The Guide to U-Haul Pricing
Are you considering a U-Haul rental? Do you want to know the U-Haul truck sizes and prices?
It is challenging to miss U-Haul prices since they cover the side of their fleet of rental trucks. And at just $19.95, it is an eye-catching deal if you need to rent a truck.
However, of course, the U-Haul rates you pay may not be as low as the attractive deal offered on the side of their trucks. So how much will your U-Haul rental cost you?
Look at all the costs and fees you can expect when renting a truck. Keep in mind U-Haul’s rates are competitive compared to other moving companies.
We will examine everything you need to know about U-Haul truck and trailer rental pricing. You’ll also see pricing guidance on all the extras they offer.
How Much Will Your U-Haul Rental Cost?
You might be disappointed if you expect to pay $19.95 for your rental truck. That well-publicized deal is only for local moves and their smallest vehicles.
Their offer of paying just under $20 for their truck will only be good if you have a small apartment or studio and aren’t moving far. You can get a pickup truck, cargo van, or 10-foot box truck for that charge.
Despite their headline offer price, there are likely to be many other fees added to your bill. If you walk into your local U-Haul location and hand them a crisp $20 bill, they aren’t going to give you the vehicle you want.
You can typically expect to pay other fees, which could end up doubling, tripling, or more than the cost you pay above their offer price. You should budget for paying around $100 for a local move with their 10-foot truck.
Everything isn’t included in the headline price. You may find that you’re paying various other fees, including; mileage fees, damage protection fees, taxes, gas, equipment rentals, environmental fees, and potentially much more.
The $19.95 per day offer price is also subject to availability. So if they don’t have the truck you want, you might have to pay more anyway.
You would be correct if you now think that U-Haul rental pricing is a bit misleading. U-Haul trucks are far more costly to rent than the stickers you see plastered everywhere.
U-Haul Truck Sizes and Prices
The U-Haul truck size and pricing can vary when you get your final bill. However, here is some general pricing information for most locations.
- Pickup truck – $19.95 with 99 cents per mile
- Cargo van – $19.85 with 99 cents per mile
- 10-foot truck – $19.95 with 99 cents per mile
- 20-foot truck – $39.95 with 99 cents per mile
- 26-foot truck – $39.95 with 99 cents per mile
What About Larger U-Haul Trucks, How Much Do They Cost?
Prices for large trucks can vary greatly. For this reason, they don’t generally publicize their prices on a national level for larger vehicles. Your price varies greatly depending on your location and the demand for trucks there.
However, you can generally expect to pay more U-Haul rent if you need a vehicle at peak times. For self-evident reasons, people like to move in the summer months instead of the colder parts of the year. If you live in a state with harsher winters, there will be less demand for vehicles, and the prices will be lower if you can move out of season.
If you must move in the summer, picking the middle of the month will likely be cheaper. Renting a truck midweek is also better than at the weekends when U-Haul rates are more expensive.
Average U-Haul Pricing
A few sites track the average cost of people’s moves using U-Haul. This shows that if you are moving a short distance of under 50 miles, the average cost for truck rental is around $130.
Moving between 50 and 250 miles means you can expect to pay just under $300 on average. The data seems to suggest that for long-distance moves over 250 miles, the average customer is paying a little over $1,000.
Since these are averages across all of their customers, you should scale down these figures if you’re going for the smallest option and expect to pay more if you want their largest 26 ft truck.
How to Find a Local U-Haul Rental
If you’re like most folks, you will probably want to know where is the closest U-Haul rental. Besides speaking with a real estate agent, if you have one, friends and family who have rented a U-Haul truck are usually excellent sources to try. A good ole fashion Google search will do the trick as well.
An online search for U-Haul near me, U-Haul truck rentals near me, or U-Haul truck rentals nearby should give you results close to your location.
If you are not sold on renting a truck from U-Haul, I would suggest something more general, like moving truck rentals near me or nearby. Doing this kind of truck rental search should provide plenty of options.
You will find there are many options besides U-Haul trucks.
Can You Rent U-Haul Trucks For Multiple Days?
If you need a truck for a local move, you usually are only allowed the vehicle for 24 hours. They don’t allow you to generally purchase additional days, though there might be some locations that do allow this.
Instead of renting a truck for local moves over a few days, you will be directed towards renting their moving containers. This will only be the case if that service is provided by the particular U-Haul location you are dealing with.
However, if you are moving further, they will add extra days to your rental. You get five days with your rental truck for long-distance moves, and if you feel you need more, you can arrange this in advance.
Plan on paying $40 for every extra day you need your truck. You will be charged $20 for each additional day if you have a trailer or towing device.
Do You Need to Rent a U-Haul Trailer?
U-Haul offers three types of trailers, though the vehicle trailer may not be available at all locations. They also offer cargo and utility trailers if you need more space when you move.
A cargo trailer might be big enough if you only move a few possessions, perhaps from a dorm room. You can also use the trailers to attach to your moving truck if you need more space.
The U-Haul pricing for these trailers is advertised as $14.95. However, this is only for local moves and the smallest trailers they provide. Like their truck rental, you can expect other fees added to your bill when renting a trailer, though you won’t have to pay gas or mileage fees.
U-Haul Trailer Options
U-Haul Rental of Cargo Trailers
Of the three trailer types U-Haul offers, the cargo trailer will likely be the most useful if you move home. Four different sizes of cargo trailers are available, and they all include a lockable door. Except for the smallest option, they all have a ramp to help you load and unload.
The four U-Haul trailer sizes available are:
- 4 ft x 8 ft
- 5 ft x 8 ft
- 5 ft x 10 ft
- 6 ft x 12 ft
The cost for their smallest cargo trailer starts at $14.95 for local moves. The largest trailer will cost you $29.95 before extra charges are added.
If you need your trailer for a long-distance move, you can expect your charges to ramp up. Renting U-Haul’s largest cargo trailer for a week could cost you over $500. And remember, the extra fees and taxes will be added on top of this.
U-Haul Rental of Utility Trailer Options
Utility trailers offer little protection from the weather for your possessions but could be useful if you have large or awkward-shaped furniture items to transport. U-Haul offers five types of trailers to choose from:
- 4 ft x 7 ft
- 5 ft x 8ft
- 5 ft x 9 ft with ramp
- 6 ft x 12 ft
- 6 ft x 12 ft with ramp
Ensure you choose a trailer with a ramp if you could benefit from rolling your items onto the trailer. Be careful when reserving their largest trailer, as there are two options, so make sure you get one with a ramp if needed.
The cost of renting these trailers starts from $14.95, rising to $29.95 for the most considerable option. This is the cost for local uses, and if you need this type of trailer for a long-distance move, you could run into some problems. Utility trailers are generally less available, so you might find it difficult to rent the larger trailers for one-way moves.
U-Haul Trailer Rental Prices
U-Haul has a few options if you need to transport a vehicle during your move. They offer tow dollies, car trailers, and motorcycle trailers.
Though moving your vehicle using one of U Hauls’ options will save you money on car shipping, it brings some risks. Loading your vehicle onto the trailer and then towing it across the country could cause problems if you haven’t done that before.
Renting vehicle trailers is typically $45.99 for the towing dolly and $54.99 for the trailer. The costs increase steeply if you need this type of trailer for a long-distance move. For a one-way move halfway across the country, you can expect to spend around $500 for a tow dolly and nearly $1,000 for an auto trailer.
While this is likely considerably cheaper than hiring a professional vehicle shipping company, you have the stress of towing it behind you for the total distance of your move.
It is recommended that you don’t exceed 55 miles per hour when towing, and there are restrictions on the type of vehicle you can use, even if they have a hitch and electrical connection. For example, you can only tow their trailers if your vehicle has a hardtop.
Video: How to Hook Up a U-Haul Trailer
See how hooking up a U-Haul Rental for a trailer is a breeze.
Hitching Up Your U-Haul Trailer
You must meet U Hauls’ requirements if you want to use one of their trailers with your own vehicle. This means having a proper hitch and lighting connection.
If you don’t already have a hitch on your vehicle, U-Haul can help, though it isn’t cheap. If you choose this option, you could be looking at a bill of over $400. You might find it is better to look for an independent installer if you don’t already have a hitch on your car.
Here is how to rent a hitch from U-Haul.
U Haul Rates for Mileage
U-Haul doesn’t offer unlimited mileage deals, and the mileage rates charged can be a considerable extra and almost hidden expense. The prices charged for the miles you drive in the truck will vary from region to region. Typically, you can expect to be charged between 40 cents and 99 cents for each mile you travel.
You can expect the charges to be higher for local moves than long-distance ones. As you might imagine, this per-mile charge can begin to add up, particularly on long-distance moves.
Though you will be given a mileage calculation for your journey with long-distance moves, you must try to stay below. Charges per mile for one-way moves are typically 40 cents.
When doing a U-Haul rental, this is an expense you should plan for.
U-Haul’s Gas Charges
You will have to pay for the gas you use on your journey, returning the vehicle with the same level in the tank as when you picked it up. If you don’t return the vehicle with the correct amount of gas, they will charge you $5.25 per gallon for the missing gas.
This isn’t the only high charge you can expect if you don’t return the vehicle with the same gas level. There is a $30 service fee if you return the truck with less than a quarter of a tank.
Moving trucks aren’t known for getting good gas mileage, so ensure the amount of gas in the tank matches what is shown on the paperwork. Otherwise, you could be charged for gas you haven’t used.
U-Haul Cleaning Charges
You should ensure the truck is clean and tidy when you return it, or they could charge you a service fee of $25 for cleaning. This is a surprising U-Haul rental fee to most, so keep it in mind.
What Insurance is Provided by U-Haul?
When going with a U-Haul rental, insurance will be an essential consideration. You can choose from U-Haul’s Safemove and Safemove Plus insurance policies. The Safemove insurance protects you and your possessions should someone hit your truck. It also gives you a damage waiver and life coverage for the occupants.
If you caused the accident, however, you must rely on your insurance. If you want protection should you be the cause of the accident, Safemove Plus is the option to choose.
Plus gives you the same as the standard insurance but adds $1 million of liability coverage. This will protect you from loss should you crash the truck, but this coverage is considerably more expensive than the standard version.
For long-distance moves, their insurance costs are going to increase quite steeply. However, you don’t have to buy their insurance if you don’t want to. If anything were to go wrong during your journey, you could be in for a significant bill.
Any car insurance you already have will be unlikely to cover damage to a rental truck. They will hold you responsible for any damage done to the truck, even if it wasn’t your fault.
You can expect to be charged for lost revenue when the vehicle is being repaired. If that weren’t bad enough, you would be expected to pay for any damage when you return the vehicle rather than waiting for insurance to payout. U-Haul’s policies are pretty strict.
What Extra Equipment Does U Haul Offer?
While you can avoid renting extra equipment with your U-Haul rental, it can help. They offer padlocks, straps, furniture dollies, protective pads, and packing materials to rent or buy.
One of the better things about renting with U-Haul is all of the extras services they provide! The prices for these things aren’t too high, but you could probably save money by supplying your items in many cases.
For example, you should bring blankets to wrap furniture and ensure there aren’t gaps when items are loaded into the truck. Their prices can also vary based on your location.
U-Haul Pricing For Extras
Purchasing some of these items might make more sense. U-Haul’s prices for the purchase of these moving items are as follows:
- A Padlock: $5-15
- Furniture pads: $4 each
- Stretch wrap: $6.
- Moving straps: $9.95
- Boxes for moving: $1-25 (Many varieties to choose from)
- Tie Down Tope: $3
- Rolls of packing tape: $3
- Hand dolly: $39.95
- A Furniture dolly: $19.95
- Furniture pads: $4 each
Using U-Hauls Moving Help
They also offer moving labor if you think you’ll need some assistance in your move. The prices for this service will vary greatly depending on how many movers you need and for how long. Expect the cost for this service to range from a couple of hundred dollars to well into the thousands.
They operate a network of willing helpers nationwide who receive their jobs through their marketplace system. However, don’t expect U Haul to provide compensation if anything goes wrong and your possessions are damaged.
The terms you must agree to when contracting labor for your move leave it up to you to seek damages from your movers directly.
Bearing this in mind, if you need moving help, it may be better to go with a different company. There are many professional moving companies to choose from. You can see some of the best in our guide to choosing a mover, especially for long-distance moves.
Getting moving help can make your move less stressful and physically exhausting. It can avoid damaging friendships and save your back when lifting heavy furniture, and it could be the best decision you make for your move.
Having additional manpower can be helpful when you need assistance moving stuff in and out of a storage unit. A U-Haul rental, fortunately, provides you with this option.
Does U-Haul Offer Storage Options?
When doing a U-Haul rental, you may also decide that storage is necessary. Many folks wonder if U-Haul offers storage options, and the answer is YES!
U-Haul’s storage option is called the U-Box. Learn everything you need to know about U-Haul rates for the U-Box in their guide.
How Much Are U-Haul U-Box Containers to Rent?
If you are wondering how much U-Haul U-box containers cost, it can vary quite a bit from location to location. A rough estimate would be a few thousand dollars. Hire a Helper has some excellent information on U-box container pricing.
While U-Haul does offer competitive storage pricing, it is always worth checking out the competition. The most recognizable name in portable storage is PODS. Moving with PODS is quite popular and certainly worth considering.
Of course, renting a self-storage unit might be the way to go if you need something more long-term. If security is one of your most pressing concerns going with a storage unit will be a better option.
See a complete comparison of renting a pod vs. a storage unit to help determine what’s best for your current situation. Most people opt for a pod when convenience is their top priority.
Does U Haul Accept Cash?
Lots of people wonder what Uhaul’s policy is when it comes to paying with cash. You must provide credit or debit card details if you reserve a truck online. Though you won’t pay for the truck until you collect it, you can choose your payment method then, cash being one of the options.
If you pay with cash, you must give them a deposit of at least $100.
Other Valuable Moving Resources
Without a doubt, moving is a pain in the neck. Use these additional helpful moving resources to help make the best decisions.
- Finding boxes for your move – one of the more critical tasks is finding boxes for moving. There are many places where you will be able to get both free and paid moving boxes. Use this guide to educate yourself on the best places to start looking.
- What to know about changing your address – at the top of the list for your moving checklist should be changing your mailing address and getting your mail forwarded. It will be a real nuisance when mail and packages appear at your former address. Take care of this task early for the best results. Also, letting everyone know you’ve moved is crucial as well.
- What services will movers provide – everyone knows that movers will lug furniture out of your home, but what else do movers do for you? See a complete list of all the moving services you can expect.
Final Thoughts on U-Haul Truck Sizes and Prices
U-Haul pricing isn’t necessarily going to be what you expect. You will be disappointed if you want to rent a truck from U-Haul for just $19.95.
Even for a simple local move using their smallest vehicle type, your costs will likely rise above $100. The mileage charges, insurance, gas, taxes, and more quickly add up on top of the basic rental charge.
Your exact cost will depend on your unique situation, how far you will travel, and how much space you need. Overall, U Haul prices are competitive, but you must be prepared for the many extra charges that will push up your final bill. Remember, when you want to find a location nearby, search U-Haul near me for the best results.
Hopefully, you have found this guide to U-Haul rentals and pricing helpful. You should now have a much better understanding of how much a U-Haul costs! Just remember U-Haul’s rental prices are not standardized.
About the author: The above Real Estate information about U-Haul’s rental pricing was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for 37+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about Real Estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
