Woman Says U-Haul Charges $478.80 and $0.01 Per Mile for a Moving Truck. Then She Goes to Home Depot

"There's not a consumer on the entire planet who will pay this."

Photo by: cuckooforcocopufffs & homedepot

By: Mike Hayden

Sep 5, 2025 at 9:00am ET

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Nobody likes moving. It’s unsettling for pets, some folks throw their backs out while carrying boxes, and then to make things worse, the process can cost a fortune.

Well, creator Cortazia (@cuckooforcocopufffs) claims to have a life hack to help people save money during a move. In a 41-second TikTok clip, she told people to use the home improvement chain Home Depot to rent a box truck instead of U-Haul, the truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company that has become synonymous with moving in the U.S.

Many Americans associate U-Haul with moving in the same way people associate Kleenex with tissues—they have developed extraordinary brand awareness.

But is Cortazia right?

Is Home Depot Cheaper than U-Haul?

Our pundit, Cortazia, gives her opinion from the seat of a car, while driving.

“If y'all are getting ready to move, I just wanted to come on here and give y'all some moving hacks,” she says. “Do not rent the truck with U-Haul. Go to Home Depot because I'm going to get me a truck for 24 hours. It's a box truck, unlimited miles and it's only gonna be $160 for 24 hours. Meanwhile at U-Haul, how much? Oh, oh, oh, U-Haul, it said $19.95 per hour.”

She then gets to her conclusion.

“So, let me do the math on that,” she says. “So, that brings your grand total to $478.80 and then you have to do a cents per mile too. So yeah, overall, just go to Home Depot.”

Cortazia was generally right about the possibility of accruing fees from U-Haul and that the flat rate offered by Home Depot might be preferable to some. U-Haul will charge you extra based on factors like mileage, fuel efficiency, lateness, and cleanliness.

The false advertising watchdog group Truth in Advertising filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and nearly two dozen state attorneys general in May against U-Haul. They suggested that the $19.95 price the company advertises misleads consumers into thinking that that’s all they’ll be charged.

In reality, as Cortazia highlights, there are additional fees that can balloon the cost of the rental. This is particularly true of longer, out-of-state moves.

"There's not a consumer on the entire planet who will pay this $19.95 for a U-Haul truck," Laura Smith, TINA.org's legal director, told Business Insider at the time Truth in Advertising filed its complaint. "So the price is false."

U-Haul, however, sought to cut off Cortazia earlier this year by updating a page of statistics on its website that purport to show that U-Haul remains more affordable than their competitors in every way. The statistics they generated were taken from moving trips in the Phoenix area and in road trips from Phoenix to Austin.

What do you think?

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Ultimately, Home Depot’s rate features fewer add ons and may therefore be preferable to customers who dislike surprises. But it’s certainly possible that you will save more with U-Haul, particularly if you keep an eye on things like fuel efficiency, timeliness, and keeping your truck in good condition.

Motor1 has contacted Cortazia for comment via TikTok direct message. We'll update this if she responds.