Move.org collected 118 quotes, mystery shopped, analyzed reviews, and compared truck rentals to find the most affordable options.
Top 3 Cheapest Rental Truck Companies of 2023
7 min readRental trucks are often your cheapest DIY move option because you do most of the work (like packing, loading, and driving) instead of hiring a professional mover.
But that doesn’t mean all moving truck rental companies are created equal.
They aren’t.
Some companies offer low quotes but have high final prices. Others have low rates for local moves but are more expensive for one-way trips. And so on.
We researched truck rental companies to find your cheapest options, and we identified the three best cheap truck rental companies:
We’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each truck rental company and help you find the cheapest option for your move.
Check out where these companies rank on our list of the best truck rental companies.
The cheapest moving truck rental companies
- : Best prices on one-way moves
- : Best prices on local moves
- : Cheapest insurance
Compare cheap rental truck companies
Company | Avg. one-way rental price* | Avg. local rental price** | Discounts | Avg. customer review score (out of 5) | Details |
 Penske Truck Rental | $1,944.93 | $328.09 |  Yes | 
| Get a Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Budget Truck Rental | $2,080.00 | $27.61 | Yes | 
| Get a Quote |
 U-Haul | $1,945.68 | $38.70 |  No |
| Get a Quote |
All data as of October 15, 2020.
*Prices averaged for 5 home sizes across 6 distances over 100 miles. Mileage included in long-distance quotes.
**Prices averaged for 5 home sizes (when different trucks were available) for a distance under 100 miles. Prices do not include mileage rates.
Penske Truck Rental—Best prices on one-way moves
Penske has the most accurate quotes of any company we researched (meaning your quote will be basically the same as your final price). It also has the lowest prices for one-way moves and larger trucks for moving big homes.
While it has high prices for local moves and smaller trucks (for smaller homes), its overall rates are lower than average. Its trucks also get the best gas mileage of any company in the business.
Penske Truck Rental costs
Data current as of 7/27/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
Pros
Lowest one-way prices
Most accurate quotes
Lowest prices for big homes
Best gas mileage 
Cons
High prices for local moves
High prices for small homes What sets Penske Truck Rental apart?
Penske Truck Rental has the lowest one-way prices
The average cost of a one-way move with Penske Truck Rental is $1,750—or about $30 less than average. If you’re moving to another city, it’s tough to beat Penske Rental Truck’s prices.
Penske Truck Rental one-way prices
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
Penske Truck Rental has the most accurate prices
At first glance, Penske Truck Rental looks like it’s hundreds of dollars more expensive than other companies. In reality, the company is just more up-front with customers about final costs.
Here’s why:
The cost to rent a moving truck is almost always higher than what you see in your initial quote. Many companies don’t include fees, deposits, or taxes in your estimate—and those can amount to hundreds of dollars.
We like Penske Truck Rental because it has the most straightforward pricing. Its quotes are nearly 100% accurate: the only cost not included is fuel.
By comparison, the average company charges about 40% more than your quote.
Truck rental quotes compared to final prices
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing initial quotes and final prices (including fuel costs) for four home sizes across seven distances.
Penske Truck Rental has the best gas mileage in the business
Don’t forget that you’ll need to fill up your truck’s gas tank when you move. That’s not a big deal if you’re moving only a short distance.
But the costs add up if you're traveling across the country. Different moving truck sizes get different gas mileage rates—which also vary from company to company.
We found that Penske Truck Rental can save you up to $60 in fuel costs compared to competitors.
Penske Truck Rental fuel costs
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
Learn more in our Penske Truck Rental Review.
Another option for local moves
Enterprise Truck Rental didn’t make our list because it offers only local moves, but we like the company’s 14 different moving truck sizes (including a pickup truck and a cargo van). Learn more in our Enterprise Truck Rental Review.
Budget Truck Rental—Best prices on local moves
Budget Truck Rental has the lowest overall prices and is especially affordable for local moves. The moving company also has several discounts, including an automatic discount of about 9% for one-way reservations booked online. Although it has high fuel costs and insurance prices, it’s still one of the best budget truck rental companies.
Budget Truck Rental costs
Data current as of 7/27/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
Pros
Lowest local prices
Lowest overall prices
Instant online discounts
Includes mileage in quotes Cons
High fuel costs
High insurance costs What sets Budget Truck Rental apart?
Budget Truck Rental has the lowest overall prices
The average cost to move with Budget Truck Rental is $1,520—or $30 less than the average of the other companies on our list.
Even better? Budget Truck Rental is $60 more affordable on average than its highest-priced competitor, U-Haul.
Budget Truck Rental is your cheapest in-town truck rental option
Budget Truck Rental scores off the affordability charts for local moves. The average cost for a local move with a Budget rental truck is $80—or $70 less than the average.
Budget Truck Rental costs for local moves
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes for a local move of 50 miles in which the moving truck is returned to the same location.
Save 10% on a budget truck rental reservation
You receive an automatic discount of about 10% if you reserve a truck online with Budget Truck Rental.
Learn more in our Budget Truck Rental Review.
U-Haul—Best insurance prices
U-Haul is probably the most well-known moving truck rental company. It has low prices for moves of 100 and 1,000 miles and the cheapest insurance.
On the other hand, U-Haul’s overall costs are typically high, and its quotes aren’t very accurate: an average move with U-Haul costs about $400 more than what the company quotes you.
U-Haul costs
Data current as of 7/27/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
Pros
Lowest insurance prices
Low prices for moves of 100 miles
Low prices for moves of 1,000 miles Cons
Inaccurate quotes
Highest overall prices What sets U-Haul apart?
U-Haul has low prices for moves of 100 and 1,050 miles
U-Haul often gives the lowest quotes but has the highest final prices. However, there are two instances in which U-Haul has the cheapest rates:
- Moves of 100 miles. U-Haul’s price of $210 is $30 cheaper than the average.
- Moves of 1,050 miles. U-Haul’s price of $2,310 is $260 cheaper than the average.
Choices, choices!
U-Haul has six different trucks to choose from, including a cargo van and a pickup truck for smaller moves. You can also rent equipment, like hand trucks and furniture pads. Learn more in our U-Haul Review.
U-Haul has the lowest insurance prices
Truck rental companies allow you to purchase insurance to cover costs due to accidents, injuries, and even roadside assistance annoyances like flat tires. While each company has slightly different offerings, U-Haul’s average insurance rates are about $50 lower than the competition.
U-Haul insurance costs
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing rental costs plus fuel for four home sizes across seven distances.
U-Haul has very inaccurate quotes
U-Haul has attractive quotes, but your quote does not equal your final price. U-Haul quotes include the cost of a moving truck rental and an environmental fee, but they don’t include other expenses:
- Taxes
- Fuel costs
- Mileage fees on local moves
U-Box: A U-Haul moving container
U-Haul has a moving container called a U-Box. Like with its moving trucks, final U-Box costs are much higher than initial quotes. But there are times when the U-Box has the lowest rates compared to other moving container companies.
The result is that your final U-Haul price is about 60% more expensive than your initial quote. For local moves, your final price is about 240% higher, while one-way moves set you back an extra 30%.
That means an average move with U-Haul will cost $400 more than your quote.
U-Haul quotes vs. final prices
Data current as of 6/19/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing initial quotes and final prices (including fuel costs) for four home sizes across seven distances.
Learn more in our U-Haul Review.
Recapping our three best cheap truck rental companies
- Penske Truck Rental—Best prices on one-way moves
- Budget Truck Rental—Best prices on local moves
- U-Haul—Best insurance prices
What is the cheapest moving truck rental company?
Budget Truck Rental has the best overall prices and really shines for local moves while Penske Truck Rental has the cheapest rates for one-way moves. U-Haul is your go-to company for low insurance costs.
Other cost-saving resources
Not sold on a truck rental company? Learn about other ways to save money on your move:
Methodology
Move.org analyzes and ranks truck rental companies using a five-step research process:
- Compare quotes. We gathered 118 quotes from five moving truck companies. These pricing quotes included trucks that can move single-bedroom apartments, five-bedroom houses, and everything in between. Prices also included moving distances ranging from 50 miles to 2,060 miles.
- Mystery shopping. We thoroughly review each company’s website and call every company several times to appraise the moving services, transit protection, and customer service provided by each truck rental company.
- Analyze reviews. To understand how customers feel about each truck rental company, we read through hundreds of customer reviews and analyze thousands of star ratings customers leave on third-party review platforms like Yelp and Google Reviews.
- Truck comparisons. We compare companies based on the moving truck sizes and truck types they offer (moving vans, flatbed trucks, box trucks, etc.). We also look at moving-specific features like loading ramps and tow dollies included with their trucks.
- Annual review. We annually revise our truck rental reviews and update them throughout the year to keep our recommendations up-to-date.
