First National Van Lines 2023 Review

First National Van Lines is a nationwide moving company that provides local, long-distance, and international moves starting anywhere in the US. With a full list of services and a price-matching policy for bargain shoppers, First National Van Lines gives customers across the country a reliable and affordable way to move.

First National Van Lines is both a broker and a carrier. This means that the company uses its own moving trucks for some moves and outsources other moves to FMCSA-accredited companies while ensuring its customers get the best pricing and services available.

First National Van Lines’ customer service is excellent—the company’s offerings get high marks from customers across numerous online forums.

Keep reading to learn more about First National Van Lines’ services and pricing.

Check out our list of the best moving companies to see how FNVL compares. 

• Comparison
• Pricing
• Features and services
• What you should know
• Methodology
• Our recommendation

First National Van Lines offers just about every service our favorite moving companies provide. And since FNVL also offers price-matching, it can give you the lowest price for your move, too. But first, you need to get quotes from a few other movers. If one of them gives you a lower quote than FNVL, you're in business!

Over the phone, one customer service representative we talked to said that a 1,000-mile move for a two-bedroom home would probably cost about $4,000, but he couldn’t get more specific without a full inventory list.

This, combined with First National’s lengthy quote process (more on that later), made it difficult to get firsthand information about how much First National Van Lines can cost. However, we were able to gather pricing data from First National customers.

Customers who submitted pricing data with their reviews didn’t include any information about the weight of their shipments or the time of year they moved. Weight and seasonality are just as important as distance when determining move pricing. These numbers aren’t predictions of what your move will cost, but they can give you a rough idea of what you can expect to pay.

You can start your quote on First National Van Lines’ website, but you’ll have to provide your phone number and email address. Once First National has your contact information, you can expect a barrage of text messages and emails, none of which will include your quote.

To actually lock down a dollar amount, you need to submit a full inventory list online and then speak with a representative over the phone.

It’s also important to note that getting a quote from most other full-service moving companies is just as difficult. First National Van Lines’ lengthy quoting process is a pain in the neck, but it’s not the worst we’ve seen.

Ready to get your price?
To know for sure how much First National Van Lines will charge for your move, start the quoting process on their site.

• Full-service residential moves
• Long-distance moves
• Local moves
• International moves
• Auto transport
• Moves for businesses
• Moving coverage
• Climate-controlled storage
• Packing and unpacking

Like we’ve said before, First National Van Lines doesn’t provide much information on its website, but it does call out its price-match guarantee on its front page, so you know it takes this policy seriously.

First National will “match any competitor’s written price.” If you have to find another full-service mover that will give you a written quote for the exact same move (an over-the-phone quote won’t count), First National will lower its own quoted price.

This policy paired with First National’s nationwide availability ensures that you can get a good deal no matter where in the US you’re moving from or to.

While it can be hard to get reliable information from customer reviews, we believe that one of the best signs of a good moving company is how customers feel about it. From what we’ve seen, most First National Van Lines customers are more than happy with how the company handled their moves.

First National Van Lines has a 3.5/5 rating on Yelp with customers praising the company for a wide variety of qualities:

• Low prices
• Punctuality
• Professionalism
• Friendly customer service
• Flexibility
• Careful shipment handling

Of course, there are a few bad reviews in the bunch, but the number of customers applauding First National’s services outweighs these negative opinions.

One of the most unique things about First National Van Lines is its interactive customer service chat. When you visit the company’s website, you’re greeted by a small but friendly chat box in the bottom right corner of your screen. Clicking this box will open up a chat window where you can ask questions and get quick answers.

It’s unclear whether the answers come from a real human or just a smart computer program, but this feature is a convenient way to get information—and if you’re an introvert, it beats talking to someone over the phone.

We couldn’t get all our questions answered through this chat service, so while it doesn’t fully make up for First National’s minimalist website, it can be really helpful if you need basic information quickly.

First National Van Lines' customer reviews are full of recommendations from happy customers, and the company’s price-match guarantee paired with its full menu of services makes it a solid option for anyone looking to move any distance for cheap.

Let's get you moving!

If you’re ready to see what First National Van Lines can do for you, hop over to its website and request a quote.

If First National Van Lines doesn’t sound right for you, we recommend giving one of these other moving companies a try:

• International Van Lines
• Allied Van Lines
• North American Van Lines

1. My Moving Reviews, "First National Van Lines"
2. Better Business Bureau, "First National Van Lines"

Move.org evaluates and identifies the moving industry’s best full-service movers using a fivefold research approach:

• Compare pricing transparency. We gather quotes, check for binding estimates, and read customer reviews about pricing to ensure each moving company’s prices are trustworthy. 

• Review accreditation. We check every company’s records in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s database to confirm companies are properly authorized to transport household goods.

• Mystery shopping. We review every company’s website, pose as customers in calls to companies, and read customer reviews to analyze every company’s moving services, transit protection, and customer service. We also interview actual customers to learn how their moves went from start to finish.

• Site visits.  We invite moving companies to our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, to share data and expertise. We verify the information they provide by comparing it to data gathered through independent research and interviews with other movers.
• Regular review. We routinely repeat this process to update our recommendations to reflect current data and trends. We also revise each review annually and make updates throughout the year.