DIY
One-way or round trip: how truck rentals price each, and when each makes sense
Round trip truck rental is a day rate plus the miles you drive, and one way is a route quote with a set number of days and miles. Use round trip when the truck returns to the same location, and one way when the drop is a different place named on the contract.
Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 29 September 2026
How each brand prices in town and one way, from its own pages, read 28 Sep 2026.
| U-Haul | Penske | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In town | Day rate plus a per-mile charge set by the location. Printed day rates: $19.95 for the pickup, cargo van and 10'; $29.95 for the 15'; $39.95 for the 20'; $49.95 for the 26'. | Day rate plus a per-mile fee, for rentals returned to the same location within 25 miles. Rates include an environmental fee. | Day rate plus mileage; you pay the actual miles and days used. |
| One way | A route quote that comes with a set number of days and miles. | Unlimited miles within a set number of days. | A route quote with days and miles included. |
| Extra one-way days and miles | Extra miles $1.00 a mile; extra days $40 a day. | Extra days $200 a day on the policy page; its comparison table says up to three at $100 a day. Ask which applies. | Bought before pickup: $70 a day and $0.70 a mile. At or after pickup: $85 a day and $0.85 a mile. Not bought in advance: $100 a day and $1.00 a mile. |
Two different price models
One way is a single route quote.
Round trip prices time and distance separately. In town, you pay a day rate and then a charge for the miles you drive. U-Haul, Penske, and Budget all use that split when the truck returns to the same location. Penske local rentals add the per mile fee when you return to the same location within 25 miles. Budget local rentals charge the actual days and miles used. Haulest is not a truck rental company and earns nothing from any brand.
One way is a single route quote. The company sets days and miles for that trip, and the truck goes back to the drop location named on the contract. Extra days and miles sit outside that quote. Enterprise box trucks are mainly for local moves and generally must return to the same location, so they fit round trip more than a one way drop. Check truck rental sizes before you choose.
What in town really costs
Budget local rentals charge the actual days and miles used.
U-Haul prints a day rate by truck size. The pickup, cargo van, and 10 ft truck are $19.95, the 15 ft is $29.95, the 20 ft is $39.95, and the 26 ft is $49.95. A per mile charge set by the location sits on top of that day rate. Those figures are the printed day rates, not a full bill, because miles still add up once you drive.
Penske and Budget also bill days plus miles. Penske local rentals are a day rate plus a per mile fee when you return to the same location within 25 miles. Budget local rentals charge the actual days and miles used. Read the quote for the truck and the town, then add the miles you expect to drive. A cost breakdown sits on truck rental costs.
What one way includes
Extra miles are $1.00 a mile and extra days are $40 a day.
U-Haul one way comes with set days and miles. Extra miles are $1.00 a mile and extra days are $40 a day. The quote is the trip you booked, not an open ended rental. Penske one way includes unlimited miles within a set number of days, which is a different shape of the same idea: the route is priced up front, and the window is fixed. Compare published rules on truck rental compare.
Budget one way extras depend on when you buy them. Bought before pickup, extra days are $70 a day and extra miles are $0.70 a mile. At or after pickup the rates are $85 a day and $0.85 a mile. If you do not buy them in advance, the rates are $100 a day and $1.00 a mile. Fuel for U-Haul, Penske, and Budget is simple: return the truck at the level you picked it up.
Days and miles past the quote
U-Haul charges $40 a day past the quote, and extra miles are $1.00 a mile.
Extra days are not the same price at each brand. U-Haul charges $40 a day past the quote, and extra miles are $1.00 a mile. Penske's policy page says extra days are $200 a day, while its comparison table says up to three at $100 a day. The policy page and the comparison table do not match, so read the contract you sign. Keep the quote window tight if you can.
Budget prices extra days and miles by when you buy them. Before pickup, extras are $70 a day and $0.70 a mile. At or after pickup they are $85 a day and $0.85 a mile. If you do not buy them in advance, they are $100 a day and $1.00 a mile. Budget may charge a $12 fee to approve a change of the named drop, and gives no refund for an early return.
Which to book
Book round trip when the truck comes home.
Book round trip when the truck comes home. In town work is a day rate plus miles, which suits a local move, a store run, or a same day return. Enterprise box trucks are mainly for local moves and generally must return to the same location, so they belong in this bucket. If the drop is the same lot you left, do not pay a one way route quote for the privilege of bringing it back.
Book one way when the truck ends in another town. The quote covers a set route, and the truck goes back to the drop location named on the contract. Changing that drop can cost money: Budget may charge a $12 fee to approve a change, and gives no refund for an early return. If a crew might do the load, read truck rental versus movers and run the DIY move calculator.
Before you hire
Four checks before a deposit
Written estimate after a look
Interstate movers must give the booklet and a written estimate after a survey or a full description. A $499 ad is not an estimate.
FMCSA Protect Your MoveLegal name matches SAFER
USDOT on the paper, the truck doors, and the census. A different name is the walk.
USDOT / Companies House lookupWalk from cash and blank paper
FTC: unregistered interstate, huge deposit, cash only, or a blank contract. Photograph and leave.
FTC: hiring a mover110% on a COD non-binding job
Pay up to 110% plus agreed extras and they must hand over the load. Not a cap on extras you signed.
US interstate rules
Reviewed 29 September 2026 by Anthony Bale. Numbers on this page carry their own dates.
Ask out loud
Questions people ask
- How is a round trip truck rental priced?
- Round trip, meaning in town, is a day rate plus miles. U-Haul prints day rates of $19.95 for the pickup, cargo van and 10 ft truck, $29.95 for the 15 ft, $39.95 for the 20 ft and $49.95 for the 26 ft, plus a per mile charge set by the location. Penske local rentals are a day rate plus a per mile fee when you return to the same location within 25 miles, and Budget local rentals charge the actual days and miles used.
- What does a one way truck quote include?
- One way is a route quote. U-Haul's quote comes with a set number of days and miles, while Penske one way includes unlimited miles within a set number of days. The truck goes back to the drop location named on the contract.
- What if the trip runs past the quoted days or miles?
- U-Haul extra miles are $1.00 a mile and extra days are $40 a day. Penske's policy page says extra days are $200 a day, while its comparison table says up to three at $100 a day. Budget extras are $70 a day and $0.70 a mile before pickup, $85 a day and $0.85 a mile at or after pickup, and $100 a day and $1.00 a mile if not bought in advance.
- Can I change the drop location or bring the truck back early?
- A one way truck goes back to the drop location named on the contract. Budget may charge a $12 fee to approve a change, and gives no refund for an early return.
- What fuel rule applies when you return the truck?
- Return the truck at the level you picked it up. U-Haul, Penske, and Budget all use that fuel rule. The level at pickup is the level at return, so fill to that mark before you hand the keys back.
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About Anthony Bale
A moving industry professional, author and writer. Anthony has been at different positions in the industry for the last 10 years, gaining significant knowledge on the relocation process. He himself has moved 6 times already, which helped him explore the other side of the moving process.
At Haulest he writes the US cost, hiring, and rights pages, reading the licensed review file every week so the numbers on the page are the numbers people reported.
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