When renting a U-Haul for an in-town move, the rental rate is usually $19.95. However, you may wonder how much you actually have to pay for the whole rental.
Knowing how U-Haul charges this rate can help you budget for the entire cost.
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Does U-Haul Charge per Day or Hour?
U-Haul charges $19.95 per day to rent a moving truck with local pickup and dropoff. The rate applies whether you rent the truck for one hour or the full 24 hours. However, if you go over 24 hours, they’ll bill you for an extra day.
Be sure to keep an eye on the time so that you get the U-Haul back on time. Then, you won’t have to risk paying extra.
What U-Hauls Cost $19.95?
U-Haul charges $19.95 for its smaller trucks and vans. You can rent an 8-foot pickup truck, a 9-foot cargo van, or a 10-foot moving truck for $19.95 per day.
The pickup truck is perfect for small loads or home improvement projects. It may also work for a kid going off to college. If you don’t have a vehicle that can fit dorm items, renting a small truck is fantastic.
U-Haul recommends the cargo van for studio or one-bedroom apartments. It’s also helpful for certain deliveries, and it can be easier to drive than a moving truck.
If you need a bit more room, the smallest moving van works well. You should rent it if you have a studio or one-bedroom apartment you need to move to or from.
What U-Hauls Cost More Than $19.95?
U-Haul offers a variety of larger moving vehicles, but the base charge quickly increases. The company has moving trucks up to 26 feet long, so you can move a lot of stuff at once. Consider the base rates for these larger options.
A 15-foot truck costs $29.95 per day for a local move. The same rate applies to the 17-foot truck. Both of these vehicles can fit enough stuff for one or two-bedroom houses as well as two-bedroom apartments.
U-Haul charges $39.95 per day to rent a 20-foot or 26-foot truck. Twenty feet is plenty for a two or three-bedroom home or apartment. If you have a three or four-bedroom house, the 26-foot truck will be a better option.
You can also go for a U-Box Container, which is even bigger. U-Haul will drive it for you, but you’ll have to pay a lot more, depending on the distance of your move.
The reservation process for U-Haul trucks doesn’t always guarantee the reserved timeframe as there had been instances where customers booked the truck for 24 hours only to be informed later that the available period was just 12 hours. Overshooting the expected time can bring additional costs that many customers may not anticipate. For instance, one customer reported being charged $50 for every extra half an hour he had the truck after the initially agreed 12-hour period. This could drastically increase the final bill, causing a significantly higher cost than the $19.95 per day advertised rate.
Even speaking with a manager or the U-Haul HQ might not guarantee help in such predicaments. Despite booking and confirming reservations online, the fine print specifies that everything is subject to availability, thereby limiting the guarantee of the reservation. Hence, being aware of these potential issues could save you from unexpected financial burdens or looking for last-minute alternatives.
Though it is not being insinuated that U-Haul or its locations deliberately overbook trucks, such breaches in availability have caused suspicions among some customers. It has been inferred that the extra charges originating from overbooking could be a significant money-making scheme for the company, especially when the advertised $19.95 a day and 89 cents-per-mile rate seem to be so appealingly low. Customers who fail to fulfill the agreed rental time are often hit with extra charges that pile up, contributing to their increased final costs.
The practice of overbooking and its repercussions have been brought up by some customers on various platforms, with similar complaints popping up over time. Nevertheless, U-Haul officially denies overbooking trucks intentionally and insists that customer reservations are always respected when possible.
So, before taking that seemingly low-cost $19.95 per day U-Haul deal, make sure you have comprehended all potential pitfalls and are aware of any additional charges that could adversely affect your budget.
Per Mile Charges
Sadly, the $19.95 rate is only a base rate, and you’ll need to pay a certain amount per mile. The pickup truck and cargo van have a rate of $0.69 per mile. All of the moving trucks incur a fee of $1.09 for every mile you drive.
So while you may have a flat rate per day, you don’t want to drive the truck more than necessary. It may seem like renting a smaller truck and making more trips will save you money. However, you might end up paying about the same as you would for a larger truck.
For example, consider the 10-foot truck and the 20-foot truck. You could save $20 per day on the smaller truck. However, you’d need to take an extra trip between your old and new homes.
Take a 10-mile move across town. One trip would cost you $10.90 in addition to the daily rate. If you have to return to your old home and back to the new one, you’d drive an extra 20 miles.
With a charge of $1.09 per mile, you’d save money with one trip. If you have to drive a little over 18 extra miles, the larger truck would be a better deal.
Are There Any Hidden Fees?
U-Haul doesn’t have a ton of extra fees, but it does charge an environmental fee. The charge is reportedly anywhere from $1 to $5. That’s not a lot in the grand scheme, but it’s crucial to know.
That way, you can make sure you don’t go over budget with your moving truck. You can make sure to drive the truck just enough to transport your items.
How to Save on Your U-Haul
While U-Haul charges a daily rate rather than hourly, you don’t want to spend more than necessary on your move. Fortunately, you can do a few things to save money on the rental.
First, you can return it early or on time to avoid paying for an extra day. Consider returning the truck as soon as you unload it so that you don’t miss the deadline. If that happens after hours, you can use the night drop.
Another option is to rent the smallest truck you can get away with. Just make sure to do the math to determine if an extra trip will make the rental cost more than a massive truck.
It also helps to pay attention to your mileage. Take note of the mileage before you drive off with the U-Haul, and take the shortest route possible. Then, you can save on the per-mile charge.
How Does U-Haul Charge for Rentals?
U-Haul fees start at $19.95 per day for in-town moves. But the price can go up if you rent a larger truck. You’ll also need to pay more if you make multiple trips between your old and new address due to per-mile fees. Keep that in mind when estimating the total cost of your U-Haul.
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