Moving Truck Cost Comparison
Compare total trip costs between U-Haul, Penske, and custom providers to find the cheapest option for your move.
Find Your Cheapest Moving Truck Option (U-Haul vs Penske vs Custom)
This calculator estimates the total cost of your truck rental trip, not just the base rate—so you can compare U-Haul, Penske, and custom providers using the same assumptions. It includes mileage charges, estimated fuel, time/day costs (if applicable), and fixed fees you enter, then shows the cheapest option plus the dollar difference.
How the Total Trip Cost Is Estimated
First, it estimates fuel used as distance ÷ mpg, then multiplies by your fuel price to get estimated fuel cost. For each provider, it adds the provider base fee, mileage fee × distance (or flat-trip pricing if that’s what you select), estimated fuel, and any fixed fees. If a time/day rate applies in your pricing setup, it multiplies the daily rate by the number of rental days you’ve specified.
Break-Even Results Depend on Fuel + Per-Mile Math
The break-even mileage is where one provider’s total estimated cost equals the other’s, using the calculator’s shared fuel assumptions. If you expect your real-world MPG to be lower (hills, heavy load, stop-and-go traffic) or fuel prices to be higher, the “cheaper at X miles” point can shift. Also note that many charges like deposits, insurance, tolls, taxes, and supplies are excluded unless you add them as fixed fees.
What Happens with Zero Distance, Very High MPG, or Missing Fees
If you enter 0 miles, the estimate focuses on base fees and any fixed fees (fuel becomes 0 by definition). If your mpg input is above 20 mpg, the calculator will warn because it’s typically unrealistic for box trucks and could understate fuel cost. If you choose custom pricing, the calculator requires all fee fields needed to compute totals—otherwise it can’t produce a valid comparison.
Common Pricing Differences This Tool May Not Fully Capture
Some providers handle fuel/mileage rules differently (for example, how mileage is billed for one-way trips or special fuel policies). This tool assumes the entered distance is the billed distance and doesn’t automatically model round trips. It also doesn’t account for truck size differences, availability risk, or reservation/late/cleaning charges unless you include them in the fixed fees.