top of page

Maui Car Rental FAQ's

  • Do you rent used cars, or new cars?
    The answer is "yes." When you rent from us, you have a choice of renting a used car from our local used car fleet, or, you can choose a new car, with a special discount, from one of the 8 top-tier car rental partner companies we have partnered with.
  • How much does it cost to rent one of your cars?
    The rental rate depends on the type of car, the duration of rental, and the time of year (high season vs. low season). Our basic economy car rate starts at $25/day with a 10-day minimum. This includes all taxes and fees. A SUV or mid-size car starts at $30/day. Rates are reduced on rentals of 30 days or longer. All rates are subject to availability. To find out exactly how much your rental will cost ,call or email for a quote, or use our instant rate check widget on the website.
  • What's included in the rental price?
    The price we give you includes all applicable taxes and fees. It's what you pay "out-the-door," or "all-in." To see how the cost breaks down for various taxes, fees, and insurance, and find out exactly what's included and not included, read our blog post on Maui Car Rental Taxes and Fees.
  • How do we make a reservation for one of your Maui rental cars?
    Call to make a reservation. We take reservations by phone. You can send a message to request info on availability and pricing, and after that, if you wish to proceed, you can call to reserve. We do not have an online reservation system. We do not take reservations by email or text message. The only way you can make a reservation is to call in person and talk to a live person. Click the phone icon on this site or dial 808-280-1196.
  • Is there a cancellation fee?
    That depends. There is no cancellation fee with any of our NEW CAR reservations. With our USED CAR reservations, there is no cancellation fee if you cancel more than one week before the beginning of rental. From seven days to two days before the beginning of rental, there is a $100 cancellation fee. One day before arrival or no-show, you are charged for one week of rental, at the full un-discounted rate for your vehicle.
  • What is required for renting a car?
    Here's what you need: (1) Valid driver license. (2) Current US or Canada liability insurance policy naming you as the principal insured. Sorry, no foreign country insurance or travel insurance. Credit card coverages do not qualify as liability insurance. (3) Valid credit card, or approved debit card. (4) Advance deposit. No deposit, no rental. (5) Minimum age requirement. (6) Minimum of 24-hour advance reservation. No walk-ins. (7) No disqualifying factors. This means, as a privately owned business, we have the right to determine who we serve or don't serve.
  • How do we pick up and drop off our Maui rental car?
    When you arrive to Maui, we bring the car to the Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) in time for your arrival. We leave it there for you in the public parking lot. When you are ready, you walk from the terminal to the nearby parking lot, get in the car, and drive away. Usually there is a parking fee of a few dollars that you pay on the way out. When you leave Maui, you may return the car to the airport, but only if you request and receive authorization from us 24 hours in advance, either in person or by phone. Otherwise, without advance authorization, returns are to our location near the airport in Kahului. There is $500 fee for unauthorized airport return.
  • What about insurance?
    Our Maui rental cars are all covered by liability insurance, as required by law. With how the law works in Hawaii, this covers us, but not you. In Hawaii, your liability as the renter or driver is primary - this means you are first in line to pay for any damage or injury incurred while you operate the vehicle. We do not rent to anyone who is not covered by their own automobile liability insurance in the US or Canada.
  • How much does the insurance cost?
    If you have a US or Canada driver license and you own a motor vehicle then you have your own liability insurance that covers you when you rent a car and you don't have to pay even an extra penny for insurance. If you do not have your own insurance with coverage in the US, we do not rent you a car. So either way, it costs you nothing.
  • How do we pay for our Maui rental car?
    We take payment by credit card, Visa or Mastercard. Sorry, no American Express. Debit cards require approval and a deposit. We do not take cash, checks, gift cards, or trades.
  • Is there a deposit? When do we pay?
    There is a $100 deposit to hold a car. The deposit is non-refundable. You pay the balance (total amount of rental minus the deposit) when you pick up the car. In case of a long term rental more than thirty days, we arrange a payment plan. All payments are by credit card, Visa or Mastercard. Sorry, no American Express.
  • Can I take my Maui rental car to Hana? How about the back road to Hana?
    For detailed information and maps on this topic, read our blog post on Maui's Road to Hana . You can drive the world-renowned scenic road to Hana all the way up the North Shore of Maui from Kahului to Hana. You can go past Hana all the way to the world-famous Seven Sacred Pools in Kipahulu. At this point you must turn around and come back the way you came. If you continue past Kipahulu to Kaupo and Ulupalakua Ranch, or come the other way from Kula on this road, we will charge you $1,000. Our cars have GPS trackers.
  • Can I take my Maui rentacar up to the Haleakala summit?
    Our cars will not have any problem making it up from sea level to the 10,000-foot summit. But whether you make it back down without a problem is entirely up to you. If you maintain continual brake pressure all the way down, you will fry the brakes and in some cases they may even catch fire. To get down safely, you must shift into a lower gear and use engine braking to slow down the car without relying entirely on the brakes. Yes you can select lower gears with an automatic.
  • Do you provide roadside assistance?
    Roadside assistance is NOT included in the low price you pay for your rental car. And, to keep our costs low, we do not have the staffing or equipment for roadside service. Instead, we focus on maintenance and repair procedures and policies that function preventatively to minimize the need for roadside service, by eliminating vehicle issues that can result in a breakdown. We suggest that you carry a AAA membership or sign up for a similar benefit from your credit card or insurance company to cover you for roadside assistance, in the unlikely event that the need should arise.
  • What if our rental car breaks down?
    Simply put, our cars don't break down. But we suggest that you carry AAA coverage in case you have an issue like a flat tire - as anyone can tell you, very very common on Maui - or you get yourself in an accident, or you lock yourself out.
  • What if we get a flat tire?
    Due to the prevalence of debris and waste materials - nails, screws, metal shards - dropping from construction crew work trucks, flat tires are very common in Maui. Our rental agreement specifies that flat tires due to road hazards are the responsibility of the renter. Every car we rent has tires that exceed substantially the minimum tread requirements for safe operation. The tires are inspected regularly and replaced when the date of manufacture exceeds the DOT specification, regardless of tread condition. Every car is equipped with a spare tire in compliance with DOT manufacture date. Inflation pressure of the spare tire is checked regularly. Every car is equipped with a jack and tire removal tools. If you get a flat tire, we ask that you install the spare and bring the damaged tire to our rental location. We will determine whether the tire is repairable or requires replacement. In case that a replacement tire is not immediately available, we may switch you to another vehicle until the replacement can be made. In case that you are not capable of changing a tire on your own, we suggest that you have personal roadside assistance coverage either with AAA, or your insurance company, or another provider. If you do not have such coverage, you can call a tow truck company to assist you with the replacement at your own expense. We do not provide roadside assistance for flat tires.
  • Where is your Maui car rental location?
    We are in Kahului, at 400 Hana Highway, 1.1 miles from the Maui Airport (OGG) baggage claim, two city blocks from the very popular Maui tourist landmark, Costco. For more details, click the link for our Maui Car Rental Location. CALL FOR DIRECTIONS! THE SHOP IS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE STREET.
  • What about Maui rentacar hidden fees?
    Click for a clear breakdown of what's included, and what's not included in the price. . As you may have found out already, many Maui car rental companies have hidden fees that are not disclosed up front. Not us. The rate we quote you on your Maui rental car is the total amount you pay for the rental, with all taxes and fees included. You pay for gas.
  • What qualifies as a long term rental?
    For Maui, we have great discount car rental rates starting at two weeks. Long term car rental rates for 30 days or longer are even better- the longer you rent a car with us on Maui, the more you save. The best rates are for three months and longer. Click to read more about our long term rentals.
  • Can I make a reservation for someone else?
    No, absolutely not, you may not make a reservation for someone else, regardless of their relation to you. Anyone wishing to rent a car from us must make their own reservation and meet our eligibility requirements for rental. No substitution of renter or authorized driver is allowed.
  • How do we pay for our Maui car rental?
    We accept payment by credit card only, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover issued by a major financial institution. At our discretion, we may accept payment by debit card, if conditions for approval are met. We do not trade or barter, and we do not accept gift cards as payment.
  • Why is it so hard to find cars for rent in Maui? Why does it cost so much?
    The supply of cars for rent in Maui is limited. The only way to bring in more cars for rent is by cargo ship. During peak periods (Xmas, Spring Break) the demand for cars for rent in Maui exceeds the supply. Book in advance to find a car for rent. Outside of peak travel times, the rental car market in Maui is not much different than anywhere else. Read more about it in our blog post on Maui car rental rates.
  • Can we come take a look at the car you'll have for us next week? Next month? Next year?
    At any given time, most of our Maui rental cars are out being driven around Maui by customers. It is unlikely that the specific rental car you rent from us in the future is available for you to look at and "kick the tires" in advance.
  • Do you have rental car locations on other Hawaiian islands?
    With how bad the rentacar situation is on other islands, and the exorbitant rates you have to pay on Hawaii (Big Island), Molokai, Lanai, or Kauai, we probably should, but we don't. Maui's homegrown local car rental market is unique among the islands. Its origins date back to the 1980's when a few enterprising businesses began to offer inexpensive long term rentals to ocean sport enthusiasts who spent weeks at a time on the island and truly did not need anything fancy - one of the first to do so was a surf shop.
  • Do you rent under 25? Under 21? Can an 11 year-old rent one of your Maui rentacars?
    As a matter of fact, our minimum age for rental is 35 years old. We have adopted this unique policy for the sake of risk management and to keep our Maui car rental rates as low as possible.
  • What if someone backs into my Maui rental car and leaves the scene.
    In this situation, the damage to our rental car is not your fault, however it is your responsibility to pay for the repair. Your collision and comprehensive coverage on your personal automobile should cover it. Anytime you are involved in an incident, no matter how benign, call Maui Police Department for a police report and insist the other driver(s) stay at the scene.
  • Do you have Kama'aina rates?
    Asks the gentleman with a Brooklyn accent and a New York phone area code (808 is onto you, 916). Maybe he's just asking for a a friend? Answer: we offer the same low rates to everyone. Movie trivia quiz question: "What award-winning 90's movie is this quote based on: 'The first rule of Kama'aina is never talk about Kama'aina.'" See our blog post about Kama'aina Discounts and Maui Car Rentals.
  • Do we have to pay up-front for our Maui rental car?
    We ask for a $100 deposit when you make your Maui car rental reservation. This guarantees you a car. Your reservation is not confirmed if you have not paid the deposit. The balance of the total or the balance of the first 30 days of your rental is paid when you pick up the car.
  • Do you refund the deposit if we cancel our reservation??
    Sorry, but the $100 deposit is non-refundable.
  • Is there really someone named Frank there?
    That's for us to know, and you to ponder. Next you'll be asking "is there really a Santa Claus."
  • Is Frank actually friendly? We heard otherwise.
    Thanks for giving us the opportunity to set you straight on this one. Like it says, the company name is "Frank's Friendly Cars." This means that our Maui rental cars are friendly - but it does not say anything about Frank. Let's say the name were, for example, "Frank's Green Cars." If it were so, would anyone be asking whether Frank is green? Would anyone call asking for "Green Frank?" No, of course not. Rest assured that our Maui rentacars are the friendliest around. And, like anyone else, Frank always has been, and always will be, friendly to his friends - to others, maybe not so much.
  • Why don't you have any social media accounts? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok?
    Who says we don't? You can find us on Facebook , Instagram, and X ( formerly Twitter) . Click the links at the bottom of this site.
  • Do you have a minimum rental? Can we rent a car for just one or two days?
    Officially, for our local used car fleet, our minimum duration for rental is 10 days. But for a new car from one of our partners, you can rent it for any duration, even just a few hours.
  • Do you have any vehicles that seat 10? 12? 18? Can you rent us a schoolbus?
    The maximum number that any of our vehicles can seat, including the driver, is five for a passenger or SUV, or seven for a minivan. You can also book a discount rate on a 12-passenger vans from our partners.
  • Do you rent moving vans or moving trucks?
    Sorry, no, but U-HAUL in Kahului and Surf Truck in Wailuku offer reasonable options on moving trucks and vans.
  • Is it true that you can name The Seven Dwarfs of Snow White?
    Let's see, Sneezy, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, and Dopey. See how I did that? This is called a memory palace.
  • How about the Seven Deadly Sins?
    Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Pride, and Envy. See how easy it is to remember anything, if you go about it the right way. I remember every car I've ever worked on, and every customer I've ever served.
  • Ok then, name the Seven Wonders of the World.
    Enough already. Ask Google.
  • What do Maui rental cars and romantic partners have in common?
    From time to time, they can all have issues.
  • What's the difference between a Maui rental car and a romantic partner?
    On one of our rental cars, we can fix any issues quickly and easily.
  • What's the meaning of "Better Cars. Better Rates.â„¢"
    That's our company tagline. Read more about it here .
bottom of page