Maui Car Rental: Low Season Pricing Continues Into September
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 reading for all the details.
HOW MUCH IS THE CHEAPEST MAUI RENTAL CAR ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2026?
Every week, we list the lowest available prices for a one-week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), for a range of different vehicle categories, with the company offering the best price. This is our overview of Maui car rental prices for the week beginning Monday, September 7, 2026.
Category Price Company
Economy $238 Thrifty
Midsize $294 Thrifty
Jeep $277 Thrifty
Convertible $542 Budget
SUV $266 Thrifty
7 St SUV $319 Thrifty
Minivan $353 Alamo
The prices quoted here include all applicable taxes and fees. Prices for these vehicle types charted week-to-week for the last 14 months are illustrated in Figure 1.
These are the lowest prices in every car category: The lowest price for a compact car from Kahului Airport (OGG) this week is with Thrifty, at $238/week. Mid-size cars are starting at $294/week, also at Thrifty. Jeeps are starting at just $277/week, from thrifty. Convertibles start at $542/week, from Budget. The cheapest standard SUV's are just $266/week, at Thrifty. Large 7-seat SUV's are only $319/week, at Thrifty. Minivans, are a very affordable $353/week, at Alamo.
HOW MUCH DID MAUI RENTAL CAR PRICES CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK?
This is how the lowest price for a one week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) starting on September 7, 2026 has changed from the week before, for every vehicle category:
Category This week Last Change Economy $238 $232 +3%
Midsize $294 $304 -3%
Jeep $277 $409 -32%
Convertible $542 $473 +15%
SUV $266 $258 +3%
7 st SUV $319 $301 +6%
Minivan $353 $359 -2%
Prices in nearly every category are virtually unchanged in every category. The only two exceptions are Jeeps, with a significant price drop, and convertibles, continuing their week-over-week increase for the fourth week in a row. Let's look at the details.
The lowest price for a compact cars is up 3% from last week. Midsize cars are down 3%. Jeeps are down a surprising 32% from what we last week thought was a rock bottom price. Standard SUVs are up 3%, staying close to last week's bargain basement level. Similarly for large SUV's, up only 6% to just $319/week. Minivans are hovering close to their rock bottom price, down just 2% to $353/week.
Convertibles continue to move in an unanticipated direction, going up 15% this week, adding on to three weeks straight of increases, to make them the most expensive vehicle to rent. The most likely explanation is a fleet rotation taking a large number of units off-island before replacement units arrive.
Prices for this week and last week, with the percentage change week-to-week, are illustrated in Figure 2.
WHERE DO PRICES GO FROM HERE
A peek into our crystal ball - the online advance reservation system - shows prices moving sideways for the rest of September, with little or no movement up or down expected for the rest of the month. After that, at the edge of our horizon, prices will kick up at the beginning of October. During this time, the advantage is for late booking versus early booking, with savings possible for travelers who are able to re-book at the last minute. However, with prices already at low levels, the dollar amount of last-minute savings will be small during this period. Recently, last-minute prices have been in the range of 10% to 20% lower than prices booked one month in advance. Advance prices versus last-minute prices are illustrated in Figure 3. One unknown entering the mix is Hurricane Lowell, which is likely to disrupt travel as it passes the islands. As we've seen repeatedly, rental car prices drop during the approach and in the aftermath of large storms. But again, with prices already in their lowest range of the year, there is no room for them to go down much further. It's a very different situation from the storms that hit the islands in March at the height of the Spring Break season, bringing travel to a stand-still and knocking prices down by about 50%. Even with passing weather, a price drop of this magnitude is not expected in the coming weeks - but a brief period of discounted prices - let's say 10% to 20% lower than their current levels - is not unlikely.
HOW DO WE GET OUR MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICE DATA?
Prices for Maui car rentals vary from week to week, and the company offering the lowest price also changes from week to week. Furthermore, one company may be offering the lowest price in one vehicle category, for example mid-size cars, while a different company has a better price on another category, for example mini-vans.
We have recently completed three full years of weekly monitoring of the lowest available price for a one-week rental at Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), compiling prices for vehicles available at the Consolidated Rent A Car facility (ConRAC) as well as rentals from off-airport locations served by free shuttle. This survey covers 10 different companies, Ace (closed as of March 2026), Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Nu, Payless, Sixt, and Thrifty.
This price survey covering three years from July 2023 to this July is illustrated in Figure 3. This chart marks an important milestone in our multi-year price-tracking effort. We will return to it in future editions of this blog to discuss salient features like the significant rise in the price floor in 2026 compared to 2025 (clearly visible on the chart), and the repeating seasonal variation of prices (also clearly visible).
Beginning in July 2024, we expanded our data collection from just the lowest price available to the lowest prices in seven vehicle categories - compact, mid-size, Jeep, convertible, SUV, 7-seat SUV, and minivan - from 10 different companies at Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG): Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, SiXT, and Thrifty. Each week, for every vehicle type, we noted which company offered the lowest price. Later this month we will have completed two full years of this data set - which will again give us plenty of salient findings to dive into, deeply.
Previously we conducted a five-year price-tracking study for the lowest price economy car category beginning in February 2013 and continuing to February 2018. A sample of these results is in Figure 4, that shows the five-year average of the price over a one-year duration. For details of this massive price-tracking undertaking, and the most important findings on how and when to rent a car, see our blog post of July 14, 2024 titled "When is the best time to rent a car in Maui?"
HOW TO CHECK RATES AND AVAILABILITY FOR MAUI CAR RENTAL
Either click through to to our Maui rental cars rate and availability section, or check our booking site at rentals.mauicarrental.biz. This site gives you access to all vehicles from eight different companies - Ace, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Payless, and Thrifty - at all their Maui locations, that include the Airport rentacar center, Kahului town locations nearby the airport, and resort locations in Kihei/Wailea, and Ka'anapali. With so many options to choose from, you are assured to find the rental car that matches your preferences and your budget for your Maui trip - and there is never a cancellation penalty if you have to change plans.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Frank Saab is a thought leader in the rental car industry, quoted by influential publications like SFgate.com. He is the editor of this blog published by Frank's Friendly Cars Maui Car Rental LLC, an independent car rental company operating in Maui, Hawaii, since 2006. Frank's offers low prices on affordable older cars and discount prices on new cars, with a "Lowest Price Guarantee" that assures you of getting the best deal on your rental. The company is a member of the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau (HVCB) and the American Car Rental Association (ACRA). Visit our website at www.mauicarrental.biz, or call us at 808-280-1196.
KUDOS TO OUR TEAM
Last week's blog, written and published on Sunday, highlighted higher corporate borrowing costs and their effect on rental car costs. The next day, Monday, brought national and international coverage, with headline stories - in such distinguished publications as the New York Times - of higher long term borrowing costs, and their effect on business everywhere. We're plugged in, and ahead of the curve. Believe it.
Price Data Sources: rentalcars.com, rentals.mauicarrental.biz
