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U-Haul Review
By Jamela Adam MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Over the past few decades, U-Haul has gained so much popularity in North America that its name has become synonymous with moving trucks. The company’s success is mainly due to its low prices, convenient locations, and wide range of equipment options. However, everyone’s moving needs are different. So even though U-Haul is a popular choice, it might not be the best choice for you. Read on to learn more about U-Haul so you can make the most informed decision for your next move.
U-Haul overview
- Less expensive than full-service moving companies
- Has more than 23,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada
- Provides roadside assistance for every move
- Easy-to-navigate website and mobile app
- Offers a wide range of equipment sizes
- Low ratings on sites like BBB and Trustpilot
- Many customers complaints regarding the unreliable online reservation system
- Customer service representatives can be hard to reach
Founded in 1945, U-Haul virtually invented the category of DIY moving. They offer various services that help make moving easier, including truck rentals, storage units, packing supplies, and local moving help. And for just a fraction of what full-service moving companies charge, U-Haul provides all the equipment you need to move your belongings from point A to point B. Because of its affordability, U-Haul has become the go-to choice for budget-minded movers.
U-Haul’s services
U-Haul is a popular moving and storage rental company that helps relocate your belongings to your new home. Is it the best option for you? Here are the types of services U-Haul offers and doesn’t offer:
What it offers
- Local moves: Though U-Haul is known for its moving trucks, the company also provides professional local moving services. If you need hands-on movers to help load and unload your belongings, U-Haul’s online marketplace — Moving Help — can connect you to a carefully-vetted network of movers in your area.
- Moving truck rentals: U-haul offers a wide variety of truck sizes, ranging from small pickups to 26-foot box trucks that can accommodate the contents of a four-bedroom house. So whether you’re moving a studio apartment or a large family home, U-haul has a truck that fits your needs. Plus, the company offers add-on features that can make your U-Haul truck rental experience less stressful, such as their SafeMove damage protection and liability coverage.
- Trailer rentals: Apart from trucks, U-Haul also has a fleet of cargo trailers and utility trailers available for rent. The cargo trailers come in three sizes — 4×8, 5×8, and 6×12 — and all have lockable doors to secure your items during transport. For heavier and larger items like furniture, the company’s open-top utility trailers are ideal. Some of their utility trailers even have ramps to make loading items more manageable.
- Self-storage units: U-Haul has thousands of storage facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Each unit features 24/7 security and climate control to keep your belongings safe. And unlike other storage rental companies, U-Haul doesn’t charge you admin or deposit fees. Plus, you get your first month free if you rent a truck or a trailer for your one-way move.
- Packing supplies: Packing and moving supplies are essential for any relocation. U-Haul has a wide selection of boxes, packing tape, appliance dollies, etc., to help make your move as hassle-free as possible.
- Long-distance: Because U-Haul has locations in every state of the country and the District of Columbia, you can easily find an equipment pick-up and drop-off location no matter where your origin and destination are. Use the handy price estimate tool on U-Haul’s website to figure out how much your long-distance truck or trailer rental will cost.
What it doesn’t offer
Though U-Haul provides moving labor services, they don’t perform the work themselves. Instead, they refer you to local movers that are qualified and insured. Also, you can only choose three types of services on U-Haul’s Moving Help marketplace: load/unload, pack/unpack, and move-out cleaning.
Unlike full-service moving companies that take care of the entire move from start to finish — including driving — U-Haul’s services are à la carte. So if you’re looking for a one-stop shop for your moving needs, U-Haul might not be the best option.
U-Haul cost
U-Haul costs vary depending on the distance of your move, the type of equipment you rent, and whether you purchase add-ons like storage units or packing supplies. Since moving truck rentals are the most popular among U-Haul customers, we’ve included pricing tables below to help estimate your local or long-distance moving costs.
Truck rental rates for local moves:
U-Haul charges a flat fee of $19.95, $29.95, or $39.95 for local moves — depending on the truck size. In addition to that flat fee, U-Haul also charges by the mile.
The table below shows U-Haul’s charges for a local move (scheduled for Nov 1st, 2022) within the Los Angeles area (from downtown to Santa Monica):
| Truck size | Flat-fee | Mileage fees |
| 8-foot | $19.95 | $0.79/mile |
| 9-foot | $19.95 | $0.79/mile |
| 10-foot | $19.95 | $1.09/mile |
| 15-foot | $29.95 | $1.09/mile |
| 17-foot | $39.95 | $1.09/mile |
| 20-foot | $39.95 | $1.09/mile |
| 26-foot | $39.95 | $1.09/mile |
Truck rental rates for long-distance moves:
Instead of providing flat rates for long-distance moves, U-Haul gives you a unique rental rate that takes into account total mileage and rental period.
To get the rental estimates in the table below, we plugged in a move (scheduled for Nov 1st, 2022) from Los Angeles to Portland — which is around 1,100 miles. All rates include up to five days of use. Keep in mind that renting a U-Haul truck can be expensive if you drive across the country since you pay for fuel costs out of pocket. So if you’re looking for the best long-distance moving companies, U-Haul might not be the most economical option.
| Truck size | Rental cost (5 days – 1100 miles from LA to Portland) |
| 8-foot | Not available for this move |
| 9-foot | Not available for this move |
| 10-foot | $1,362 |
| 15-foot | $1,433 |
| 17-foot | Not available for this move |
| 20-foot | $1,792 |
| 26-foot | $2,150 |
U-Haul’s credentials
When it comes to renting moving equipment and storage units, always choose a company you can trust. Otherwise, you could end up with equipment that’s in poor condition or unsatisfactory service that could ruin your moving experience. Though U-Haul is a household name in the industry, we nevertheless researched their credentials to ensure they’re legitimate.
Licenses and registrations
U-Haul is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — an agency in the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates commercial motor vehicles. The company’s USDOT number is 2220242, and its MC number is 195116.
Awards and certifications
Here are a few awards and achievements U-Haul has earned recently:
- National Association of Trailer Manufacturers Innovation Award
- National Best and Brightest Award
- 38th Annual Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Award
- ASU Spirit of Enterprise Award
- Red Cross Corporate Humanitarian Award
U-Haul’s accessibility
A company’s accessibility is essential for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction — especially in the moving industry, where issues can occur 24/7. We looked at U-Haul’s accessibility to see if customers could easily reach the company.
Availability
U-Haul is available in more than 23,000 locations across all U.S. states, the District of Columbia and 10 Canadian provinces. You can also access the company’s services through its website and via the official U-Haul Moving & Storage app.
Contact information
You can reach U-Haul by emailing them at support@movinghelp.com, calling their toll-free customer service line at 1-800-GO-U-HAUL (1-800-468-4285), or chatting with the U-Haul representative online. If you’re on the road and need help, you can request immediate roadside assistance from your account or with your contract number.
User experience
Overall, U-Haul provides a great user experience and a straightforward online reservation process. You simply need to select the equipment type, pick-up location, drop-off location, and moving date to guarantee a reservation. Though you must input your credit card information to secure your spot, U-Haul won’t charge you until the scheduled moving date.
Besides the easy-to-navigate website, U-Haul also has a mobile app that makes it easier for customers to stay on top of their move. The app allows customers to manage their account information, rent/return equipment, buy moving supplies, and track their orders. Like the website, U-Haul’s app is user-friendly and has a clean interface and simple navigation.
Limitations
We sent a message to test U-Haul’s live chat response time. After almost 20 minutes of waiting, we received no response. So even though U-Haul has a live chat feature, it’s not the most efficient way to contact the company.
Also, unlike most live chats that provide you with a time estimate for how long it’ll take for a representative to get back to you, U-Haul doesn’t. So if you need help immediately, you might want to call their customer service phone number instead.
U-Haul’s customer satisfaction
Though U-Haul is one of the most popular moving and storage rental companies in the U.S., you should still consider its customer satisfaction before working with them. We did some digging into the U-Haul customer experience, and here’s what we found:
Customer complaints
A closer look at U-Haul’s customer satisfaction rating reveals that not all customers are thrilled with their experience. The company has been the subject of numerous complaints in the Better Business Bureau database, ranging from personal item damages to overcharges without explanations.
Having some customer complaints is normal for most companies. And keep in mind that large companies like U-Haul will almost always have more complaints than smaller ones. However, U-Haul’s negative customer reviews significantly outweigh their positive reviews. Over the past three years, customers filed over 2,300 complaints on BBB to express their frustration with the company. These complaints relate to customer service, billing, and damaged or lost belongings. Some customers also complained that the U-Haul online reservations were unreliable. One customer said she had to scramble last minute to find an alternate truck rental service since her U-Haul truck was unavailable on the pick-up date — though she had already made a reservation online.
While U-Haul offers affordable services, their subpar customer service is worrisome. If you’re on a tight budget and decide to work with U-Haul, have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.
Third-party ratings
Though U-Haul has garnered more than 500 customer reviews on BBB, their average rating is astonishingly low — 1.07 out of 5. And on Trustpilot, their rating is equally bad — 1.2 out of 5. These poor customer ratings further illustrate the company’s dismal customer service record. Bear in mind, though, that although 500 negative reviews sounds like a lot in absolute terms, it’s a very tiny fraction of the millions of people who rent U-Haul trucks and moving equipment every year. And also bear in mind that consumer reviews tend to skew negative; not very many people are motivated to take the time and trouble to write a review about a company whose services performed as advertised.
U-Haul FAQ
What factors affect the cost of a U-Haul move?
Several factors can affect the cost of your U-Haul move. These include the equipment size, fuel costs, extra miles, damage protection, sales tax, and the rental period.
Additional equipment and services such as moving supplies, loading or unloading help, storage, and cargo trailers can also add to the final cost. So be sure to consider all these factors when deciding whether U-Haul is the right company for your moving needs.
What do you need to rent a U-haul?
To rent a U-Haul truck, you need to:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid government-issued driver's license
- Have another form of identification (debit or credit card, valid U.S. passport, paycheck, etc.)
- Pay a deposit (around $100) if you're paying with cash
How long can you rent storage from U-haul?
You can rent storage from U-Haul for as long as you want since the company doesn't require a storage contract. But because U-Haul rents their units month-to-month, they recommend storing your belongings for at least 30 days or in 30-day increments to get your money's worth.
How to get a free U-Haul estimate?
U-Haul's website makes it easy to see all the pricing information up front, so there are no surprises later on.
If you'd like to rent a truck, head to U-Haul's truck rental page and enter your pickup location, drop-off location, and pick-up date. After clicking the ‘get rates' button, you'll see how much your move will cost depending on your chosen truck size. You can also add additional services like insurance, furniture dolly, storage units, etc.
How we evaluated U-Haul
We considered several factors when evaluating U-Haul. First, we read customer reviews on sites like BBB and Trustpilot to get a sense of what people think about the company’s quality of service. We also looked at U-Haul’s range of products and services to ensure they could meet our readers’ needs. And finally, we checked their pricing structure to see if it was affordable for the average consumer.
Summary of Miami Herald’s U-Haul Review
All in all, though U-Haul is cheaper than most moving companies, the quality of service they offer may not be worth the savings. So before you make a decision, perform your due diligence and take the time to research the company thoroughly — it’ll save you lots of headaches down the road.
