Top Moving Companies That Offer Trailer Rentals 2024

According to the Census Bureau, it is estimated that a person in the United States can expect to move 11.7 times in their lifetime. Whether you’re moving your kid into their college dorm room or relocating your studio-sized life across town, rental trailers for moving are a cheaper alternative to using a full-sized moving truck — as long as you’re willing to tow the thing.

Plus, if you need to move your car and auto shipping is beyond your budget, a car trailer or tow dolly may be a feasible option.

U-Haul offers the best selection of both enclosed trailers and car carriers of any nationwide company we’ve reviewed. But Budget and Penske are great options for car carrier rentals — if you’re already renting one of their moving trucks.

When renting a moving trailer, here are the key factors to consider:

• Size and capacity:

  • Ensure the trailer is large enough to fit your belongings.
  • Check the weight capacity to avoid overloading.

• Type of trailer:

  • Choose between enclosed trailers (for weather protection) or open trailers (for larger, bulky items).
  • Consider specialty trailers, such as ones for vehicles or motorcycles if needed.

• Hitch compatibility:

  • Verify that the trailer is compatible with your vehicle’s hitch system.
  • Ensure your vehicle has the appropriate towing capacity.

• Rental costs and terms:

  • Compare prices, including daily rates, mileage fees, and additional charges.
  • Check rental terms, such as deposit requirements and late return fees.

• Insurance and liability:

  • Inquire about rental insurance for the trailer and your belongings.
  • Verify what coverage your auto insurance provides for towing.

• Condition and maintenance:

  • Inspect the trailer for any damage before renting.
  • Confirm regular maintenance has been performed, especially on tires, lights, and brakes.

• Availability of accessories:

  • Ask if the rental includes necessary accessories like tie-downs, ramps, or dollies.
  • Check for additional costs if these are not included.

• Pickup and drop-off locations:

  • Ensure the rental company has convenient pickup and drop-off points near your locations.
  • Confirm the flexibility of one-way rentals if needed.

If you’re wondering what Budget is best for, its name is a straight giveaway. Budget is ideal for the price-conscious mover.

While the company only allows you to rent a car trailer or car dolly as part of an existing truck reservation, it offers low rates and a slew of discounts to reduce your overall cost. And, if you’re looking for trailer rentals for moving locally, its rates get even cheaper.

Budget’s car trailers secure your car above the ground on a trailer attached to the back of your rental truck.

Like with Penske, you don’t have the option of attaching a Budget trailer to your personal vehicle. And there’s another caveat: You can only pull a Budget car trailer with Budget’s 26-foot truck.

While this trailer’s weight limit is fairly comparable to the other two companies’ offerings, Budget still has the lowest weight capacity of all three.

Budget’s tow dollies operate just like U-Haul’s and Penske’s, both in design and functionality. Regardless of which company’s services you choose, a tow dolly helps limit extra mileage on your car (just not as much as a car trailer).

The difference with Budget is that its tow dollies are only available as one-way trailer rentals (which is great if you plan to take your trailer rentals one way, but not so much if you’re coming back to your starting point). Still, Budget's clear advantage is its affordable rates—especially if you qualify for one of its discounts and only plan on taking the moving trailer rental one way.

Like Penske, Budget doesn’t have flat rates for its car trailers and tow dollies. But unlike Penske, Budget determines the price of each car trailer and tow dolly based on the number of days your move takes and your mileage count. This means you won’t get sky-high prices based solely on where you live.

You’ll need to call a Budget representative to find out how much a trailer or car dolly rental will increase your bill, as these items aren’t included in Budget’s online quote generator (which is a little annoying, if you ask us).

Read more about Budget in our Budget Truck Rental review.

U-Haul allows you to rent its moving trailers a la carte, which means you don’t have to rent a moving truck to get a cargo trailer or tow dolly. This service sets U-Haul apart from its competitors, which require you to rent moving trailers and car trailers/tow dollies all at the same time.

U-Haul is also the only company on our list to offer moving trailers in addition to car carriers and tow dollies (the others don’t offer trailers). In fact, U-Haul knocks it out of the park with its thirteen trailer options.

Be cautious of hidden fees, though. U-Haul has a rep for tacking extra costs onto your final bill.

A 4 ft. x 8 ft. cargo trailer holds up to 1,600 pounds and is great for college students packing up their dorm rooms or anyone moving a few pieces of furniture.

Several utility trailer sizes come with an EZ Ramp so you can slide heavy belongings onto the bed rather than lift them. These open trailers can’t be locked, but they do come with tie-down rings to secure your items in place.

If you don’t want to drop money on car shipping, you can rent a car or motorcycle trailer to tow your ride. Your vehicle sits on top of the trailer so your tires don’t suffer wear and tear while on the road. For this reason, we recommend getting a car trailer if your move is long distance (i.e., 300 miles or more).

U-Haul’s car trailers can hold vehicles up to 5,290 pounds. To put this in perspective, a Ford F-150, a heavy-duty pickup truck, weighs anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 pounds. Check your car’s specs to see if it’s towable before you book an auto trailer.

If you have a smaller car and a tighter budget, a tow dolly may be all you need. But this solution is best for local moves — the wear and tear on your back wheels will be too much with long-distance moves.

Renting a trailer through U-Haul is cheaper than renting a trailer with any other company we reviewed. That’s because you can reserve a U-Haul trailer without having to pay the full price of a truck rental.

Here are the factors that affect U-Haul’s base rates:

• Trailer type
• Trailer size
• Move distance
• Gas mileage
• Seasonality (i.e., rates increase in the summer)

To be honest, U-Haul’s base rates seem too good to be true. The company has a thing for jacking up your total via last-minute fees ranging from gas costs and mileage to damage protection plans.

To learn more, check out our U-Haul Truck Rental review. You can also learn how customers feel about U-Haul's trailers by reading our report.

See where U-Haul ranks on our best truck rental companies list.

Unlike U-Haul, Penske has a great reputation for customer service and transparency. What you see is what you get when it comes to Penske, and that’s something few moving companies can claim.

For example, Penske guarantees reservations for your preferred truck size and pickup location. Other companies may offer this for your vehicle trailer rental — but only at an added cost.

Our only complaint? Penske rents car trailers but doesn’t offer other types of moving trailers. Plus, it doesn’t allow you to tow its trailers behind anything other than a Penske rental truck.

Penske’s car trailers have a three-point tie-down system to keep your vehicle in place and prevent shifting. They also come with a ramp to make it a little bit easier to load everything from your mom’s new Mercedes to the beat-up Toyota you bought in college.

Penske’s car trailers are best for cars with all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. They also have a lower weight limit than U-Haul. Before you reserve one of these trailer rentals, consider whether or not Penske is the best option for your car type.

Like its car trailers, Penske’s car dollies can only be pulled behind a Penske truck. But unlike its car trailers, the weight limit on its car dollies is actually higher than U-Haul’s.

If you know you have a heavier-than-average car, this might be one reason to choose Penske over U-Haul.

It was hard to nail down exactly how much Penske trailers cost because the company isn’t transparent about its cost factors.

Penske offers no set rental rates. It bases the cost of its car trailers and tow dollies on availability. The more car carriers and tow dollies it has at your location, the cheaper they are to rent. The less available they are, the more expensive they’ll be.

Seasonality also affects rates. The quotes we got are from the winter, but if we called again in May or June, the rates could easily be double.

Want to learn more? Check out our Penske Truck Rental review.

U-Haul is the best moving company for trailer rentals by a landslide. It’s the only company on our list to offer both moving trailers and auto transport trailers, plus it lets you rent trailers separately from a rental truck.

Here’s a refresher:

U-Haul:

• Offers enclosed moving trailers and auto transport carriers
• Has a reputation for hidden fees and poor customer service
• Offers the option to rent trailers without a truck rental

Penske:

• Only offers car trailers and tow dollies
• Has the highest weight limits on tow dollies
• Determines prices based on availability

Budget:

• Offers only car trailers and tow dollies
• Determines prices based on days spent and miles driven
• Has budget-friendly rates

If your move dates are flexible — and if your budget is, too — we recommend U-Haul for trailer rentals. (Just keep an eye out for those hidden fees!).

Penske and Budget are great options for car transport, too — especially since they’re generally cheaper than U-Haul and, in some instances, have higher weight limits. Penske offers higher weight limits, while Budget has more competitive prices.

Ultimately, it boils down to differences in pricing and availability. While U-Haul has locations in all fifty states and offers lots of services, it can’t guarantee reservations, and it doesn’t hold back on last-minute fees.

We reviewed 75+ movers, 2k+ quotes, and 26k reviews. We do mystery shopping, accreditation checks, and regular updates to give you reliable recommendations.

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