Things are changing. How to save money on your Hawaii car rentals throughout 2023..
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679 thoughts on “Savings Guide: 2023 Hawaii Car Rentals”
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Things are changing. How to save money on your Hawaii car rentals throughout 2023..
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Comments are closed.
My family has been considering going to Hawaii and renting a van to travel around. We would love to be able to have a great time. That is a good idea to take pictures of the car when we are on the trip to make sure we can stay protected from damages. I didn’t think of that! Thanks for the tips!
Make a car reservation as soon as you have flight reservations. Then continue to check on weekly basis for better deals. I frequently go through 5-6-7 reservations to end up with best price (going from 6-700 down to 125 at times). Of course this is for compact-intermediate sedans. Same pricing cuts may not be available for convertibles or jeeps.
Same applies to Costco – keep checking. Remember that Costco includes free 2nd driver so be sure to factor that in to any comparisons.
Thank You!!!
Auto Slash just got us a deal on a minivan for our 2 week holiday in high season for 40% off. Saved us $400 over the best price we had found on our own. And to boot it has a price drop guaranty.
Hello! We’re looking for a car for 3-6 months (or maybe longer) on the Big Island starting in mid-August; either Kona or Hilo. We’re not picky at all…just want something that runs. I’m not sure if we would be better off buying an inexpensive car & then selling it when we leave? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Chad
Hi Chad.
No advice. Sorry, it isn’t our area of expertise. Good luck though.
Aloha.
Hi Chad,
Curious what you ended up doing?
Chad, try hawaiicarrental.com ~ I suggest to fill out the form for personal service. August on the Big Island is pretty expensive, they have low cost options even in peak rental periods that you won’t find on other sites. They have been around since the 80’s. Have a great time..
Hi I’m going to the big island and am wondering is there is any service such as cars to go? Thanks for any info you may have
Hi Jen.
We aren’t aware of any car sharing services on the Big Island.
Aloha.
You guys talk up discount Hawaii car rental. They used to have the best prices but I have noticed, since we travel to Hawaii 2-3 times a year, in the last 1-2 years they are never the cheapest. In fact while I guess competitive they are normally higher than most other sites. I believe they were bought out by one of those travel sites like Expedia so this most likely is the reason.
Right now the cheapest option is Autoslash.com the trick is to book a reservation and then use their search option that searches throughout the day everyday for a better price and then automatically books a new reservation for you when found, canceling the old one.
Costco is always worth a look as well.
We would like to rent a car on Kauai to do Na Pali sunset cruise and have questions about returning the car if after hours and transport back to Pride of America. Any insights would be appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Shirley.
There should be no problem at all. First it is all very close by – car rentals to boat is just a five minute drive. Check with the car rental company. They are open late as flights depart late from Kauai. Should be able to drop you back at boat. Worst case might be a cab.
Aloha.
If you want a cheap car rental in Hawaii, it might be a good idea to make sure you compare car rental prices. I really appreciate how this article talks about how that is a good idea. A couple of years ago I got a great deal when I went to Hawaii and I hope to do it again someday.
Does anyone know of a place that rents used, older cars? I met a woman at Lydgate on Kauai last year. Her family rented this old car with dents for like $10/day/ They were from Alaska and were their for a month. She gave me the phone number which I have lost. She said it was a great deal. The never worried about being broke into cause they looked like locals in that car and never worried about getting a dent in it cause it came with them. I’ve tried googling with no luck. Thanks
Hi Owen.
Not sure who if anyone is still doing this. We’ve had friends who rented old cars here in Hawaii and seriously regretted it. Breakdowns, old gas guzzlers, lack of insurance for use as a rental, and other issues. Buyer beware.
Aloha.
I know that Lucky Owl car rentals on Oahu is a great rental place that has older cars but they have great reviews on Yelp.
Kauai Rent A Car
808 246-1881
Try Advantage car rental
I was planing to hire transport on the new year as my friends said to hire a car for new year party, I really appreciate you for sharing as this article is really helpful
Is there Uber on Oahu?
Yes, but perhaps not for long? Taxi and Uber can be expensive if used often. It is usually cheaper to rent a car (weekly rates and use one of the discount site like Autoslash) or to use the bus system. See ‘The Bus’ website for routes.
Great post! thanks so much. Planning our April/May 2017 adventure and booking in flights, accommodation and car hire all this week, along with the hiking permits.
This is some really good information about saving money on transportation. It does seem like you wouldn’t need to get GPS. It might be smart to look into discount cabs when on vacation as well.
You will lose WiFi often in Hawaii as cell service is sporadic based on location & landscape. Cell towers don’t exist everywhere on island although in cities I never had a problem getting WiFi working for phone (depends on service too). That’s why GPS can be helpful over a phone plus GPS on phone eats up your battery quickly unless you thought to bring a charger for rental car.
Hi Kay.
Cellular data, which it seems you are referring to, works almost everywhere on all the main islands. A few spots of trouble, but that isn’t common. No need for GPS, your phone is definitely all you need.
Aloha.
Thank you for sharing these tips. I’d like to add that you should always read the contract before you sign it. They should have an itemized statement about all that they are charging you for, so you can make sure you’re getting the deal you are supposed to be getting.
Aloha to you!
Use Discount Hawaii Car Rental
Any suggestions to save on hotel parking fees? coming in from Australia and USD 25/ day really adds up !
https://beatofhawaii.com/where-to-find-free-parking-in-waikiki/
Thanks love! I will try this!!
Hi Pearl.
You’re most welcome. Have fun in Hawaii.
Aloha.
Need cheap car rental for Christmas thru New Years.
Thank you.
Hi Sallie,
That is the most expensive week of the year and car rentals frequently are sold out. Suggest getting one sooner than later.
Aloha.
Hi coming to Hawaii from the 17th Dec 2016 and wanting to pick up car from airport as we are going to North Shore until the 23rd. We would then like a car on kaiui from the 23rd til the 30th then big island from the 30th till the 5th. Can you help with this that would be great. Yevette
Hi Yevette.
All of the tips we have are contained in the post, but you’ll have to do the leg work/research.
Aloha.
Coming to Maui for one week, July 16, 2017….would appreciate greatly any deals, coupons for car rentals. Thank You so much
Hi Diane.
For July it would be best to book now, including air, accommodations and car. Do not expect any deals during the peak of summer nor wait thinking it will get better.
Aloha.
True. Summer airfare never went down last year. It just kept going up. I paid $150 more per ticket because I was waiting for a price drop that never came. The best fares for July I saw between Jan-March. After that, it kept going up.
This site is unbelievably awesome. Thanks for finding the best rate anywhere–about 1/3 of Costco even!!
Hi Jeff.
So happy that worked out for you.
Aloha.
Just got back from our 10 day trip to Maui & Oahu. Used AutoSlash to track car rental agreements for both islands. Deal worked for Maui we saved over $100 on a full size car but when in Oahu, agent told me that reservations via AutoSlash is a scam. The discount applied to our booking is a code used for friends and family of the rental agency (a very well known brand) Luckily, I had forgotten to cancel my back-up reservation and had a car for our time on Oahu. Otherwise, we would’ve had to pay the full rate ($250 more than the back-up reservation).
My suggestion is to use AutoSlash at your own risk.
Hi Gina,
Thanks. We have never had any issue using Auto Slash and always confirm the reservation with the rental company, which is easy to do with their reservations.
Aloha.
When renting a car in Hawaii I do it right away at the best price I can find on a site where you can cancel with no charge. Then I check periodically for better prices and rebook when I find one. Then right before the trip when we are sure we will go I go on a site like priceline and look at their no refund with cancellation and rebook with them when the savings are significant. Last time this strategy saved me about thirty percent.
It is interesting that prices for travel dropped for those companies after spring break. Do you think that this is a common thing for a lot of airline and car rental companies? If this is the case I think I might take my family on a trip after spring break, I don’t think that they will object to a prolonged break. Thank you for all of the helpful information!
Costco offers a second driver for free. I have rented through Costco many times I don’t know if they have the best price but That’s $10 a day right off the top. I also have experiences low cost upgrade offers once I am checking in to pick up the car when I rent through Costco.
Hi Karen,
Thanks. Good point. Some companies charge for a second drive who’s either a spouse or with whom you’re in business and some don’t. Seems quite arbitrary but worth checking on.
Aloha.
Hi – was going to say same about Costco – we always rent through them now as they have the best rates and as noted, additional driver is free. I have compared many sites and Costco has always proven to be the best rate.
Hi Bonnie.
Costco does have an additional driver for free which can make a significant difference. We have not found them to be price competitive overall however for some time.
Aloha.
Good advice to be sure the price you are quoted is the whole price. I have rented a car many times and gotten to the counter and been given a totally different price. Asking a few questions should clear everything up to avoid this from happening to you.
I recommend starting with http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ and then tracking that price with AutoSlash. Do this as soon as you have your flights reserved so you can monitor it weeks or months. My convertible for a week started at $300 and automatically droped down to $180 with AutoSlash. Now prices are nearly $400 for that same time.
What if I already made a car rental reservation? Do they get upset if you cancel and rebook for a lower rate?
Hi Annette,
If you’ve prepaid that may be a problem. Otherwise likely not. Have you checked your agreement?
Aloha.
We always rent through these guys, very reasonable!
http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/emergency_reservations.shtml
Yes, I agree. Best deals in Hawaii.
I’ve been going to Kauai yearly for 12 years now and never spent more then $600 some for 2 weeks on a convertable. Today all the sites were over $1400, more then double then what i spent last year. Then WOW!! I never heard of AutoSlash before reading this blog. For years I’ve used Discount Hawaii or Cheap Hawaii rentals but AutoSlash beat them by $600 with Avis.
Last year I was driving down Kapule Hwy towards Rice St and there was a banner on a building about renting used cars. Does anyone know who they are? name? Phone? Reviews? A older car is fine with me to drive, especially if it costs less.
Thanks!
Also, the other local Kaua’i company that’s been around for a while is Island Cars: http://www.islandcars.net.
RelayRides is now called Turo, FYI. They are like the “AirBnb” of rental cars. We had a good experience using them on the Big Island with a person there. It saved us about $20/day (!). Check the reviews and make sure pickup/drop off includes airport or is convenient for your travel plans.
We know people who have rented used cars locally on Kaua’i from Gingerbread: http://www.cars-kauai.com/.
You can save the most on Oahu by using Oahu transit which is called “THE BUS” & Uber. No need for a car if you are primarily staying in Waikiki area. THE BUS is one of the most efficient transit systems in America. We travel really light, so we walk out of the HNL terminal, and the bus stop is right there, and it takes you directly downtown/Waikiki. It is faster and easier than taking the shuttle bus to the rental car center and then driving to your destination. Most places charge $30/day to park on top of your daily car rental cost. After a late night on the town, we use Uber and it costs less than what it costs to park, and you can don’t have to worry about how much you had to drink. You can save hundreds of dollars and gain peace of mind.
With three of us going to Waikiki we found a taxi just as cheap and more convenient than the bus. This was eight years ago. Wondering if this is still true?
Hi Diane,
The price of taxis in Honolulu has gone up quite significantly since then as is the case in many other cities. Convenient and a great way to avoid parking issues. Doubtful you will find them cheap however.
Aloha.
I really liked the seventh suggestion you give to avoid upgrades and consider prepayment options. I had no idea that gas was $3.50 a gallon, so getting a smaller, more fuel efficient car could really help you to save money. Additionally, I didn’t know that prepay services were actually an option, however, this will give the opportunity to do some research beforehand and ensure that you get the car that you want. Plus, it saves you the hassle of having to wait for a car for when you get to Hawaii. You’ve already paid for it, so it’s just waiting for you to pick it up. Thank you for your insight!
I used AutoSlash recently and after 7 (!) price drops in about a month and a half they saved me over $200 on my rental which ended up being more than 40%. At one point they even upgraded me from an intermediate car to a fullsize since that was where the deal was. Couldn’t be happier, especially since Avis treated me really well even though my rate was ridiculously low.
Try renting out from the locals thru Relayrides.
I personally use this site to rent out my vehicles in Big Island and met wonderful people who took care of my car like it was their own. This also helps the local community:)
Hi Alice,
The insurance and liabilities associated with Relayrides found via Google search sound quite daunting. Buyer beware – do some research.
Aloha.
We are sailing on the Pride of America this summer. Does anyone know of a company that offers a package deal with a rental car at every port?
There is a Maui based company http://www.hawaiicarrental.com/ that has been around since the 80’s, they consistently have the best rates on all the islands. Check with them as you make the rounds..
I normally rent cars via Costco’s travel website online. Great rates. But one trick to remember when renting cars. The airport car rental locations usually include a MUCH higher tax rate than renting off-airport. I recently rented a car through Costco for Oahu and shopped the various rental locations available. I found one that was literally just offsite from the airport. You have to take a quick taxi to get there but even with that, I saved a huge amount. I also got a great deal through Costco for Kauai.
The smaller Hawaiian island car rentals probably don’t have options outside of the airport ones. But remember this tip for bigger city car rentals. I paid UNDER $100 for an entire week in San Francisco, renting just outside of the airport, using Costco. And I drove an SUV (was upgraded).
I’ve always used priceline when booking a rental car in hawaii, I’ve had great success booking on all the islands, booked a camaro convertible last September on the big island for for $249 for 7 nights thru national, over half price from their own website, I’ve won bids from budget, hertz, and national rental company’s,
Costco’s American Express credit card offers rental car protection that is among the best. Renters have been denied a claim even though they used a credit card that offers rental protection because they didn’t purchase gas for the rental car using the same credit card. Just to be sure, charge your gas purchases using the same credit card that you used to rent the car.
Book the smallest, cheapest car they have.mThey almost always run out and comp you up. We’ve booked an Aveo @ HNL and driven out in a convertible.
The best rates I’ve paid on the Big Island have been from Hotwire.com. Last year rented 26 days for $9.95/day (plus taxes & fees of course) for a total of $548.46.
I typically make my initial reservation at Costco. But after you have a confirmation number, here’s the secret – go to autoslash.com and enter your confirmation number, rental company, and departure date. Autoslash then continually monitors the rate and alerts you if it goes down.
I’ve saved a ton of money on not just my Hawaii rentals, but other vacation rentals as well. I’d say that 90% of the time, Autoslash has lowered my rate.
One thing to remember though is that if you booked through Costco and then rebook a lower rate through Autoslash, you’ll lose the free second driver that Costco reservations allow. Also, I never book initially through Autoslash; I figure that gives them incentive to find me a lower rate. 🙂
Mike