2024 Budget Truck Rental Review

Bottom line: Budget Truck Rental is one of the best moving truck rental companies in the business, and it’s the number one option for local moves. The company provides most services you could need for a DIY move, it’s widely available throughout the country, and it has the best rates for local rentals.

That said, Budget’s competitors do sometimes have better prices for long-distance rentals and large rental trucks. So if you’re moving long distance or you need a big truck, get a quote from multiple companies to compare.

Keep reading to learn about Budget’s pricing and services.

Budget is available in every state in the continental US (but not in Hawaii or Alaska).

• What to know about Budget
• Comparison
• Pricing
• Features and services
• Our recommendation
• FAQ

Now that you’ve got an overview of Budget’s services and prices, let’s focus on a few of Budget’s qualities you should know about.

For local moves, basically every moving truck rental company charges a mileage rate on top of the rental price. The only exception is Home Depot, but this only applies to its small Load ‘N Go truck rentals, which come with unlimited mileage. If you need a medium- to large-sized moving truck, Home Depot can rent a Penske truck to you, but it will come with Penske’s mileage rate.

The only company with a lower mileage rate than Budget is Enterprise at $0.20/mile, though Enterprise’s average upfront rental price for local moves is about $100 higher than Budget’s rental price.

Budget’s low mileage rate, paired with its unbeatable rental prices, make it the most affordable moving truck rental company for local moves.

If you’re renting a moving truck, you’re probably prepared to do all the heavy lifting yourself to save money. However, DIY moving doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and getting some professional moving help can expedite your move and prevent back pain later on.

Budget partners with HireAHelper—one of our favorite moving labor companies—to help customers with loading and unloading. These services cost extra, but they’re still cheaper than paying for a full-service move.

Additionally, hiring trained professionals to help load and unload your belongings is safer than doing it all yourself, even if this isn’t your first rodeo.

If you’re still committed to doing all the work yourself, you should at least check out our guide to loading a moving truck to get some tips and pointers.

Despite all the good qualities we’ve listed, Budget’s customer reviews don’t paint a pretty picture. Across multiple review sites like Yelp and Google Reviews, customers report issues like unfriendly customer service, dirty and damaged trucks, and slow response times from roadside assistance.

As a general rule, you shouldn’t put too much stock in customer reviews. People are more likely to write reviews if they’ve had negative experiences, so online reviews tend to skew harshly critical, even if a company offers satisfactory service a lot of the time.

That said, Budget’s reviews are tied with U-Haul’s for the worst in the industry, so be forewarned before you decide to rent from Budget. The company’s low local rates might still be worth risking some bad customer service, but if you’re willing to pay more for a better experience, get a quote from Penske, the moving truck rental company with the best customer reviews.

If you’re moving locally and you want to keep things cheap by renting a moving truck instead of hiring professionals, Budget Truck Rental is your go-to option.

To fairly compare moving truck prices, we gathered over a hundred quotes from industry-leading moving truck rental companies. 

For moves under 100 miles, Budget’s average price was $27.60 with a $0.47/mile mileage rate. Compared to the industry average of $169.65 plus a mileage rate of $0.75 per mile, Budget’s local rates are an absolute steal.

The only company that can hold a candle to Budget’s local rates is Home Depot, but only if you can complete your move in one of Home Depot’s super small Load ‘N Go Trucks. If you're moving locally from a home with more than one bedroom, Budget is your best bet.

Budget’s long-distance rates are a different story, though. For moves over 100 miles, Budget’s average price was $2,080, while the industry average was $2,077. So, while Budget’s long-distance prices aren’t as good as Penske’s, they’re just about average.

These are just averages though, and Budget can sometimes have the best rates available for long-distance moves, like it did for this move from Iowa to Texas. The bottom line is that you should always get quotes from multiple companies.

To give you an idea of how much your Budget truck rental might cost, here are a few of the quotes Budget gave us:

Moving truck rental rates fluctuate daily because of supply and demand, so it’s impossible to predict exactly how much your Budget moving truck will cost until you get your quote. However, here are some factors that will always affect your price:

• Your move date
• When you book
• Your rental deposit
• Taxes
• Mileage
• Add-on rentals and services
• Moving coverage

If you’re curious about how each of these factors work together to determine your rental price, read our guide to moving costs.

The $150 deposit is fully refundable as long as you don’t bring the truck back dirty, with less gas than you started with, or past your allotted time. Plan accordingly, though: Sometimes the deposit can take weeks to hit your bank account.

To make its competitive rates even better, Budget offers several discounts that can save you a lot of money:

• US military discount—20% off truck rental
• AARP member discount—20% off Sunday through Thursday and 10% off Friday through Saturday
• Police, fire, and EMT personnel discounts—20% off for local moves and 15% off for one-way moves
• Motor Club member discounts—20% off for local moves and 15% off for one-way moves
• Student discounts—20% off for local moves and 15% off for one-way moves​¹

Ready to get your quote?
See exactly what your moving truck will cost and snag a sweet discount while you’re at it.

While it costs extra, moving coverage is absolutely essential for a painless and carefree move. If you don’t purchase coverage to pay for unexpected damage to your moving truck or your belongings, you’ll be left footing the bill for whatever might go wrong. Even if you make it to your new home without incident, the peace of mind that comes with coverage is worth the price.

Here’s a list of Budget’s moving coverage options and what they cover.

Budget’s damage waivers cover the cost of physical damage to moving trucks and towing equipment.² Budget has two different damage waiver options, each with specific exclusions:

• The first, called Physical Damage Waiver, covers all damage, so you’re financially responsible for no damage to the truck.
• The second, called Limited Damage Waiver, covers damage after the first $500. So, for example, if the truck suffered $1,000 of damage while you had it, you’d have to pay $500, then the damage waiver would cover the other $500. If the truck suffered only $500 of damage, though, you’d have to pay it all.

Supplemental liability insurance (SLI) protects you from third-party property damage or injury claims made by third parties against you while you’re driving your Budget truck. Keep in mind that there are exclusions. For example, SLI won’t protect you if you operate your truck in a way that violates your rental agreement.³

Budget’s personal and cargo insurance covers two types of damage in case of a collision:

• Bodily injury to you and your passengers
• Damage to your household goods

There are a lot of exclusions, and this coverage doesn’t apply to items like jewelry, antiques, and firearms, so be sure to check the terms and conditions before you hit the road.⁴

If you need to tow a car during your move, auto tow protection covers damage to the towed vehicle as long as you tow it behind your Budget truck on a Budget tow dolly or car carrier. This coverage comes with a $500 deductible per loss. As with all types of coverage, there are also some exclusions.⁵

Roadside SafetyNet is Budget’s version of roadside assistance. It gives you access to Budget’s 24/7 roadside assistance hotline, which can help you in case of certain events:

• Flat tires
• Lost keys
• A broken window or windshield
• A dead battery
• An empty fuel tank
• And more⁶

Roadside SafetyNet only covers these events if they happen to your moving truck, not to your personal vehicle. This is Budget’s most basic coverage option, but it’s also the one you’re most likely to use. Even if you forego other types of coverage, you should still pay for roadside assistance.

• Long-distance, one-way rentals
• Local, round-trip rentals
• Multiple truck sizes
• Pickup truck rental
• Furniture pads and hand truck rentals
• Tow dolly and car carrier rentals
• Multiple coverage options
• Roadside assistance
• Moving labor (costs extra)

Budget has fewer moving truck sizes than most competitors, though its 26-foot truck is just as big as any other company’s largest truck (give or take a few cubic feet of space). Budget’s two largest trucks also come with convenient loading ramps that make it easy to carry heavy furniture up into the truck.

In addition to the moving truck sizes listed in the table above, Budget rents out pickup trucks of various sizes. Budget’s pickup trucks are only available for local moves and odd jobs, so you can’t move to another state in one, but they’re perfect for hauling a busted sofa to the dump or picking up renovation materials from the hardware store.

If you need an affordable way to get an extra car to your new home, you can rent one of Budget’s tow dollies or car carriers to haul your vehicle behind your moving truck.

Budget’s tow dollies and car carriers can only be rented if you’re also renting a moving truck. You can’t tow them behind any vehicle except your moving truck.

Despite its negative customer reviews, Budget’s list of services and affordable rates make it one of the best moving truck rental companies in the biz. And, if you’re moving locally and you want the most affordable moving truck you can find, Budget’s rates are far and away the lowest. You should still get quotes from a few other companies as well, but Budget is likely your most affordable option.

Ready to get your move started?
We could talk all day about Budget’s affordability, but you’ll only know for sure what your move will cost after you get your quote.

If you want to learn about Budget’s competitors and gather some additional quotes, check out these reviews:

• Penske Truck Rental
• U-Haul Truck Rental
• Enterprise Truck Rental
• Home Depot Truck Rental

You can also compare companies' pricing and services on our Best Truck Rental Companies list or our Cheapest Truck Rental Companies list. 

In order to rate Budget’s pricing, we collected nearly 30 quotes for four home sizes moving seven distances (both local and long distance).

Then we took a look at Budget’s services, as described on their website and verified through calls to the customer service agents. We also looked at moving insurance coverage, roadside assistance, availability, and how reliable reservations are.

Finally, we took customer experiences into account. We looked at customer star ratings and comments on Google, Yelp, and other review sites. We also interviewed real-life customers who had recently moved with Budget and gave them moving assistance grants for their efforts.

• Derek’s Budget Move
• Devon’s Budget Move

You can never over prepare for a move. Read these guides to make sure everything is squared away before moving day:

• The Only Moving Checklist You’ll Ever Need
• How to Pack a Moving Truck Like the Pros
• How to Plan Your Moving Road Trip

1. Budget Truck Rental, “Current Truck Rental Deals.” Accessed December 21, 2022.
2. Budget Truck Rental, “Rental Damage Waiver.” Accessed December 21, 2022.
3. Budget Truck Rental, “Supplemental Liability Insurance.” Accessed December 21, 2022.
4. Budget Truck Rental, “Personal Accident & Cargo Insurance.” Accessed December 21, 2022.
5. Budget Truck Rental, “Auto Tow Protection.” Accessed December 21, 2022.
6. Budget Truck Rental, “Truck Roadside Assistance.” Accessed May 12, 2021.
7. Budget Truck Rental, “Car Dolly and Tow Dolly Rentals.” Accessed May 13, 2021.
8. Budget Truck Rental, “Car Carriers and Car Trailer Rentals.” Accessed May 13, 2021.