What You Should Know Before Renting a U-Haul

There isn’t a What to Know Before Renting a U-Haul manual, but there should be. Chances are you’ll need to use the company’s moving services at some point, and Move.org is here to help you get the biggest bang for your buck by breaking down costs, policies, and more.

We even reveal some of our best tips for getting a U-Haul rental.

So read on, and become an expert in what to know before renting a U-Haul:

1. How does U-Haul work?
2. How much does U-Haul cost?
3. What time does U-Haul open?
4. What is U-Haul’s reservation guarantee?
5. Does U-Haul offer moving labor services?
6. What other services does U-Haul offer?
7. What are some tips for moving with U-Haul?
8. Recommended resources

Need more of the 411 on U-Haul? We've got a full review, and even a comparison against some of their competitors.

The concept behind U-Haul is simple: the company takes your money in exchange for letting you borrow one of its trucks to move your stuff.

You don’t need an accident-free driving record to rent a U-Haul, but the company does have some minimum requirements:

• You must be 18 years old.
• You must have a valid driver’s license.
• You must provide two forms of meaningful assurance that your rented equipment will be returned on time and in good condition.

If you’re traveling with a friend or family member, you can take turns driving as long as everyone has a driver’s license. Just be aware that in the event of an accident, whoever signed the rental contract is responsible for the damage.

So choose your friends wisely.

You’re never more than a few clicks away from making a U-Haul reservation online. While you can make a reservation on the phone or in person, online reservations take less than two minutes if you know some basic information:

• Pickup date, time, and location
• Drop-off date, time and location
• Moving truck size

Yes and no. You need a credit card or debit card to make an online reservation, but you can pay for your rental with cash when you pick up your truck. U-Haul accepts all major credit cards:

• American Express
• Discover
• Mastercard
• Visa

U-Haul offers both local moving services as well as one-way rentals for long-distance moves.

The main difference between the two is where you pick up and return the rental trucks. You return the truck to the same location for local moves, but drop it off at a different location for long-distance moves.

We get into the price differences between local and one-way rentals below.

U-Haul costs $90–$110 per day for local moves and more than three times as much per day for long-distance moves of at least 1,000 miles (not including taxes, fees, and insurance).

Because U-Haul has so many trucks across thousands of locations, its prices are low and rarely change. But you should be aware your U-Haul quote doesn’t include travel expenses like gas, food, and lodging. That’s not a big deal for local moves, but the costs can add up over longer distances.

U-Haul costs approximately $1.39 per mile for local moves of 50 miles and about $0.80 per mile for a long-distance move of 1,000 miles.

U-Haul charges a $40 late fee for each extra day you keep your rental truck. It also charges $20 per day for trailers and towing devices.

So, if you agreed to return your $40 truck by 10 a.m. on Thursday, you’re technically responsible for another $40 at 10:01 a.m.

Be sure to ask about a grace period if you’re late. Many U-Haul locations give a small (but unspecified) amount of wiggle room to account for things like bad traffic and long lines.

With more than 20,000 locations, U-Haul is the nation’s largest truck rental company. Hours of operation vary depending on whether you are going to a company store or an independent dealer who operates a second business like a hardware store or auto repair shop at the same location.

Company stores are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but you’ll want to check with independent dealers for their hours of operation.

U-Haul advertises a reservation guarantee, but it’s not quite what it sounds like. Rather than guarantee your truck, U-Haul will give you $50 if it isn’t ready or available on moving day.

U-Haul reserves the right to both give you a different truck than you requested and require you to pick it up at a different location than you planned on. The reservation guarantee is essentially a $50 check to ease your pain should things go wrong.

Many companies offer hourly labor services to help you with portions of your move like packing and unpacking or loading and unloading your rental truck. U-Haul Moving Help® doesn’t offer enough services for us to consider it a true moving labor company, but it does shine in one area.

Another thing we should mention is that U-Haul's pricing has increased considerably over the years. At $160 per hour, U-Haul Moving Help is almost as expensive than the average price of our best moving labor companies.

The costs are also significantly higher when compared to TaskRabbit (our pick for the cheapest moving labor company).

Silver lining: U-Haul's hourly rate covers the cost of 2 people, not just one. And TaskRabbit's pricing can change from Tasker to Tasker, as they say on their website. But if you don’t want to get help through another company (or you simply can't find it), you can’t beat U-Haul Moving Help for loading and unloading services.

In addition to moving truck rentals and hourly labor, U-Haul also provides several transportation and storage services:

• Moving supplies
• Propane and accessories
• Self-storage units
• Towing equipment
• U-Box moving containers
• U-Haul trailer rentals

Getting the most out of your move with U-Haul is about more than knowing how much it costs to rent a truck.

It’s also about applying the tricks of the trade that can save you time and money.

U-Haul has an online chat feature with real humans (no bots), but you can find it in one of only two ways:

1. Click on “Get rates” from the company’s main page.
2. Click on “Chat live with a moving expert” via U-Haul’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

Utilize this feature to get questions answered without having to commit to a U-Haul truck rental or spend forever waiting in a phone queue.

We recommend that you schedule your U-Haul truck for early morning pickup. It doesn’t increase your chances of getting the truck you want, but it does give you some wiggle room to go to plan B in case your truck isn’t available.

Moving containers are worth considering as an alternative to rental trucks if you’re traveling across the country or just don’t like to drive.

When you arrive at your new home, you can actually keep your moving pods in your driveway or parking spot and use them as portable storage. Of course, if you prefer traditional storage units, we have a list of the best self-storage companies.

Every move is different. Be sure to double-check your U-Haul rental details to avoid misunderstandings like those we pointed out earlier:

• U-Haul doesn’t have late fees, but it will charge you for being late.
• U-Haul has a reservation guarantee but doesn’t guarantee your truck is reserved.

We conducted intensive research to identify the best moving companies for long-distance moves and local moves, in addition to container moves, truck rentals, and hourly moving labor:

• 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.

Still looking for options? Consider one of our best rental truck companies:

• Budget Rental Truck Review
• Enterprise Rental Truck Review
• Home Depot Rental Truck Review
• Penske Rental Truck Review

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• What Are the Best Car Shipping Companies?
• What Are the Best Full-Service Moving Companies?

1. U-Haul, “What Are U-Haul’s Business Hours?”