679 thoughts on “Savings Guide: 2023 Hawaii Car Rentals”
Glen
My wife and I booked through Turo back in late April and had no issues whatsoever. Communication with the owner was great. The best part was being able to walk directly to our car at the airport and not having to wait in a long line at a car rental counter. And I got the car I wanted – no surprises. Was told by my insurance company that they would cover the car, just like a regular rental. I will definitely look at using them from now on.
I wanted to let everyone and Aniruddh P know that our rental car situation on Maui from May 22nd through May 28th worked out just fine. We used autoslash per the recommendation in this article and got a rate of a $407 for the week for a compact car. It was actually booked through auto slash and then Priceline with Hertz. I was worried because Hertz website showed a higher rate but we had no problem when we got to the rental car agency and showed them our confirmation. There were only two cars on the lot available but it all worked out.
I booked thru Discount Hawaiian car rentals many times. This year I booked in January for February of 2022 for $611 for 2 weeks. Now it is over 1000 and up. Sure glad I did early.
A few months ago I reserved a Jeep for our June Kauai trip through your affiliate Discount Hawaii Car Rental. They sent me a confirmation for Alamo. I am so worried that when I show up, the vehicle won’t be available. Either because I used a third party, or because Alamo overbooked. Has anyone had any issues like that?
Is Uber available in Kauai? I have never used it, but I may have no choice! 😉
I would just keep checking your confirmation. We’ve NEVER had a problem with them. I FINALLY got a great price for our February stay on Maui, and no problem. Aloha!
We just used Discount Hawaiian and had no problems. I was unsure just like you but EVERY site you book thru is 3rd party unless you book directly with the car agency. We did find Auto Slash to be a 4th party in that they linked to Priceline who then booked with the agency. Never a problem with any. We’ve always book a lower “class” car and have virtually always gotten an upgrade. A pleasant Aloha attitude with the agent can do wonders!
I used Discount for Maui + Kona in May. No problems at all getting the cars. Well, maybe the gas cap that wouldn’t open so we could fill it up! Something new to check before leaving the lot!
I used Discount Hawaii Car Rental for my current one month rental on Kauai. Also concerned, I contacted the company several times to insure my reservations would be honored. They were great in reassuring me that all reservations being made through them were being honored.
A little nervous, as I’d never used Thrifty before. Yes, I was there for 2 hours until I got my car. Part of that time was due to my refusal to accept a convertible. I ended up with something semi-close to what I expected, and was very relieved to get a car! ($1289 for 28 days)
Was going to call off a Maui vacation because of the car rates, but given the cheap airfare it’s a bit of wash.
Booked first two weeks of August for about $110/day or something crazy. Here’s hoping some new vehicles hit the island soon and bring rates down a bit.
I was planning a vacation in July and really wanted to go to Hawaii. I booked the plane tickets and was blown away by how the weekly rental prices cost more than the roundtrip flight from the east coast! Your Autoslash suggestion is definitely great. I had never heard of it and it brought the price down by a few hundred. Overall the renal costs were still egregious and more than the plane or hotel. I ended up canceling my flights just within the 24 hr window and am going to go to the Caribbean instead. I’d rather hemorrhage money at a fancy resort than for an economy car. Ridiculous.
The Autoslash tip is nothing short of a miracle. I hope Hertz honors the discounted rates. I’ll let you know how it goes on the day of the actual rental pickup.
When do you go on your trip? I also found a great rate for Hertz for our trip that starts on May 22. I am anxious to hear from someone who had no problems getting their car with the low rate on the confirmation!
I go in June. I emailed the Autoslash folks and they said that if hertz didn’t honor it despite escalation to their customer service after the trip, they would cover the difference in cost of quoted and actual price. They said they have had most prices accepted. Again, not sure how much weight to put in it but sounds favorable.
Update: When I booked through Autoslash for early June trip, I got a great deal with Hertz, $450 for a week of compact rental. I had put in my Hertz Gold ID when I ordered it. The rates matched in Hertz and Priceline/Autoslash quotes. I just checked my Hertz account today and it is now $1,850 for the same reservation. Priceline still says $450… Not sure what to do now.
Hi Aniruddh – When I saw your message I looked at my reservation on Hertz.com again and, like you, it said the rate was now $1500! So, I called Hertz customer service. She said the rate shows $1500 and asked if I had modified the reservation. I said no, I only clicked on it to review the rate. In any case, she said if I have my Priceline itinerary that shows the rate I booked when I go, they will honor that rate. She gave me the number of the local office to confirm but I couldn’t get through there. I then chatted with Priceline who said they would honor the rate with my itinerary. Then contacted AutoSlash who said the same thing, So, I can only hope that is what happens!
Aniruddh P.
Thanks Tammy! Good to know that Hertz, Priceline, and Autoslash are all in agreement. I contacted the Autoslash folks, and they are working to figure out what happened because the rates are guaranteed. They were able to rebook at the lower rate for one of my reservations (shows up in sync with hertz, too) and are working on the other one. The Autoslash customer service is terrific.
Aniruddh P.
How did the rental work out?
Kathy S
Rented car from budget last Nov for week in June 16-23. Paid for at that time. Reservation was in brothers name and he isn’t going now. Called to put in sister-in-laws name they said we would have to cancel and rebook. They then told us there were no cars available in Kauai on the date we just cancelled do to name change. Then they proceeded to charge us $50 for the cancellation. Now we are without a car and our $50. Need help
Wow! Never pay ahead. Try Discount Hawai’i or other. I’ve ALWAYS found Discount Hawai’i car rental to be very reliable. They are like a broker and never have to pay, & can cancel without fee. Good luck.
Ashley
Your article freaked me out but saved me nonetheless! We regularly use Costco to book car rentals, however, I completely forgot to book a car for our upcoming summer trip to Maui. Costco had zero availability for the week and my heart sank! Luckily, your article introduced me to Autoslash. AutoSlash found a rate via Hertz (reserving through Priceline) for a moderately price gauging rate on a compact vehicle!! Grateful that I could reserve it with free cancellation! I will hold out and hope prices come down over the next few months, however, grateful to have hopefully locked something in!
My wife and I booked through Turo back in late April and had no issues whatsoever. Communication with the owner was great. The best part was being able to walk directly to our car at the airport and not having to wait in a long line at a car rental counter. And I got the car I wanted – no surprises. Was told by my insurance company that they would cover the car, just like a regular rental. I will definitely look at using them from now on.
Stay away from greedy rental companies. Kihei Rent a Car doesnt gouge.
Thanks
I wanted to let everyone and Aniruddh P know that our rental car situation on Maui from May 22nd through May 28th worked out just fine. We used autoslash per the recommendation in this article and got a rate of a $407 for the week for a compact car. It was actually booked through auto slash and then Priceline with Hertz. I was worried because Hertz website showed a higher rate but we had no problem when we got to the rental car agency and showed them our confirmation. There were only two cars on the lot available but it all worked out.
I booked thru Discount Hawaiian car rentals many times. This year I booked in January for February of 2022 for $611 for 2 weeks. Now it is over 1000 and up. Sure glad I did early.
A few months ago I reserved a Jeep for our June Kauai trip through your affiliate Discount Hawaii Car Rental. They sent me a confirmation for Alamo. I am so worried that when I show up, the vehicle won’t be available. Either because I used a third party, or because Alamo overbooked. Has anyone had any issues like that?
Is Uber available in Kauai? I have never used it, but I may have no choice! 😉
I would just keep checking your confirmation. We’ve NEVER had a problem with them. I FINALLY got a great price for our February stay on Maui, and no problem. Aloha!
We just used Discount Hawaiian and had no problems. I was unsure just like you but EVERY site you book thru is 3rd party unless you book directly with the car agency. We did find Auto Slash to be a 4th party in that they linked to Priceline who then booked with the agency. Never a problem with any. We’ve always book a lower “class” car and have virtually always gotten an upgrade. A pleasant Aloha attitude with the agent can do wonders!
I used Discount for Maui + Kona in May. No problems at all getting the cars. Well, maybe the gas cap that wouldn’t open so we could fill it up! Something new to check before leaving the lot!
I used Discount Hawaii Car Rental for my current one month rental on Kauai. Also concerned, I contacted the company several times to insure my reservations would be honored. They were great in reassuring me that all reservations being made through them were being honored.
A little nervous, as I’d never used Thrifty before. Yes, I was there for 2 hours until I got my car. Part of that time was due to my refusal to accept a convertible. I ended up with something semi-close to what I expected, and was very relieved to get a car! ($1289 for 28 days)
Was going to call off a Maui vacation because of the car rates, but given the cheap airfare it’s a bit of wash.
Booked first two weeks of August for about $110/day or something crazy. Here’s hoping some new vehicles hit the island soon and bring rates down a bit.
Auto Slash did not give me a better deal.
I was planning a vacation in July and really wanted to go to Hawaii. I booked the plane tickets and was blown away by how the weekly rental prices cost more than the roundtrip flight from the east coast! Your Autoslash suggestion is definitely great. I had never heard of it and it brought the price down by a few hundred. Overall the renal costs were still egregious and more than the plane or hotel. I ended up canceling my flights just within the 24 hr window and am going to go to the Caribbean instead. I’d rather hemorrhage money at a fancy resort than for an economy car. Ridiculous.
The Autoslash tip is nothing short of a miracle. I hope Hertz honors the discounted rates. I’ll let you know how it goes on the day of the actual rental pickup.
When do you go on your trip? I also found a great rate for Hertz for our trip that starts on May 22. I am anxious to hear from someone who had no problems getting their car with the low rate on the confirmation!
I go in June. I emailed the Autoslash folks and they said that if hertz didn’t honor it despite escalation to their customer service after the trip, they would cover the difference in cost of quoted and actual price. They said they have had most prices accepted. Again, not sure how much weight to put in it but sounds favorable.
Update: When I booked through Autoslash for early June trip, I got a great deal with Hertz, $450 for a week of compact rental. I had put in my Hertz Gold ID when I ordered it. The rates matched in Hertz and Priceline/Autoslash quotes. I just checked my Hertz account today and it is now $1,850 for the same reservation. Priceline still says $450… Not sure what to do now.
Hi Aniruddh – When I saw your message I looked at my reservation on Hertz.com again and, like you, it said the rate was now $1500! So, I called Hertz customer service. She said the rate shows $1500 and asked if I had modified the reservation. I said no, I only clicked on it to review the rate. In any case, she said if I have my Priceline itinerary that shows the rate I booked when I go, they will honor that rate. She gave me the number of the local office to confirm but I couldn’t get through there. I then chatted with Priceline who said they would honor the rate with my itinerary. Then contacted AutoSlash who said the same thing, So, I can only hope that is what happens!
Thanks Tammy! Good to know that Hertz, Priceline, and Autoslash are all in agreement. I contacted the Autoslash folks, and they are working to figure out what happened because the rates are guaranteed. They were able to rebook at the lower rate for one of my reservations (shows up in sync with hertz, too) and are working on the other one. The Autoslash customer service is terrific.
How did the rental work out?
Rented car from budget last Nov for week in June 16-23. Paid for at that time. Reservation was in brothers name and he isn’t going now. Called to put in sister-in-laws name they said we would have to cancel and rebook. They then told us there were no cars available in Kauai on the date we just cancelled do to name change. Then they proceeded to charge us $50 for the cancellation. Now we are without a car and our $50. Need help
Wow! Never pay ahead. Try Discount Hawai’i or other. I’ve ALWAYS found Discount Hawai’i car rental to be very reliable. They are like a broker and never have to pay, & can cancel without fee. Good luck.
Your article freaked me out but saved me nonetheless! We regularly use Costco to book car rentals, however, I completely forgot to book a car for our upcoming summer trip to Maui. Costco had zero availability for the week and my heart sank! Luckily, your article introduced me to Autoslash. AutoSlash found a rate via Hertz (reserving through Priceline) for a moderately price gauging rate on a compact vehicle!! Grateful that I could reserve it with free cancellation! I will hold out and hope prices come down over the next few months, however, grateful to have hopefully locked something in!