U-Haul (Truck rental, one-way) review 2027

What problem does U-Haul solve for a budget move?

U-Haul is the cheapest way to move if you drive it yourself. For a two-bedroom apartment across the country, a one-way 20 ft truck on our route was $1,400 before fuel, and the company has 20,000 locations. That combination — a low reservation price and a branch nearly anywhere — is the benefit: you can pick up in one state and drop off in another without paying a van line to do the driving.

The trade is labour. U-Haul does not pack or carry your things; it rents you the truck and, through its Moving Help marketplace, lets you hire loading labour separately. If you have a willing driver and a free weekend, the problem it solves is the gap between a $1,400 rental and a full-service quote several times that. If you do not, it solves nothing.

How did U-Haul score in our testing?

We scored U-Haul across five criteria for a total of 8 out of 10.

• Reliability & complaints — 22 of 30. We looked at FMCSA registration and safety record, BBB rating and complaint volume relative to size, and claims history where published. U-Haul holds a B BBB rating.
• Pricing transparency — 20 of 25. We checked binding or not-to-exceed estimates, in-home or video survey, and how the quote for our sample move compared with the final terms. U-Haul's reservation price is binding.
• Services — 10 of 20. This is where it lost the most ground. Packing, storage in transit, vehicle shipping, full-value protection options and specialty items are measured here, and a rental truck supplies few of them.
• Coverage & scheduling — 10 of 10. States served, delivery window offered and tracking. U-Haul covers all 50 states and Canada, and the delivery window is simply that you drive.
• Value — 18 of 15. The quote for our sample move against the field, by type of service. The $1,400 rental price is the reason this criterion carries the score.

What does U-Haul do better than the van lines?

Cost and reach. The sample move quote of $1,400 is roughly a quarter of a van line, and U-Haul has locations everywhere with one-way drop-off. The Moving Help marketplace covers loading labour if you want it, and U-Box containers are an alternative to the truck itself.

Against the field, the numbers are stark. United Van Lines scored 8.6 at $5,800; Allied Van Lines scored 8.5 at $5,400; North American Van Lines scored 8.5 at $5,100; Atlas Van Lines scored 8 at $5,500. U-Pack, the you-load freight option, scored 8.4 at $2,650. U-Haul's 8 is the lowest score of that group, but its price is the lowest by a wide margin, and its coverage — all 50 states and Canada — matches or exceeds the van lines' all 50 states and international.

What are the parts and build of a U-Haul move?

The product here is a truck rental, not a service. The spec sheet reads: type, truck rental; sample move quote, $1,400; binding estimate, yes, reservation price; packing service, no, with the Moving Help marketplace as the labour route; storage, yes, U-Haul self-storage; full-value protection, Safemove damage coverage for purchase; delivery window, you drive; USDOT registered, N/A because it is a rental; coverage, all 50 states and Canada.

In practice that means you get the vehicle, the one-way drop-off and access to storage and damage coverage as add-ons. Everything else — loading, driving, fuel, unloading — is yours.

How does U-Haul compare with United, Allied, North American and U-Pack?

United Van Lines (8.6, $5,800) is a full-service van line with a binding estimate after a virtual or in-home survey, full and partial packing, storage-in-transit, full-value protection on many quotes, a 3–10 day delivery window for our route, USDOT 77949 and all 50 states plus international. It is ahead of U-Haul on services and reliability, behind on price.

Allied Van Lines (8.5, $5,400) offers vehicle shipping, in-house and virtual surveys, full and partial packing, storage, full-value protection, a 4–12 day window, USDOT 76235 and all 50 states plus international. North American Van Lines (8.5, $5,100) is Allied's sister brand with the clearest estimate menu — binding, not-to-exceed or non-binding — full and partial packing, storage, full-value protection, a 4–12 day window, USDOT 70851 and all 50 states plus international. Both beat U-Haul on services and lose on price.

U-Pack (8.4, $2,650) is the closest rival on cost: you-load freight by ReloCube or trailer, a guaranteed online price, pay only for the trailer space you use, no packing, limited storage at terminal, basic coverage with supplemental coverage for purchase, a 2–5 business day window, ArcBest USDOT 140800 and coverage of the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It sits between U-Haul and the van lines on both price and score.

Where does U-Haul fall short?

Services and the driving. Those are the two places it lost. You drive a 20 ft truck 1,000 miles and buy about $350 of fuel, the reservation does not guarantee the exact truck size, and mileage and equipment fees add up. The 10 of 20 on services reflects that a rental supplies no packing, no storage in transit and no full-value protection as standard — Safemove is a purchase.

Is U-Haul worth the price?

The price summary is $1,400 for the sample move, before fuel. Against a field where the lowest full-service quote we got was $5,100 and the you-load freight option was $2,650, that is the cheapest way to move a two-bedroom apartment across the country. The value criterion scored 18 of 15 for exactly this reason.

Who should buy a U-Haul one-way rental?

Budget moves with a willing driver. If you can take the wheel for 1,000 miles, absorb about $350 of fuel and handle the loading yourself or through Moving Help, U-Haul is the lowest-cost route in this category. If you want someone else to do the work, the van lines and U-Pack are the alternatives, at their prices.