U-Haul vs Professional Movers in Montreal
U-Haul hooks you with a sign: rent a truck for $29.99 or $39.99. That is the ad. It never mentions everything that comes after. Once you add it all up, a U-Haul move costs far more than the sticker, and you still did all the work yourself. This guide is from AKA Moving, a Montreal moving and transport company based in Dorval. We break down what both options really cost, using U-Haul's own fees and a real invoice we paid.
For a small local move with friends helping for free, a U-Haul can be cheaper. It runs around $250 once you add the truck, gas, kilometres and fees. But that price hides the labour. The moment you pay for help, it passes $450. AKA Moving does a small delivery for a fixed $250 to $350, all in. A Montreal to Calgary move starts at $800, versus more than $5,000 to drive a U-Haul yourself.
The $39.99 U-Haul trick
Here is what the low price leaves out. You need the collision and damage waiver, or one dent in their truck gets very expensive. There is a charge for every kilometre. You return it with a full tank of gas. You have to drop the truck off and then get a ride back, because you do not have your car. And the extras add up fast: mattress covers at $6 or $7 each, tape, furniture covers, dollies. On top of that, moving furniture through tight Montreal staircases takes straps and real technique. Get it wrong and someone gets hurt, the walls get gouged, or your own furniture is wrecked.
The quick verdict
Hire AKA Moving for almost any move. On small moves, our fixed price is often cheaper than a U-Haul once you count the waiver, kilometres, gas and extras. You also get two experienced movers, full coverage, and none of the risk.
Rent a U-Haul only for a tiny move where you have free, able-bodied friends and do not mind giving up your whole day to it.
Local moving: a short move around Montreal
For a short move across town, here is what a U-Haul actually costs once you use their real fees and add the tax, next to AKA's fixed price.
What a U-Haul really costs for a local move
That is the catch. The only reason it lands this low is the $0.00 on the labour line, and labour is the most expensive part of any move.
Your friends are not really free. You owe them, you feed them, about $80 in pizza, and one day you return the favour. To do the job right you also buy what movers already carry: furniture covers, a proper dolly, and lifting straps. New, that is easily another $100 in materials. On its own, that can cost more than our fixed delivery price. Now put a real value on the lifting. Pay two helpers, or count your own day, and a short U-Haul move sails past $450. And it is amateurs carrying your furniture up the stairs. AKA includes the movers, the covers and the straps in one fixed price. It is all already in.
What AKA charges for a local move
Here is what AKA does for that same small move:
- Truck, gas and mileage
- Two experienced movers, the labour is in the price
- Free insurance at double coverage
- Covers, straps and floor protection
- No truck to rent, fuel or return
See the local move costs stack up
The U-Haul price is not one number, it is several small ones. Lined up against AKA's single fixed price, they land in about the same range:
Long distance moving from Montreal: a cross-Canada move
Over distance, the same U-Haul fees explode. Here is a real invoice we paid, one-way Montreal to Calgary, next to what AKA charges.
A real U-Haul invoice, Montreal to Calgary
This is the actual contract, no estimate:
And that is before a drop of gas. A Montreal to Calgary drive burns about $1,400 in fuel, which you pay at the pump, and even with the waiver you still owe the first $250 of any damage. So the $39.99 sticker really became about $5,160, just to get the empty truck across the country, before anyone lifted a single box.
What AKA charges for a long-distance move
Here is what AKA does on that same long-distance route:
- A professional crew loads, transports and unloads
- Full insurance, your goods protected the whole way
- No cross-country drive, and no $1,400 gas bill
See the long distance costs stack up
Over distance the gap is not close. Here is the real U-Haul invoice, drawn to scale, against what AKA charges to do the whole move for you:
Short and local, with friends helping, a U-Haul can be the cheaper option. Over any distance, it is not even close. That is the whole decision in two receipts.
What can go wrong renting a U-Haul yourself?
Even if the dollars were equal, a U-Haul puts the whole job, and the whole risk, on you.
- The lifting is on you. A loaded truck takes at least two strong people, and they are only free if your friends never expect anything back.
- The truck is smaller than it sounds. U-Haul counts the full length, but about two feet of that is the overhead loft above the cab, not real floor space, and the box has a lower ceiling and narrower walls. A U-Haul 20 ft holds closer to a 15 ft of usable cargo, which can mean a bigger truck or a second trip, and both add kilometres and gas.
- The skill is on you. Getting a couch down a tight staircase takes straps and technique. One wrong move and someone gets hurt.
- The damage is on you. Scratched floors, gouged walls, a dropped TV, and condo boards bill for damage to elevators and hallways.
- The whole day is on you. Pack, load, drive, unload, then return the truck and find a ride home.
With AKA, two experienced movers handle the lift with proper straps and protection, and everything is insured. Our trucks also run high cargo ceilings and ride wider, so the same length holds far more. Often that is your whole move in a single trip. Nothing gets dropped, and nothing lands on you.
Should you rent a U-Haul, or hire movers?
Here is the honest way to decide. Call us for a fixed quote. Then total what a U-Haul really costs: the truck rental, the collision waiver, the taxes, the kilometres, the gas, and something for your friends. Put those two real numbers side by side. Do not weigh the $39.99 sticker against our quote.
Rent a U-Haul if
- You got our fixed quote and it came back significantly higher than your real DIY total
- Your friends are helping for free, not for pay or a favour owed
- It is small, short, and nothing is heavy, fragile or awkward to carry
Hire movers if
- The two real totals land close together
- You would have to pay or owe your helpers
- There are stairs, an elevator, heavy or fragile items, or any distance
- You would rather book a time and let a skilled team handle it
Add up the truck, the waiver, the taxes, the kilometres, the gas and the pizza for your friends. The gap to a done-for-you move is far smaller than the $39.99 sticker makes it look. So the real question is simple. Is your whole Saturday, your back, and the risk to your furniture worth that difference?
On a small move, you may not need a full truck at all. The biggest cost of any move is the crew doing the lifting. So on a small job, AKA can combine your delivery with other stops on the same route. That is why AKA Delivery often comes in cheaper than renting a U-Haul for the day. Just ask us about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a small move, AKA's fixed price is often cheaper than a U-Haul once you add the damage waiver, the per-kilometre charge, the gas and the extras. On a bigger move the totals come out close, and AKA does the whole thing with no damage risk. A U-Haul only wins outright on a small, short move when your friends carry everything for free.
That it is only the truck. On top of it you pay the collision and damage waiver, a charge per kilometre, the gas to refill the tank, and every extra: mattress covers at $6 to $7 each, tape, furniture covers and dollies. Then you still do all the lifting yourself.
Yes. The truck, gas and mileage are all in the one fixed price, along with two experienced movers, insurance and protective covers. The number we quote is the number you pay.
Yes. Ask about our fixed-price delivery options for small and specialty moves, a single fridge, a piano, or a few boxes. It is often cheaper than renting a truck for the whole day.
Yes. On a larger move you are welcome to bring a few friends to help load and unload, which trims the cost. Your call.
On a do-it-yourself move, you are, and condo syndicates do bill for damage to elevators, hallways and doors. AKA protects floors, walls, doorways and stairwells and carries insurance, so you are not on the hook.