2023 Extra Space Storage Review

Move.org assessed trends among 135,000 customer reviews and analyzed 3,500 quotes to pick Extra Space Storage as the nation’s best storage unit company.
Best overall storage unit company
extraspace
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8
  • pro
    Low prices
  • pro
    Wide availability
  • pro
    Lots of size options
Extra Space Storage average price
Industry average price
Learn more
$160$180
Kurt Manwaring
Feb 02, 2022
bullet5 min read

Bottom line: Extra Space Storage has the nation’s best combination of low storage prices and wide availability. No other company has a wider selection of affordable storage units.

pro
Pros
pro Low prices
pro Wide availability
pro Lots of storage sizes
pro Climate control
pro Packing supplies
con
Cons
con High customer demand for units

See where Extra Space Storage ranks on our list of the best self-storage companies.


Extra Space Storage compared to other companies

Extra Space Storage has the highest rating and lowest prices in the storage industry. It also has the second-most total square feet of storage, meaning it’s easy to find an available unit.

Company
Move.org rating
Avg. price
Total square feet
Learn more
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8
$160150 million
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6
$210180 million
4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2
$160Varies
4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1
$16040 million
3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6
$23070 million

Pricing and approximate square footage as of August 2022. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change.

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What about U-Haul storage?

U-Haul doesn’t make our list of the best self-storage companies. The company’s nationwide storage availability isn’t quite as robust as its rental trucks, and it receives the industry’s lowest customer service scores.


Extra Space Storage plans and pricing

Extra Space Storage costs an average of $160 per month. The company has the nation’s most comprehensive selection of storage spaces, ranging from small lockers to oversized vehicle units. Extra Space Storage also offers climate-controlled storage (typically an extra $7 monthly) to protect your belongings against extreme temperatures.

Extra Space Storage costs

Storage unit size
Regular unit
Climate-controlled unit
Small$60$50
Medium$150$140
Large$260$290
Vehicle$180NA

Data as of August 2022. Storage unit prices exclude a one-time administrative fee, monthly insurance costs, and special promotions.


Why we recommend Extra Space Storage

Low prices

Extra Space Storage has some of the lowest prices in the self-storage industry. Its average storage cost of $160 is about 15% below average. Moreover, the company’s pricing for large self-storage units is even more competitive. Our analysis of more than 3,500 quotes shows that Extra Space Storage’s large units cost $30 less than elsewhere.

Need to save money on storage?

Lots of sizes

It’s tough to find a wider variety of storage sizes than what you get at Extra Space Storage. We were especially impressed with how many large units the company has. Many companies list various size options on their websites, but you’re hard-pressed to find available units. But you don’t face that problem with Extra Space Storage. It has the widest variety of ready-to-rent units in the country. That makes the company’s low prices more impressive (since larger units cost more).

Popular Extra Space Storage sizes

Storage unit size
Similar to
Learn more
5 x 5Small closet
5 x 10Walk-in closet
10 x 10½ of a 1-car garage
10 x 15Small 1-car garage
10 x 20Standard 1-car garage
10 x 301.5-car garage
Play Video

Extra Space Storage’s online storage unit size guide explains what fits in its most-popular storage spaces and how to arrange items in a unit.

Nationwide availability

Extra Space Storage blows its competition out of the water when it comes to availability. It has the second-most storage space in the country and leads the pack for available units. Extra Space Storage nearly rocks a 4.0 GPA if you put all those things onto a report card.

Storage unit availability grades

Availability descriptionExtra Space StorageIndustry average
Total square feet of storageAB
# of locationsA-B-
# of statesAB+
Available unitsA+B

Location info as of August 2022.

For context, national brands like Extra Space Storage comprise only about 30% of all available storage spaces. But they’re also the most well-known. So all things being equal, you’re more likely to find an available storage unit with Extra Space Storage than any other company.


Features and services

Extra Space Storage offers eight popular sizes of storage spaces (with and without climate control). We’ve already mentioned that you’re more likely to find an available unit here than anywhere else, but that’s not all you’ll find. Extra Space Storage also has some additional features:

  • Insurance coverage. Extra Space Storage charges a monthly fee ranging from $11 to $47 to protect your belongings. The insurance coverage maxes out at $10,000 worth of protection and covers damage from water damage, fire, burglary, and more.
  • Vehicle storage. You can store a working vehicle of any size in Extra Space Storage’s vehicle units. That includes small vehicles like motorcycles and ATVs and large vehicles like motor homes and RVs.
  • Business storage. Extra Space Storage specializes in storage spaces for business items such as documents, excess inventory, and company equipment. It also provides facility office space to send emails, make business calls, and grab a cup of coffee while using your unit.
  • Packing supplies. Extra Space Storage has loads of packing supplies ranging from bubble wrap to packing tape. It also delivers (with no charge for orders over $25).
  • Storage tips. The company website contains blog posts and videos that cover storage basics. For example, it provides helpful tutorials about preparing items for storage, picking out the right unit, and properly storing them.

Extra Space Storage at a glance

DescriptionCompany information
Move.org rating (out of 5)4.8
# of locations2,000+
# of states41 (plus Washington DC)
Average customer review score (out of 5)3.5
Average cost$160
# of common storage unit sizes6
Climate-controlled storage
bulletYes
Vehicle storage
bulletYes

Data as of August 2022. Storage unit prices exclude a one-time administrative fee, monthly insurance costs, and special promotions.

Extra Space Storage long-term review

Extra Space Storage has become a better storage company from 2021–2022. Its overall Move.org star rating increased from 4.5 to 4.8 (out of 5) due to lower prices and increased availability. Customer reviews have remained average overall.

  • Lower storage prices. No storage company saw a more significant price improvement this year than Extra Space Storage. If you include regular and climate-controlled units, Extra Space Storage prices went from 20% above average in 2021 to 15% below in 2022.
  • Increased nationwide availability. It’s beginning to feel like Extra Space Storage is everywhere. The storage company added more than 150 locations to its portfolio last year and has a broader selection of available units than any other company.
  • Increased moving resources. Extra Space has hit the ground running this year with a the development of their moving calculator. This online tool can give you estimates in several areas, including moving distance, moving cost, boxes needed, and recommended storage size. 
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Storage locks 101

You’ll need to purchase a lock for your storage unit. Our list of the best storage unit locks shows you the best options for your Extra Space Storage unit door.


Our recommendation

Extra Space Storage tops our list of the best self-storage companies. With more than 2,000 nationwide locations, it has the second-most options of any company in the country. More importantly, Extra Space Storage has a wider selection of available storage units than its competitors. Plus, its prices are about 15% below average. There are a few below-average reviews, but don't worry. Extra Space Storage has about 10 times more total reviews than other companies, suggesting that customers continue voting with their wallets.

Want to try out our #1 pick?


Storage unit FAQ

Should you consider Extra Space Storage?

Extra Space Storage is an excellent choice for renting a storage space. It has storage prices 15% below average and a nationwide selection of available storage units.

How much is an Extra Space Storage rental?

The average cost for an Extra Space Storage rental is about $160 per month. You can also rent a climate-controlled storage space for about $10 more.

What kind of lock does Extra Space Storage use?

Extra Space Storage recommends using a disc lock for storage. It’s the industry’s most popular lock due to its small size and theft-resistant qualities.

How many Extra Space Storage locations are there?

There are more than 2,000 nationwide Extra Space Storage locations in 41 states (plus Washington DC). It’s the nation’s second-largest storage company featuring over 150 million square feet of storage space.

Does Extra Space Storage have any hidden fees?

Extra Space Storage doesn’t hide any of its fees. In addition to a storage charge, the company also bills you for a one-time administrative fee and monthly storage insurance coverage.


Methodology

Move.org calculates industry averages and identifies pricing trends by following a fivefold research approach:

  1. Compare quotes. We collected more than 3,500 quotes from 8 different companies in 5 cities. We analyzed prices with and without climate control for more than a dozen storage unit sizes.
  2. Analyze reviews. We looked for patterns among storage companies’ customer reviews to ensure our analysis considers what customers think.
  3. Mystery shopping. We called companies posing as customers and visited select storage facilities in person.
  4. Research. We researched industry features, services, and requirements such as storage unit insurance, company discounts, climate control specifications, and security details.
  5. Annual calendar. We repeat this process every year and save our data so that we can compare trends over time.

Kurt Manwaring
Written by
Kurt Manwaring
Kurt Manwaring brings nearly a decade’s worth of research experience as a business consultant to the Move.org team. He specializes in taking complicated issues (like moving) and presenting them in a way that everyone can understand. His writing has been featured in hundreds of publications, including USA Today, Martha Stewart Living, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Heavy, Slate, and Yahoo! Lifestyle. He brings a BS in sociology and an MPA (masters of public administration) to the Move team. He would love to hear about your moving experiences and questions at kurt@move.org.