Maui Car Rental Meltdown: Corporate Blackout and Convertible Cancel
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 details. First, we'll do the numbers.
HOW MUCH IS THE CHEAPEST MAUI RENTAL CAR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 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 21, 2026.
Category Price Company
Economy $285 Avis
Midsize $443 Payless
Jeep $526 Budget
Convertible - -
SUV $371 Budget
7 St SUV $411 Thrifty
Minivan $483 Thrifty
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 at Kahului Airport (OGG) this week is with Avis, at $285/week. Mid-size cars are starting at $443/week, at Payless. Jeeps are starting at $526/week, from Budget. The cheapest standard SUV's are 371/week, at Budget. Large 7-seat SUV's are $411/week, at Thrifty. Minivans, are at $483/week, at Thrifty. And here's a surprise: Convertibles are completely unavailable, from any source on the island, airport or off-airport. This ties right in to the major story we are breaking this week. More details below.
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 21, 2026 has changed from the week before, for every vehicle category:
Category This week Last Change Economy $285 $292 -2%
Midsize $443 $335 +32%
Jeep $526 $413 +27%
Convertible - $630 -
SUV $371 $309 +20%
7 st SUV $411 $361 +14%
Minivan $483 $353 +37%
Prices in nearly every category are up from last week, with the biggest increase for minivans. Let's look at the details.
The lowest price for a compact cars is down just 2% from last week, nearly unchanged - it is the oulier of our group. Midsize cars are up 32%. Jeeps are up the second week in a row, this time 27%, Standard SUVs are up 20%, Large SUV's are up 14%. After weeks of holding steady at around $350/week, minivans are up 37%, to $483/week.
And convertibles, o convertibles. After several weeks in a row of price increase, convertibles are completely unavailable. Earlier in the week, we did see another tranche of convertibles being staged for loading and shipping, in the usual staging area at the airport. This comes after a first tranche that was offshored/de-fleeted a few weeks ago. Why is this happening? After weeks of chasing this story, we have finally pulled the puzzle pieces together. Details are below.
And... are this week's price increases normal seasonal adjustments, we we approach the busier fall travel season? Or is there more than meets the eye? Keep reading if you want to know... the rest of the story.
Prices for this week and last week, with the percentage change week-to-week, are illustrated in Figure 2.
WEIRD SCENES FROM INSIDE THE GOLD MINE
In last week's update, we jokingly complained about the boring state of affairs in Maui car rentals during the slow the shoulder season. Little did we know what was coming. As they say, "just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." This week, we have nothing to complain about. The title of this section is lifted from the title of a 1972 album by The Doors. Yes, the Maui car rental market is a gold mine for those who operate it, and yes, what is going on this week is nothing if not weird. You want weird? Here's some weird.
THE GREAT CONVERTIBLE VANISHING OF 2026
First convertibles. Convertibles are not available from any source this coming week. Peering into our crystal ball, the advance reservation system, for the following week, beginning Sep. 28, they are currently available only from off-airport minor leaguers NU and Fox, at inflated prices (that signify they are close to selling out and probably will sell out). There are absolutely none available from any of the major players meaning Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty group, Avis/Budget/Payless group, Enterprise/Alamo/National group, or independent Sixt, from any location across the entire island. Same thing for the week after that, and the week after that. In fact, our crystal ball is telling us, with stunning aplomb, that there are no convertibles available to rent from any of the airport concessions at Kahului Airport or any affiliated off-airport locations island-wide FOR THE ENTIRE REMAINDER OF 2026. We have not even checked when or whether will become available in 2027. For now, convertibles have been canceled, just like a social media influencer or rock star making a political faux pas. Nobody really care for them anyway. Snicker. Seriously, how do you explain that a popular vehicle category suddenly is withdrawn by all major rental groups, as if in coordination? Was there a new entente cordiale, that "we won't rent them for as long as you don't either, old chap?" Was there a new commandment, "thou shalt not rent a convertible?" No, those things did not happen. Here is exactly what happened. The two pillars of the convertible market are the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang. Both are meeting a very untimely demise - the news of which cannot be too greatly exaggerated.
CHEVY'S CAMARO CANCEL
The last Chevy Camaro convertible rolled off the assembly line in January 2024. That's when GM ended production of this storied vehicle. Nearly three years later, Camaros in rental fleets have to be retired. Why? Because vehicles out of warranty represent a liability for fleet operators. And because of stringent age and mileage requirements for rental fleets - intended to assure a positive customer experience. Normally, retired vehicles are replaced with newer vehicles - it's the island fleet rotation dance. But this time, there are no newer vehicles. They stopped making them. So goodbye, Chevy Camaro convertible.
FORD MUSTANG MESS-UP
As a professional mechanic, I am fond of calling Ford the worst car company on the planet. Here is one of the reasons they are my automotive punching bag: In more than one hundred years of operation, you would think they would have figured out how to make an engine that does not leak out all its coolant and overheat. But they have not figured it out. I have spent far more time than I would like, over my working life, fixing coolant leaks on Ford engines, that seemed completely preventable with sensible design. Worst yet, they have not figured out how to make an engine that holds together. Their new Ford Mustang 2.3 Eco-boost engines - the engines that power the Ford Mustang convertible fleet - are blowing up at alarming rates, sometimes, other professional mechanics tell me, in less than 1,000 miles of operation. The vehicles powered by these engines - including the Mustang - have been recalled (NHTSA Recalls 26S35 & 26S23). By law, recalled vehicles cannot be rented. For this recall, the fix is total engine replacement. Earliest availability of replacement engines is projected for November 2026. Somehow news of this particular recall, announced earlier this summer, slipped under the radar while more massive Ford recalls affecting Ford Expedition and LIncoln Navigator (that we reported previously) made the news. Maui's rental operators have made the decision to send their Ford Mustangs back to the mainland for repair or replacement. And when they will get replacements is... not known. So, goodbye to you too, Ford Mustang convertible.
IS THAT IT FOR CONVERTIBLES?
We have seen some fleet operators testing other convertible models. Off-and-on, Sixt in Maui has been offering Mazda MX-5 (Miata) rentals. We are not sure if this is simply test marketing, or a long-term fleet addition. These vehicles are currently not listed in the reservation system for the coming months. And what about Jeeps? Jeep Wrangler models in rental fleets are not a true convertible model. They are a removable hardtop model. So, for a customer thinking of using it as a convertible, where are they going to put the top? In their hotel room? How will they get it up the elevator? And what will they do if it starts pouring on the Road to Hana? Drive back to the hotel for the top? Nix. Rental Jeep Wrangler is not a convertible. Never will be, never was.
THE HERTZ/DOLLAR/THRIFTY BLACKOUT
Think that's weird? What comes next is just as weird or maybe even weirder. Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty group - three companies that operate under the same corporate umbrella - began staging what we can only term a slowdown or even a virtual shutdown. For the entire duration of the past week, from last Monday September 14, they stopped taking new reservations for pickup at Kahului Airport (OGG) - on any platform, including their direct platforms. It also appears, from the near total absence of any activity at their airport desks, that they did not have any incoming customers during this period - the offices were deserted, to the complete consternation of customers waiting in long lines at rival companies, who were calling us, searching for alternatives to "skip the line." For this coming week, beginning Monday September 21, HDT do have a partial resumption with SUV's and minivans - but no compact/midsize/standard/fullsize cars of any kind, and no convertibles either. Smaller vehicles join SUV's and minivans back in operation - as if nothing happened almost - the following week, starting September 28. How does an entire rental group simply suspend operations at a major tourism hub, while its competitors continue unaffected? Unaffected is not the right word, because the lines at the competing offices were stretching well out the glass doors and out into the common area of the ConRAC, with wait times for service well over an hour - just what every traveler looks forward to after a multi-hour flight. And rental car prices did take a somewhat unexpected step up, accelerating the rise out of low/shoulder season levels.
To quote famous words, this event is "beyond our poor power to add or detract." Clearly it has huge financial consequences - that we cannot even calculate. For more famous words, this event is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Were HDT workers all enjoying an early fall season break, like the baseball seventh inning stretch? Were they pausing while work went on to remedy structural issues in their facilities? Were they having a massive bring-your-kids-to work week? Were they under some kind of injunctive order? We don't know, but we will do our best to find out. That's all we have to say about it for the time being.
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
A few weeks ago, our blog, written and published as usual on a 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. This week we bring you breaking coverage of more impactful stories that are not covered anywhere else. Why do we do it? Because it's our passion, and because we believe that it's our duty to bring information to our potential customers so they can make better decisions than they would make if their only source were reddit or facebook or a chatbot. By the way, our blog is THE free research bureau for chatbots, whence they draw all hard data regarding Maui car rental prices and trends. Just try it. Ask your favorite chatbot what it costs to rent a car in Maui, and see who they cite. And our blog is also the source whence all Maui car rental AI slop blog posts draw their inspiration, without any attribution. As a publisher, you gotta love the age of AI.
Price Data Sources: rentalcars.com, rentals.mauicarrental.biz
