U-Haul vs. Home Depot in NYC: the return trip changes the deal

U-Haul vs. Home Depot in NYC: the return trip changes the deal

You found a couch, dresser, or dining table you want. Now you need a truck, someone to help carry it, and enough time to get everything home.

Home Depot’s $19 rental looks hard to beat. But that price covers 75 minutes. You still have to collect the furniture, unload it, refuel, and return the vehicle to the store.

For a pickup that takes several hours but covers relatively few miles, U-Haul can cost less even after its mileage charge. For a quick pickup, Home Depot can be the better deal.

We checked Brooklyn rental pages and online quote previews on October 13, 2026, using a Saturday pickup on October 17 at 9 a.m. Here is what those prices mean for someone trying to get furniture home.

Four hours and 20 miles: U-Haul came out $59.44 cheaper

Our U-Haul preview showed a 10-foot truck from 394 Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, with a four-hour rental window. Home Depot showed a box truck available at 550 Hamilton Avenue for the same window.

For an illustrative pickup covering 20 total rental miles, the comparison was:

These subtotals exclude tax, fuel, optional protection, tolls, parking, equipment add-ons, and carrying help. The 20 miles are an example, not a measured customer trip.

U-Haul was $59.44 cheaper in this comparison. Its optional Safemove protection was quoted at another $17, bringing that example to $77.75 before tax and fuel.

That changes the advice for a local move. “Home Depot has unlimited miles” is useful information, but it does not establish which rental costs less. You also need to know how long you will keep it.

Home Depot’s $19 van became $115.69 at four hours

A cargo van may be enough for your furniture, provided the item fits through its doors and inside the load area.

Home Depot’s Brooklyn van page advertised $19 for 75 minutes. Its reservation preview showed these prices at the Cropsey location:

Mileage was unlimited in each preview. Fuel still had to be replaced before returning the van. These were estimates for the selected date and location, with final costs determined at return.

This is why a nearby furniture pickup can become an expensive rental. The driving distance may be short while the carrying work takes much longer.

A seller who has the couch waiting downstairs gives you a different job from someone expecting you to remove it from a third-floor apartment. Your destination matters just as much.

The 75-minute window includes getting the truck back

Before choosing Home Depot’s short rental, budget the whole loop:

Rental store → furniture pickup → your home → refueling → rental store.

The seller-to-home trip is only one part of it.

For an illustrative time budget, suppose loading takes 25 minutes, unloading takes 15, and refueling takes 10. That uses 50 of your 75 minutes, leaving 25 minutes for all the driving.

Those are planning assumptions, not measured NYC loading times. Replace them with what your pickup actually requires.

Ask the seller whether the furniture will be downstairs, whether it needs taking apart, and who will help carry it. At your building, check whether you can use the elevator and where the vehicle can stop. Then include the return journey before deciding that 75 minutes is enough.

Home Depot makes the most sense when the item is ready, the help is ready, and the complete route fits the rental window.

More miles can swing the price back toward Home Depot

U-Haul’s mileage charge matters when the route gets longer.

Using the same four-hour prices, a 50-mile rental would cost:

• U-Haul 10-foot truck: $19.95 + $1 environmental fee + $99.50 mileage = $120.45
• Home Depot box truck: $120.19, with unlimited mileage

Before tax, fuel, protection, and other expenses, the prices are almost equal.

For these particular quotes, the rental subtotals meet at roughly 50 total miles. That is a useful reference for this comparison, not a universal cutoff. Different dates, vehicles, locations, and mileage rates change the calculation.

Count the miles from the rental depot through the entire trip and back. A listing five miles from your apartment does not necessarily mean a five-mile rental.

The cheaper truck may require more lifting

The two box trucks in our comparison have different equipment.

Home Depot lists 515 cubic feet, an aluminum loading ramp, and a moving dolly included with its box truck. U-Haul lists 402 cubic feet for its 10-foot truck and no loading ramp.

For a heavy dresser or appliance, that ramp may affect your choice. Price a suitable vehicle before settling on the lowest advertised rate.

Measure the furniture and check the vehicle’s door opening. Also measure the narrowest doorway, stairwell turn, or elevator opening at home. Getting an item inside the truck does not establish that it will get inside your apartment.

Check availability before promising the seller a pickup time

Our Saturday van search showed no availability at Home Depot’s Hamilton Avenue or Bedford Stuyvesant locations. Cropsey had a van available. Hamilton Avenue did have a box truck.

That was one search, not evidence that those stores are usually unavailable. It does show why the collection location belongs in your plan.

Home Depot now offers an online vehicle availability and reservation flow. Its own fleet must be returned to the pickup location. Penske rentals offered through Home Depot have different terms and can offer one-way moves.

Before committing to the seller, confirm the vehicle, collection location, rental window, and return instructions. Check the required documents too: Home Depot’s vehicle pages specify a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, and a credit card.

For NYC driving, plan a route suitable for the vehicle. Most parkways prohibit trucks and commercial vehicles, so a passenger-car route may be unsuitable.

Which rental would we choose?

For a multi-hour local apartment move with relatively few miles, we would start with U-Haul. Our four-hour, 20-mile example supports that choice.

For a ready-to-load furniture pickup that fits within 75 minutes, we would check Home Depot first. Its $19 van rate is useful when you can complete the whole loop on time.

For a longer round trip, compare Home Depot’s unlimited mileage against U-Haul’s total mileage charge. For a one-way relocation, compare one-way quotes separately.

If you still need a driver and people to carry the furniture, get a price for that complete job before booking a rental. Tell Laborhutt what you are moving, the access at both addresses, and the seller’s pickup window. Confirm the vehicle and carrying help needed to get the item into your home.