Bottom line: U-Haul makes our list of the best moving container companies because it’s affordable and widely available. On the downside, U-Haul has struggled with customer service, and the U-Box doesn’t fit items much larger than a king size mattress.
U-Haul’s U-Box Moving Container Review 2024
We researched thousands of reviews and analyzed hundreds of quotes over three years to identify U-Box as the nation’s fifth-best moving container company.
8 min read
Pros
Nationwide availability
Low prices
Local and long-distance options
Free furniture pads 
Cons
Customer service struggles
Only one container size U-Haul U-Box is available at thousands of locations across all 50 states.
U-Haul U-Box compared to other companies
Company | Avg. price | Avg. customer review score (out of 5) | # of states | Learn more |
| $3810 | 
| 46 | Check Prices | |
| $3700 | 
| 50 | Check Prices | |
| $3850 | 
| 30 | Check Prices | |
| $3480 |
| 23 | Check Prices | |
| $4500 | 
| 50 | Check Prices |
Data as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing moving costs for four home sizes across six distances.
U-Haul is more widely available than any other container company. U-Box rates are also about $170 cheaper than the competition. At the same time, U-Haul has racked up more negative customer reviews than we'd like to see. Companies like U-Pack and PODS tend to get better customer reviews, so that's something to consider while you're shopping around.
It’s rare to find a company with such a unique combo of strengths and weaknesses. U-Haul U-Box is your best option if you need to find a location anywhere in the US. But if you want a combination of high-quality containers, strong customer service, and affordable prices, we recommend you go with a company like PODS.
For a more thorough breakdown of moving container comparisons, like container size, storage options, container quality, and price, check out our roundup of the best moving and storage containers.
U-Haul U-Box pricing
The average cost to move with a U-Haul U-Box is approximately $3,700. Prices vary depending on your home size and moving distance. For example, you can move a studio apartment 100 miles for around $1,200, while a cross-country trip for a large home costs more than $7,000.
U-Haul U-Box moving container prices
Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing moving costs for four home sizes across six distances.
U-Haul U-Box fees
Like all moving companies, U-Haul charges extra fees for extra services. One fee you can plan on is the $99 per U-Box container fee. However, it's not always part of the initial quote. Keep potential fees in mind when you review your quote and ask about any potential extra fees. Here's a look at some of the costs and fees you may see on your final bill:
- U-Box container fee. U-Box charges a container fee of about $100 per container (the average customer needs about four U-Boxes). If you use a container for longer than one month, this fee will be charged monthly.
- Transportation fee. This is the bulk of your moving quote—it's the cost to get your belongings from Point A to Point B (U-Haul calls it a gentle ride shipping fee). Our analysis suggests that the average U-Box transportation fee is around $3,200.
- Moving supplies. U-Haul includes 24 free furniture pads with your order. Any other supplies you order during checkout get added to your tab (like moving boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap).
Make money back for unused boxes!
U-Haul will refund the full purchase price of any unused box you return. U-Haul guarantees 100% buy-back of any unused U-Haul boxes, with receipt, at any U-Haul center location nationwide.
- Moving Help®. U-Haul can connect you with workers to help with things like packing and heavy lifting. At around $45 per hour, U-Haul Moving Help is cheaper than most moving labor companies, but its network of movers may include workers that aren’t licensed or insured.
- Protection coverage. You can purchase protection coverage for your belongings if you plan to keep them at a U-Box storage facility. There’s an average monthly fee of around $20 based on the declared value of your personal items.
The average U-Box customer pays about $3,700 (not including extras like protection coverage, moving supplies, or moving labor). To avoid sticker shock, make sure you verify what extra fees you can expect for added services, supplies, etc..
As an example, we wanted to calculate the estimate to transport two U-Box containers for a one-bedroom apartment from Laramie, Wyoming to Elko, Nevada. Cost includes one month container use, two dozen furniture pads, gentle ride shipping, and one-way transit fuel cost for a total of $2,977.90.
U-Haul U-Box coverage
U-Haul offers Safestor® protection coverage for monthly U-Box storage at its company warehouses.1 Costs range from $7.95 to $35.95 per month, depending on the selected coverage amount (up to $15,000). Just be aware that it doesn’t apply to specialty items like antiques, artwork, documents, furs, jewelry, money, motorized vehicles, bills, art, property deeds, credit cards, or securities. Make sure those items are covered during your move by specialty moving insurance or see if there's a way to use your homeowners or renters insurance.
What’s covered?
- Fire
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Wind
- Vandalism
- Vermin
- Lightning
- Earthquake
- Hail
- Building collapse
- Explosion
- Leaking water
- Burglary
- Smoke
What’s not covered?
- Theft
- “Mysterious disappearance”
- War
- Flood (ground or surface water)
- Climatic conditions (such as rust or mildew)
What to know about U-Haul U-Box
Nationwide availability
No moving container company is more widely available than U-Haul. You can use the U-Box to move to thousands of locations across all 50 states. That matters a lot. Even if you find a company with a lower quote, it doesn’t matter if you can’t find a nearby location. That’s where U-Haul comes in: odds are no matter where you live, you can find a U-Haul location.
Affordable rates
U-Haul is known for low rates across all of its moving services, and moving containers are no exception. The container service can save you about $170 on an average move. Those numbers get even more impressive if you have a small home. Our analysis of more than 300 quotes found that the U-Box is $300 cheaper than the industry average for one and two-bedroom living spaces.
Looking to save money on a moving container?
The U-Box moving container
U-Haul's U-Box moving container quality is different from some other companies. In particular, the U-Box is smaller and comes in only one size. It also lacks steel construction like some other moving containers. Those aren’t necessarily dealbreakers. But you may want to double-check a few details if you have especially large or valuable items:
- The U-Box is the smallest moving container on the market—but you could still fit most of a one-bedroom apartment in one (check out the video below). Will all of your belongings fit inside a storage space that’s about seven feet long, five feet wide, and seven feet tall?
- U-Haul constructs its U-Box containers with plywood and weatherproof covers. Keep in mind that this may be less strong than the steel models that other companies use.
- You’ll probably need several containers because the U-Box comes in only one size. Do you have enough space at your home to accommodate multiple containers? Can you remember which containers you used for kitchen items and toiletries—and which one has the clothes and bedding?
This video demonstrates the unloading process of one container that was filled to capacity. Each U-Box container fits about a room and a half.
Customer experience
U-Haul’s biggest strength is its biggest weakness too. The company’s industry-leading size means you can almost always find a nearby location. But that also means you deal with the hiccups inherent in enormous companies.
Our analysis of nearly 2,000 U-Haul reviews reveals a few things that can lead to a stressful moving experience:
- Long waits. Reviewers said they consistently waited 30 minutes to speak with a U-Haul customer service representative. Need a supervisor? Add another half hour.
- Frustrating service. U-Haul customer service representatives seem to be doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. The problem is that they often can’t answer your questions. We’ve spoken with U-Haul reps countless times over the years and are surprised by how little they know about their own products and services.
Features and services
- Local moving
- Long-distance moving
- International moving
- At-home portable storage
- Company facility portable storage
- Moving supplies
- Moving labor
U-Haul U-Box at a glance
| Description | U-Haul U-Box information |
|---|---|
| Average price | $3700 |
| At-home storage |  Yes |
| Facility storage | Yes |
| Container materials | Plywood |
| # of containers | 1 |
| # of states | 50 |
| Average customer review score (out of 5) |
|
U-Haul U-Box international services
U-Haul has some of the best international moving container services in the country. The company offers U-Box moving and storage services to nearly every global port. It also provides fast quotes for moves to and from the United States and Canada. Plus, U-Haul gives you a customs guide for your destination country. All in all, it’s an impressive setup for a moving container company that specializes in low-cost domestic moving and storage.
If you're unsure about using U-Haul for such a big move, we recommend considering a professional international moving company for overseas relocations.
U-Haul U-Box long-term review
We’ve carefully researched U-Haul U-Box for the last three years. Our analysis of thousands of reviews, hundreds of quotes, and countless hours of research yielded three notable trends:
- Prices went up. U-Haul U-Box costs went up 30% from 2020 to 2024. While that’s in line with the industry average, it falls short of container companies like Zippy Shell, which kept price hikes under 10%.
- Customer satisfaction went down. An analysis of over 16,000 customer reviews shows that U-Haul ranked last place in customer satisfaction in 2020. The outlook hasn’t improved. Its average review score dropped from 2.8 to 2.3 stars (out of 5).
- Wide availability held strong. U-Haul U-Box remains the largest moving container company in the industry, although the company couldn’t tell us how many locations it has. However, our research suggests it could be in the tens of thousands—even more than U-Pack, the only other container company with 50-state availability.
What will U-Haul U-Box be like in the future?
We anticipate that U-Haul U-Box will continue to follow industry norms when it comes to pricing—hopefully remaining on the more affordable end of things. Similarly, we expect U-Haul to continue leading the pack for availability. Finally, we hope the company renews its commitment to customer service so we can see those customer reviews improve.
Our recommendation
U-Haul U-Box is one of our best moving container companies because it's widely available and more affordable than the industry average. The container service has thousands of U-Box locations in all 50 states, so it’s easy to find one. U-Haul also has cheaper rates. But there are drawbacks. The customer experience is inconsistent and often unsatisfactory, and your price tag can come out higher than expected. Plus, U-Haul’s single small container size could be limiting if you have overlarge furniture.
Ultimately, we recommend U-Haul U-Box if:
- You can find one nearby.
- You like the price.
- You have moderately-sized items.
- You’re willing to roll the dice on customer experience.
U-Haul U-Box has more locations than any other company
Moving container FAQ
U-Haul’s cargo van is 114 inches long, 67 inches wide, and 56 inches tall. It has a maximum load capacity of 4,030 pounds and can fit belongings from a studio apartment (including a queen-sized mattress with a box spring).
The U-box is seven feet long, five feet wide, and seven feet tall. That’s large enough to fit a queen mattress or king mattress.
You can fit up to 2,000 pounds of household goods in a U-Box container. U-Haul recommends spreading out heavy items between several containers.
U-Haul has three cargo trailers and five utility trailers. Cargo trailers are ideal for home improvement projects, and utility trailers help with odd-shaped items like furniture and construction materials.
Methodology
Move.org follows a six-step process to identify the nation’s best moving container companies:
- Compare quotes. We obtained and analyzed nearly 300 quotes from seven of the nation’s largest moving container companies over three years.
- Mystery shopping. We do a top-to-bottom analysis of each company’s website and even call posing as customers. It helps us get a feel for what real-life customers experience.
- Analyze reviews. We read dozens of reviews for each company to see what most impresses (and turns off) customers. We also conducted a meta-analysis of more than 16,000 reviews to calculate an industry customer review average.
- Pay real-life customers for honest feedback. Move.org routinely gives away $500 moving grants in exchange for candid feedback about using moving container companies.
- Site visits. We invite industry experts and company executives to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. We grill them on everything from pricing and customer reviews to insurance coverage and the latest industry trends.
- Annual review. Every year, we repeat the process to ensure that our list of the best moving container companies stays current. That means our top recommendations and industry prices may change each year.
Recommended resources
People also asked
Other moving container picks
Our reports on U-Haul U-Box customers’ experiences
Sources
- U-Haul. “Play It Safe While Moving, Storing, or Towing.” Accessed July 16, 2024.
