitch manufacturer "Curt" has a video on their site of my exact hitch being installed on a 2018 Jeep Compass and it takes 47 minutes! I went to pick up my Suv and I told them that I had gone on U-Haul's website and rebooked the very same job at the Saco Maine location at the exact price that I was given the first time. After that I was given some very frosty customer service.
Also they couldn't find my hitch when I went to pick up my Suv. That was another 30 minutes. Turns out the 45 pound hitch was crammed into the side door of my car on top of my fishing equipment! I have no intentions of going back to have the job done there. I don't want a hostile install of a trailer hitch. I think that would be a safety issue. Not happy at all! Lousy customer service attitude. I guess good help is hard to find.
Reviewed July 31, 2023
I recently reserved a U-haul truck and car hauler to drive from Phoenix, AZ to Wichita KS. When I made the reservation, I was told I would get half off the hauler and 10% for the truck for a military discount. However, after reviewing charges at pick up I didn't get the half off the hauler and the representative added unwanted insurance for it. I had a brand new truck, but driving to the home, the transmission was getting hot, which I didn't think anything off since it was extremely hot that day. So I choose to leave at 4 am the next day to avoid the heat. This didn't help, I was driving up hill and the transmission kept overheating and I pulled over to let it cool down multiple times and stopping at several rest stops. This nearly doubled the trip as I went to multiple U-Haul companies out of the way to see if this is normal.
Mind you U-Haul, Budget, Penske, and other trucks towing all were passing me as I was driving 30 mph. I even called roadside assistance and they said, "It is fine. Just drive slower." The initial part of my drive that was supposed to be 11 hours took 17 hours. Once I got the Uhaul turned in, it said I was charged an additional $110 for going over the miles.
The problem for me is I called and come to find out the $45 charge was erroneous and after multiple calls and being told a site manager will call me, they never did. So a week later I was charged the $110 and I called and they returned my call again. I was explaining that the trip was a disaster as the site manager said he can't see how this would add miles to my trip. He said, "Oh a disaster," sarcastically. I said, "Well, let's see. You do that trip," and he proceeded to say, "We aren't going to do that," and started arguing with me. He said, "I will see if the drop off site will give you the money back," which to me is unrealistic. Just beware of the misleading unlimited miles and don't expect great customer service.
Reviewed July 27, 2023
I can accept when a company cannot meet the requirement or order placed. In this case, U-Haul accepted the order and said the truck would be available for the three days I need it for. Two hours later they called to say they could only do one day. This is useless to me. One hour later I received another call and they stated they COULD provide the truck for the days I needed it. Today I received a call to say they could NOT provide the truck. They had stated they could provide the truck on three occasions, including the first booking, and canceled three times. This is not a service level I am used to from any company, be careful when using them.
Reviewed July 4, 2023
In 2023 it is appalling that a website to pay ubox fees does not work for 2 months. 2 months is outrageous. Then they put lien on items and the agents in the office cannot even take payments. SOOO ARE PEOPLE MAILING PAYMENTS IN.
Reviewed June 15, 2023
I can't say enough about this location as well as the main location in Vestavia! Everyone was extremely accommodating and considered our circumstances. Everyone had a pleasant attitude and went above and beyond their job to help my husband and I!! We will definitely use them for any future moves and I highly recommend them for anyone moving any time soon!! I really want to list every single act of kindness that was shown to us by the staff, but it would literally take all day and I know people run from long comments so I wanted to make this simple and straight to the point! I LOVE THIS UHAUL LOCATION AS WELL AS THE EMPLOYEES IN THE MAIN OFFICE IN VESTAVIA!!! Thank you U-Haul...Thank you!!!
Reviewed June 6, 2023
We recently rented a 15' truck to move from San Diego to Arizona. When we arrived in the U-Haul office, our order was being discussed on the phone, and the receptionist was obviously stressed. She had to make a second call to make sure what truck we were to receive. It was obvious to us that the truck had some sort of minor problem, but this is U-Haul, right? You can trust them... We drove about 250 miles before a very dangerous flaw started acting up - the accelerator pedal stuck at a Loves truck stop, kept going when the brake pedal was pressed. Fortunately the driver knew how to put the truck in neutral to fix it, but this happened several more times on our journey to our destination. A less experienced driver could literally get into a serious accident, maybe fatal.
We notified the customer service people at U-Haul when returning the truck and they 'made a note' in case the manager of the office wanted to review it. And we just got off the phone with U-Haul's main number and again were told that they had 'made a note on our account in case someone wanted to review it.' REALLY? People's lives are at stake! We have a clean conscience because we reported it two times... Hope the next truck renters arrive safely.
Reviewed June 5, 2023
I have never been treated with such unprofessionalism at a business establishment. The way one of your employees (**) treated me, and the profane language he used with me was outright disgusting. The rental for a car tow was made at your location 279 Oakland Beach Ave. Warwick, RI store # 796058 to pull a car to Newport News, VA. While pulling the car the trailer swayed more than a trailer should regardless of the speed. Once we made it to Newport News, I called the office to find out if there was anything that could be done such as: have it inspected to make sure nothing was wrong with tires, switch out trailers or leave the trailer in VA due to possible safety issues.
I was given Mr. ** cell number (**) to call for him to help me. I explained the issue, but he began to tell me that it was my fault, and I was driving too fast. When I tried to explain to him that it was happening regardless of the speed, he then wanted a picture of the car I was pulling. He called back after I did not send the picture and I again tried to explain that the car was not the issue, but I thought it was the trailer itself. He then began to get hostile stating “I don’t know what scam you are trying to pull” and continued to overtalk me as I again wanted to explain the situation.
The conversation got hostile, and the profanity began. I was told that if I took it to the local U-Haul that I would be charged $900. After being hung up on I then called customer service who directed me to the local U-Haul for an inspection of the trailer which indeed had tire bearing issues causing the excessive swaying. Instead of changing out the trailer there I was made to transport the now confirmed “unsafe” trailer back to its original location. (VA to RI). Not only was this uncalled for and downright ridiculous, but now I am stuck hauling a damaged trailer through a few states.
U-Haul Company Information
- Company Name:
- U-Haul
- Website:
- www.uhaul.com
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