Maui Car Rental Blog

October 5, 2026. Prices for Maui rental cars leaped dramatically up in the first week of October, just like they did last year. Prices for four-door cars and Jeeps more than doubled from the previous week. Prices for SUV's and minivans increased "only" 50%. There is no ready explanation for this, so we will not attempt to explain it. Last year we guessed that it may have had something to do with the return of the Maui County Fair, that had been on hiatus for a few years. But

September 27, 2026. Another powerful storm, Hurricane Nolo, did a fly-by of the Hawaiian Islands this week, causing visitors already in the islands to leave in droves, and arriving visitors to delay or cancel their trips. The result was a dip in rental prices for most vehicles. But prices are expected to resume their climb to the usual early October peak, that coincides with the Columbus day three-day weekend, this year falling on October 12. This date is expected to mark the

September 20, 2026. This week we break two major Maui car rental stories. The first is a slow-down or blackout - virtually a shutdown - that hit the Hertz Dollar Thrifty group at Kahului Airport (OGG). The second is tantamount to a species extinction or die-off. The classic convertible - that essential element of the Hawaii vacation dream - has quietly disappeared, vanished, from Maui's rental fleets, and when it comes back is anybody's guess. Keep reading for all the detail

September 13, 2026. You can tell that Fall is in the air somewhere when Maui car rental prices begin to rise from their depressed shoulder season levels towards the higher levels of the fall travel season. That's what happened this week, as prices rose moderately across the board for all vehicles. Yet prices remain very affordable, with excellent deals on minivans. Comparing to last year's price chart, we are just at the point of the year where prices started their upward mo

September 6, 2026. For this coming week, prices are virtually unchanged from last week, and they remain at or near their rock-bottom level for the year. Travelers should note an exceptional deal on Jeep Wrangler, at just $277/week from Thrifty at Kahului Airport (OGG. This price includes all taxes and fees. With another tropical disturbance - Hurricane Lowell - approaching, prices could dip down even futher - but they do not have very far to go from current levels. Keep readi

August 30, 2026. August always brings with it a moderation in rental car prices in Maui due to seasonally lower visitor levels compared to the earlier summer high season of July. This August is no different, with prices in many vehicle categories hitting what we can safely take to be rock bottom prices for the year. With the calendar month ending, we make our regular comparison of the average price for the month versus one year ago. Average prices in August reveal a divergenc

August 24, 2026. Maui car rental prices are normally in a low shoulder season range this time of year, and worries about approaching tropical storms or hurricanes keeping visitors away and driving prices even lower. For the first time in years we're seeing a starting price of just $22/day with all taxes and fees included - that's for an economy car, from Nu Car Rental, off-airport, served by shuttle. And minivans are just $50/day right at Kahului Airport (OGG), from Alamo, th

August 17, 2026. There is nothing like an approaching hurricane or Pacific storm to bring Hawaii's visitor arrivals briefly to a halt. Airlines cancel flights, eliminating arrivals, and many visitors leave early to avoid being stuck. So as the visitor daily census goes down, so do rental car prices. We've seen this movie time and time again. This week's episode with Hurricane Lala was no different. Fortunately, the storm did not bring catastrophic damage. But it was enough to

August 9, 2026. August usually brings relatively affordable prices for Maui car rental, and this year August does not disappoint travelers looking for deals. Prices seem to have settled into their low shoulder season range that they will hold until mid-September when they begin to rise again. This week's most affordable rates are $262/week with Sixt at the airport, and an even lower $218/week off-airport with free shuttle service from Nu Rentacar. Minivans, while still over $

August 2, 2026. Every August it's as if someone flips a switch and Maui car rental prices drop from the high levels they held through the busy summer travel season down to affordable low season and they remain at this lower level through the middle of September when they begin to rise again. This year is like an instant replay of last year and most other years. With that said, the market is still working through the effects of last year's safety recall on minivans. Even one y

July 26, 2026. Maui car rental prices are mixed this week. Minivan and SUV prices are lower compared to one year ago, when the Chrysler Pacifica minivan recall was causing them all to soar sky-high. But prices in all the other categories, compacts, mid-size, Jeeps, and convertibles are higher year-over-year, reflecting a structural shift that has pushed the entire market higher. Our forward-looking indicators continue to predict a drop to low-season pricing right around the c

July 19, 2026. With the July 4 peak of the summer travel season starting to recede in the rearview mirror, prices of Maui rental cars are beginning to soften, with prices in multiple categories down from last week. Availability seems to be improving in most categories, including minivans, that have been under severe pressure for several weeks. However, in a surprise twist, there is a sudden throttling of availability for convertibles and large SUVs. Keep reading for all the d