Budget Truck Review

Budget and combed over its services, coverage choices, and user reviews to see how the firm compares.

Best local prices

• Best prices for local moves
• Moving help available

Quote (833)715-1770

Trucks Size

Data as of October, 2020.

What to know about Budget Truck Rental

Now that you’ve gotten a sense of Budget’s services and rates, let’s take a look at some of the Budget characteristics you should be aware of.

Mileage rate is one of the lowest

For local relocation, almost every moving truck rental firm adds a mileage fee to the rental price. Home Depot is the one exception, but only for their tiny Load ‘N Go truck rentals, which include unlimited miles. 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.

Mileage rates for moving trucks

Data as of October, 2020.

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.

Offers loading/unloading help

To save money, you’re probably willing to handle all of the heavy lifting yourself if you’re renting a moving truck. However, DIY moving does not have to be all or nothing, and hiring professional movers can help you move faster and avoid back strain later on.

Budget works with one of our favorite moving labor firms, HireAHelper, to assist consumers with loading and unloading. These services are more expensive, but they are still less expensive than a full-service relocation.

Furthermore, even if this isn’t your first rodeo, hiring qualified pros to assist load and unload your possessions is safer than doing it all alone.

If you insist on doing everything yourself, you should at least read our guide on loading a moving truck for some hints and tips.

Customer reviews aren’t stellar

Despite all of the positive attributes we’ve outlined, Budget’s customer evaluations don’t portray a positive picture. Customers cite difficulties such as rude customer service, unclean and broken vehicles, and delayed response times from roadside assistance on several review sites such as Yelp and Google Reviews.

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,¹ so online reviews tend to skew harshly critical, even if a company offers satisfactory service a lot of the time.

As a general rule, you shouldn’t place too much emphasis on consumer feedback. People are more inclined to post evaluations after having an unpleasant experience,1 thus online reviews tend to be severely critical, even if a firm provides excellent service the majority of the time.

No guaranteed reservations.

One of the most prevalent concerns from Budget clients is that the firm does not guarantee reservations—nearly no truck rental company does.

If you’re willing to be flexible, the savings may be worth it. However, if you want to be certain that you will receive what you purchased on the day and time specified, Penske provides guaranteed bookings.

How does Budget compare to other moving truck rentals?

How much does it cost?

Budget Truck Rental is your best choice if you’re relocating locally and want to save money by renting a moving truck instead of hiring pros.

We gathered over a hundred quotations from industry-leading moving truck rental businesses to compare moving truck pricing equitably. Budget’s costs are regularly cheaper than U- Haul’s, and they’re the best in the industry for local moves.

Budget’s average pricing for moves under 100 miles was $27.60, with a $0.47/mile mileage rate. Budget’s local prices are an exceptional deal when compared to the industry average of $169.65 plus a mileage fee of $0.75 per mile.

Home Depot is the only firm that can compete with Budget’s local pricing, but only if you can complete your move in one of Home Depot’s very compact Load ‘N Go Trucks. Budget is your best choice if you’re relocating locally from a property with more than one bedroom.

Budget’s long-distance prices, on the other hand, are a different story. Budget’s average price for moves of more than 100 miles was $2,080, while the industry average was $2,077. So, while Budget’s long-distance rates aren’t as excellent as Penske’s, they’re close.

These are merely averages, and Budget can occasionally offer the best long-distance moving prices available, as it did for this move from Iowa to Texas. The basic message is that you should always acquire numerous quotations from different organizations.

Pricing

Here are a couple of the quotations Budget provided us with to give you an idea of how much your Budget truck rental may cost:

Quotes for 26-foot truck rentals

Quotes for 12-foot truck rentals

Data as of October 2020. Prices do not include add-on services like moving coverage or additional equipment rentals. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Cost factors

Because moving truck rental costs change on a daily basis due to supply and demand, it’s hard to forecast how much your Budget moving truck will cost until you obtain a quotation. However, the following elements will always have an impact on your price:

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

If you’re wondering about how each of these criteria interact to determine your rental price, check out our moving expenses guide.

The $150 deposit is 100% refundable as long as you do not return the vehicle unclean, with less petrol than you began with, or after the allocated time has passed. Plan ahead of time, though, because deposits might take weeks to arrive in your bank account.

Budget’s truck rental deposit

Budget imposes a refundable $150 deposit for moving truck rentals in addition to the rental fee. You’ll get your entire deposit back if you don’t return the vehicle caked in mud, with less petrol than you started with, or beyond the authorized time. Be aware that it may take weeks for your money to be returned to your bank account. Plan ahead of time.

Discounts

Budget provides many discounts that can save you a lot of money to make its affordable prices even better:

• 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
• Bar Association 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

Moving coverage options

While it is an additional cost, moving coverage is definitely necessary for a pleasant and worry-free relocation. If you don’t buy coverage to cover unforeseen damage to your moving truck or your valuables, you’ll be on the hook for anything goes wrong. Even if you get safely at your new home, the peace of mind that comes with coverage is well worth the cost.

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

Damage Waivers

Budget’s relocation coverage choices and what they cover are listed below.

• 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

Supplemental liability insurance (SLI) protects you against third-party property damage or injury claims brought against you while driving your Budget vehicle. Remember that there are several exceptions. SLI, for example, will not cover you if you drive your truck in a manner that breaches the terms of your rental agreement.

Personal and Cargo

In the event of an accident, Budget’s personal and cargo insurance covers two categories of damage:

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

There are other exclusions, and this coverage does not apply to valuables like as jewels, antiques, and guns, so be sure to read the fine print before you hit the road.

Auto Tow Protection

If you need to tow a car during your relocation, auto tow protection protects the towed vehicle as long as it is pulled behind your Budget truck on a Budget tow dolly or car carrier. The deductible for this policy is $250. There are several exclusions, as with any sort of coverage.

Roadside SafetyNet

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

Budget’s form of roadside help is Roadside SafetyNet. It offers you access to Budget’s 24-hour roadside assistance hotline, which can assist you in the following situations:

All coverage options are subject to provisions, limitations, and exceptions. Individuals should review their rental contract—including addendums—for a complete description of the policy’s terms, conditions, and exclusions.

Features and Services

• 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)

Moving trucks

Budget has fewer moving truck sizes than other rivals, despite the fact that their 26-foot vehicle is as huge as any other company’s biggest truck (give or take a few cubic feet of space). Budget’s two largest vehicles also have handy loading ramps that make it simple to load heavy items onto the truck.

Truck sizes

Data as of October 2020. Prices do not include add-on services like moving coverage or additional equipment rentals. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Budget leases out pickup vehicles of different sizes in addition to the moving truck sizes shown in the table above. Budget pickup trucks are only available for local moves and odd jobs, so you won’t be able to relocate to another state in one, but they’re ideal for taking a damaged sofa to the garbage or picking up restoration materials from the hardware store.

Watch the clearance!

Whatever size you choose, keep your truck’s clearance in mind and avoid low bridges, drive-thru windows, and parking garages. You wouldn’t want to get stranded beneath your apartment complex’s covered parking or mowing down an awning.

Auto transport rental equipment

If you need an inexpensive means to transport a second automobile to your new home, you may hire one of Budget’s tow dollies or car carriers to transport your vehicle behind your moving truck.

Towing rental specifications

Data as of May 13, 2021.

Budget only rents tow dollies and vehicle carriers if you also rent a moving truck. They cannot be pulled by anything other than a moving truck.

Is towing your car worth the savings?

While it is less expensive than hiring professional car transport, towing your vehicle behind your moving truck adds a significant amount of stress to your move, even if you have towing coverage. Check out our list of the Best Auto Transport Companies if you’d prefer just hire a pro to ship your vehicle and be done with it.