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”
Things are changing. How to save money on your Hawaii car rentals throughout 2023..
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informative article good job
Aloha, your information on renting a car while in Hawaii, is very helpful. My husband and I traveling to Big Island later this month, we have our Covid tests scheduled, fill out the travel safe forms and will continue with our travel plans (only w/negative result). We would like to rent a car for part of our trip, out of Kailua/Kona, rather from the airport to save on fees. I reserved a car through Hawaiicarrentals.net – The price was less by over $200, which seems suspect. Is this a legitimate agency? (I did receive a confirmation from Dollar), however, it mentions there is a 7th Proclamention restriction… Can I still rent this car? Mahalo, Liz
Hi LM.
We have never heard of them, but maybe someone else who has can comment. If you have a confirmation from a major, that would be a good sign. So long as you are not quarantined, you can rent a car.
Aloha.
Best advice is to at least skip Kaui or all the islands They are a socialist society and cannot get their business together. Hawaii used to be a great pre Covid place to travel. Do everything suggested her especially with the car rental places. They are a criminal empire
We traveled months at a time in Hawaii every year The mahalo Aloha spirit is fake
Here you will get to know about the ten ways to save money on Hawaii car rentals. Things to be considered include many options listed in this link. It is very useful article and would suggest others too. I am sure many people will come to read this in future. You have done a great research for I feel, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the info. I’d love to try Turo but afraid of whether or not my USAA insurance or Credit Card insurance would cover me. No one seems to be able to give me a definitive answer so I will have to skip Turo until I know for sure.
aloha
I am wondering if there are cars available for rent on Kauai during covid? I have resort and airline reservations that i am considering cancelling for 12/3/2020 -12/17/20. If I cant rent a car and get to Poipu and there are no ubers or lyfts…….i am hesitant to arrive in Lihue with not transportation.
Mahalo,
Kim H
Hi Kim.
You will not be able to rent a car during the 14-day quarantine.
Aloha.
Majalo for the tip! I’ve always booked cars way in advance and checked all my go to sites for better prices. Costco, AARP, Rentcar, Expedia, etc. Couldn’t get anything less than $400 for our Kauai week in Sept. Used Auto Slash and it redirected to Priceline that beat everything by $100+ for a full sized SUV (not our first choice but the cheapest). For our last trip in 2019 we got a full size Jeep. OMG didcwe have a blast! Never washed a rental car before returning it but there was mud over the hood and windshield!!
Priceline used to make you prepay but no longer. Of course I will continue to recheck.
Hi Gary.
Thanks.
Aloha
Just give Autoslash your car reservation details and they will track your reservation for you and email you if they find a cheaper rate going forward.
Aloha, everyone should be advised that by order of the Governor, visitors to Hawaii are not permitted to rent a vehicle, during the first 14 days of a visit. That’s because all people arriving in Hawaii must quar antine in their room for 14 days, not leaving the place of lodging for 14 days. So a rental car is useless during that time.
Sorry Chad, but you are sadly mistaken. Anyone who arrives in Hawaii with a Negative COVID test from a Hawaii-approved testing site are NOT quarantined for 10 days.
Although someone already commented that you’re wrong I had to write to repeat. If you visit the Hawai’i travel rules you’d see that if you have received a negative Covid-19 test from one of the APPROVED test partner’s you do not have to be quarantined. Only those who do not get their test from one of the APPROVED test partner’s, which is updated daily because some test sites cannot provide results within Hawaii’s 72 hour window,will have to be quarantined or return to home airport/mainland. We had a great time, with a great priced car from Discount Hawai’i Car Rental – $234/7days;nothing more. Aloha!
Maui car rental surprise! In researching for a trip next year I was quick to discover that renting a car for 2 weeks could be more than the cost of the airfare! After searching for an hour or so I discovered that Enterprise Rent-A-Car has two facilities, one on the airport and another in Kahului about 2 miles from the terminal. Using the Enterprise website with a hypothetical date I found that an intermediate size car on the airport is $850 total for two weeks in April 2021. Using the same dates and size class (same car), the cost at the off-airport facility is $381 total for two weeks. That is a savings of $469! I phoned the off-airport facility and confirmed that their rates are lower due to the weekly rate of $145/week vs $299/week as well as the airport taxes. Because there is an Enterprise facility at the airport, they are not allowed to provide airport shuttle service so a short taxi ride is called for. I don’t think a taxi would be more the $15-$20.
When I checked the price using Costco Travel the off-airport price was $21 lower. That’s enough to cover the taxi!
Well worth considering renting a car from an off-airport facility!
Minor edit… Costco Travel was $802 for on-airport, $360 for off-airport. ($442 lower)
I have noticed that the car rental rates are very high for July 2020. I usually book and keep checking back and they usually drop. Will we see a drop this year with this going on?
Sherry, If you are going to Maui see my comment above your post. Dave
Car rentals would be perfectly affordable if it weren’t for the typically / ever-greedy state and local taxing authorities. “Soak the tourists” has been the Aloha way for many years now. Take from the rich and give to the poor. So, until THAT changes, there will never be “affordable” car rentals on the islands. Eventually that government greed and mismanagement will kill the golden goose.
I like what you said about taking pictures of your car before driving it off the lot so that you don’t get accused of damaging it. My sister has been telling me about how she wants to drive a different car in the coming weeks.
We used Turo on our last trip to the Big Island in November 2019. It started out like a nightmare due to a bait and switch by the young con artist we inadvertently rented from. It took the greater part of our second day there to get a new car arranged as most were already out for the day. We had taken many photos to back up our complaint. We finally got a new 2019 Honda Accord in its place at an even lower price. We would rent through them again but only through someone who has had many positive reviews and satisfied customers.
Thank you for the article.
Learned a lot!
Also, I would like to add that some (most?) of the main companies might charge for an extra day after the grace period (1 hour late = 1 day rental fee added).
From everything I’ve heard, it seems to be the main policy now, although staff are free to choose whether they’re going to apply the rule or not.It depends a lot on the customer’s attitude. Being gentle and contacting the rental agency early to inform them of your delay is a good start.
Cheers.
ADO
Hi Ado.
Thanks.
Aloha.
I am a former Maui resident. Last month, at the last moment, I able to rent a clean 2003 Toyota Hylander for $150 a week from Kahului Auto Sales on Maui.
Maui Cruisers will leave you a car in the airport parking lot. I’ve used them for years. (Edited by Beat of Hawaii).
I primarily go through Costco and a few time Discount Carrental Hawaii. Both are good.
I just did a check on off airport rentals on the Big Island. Renting at Waikoloa vs renting at airport is significantly higher. I don’t know about the other islands, but probably on Oahu you might get a better price in Honolulu.
Terrific article, thanks very much.
We traveled between the SF Bay Area and the islands for 2 weeks every year from 1985 to 1999, then again in 2006, and I’ve been on your e-mail list since about 1990, visiting your website often. Only financial reversals, starting with the recession in 2001, have prevented another visit, but my wife and I are hoping for a 2020 visit to Kauai and the Big Island.
I am amazed at your “READ THIS FIRST” warning. It’s amazing that decent manners are not a given anymore. I know this warning has only appeared within the last year or two, and it’s a sign of the political times. Don’t let those turkeys discourage you when you provide such a wonderful, helpful website in which you obviously do a great job of researching everything about which you write. Thanks again for all the help you’ve provided everyone.
Hi Bruce.
Thank you!!!
Aloha from Rob and Jeff
You can avoid the airport concession fee by renting from a location near your hotel. I guess that should result in a lower net fee.
Thanks so much! This article is a fantastic resource. In early December, I was trying to reserve a rental car for the last two weeks of December (i.e. peak holiday season). Orbitz prices STARTED at $650. Auto Slash provided a better car with a national rental car company for $488! Turo also had a good offer. It was my first time working with either of these two services and I was very happy.
When I have a longer lead time I’ve also had great success with Discount Hawaii Rental Cars. Also, if you don’t care about a really used car, I have used Rent a Wreck. Basic but heavily used cars available at good discounts.
Hi Cynthia.
Thank you.
Aloha.
May I have your turo coupon? I’ve tried from your link but the promotion didn’t appear!
Hi Alice.
It looks as though Turo has removed that offer. We have updated the post accordingly.
Aloha.
We have used DISCOUNT HAWAII CARS for 7 years while on the Big Island for 9 weeks from Mid Jan to April. I sometimes have multiple reservations for the same time period and once I find it cheaper, it is simple to just cancel previous reservations. I normally booked for all 9 weeks and I would always check with my Canadian Insurance company if I was covered for that time period…always received the same response…covered for 92 days out of country. In 2017, the agent informed me that my coverage was only for 30 day increments as it was for a RENTAL CAR! Discovered with more calls, that she was correct. To then have to go back to DISCOUNT HAWAII CARS and to change my bookings into 30 day increments…so close to leaving…cost me an additional $800. I then realized for 6 years, after 30 days, I had been driving with no insurance….even though, I had done my due diligence every year by calling twice to check on 92 day coverage. If you are CANADIAN…check with your insurance about 30 day coverage as it is different if you rent a car or are driving your own vehicle.
Aloha.
I took your advice and booked a car thru Autoslash. I usually book rentals thru Costco for our Kauai trips but we were fairly pressed for time to schedule everything ( ~5 weeks to plan for a week in Kapaa right after the 4th of July holiday ). Autoslash was about 25% cheaper going thru them and getting a Hertz rental as they recommended Priceline to do it. And I didn’t have to do any kind of prepayment
Mahalo for the advice.
-Scott-
Hi Scott.
Glad that worked out for you and thanks for letting us know.
Aloha.
Don’t rent from Fox Kahului airport. They rented my family a roach infested car. I wish I had looked at their Yelp page in advance – there are so many complaints about and photos of roaches in their cars from their customers that the roach should be their damn mascot. Worst product and customer service experience of my life.
I’m glad that you suggested that I look for alternative car rental sources and discounts to save money. I’ll try to protect myself against damage and dirt fees so that I won’t be charged in excess. I think determining the grace period of the contract will help me a lot when I’m about to return it so I’ll be sure to look for those when looking for a car to rent.
After reading this I can easily book a car rental in Hawaii. Keep up this good work. Thanks.
I rented a car from Turo on my trip to Maui. Would never find a better deal from the rental companies. Basically people rent out their own cars, like Airbnb but with cars.
Scouted rental car prices for the first two weeks in Dec. So happy to find your site, the Discount Hawaii Car Rental tip is great. $100 cheaper than Costco or Kayak, who had hazy cancellation details. Will keep checking to see if I can score a deal, but I’m happy! Money saved can go to another excursion 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Rencha.
So glad we were able to be of help!
Aloha.
Very nice blog and really great services Beat Of Hawaii.
Best deals on Maui is https://kimosrentacar.com/ I have been renting from them a few times a years and they give great discounts for repeat customers and best part your rental car is in parking lot at airport, no waiting for shuttle buses! By far the best deals, customer service and easy to rent!!!
Sorry Laurie.
BUYER BEWARE!
Kimos simply does not have good reviews. Also a regular on TripAdvisor suggested it appears that some of their positive reviews may be fake.
Yelp examples found here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kimos-rent-a-car-kahului-2.
TripAdvisor here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29220-i86-k7230759-Kimo_s_Rent_a_Car-Maui_Hawaii.html
Facebook: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29220-i86-k7230759-Kimo_s_Rent_a_Car-Maui_Hawaii.html
Aloha.
I think they are great for people who just need a car, nothing fancy. If you are someone who is doing a lot of outdoor activities and not there to impress anyone Kimo’s is the best. I have been using them for years and have never had an issue.
I went to Crusin Maui because I read some positive Yelp reviews. Seems like a small local rental company and they rent beach chairs, coolers and other stuff. Their prices seem the best and they communicate very well because prices aren’t on their website http://cruisinmauirentacar.com/.
I definitely second knowing your insurance needs. You never know what’s going to happen on the island. Better to be safe.
Aloha,
We always go to Maui in October and I have been checking car rental rates since we purchased our airfare in February. The rates are currently triple on Costco’s website what we are used to paying. Could you please advise why the rates are so high this year and could you please suggest any alternatives for car rentals? Mahalo in advance for your help!
Hi Tammie.
Best thing with car rentals is to keep trying but get something now that you can cancel if necessary. Try our advertiser Discount Hawaii Car Rental, whom we learned about from visitors, or the other sources we listed in article.
Aloha.
I just got back and I was also surprised by the prices at Costco. I ended up using Expedia and was satisfied with their prices. I reserved the car about 2 weeks before my trip.
I’m glad we found this link. We are heading to Kauai in September and then to Oahu. We’ll need a car for both weeks. How soon should we begin looking to reserve the cars?
Hi Rick.
Suggest trying to get something booked now, then reviewing it once or twice as dates approach. That seems to work best for us.
Aloha.
In general, we’ve noticed that car rentals in Maui have jumped $200 for the same week we’ve been vacationing in Maui. What’s going on? Last year in September, we rented for 9 days a car via DCR under $400. Now it’s $510!
Hi, We are trying to use car rental momma for Advantage car rental. When we follow the link, it says you can have an additional driver added for no charge at the counter but can’t figure out how to confirm that anywhere. Any ideas? Thanks! Chris
Hi Chris.
Suggest you might go through with reservation (assuming not prepaid). Then call Advantage after it is completed and ask if that is the case regarding additional driver.
Aloha.
Hello again!
Looking for car rental in Kona on Dec. 20 to 30. Do I need to reserve now? Can you suggest for a website please?
Mahalo
Karen
Hi Karen.
Yes you should definitely book that now. Have you tried our advertiser, Discount Hawaii Car Rental? We learned about them from our website visitors.
just booked a car through “Advantage Rent a car” for a trip coming up in February? Any idea how this company is?
Shop around with the discount agencies in this story. Compare prices.
I used Turo when I was in Oahu recently and rented from Shams and it was a great experience. The car was only $123 for 4 days and they picked us up and dropped us back off at the airport.
What is the point of taking pictures w/ that day’s newspaper? What does that prove?
Example, I rent a car on Mar 11. I buy that day’s newspaper. On Mar 13, I notice some scratches/dents on the car.
I take pictures of the car on Mar 13 holding my Mar 11 newspaper.
Two reasons to take a picture *in the car rental lot* with today’s paper:
1) Day of rental: to show that a scratch or dent was already there when you rented it.
2) Day of return: to show that a scratch or dent that they say you caused was not actually there when you returned it.
I don’t know about the newspaper, but ALWAYS take pictures before you leave the lot. ALWAYS. Even if the light is poor due to late night pick up – and, especially, if its raining. I asked a lot attendant to do a visual inspection and he added several scars that were NOT on the initial damages chart. Trust NO ONE.
1. if you need to process a claim with either your personal insur company or the credit card insurer, it will help them to fight the rental company in the event the renter tries to pull a fast one on extra costs – there are no ethics boundaries in the car rental business.
2. the digital pictures you take have the date of exposure in the metadata. The insurance company will want to see that data too.
3. AND, of course, take pictures of the vehicle BEFORE you return it. Preferably before it gets too dark of course. Flash pictures don’t work well. Get near some of those bright lot lights.
4. if there IS damage to the car (major or minor) contact the insurance co. BEFORE you return the car. It will make the processing of the damage claim easier for you and the rental company.
The key lessons: do your HOMEWORK; don’t take anything for granted; don’t trust the rental co.; and be careful when/where you park your car in Hawaii’s narrow parking slots. You might be a careful driver – but many other people are NOT.
I have used AutoSlash once so far and like it because they keep checking for lower rates after you have the reservation. They emailed an updated reservation when they found a lower rate. It shaved a few dollars from the original. And their rate was the lowest from the onset.
Suggest checking Advantage/Fox rates, also.
Lately, Autoslash had been notifying us of lower rates, but this time they require prepayment. No go, sorry Autoslash.
Good tip about the car wash and protecting the carpet/floor if hiking. I understand Kauai has some mighty fine RED dirt :0)
Counting the days Jeff – can’t wait to see Kauai and meet up.
CAR INTERIOR NOTE:
Yes when it comes to car rental interior cleanliness, it is worth your time to keep an eye on it.
On my last visit, the rental co. had changed to rubber floor mats (thank you!) which made maintenance a breeze.
But, if you have CARPET mats, your first step is to visit a Costco or supermarket to get a cardboard box-tray. Having some newspapers in the tray is good as they can be changed out. Get a sizeable tray that will hold at least two pairs of hiking boots. Keep extra pairs of shoes or sandals that you can switch to after messy hikes. The boot tray is a godsend for keeping Kauai’s red soil off the carpets. It’s a bear to get out once it’s there too.
(An extra cardboard try is also good for holding grocery items, especially when Costco doesn’t supply boxes. )
Pretty simple – and better than a 100.00 cleaning fee!!
Great Idea! March 2018 rained all month except for four days! Still… love the Garden Island!
Would love an article about the least expensive ways to get from airport OGG to Kaanapali resorts. Uber seems expensive $115-$152 one way. We normally travel during shoulder off seasons (Spring and Fall) and could get a rental car for around $215 for the week – but we’ve notice this year the rates for the smallest class of car is averaging around $300 due to all the fees – eek! We love to just park ourselves at the resort and not drive anywhere – we take the bus system to the shopping and dining. Seems a waste to have a car to just drive us to the resort and sit in the garage all week. Who has suggestions besides Uber?
If you don’t mind a longer trip, try the Maui Bus. See the schedule here: https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/4353 You would take a #35 or #40 from the airport to Kahului, then #20 to Lahaina, and either #25 or #28 (depending on exact destination) to Kaanapali. Your luggage must fit under your seat or on your lap. FYI, there is a car rental location in the Kaanapali area if you decide to do a short term rental during your stay.