The three national truck rental brands serve overlapping markets but have meaningfully different pricing models, fleet sizes, and pickup networks. For most local moves the choice comes down to “whichever is closest and has your truck size available on your dates.” For long-distance moves, the differences matter more.
This is the honest comparison after running thousands of moves with all three brands.
Quick verdict
- U-Haul: most pickup locations, most truck sizes, cheapest on short local moves. Cab quality and maintenance vary widely.
- Penske: nicer fleet, better long-distance pricing, included unlimited mileage on some one-way moves. Fewer pickup locations, especially in small markets.
- Budget: middle ground on price, newest fleets in some markets, decent loyalty pricing for repeat customers. Smallest network of the three.
Pickup network
| Brand | US locations | Coverage pattern |
|---|---|---|
| U-Haul | ~22,000 | Every metro, every small town. Lots of “neighborhood dealer” sites at gas stations and self-storage. |
| Penske | ~2,500 | Major metros and highways. Sparse in rural areas. |
| Budget | ~1,500 | Major metros and tourist areas. Even sparser than Penske rurally. |
For most moves U-Haul wins on convenience by default — there’s almost always a U-Haul within 10 minutes of any US address. Penske and Budget require more planning to find a pickup that works.
Truck sizes
| Size | U-Haul | Penske | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 10 ft | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 12 ft | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 15 ft | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 16 ft | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 17 ft | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 20 ft | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 22 ft | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 26 ft | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
U-Haul has the most granular sizes (10, 15, 20, 26 ft). If you have a true studio or one-bedroom load that fits in a 10-foot truck, Penske and Budget make you upsize to 12 or 16 ft and you pay for the larger truck whether you use the space or not.
Local pricing (under 50 miles)
Real 2026 ranges for a one-day local rental:
| Truck size | U-Haul | Penske | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ft | $20–30/d | n/a | n/a |
| 15/16 ft | $30–40/d | $50–70/d | $40–60/d |
| 20/22 ft | $40–55/d | $70–90/d | $60–80/d |
| 26 ft | $50–70/d | $90–120/d | $80–100/d |
Plus: per-mile mileage charges, fuel (you return it filled), optional insurance (SafeMove, BudgetGuard, Penske LDW), and possibly moving supplies. The per-day rate is the smallest piece of the total bill on local moves under 50 miles.
U-Haul typically wins on raw price for local rentals. The neighborhood-dealer network means you almost never pay a one-way drop fee for in-town moves.
Long-distance / one-way pricing (500-1500 miles)
This is where Penske and Budget can win:
| Truck size | U-Haul | Penske | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15/16 ft | $1,500–2,200 | $1,800–2,600 (mileage often included) | $1,600–2,300 |
| 20/22 ft | $2,000–2,700 | $2,300–3,100 | $2,100–2,800 |
| 26 ft | $2,500–3,400 | $2,800–3,700 | $2,600–3,500 |
Mileage rules differ a lot:
- U-Haul charges per-mile beyond included mileage. Included mileage varies by route (Phoenix → Denver gets ~800 free; Boston → Miami gets ~1,500). Overages: $0.40-0.99/mi.
- Penske often includes unlimited mileage on long one-ways. The advertised rate is genuinely close to what you pay.
- Budget is somewhere in the middle; included mileage is usually generous on advertised routes.
For long-distance moves, run all three quotes and check what’s included. The $200-300 difference in headline price often flips once mileage overages are calculated.
Fleet quality
Anecdotal but consistent across many moves:
- Penske fleets are typically newer. Better cab AC, fewer squeaks, better suspension. Worth paying a bit more for on a multi-day cross-country drive.
- Budget is hit-or-miss. Their corporate fleet is newer; the franchise pickup locations sometimes have older trucks.
- U-Haul fleets vary wildly by location. The corporate U-Haul Moving & Storage centers maintain trucks well; the neighborhood dealer pickups sometimes hand you a truck with 200,000 miles, a broken radio, and AC that takes 20 minutes to cool the cab.
If fleet quality matters (long drives, summer in the South), book through corporate U-Haul Moving & Storage or pick Penske.
Reservations: what to know
All three brands oversell reservations by design (they expect a percentage of cancellations). A “guaranteed” reservation isn’t 100% guaranteed — you may show up and be told the truck size you booked isn’t available.
- U-Haul is the most likely to relocate your pickup to a different location on pickup day. Sometimes 30 minutes away. They’ll give you mileage credit, but it’s annoying. Show up early.
- Penske is the least likely to bait-and-switch. Their reservation system runs tighter.
- Budget sits in the middle.
For long-distance one-ways, book early (3-4 weeks ahead) and call the pickup location 48 hours before to confirm.
Insurance
You can decline rental-truck insurance if you’re covered, but most people aren’t.
- Personal auto policy: usually does NOT cover rental trucks. Check before you decline.
- Credit card coverage: most cards exclude moving trucks (Amex Platinum is the notable exception for rental cars, but even that often excludes vehicles over 8 ft tall or 9,000 lb).
- Homeowner’s / renter’s: covers your belongings in the truck but not damage to the truck itself.
If you don’t have coverage, buy the rental insurance:
- U-Haul SafeMove: $14-30/day local, $50-150 long-distance
- Penske LDW: $20-30/day local
- Budget LDW: $15-25/day local
It’s worth it on long-distance moves regardless.
What we’d actually pick
For a Loading Crews customer, the decision flow:
- Local move under 50 miles, 1-bedroom or smaller → U-Haul, nearest neighborhood dealer with a 10-ft or 15-ft truck. Cheapest and most convenient.
- Local move, 2-3 bedroom → U-Haul 20-ft from corporate Moving & Storage. Truck quality matters at this size.
- Cross-country, full household → Penske 26-ft with included unlimited mileage. The included-mileage math wins on routes over 1,000 miles.
- Cross-country, smaller load → U-Haul or Budget 15-ft. Penske doesn’t make a 15-ft, so smaller loads in Penske mean paying for empty space.
The location list on every city page shows all the indexed U-Haul sites. Penske and Budget locations aren’t in our index yet (coming in Phase 2 of the data ingest). Until then, find them via each brand’s own location finder and bring the address to your crew booking.