The Top U-Haul Competitors: They’re NOT all the same

• Although truck rentals like U-Haul are typically the cheapest option upfront, the true final cost of renting a U-Haul may be higher than you think.
• Actually, sometimes U-Haul is more expensive than you might think UPFRONT!, have a plan B!
• Moving pod companies are like truck rentals without all of the driving and figuring out storage solutions. They might be an even better option for you!
• Find out how much each moving method costs using our free, quick, and easy moving cost calculator. Then you can choose the best option for you!

Let’s take a look at three of U-Haul’s top competitors and see how they all compare.

The companies we’re going to compare here are:

• Budget Truck Rental
• Penske
• Enterprise Truck Rental

None of these are fly-by-night organizations, and you’ve probably heard of some, if not all, of them. So let’s dive in with the best and worst features, plus pros and cons, of each of these U-Haul competitors.

Budget Pros and Cons

What we love: It’s all in the name. Budget makes a real effort to be the most affordable truck rental company out there, offering low base rates and a discount program that offers more savings for AARP members, military members, students, Motor Club members, and more.

What we don’t love: The savings are only for the basics. If you choose to purchase any add-ons for your move, like moving supplies, insurance, or loading/unloading help, they’ll cost more with Budget than with its competitors.

When you book your move with a DIY company like one of these, you get the most benefit if you do most of the work yourself. That means that each of these companies will hand you the keys to your chosen rental truck, and then it’ll be up to you to pack, load, drive, unload, unpack, and return the truck yourself.

However, they do offer some add-ons and customization. Here’s what you can expect to get from each of these U-Haul competitors.

Here’s some good news: All of these companies have excellent North American coverage. Here’s where you can find branch locations for U-Haul and its competitors.

While Enterprise has the widest variety of trucks available, Penske tends to have the newest fleet (average age for its trucks is just two years!). But each of these companies offers a variety of trucks to choose from, each with different capacities. Here’s what they have on offer.

U-Haul Truck Sizes and Fleet Information

U-Haul offers a pretty standard 7 truck sizes. Its fleet sees a lot of user turnover, which means wear and tear can be a problem. Make sure to carefully inspect a U-Haul truck and take it around the block to test it for any issues before heading off on your move.

Here’s what U-Haul offers.

One of the factors that really helps you save money by renting a moving truck rather than hiring full-service movers is that you’re the one who will be doing the driving. Most of us aren’t experts at maneuvering and parking trucks of this size, so insurance is a must.

Each company offers different insurance options, so you’ll have to carefully consider them all — and read all the fine print — to decide what insurance you need. Here’s an overview of what each of these companies offers for coverage.

Note that prices for all of these plans will depend on the type and size of truck, the distance your traveling, what state you’re in, and other factors, so we can’t provide price estimates — you’ll have to ask about that when you get a rental quote.

U-Haul Insurance Options

U-Haul offers just two different insurance plans, fewer than the other companies here. Here’s what they include.

Penske Insurance Options

Penske has a wide variety of coverage options available.

Budget Insurance Options

Budget also has a number of optional plans you can purchase when you reserve your rental.

Enterprise Insurance Options

If you rent a moving truck from Enterprise, you can choose from a number of added protection plans to add to your order.

We know cost can be a huge factor in which moving company you choose. If you’re looking for a DIY moving company, you’re probably conscious of the cost of your move and trying to stick to a budget. We get that.

What makes it tough to compare the costs of these companies here is all the factors that go into pricing a move — your starting and ending zip codes, the distance you’re moving, the day of the week and time of the year you move, how much gas costs at the time, whether you add insurance or any extra services, etc., etc. There are also extra fees that get added to DIY moves by some companies, and not by others, like per-mile fees, gas fees, environmental fees, late-return fees, and more.

When getting a quote from any moving company, make sure to read all the fine print and get everything they promise you in writing. That’s how you avoid getting hit with surprise charges. And if you want to compare U-Haul and its top competitors by price, you should get personalized quotes for each company so you can accurately compare them. Luckily, they all make it easy to get instant quotes on their websites, so you can have a baseline for price comparison in minutes.

Whether you’re making a cross-country move from a suburb on the west coast to an expensive city like Chicago, or just making a move down the block; before booking a moving company, you should carefully consider all the options that are out there, from DIY companies to container companies to full-service movers.

If you want to get instant quotes from multiple moving companies you can trust, all in one place, moveBuddha is the place to start. Just make sure you gather as much information as possible so you can feel great about committing to the company you choose.