Maui Car Rental Prices Got Slammed By Hurricane Lala in August 2026
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
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 bring rental car prices in Maui, that were already at lower shoulder season levels for August, down to levels not seen in a long time. For example, minivans and large SUV's were available for just $364/week from the airport. This is a fraction of their median price over the last year. Keep reading for all the details.
HOW MUCH IS THE CHEAPEST MAUI RENTAL CAR ON AUGUST 17, 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, August 17, 2026.
Category Price Company
Economy $268 Thrifty
Midsize $343 Thrifty
Jeep $409 Alamo
Convertible $447 SiXT
SUV $330 Payless
7 St SUV $364 Thrifty
Minivan $364 Dollar
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 $268/week. Mid-size cars are starting at $343/week, also at Thrifty. Jeeps are starting at $409/week, from Alamo. Convertibles start at $447/week, from Sixt. The cheapest standard SUV's are just $330/week, at Payless. Large 7-seat SUV's are not much more, only $364/week, at Thrifty. Minivans, are being offered at that same price, $364/week, at Dollar.
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 August 17, 2026 has changed from the week before, for every vehicle category:
Category This week Last Change Economy $268 $262 +2%
Midsize $343 $302 +14%
Jeep $409 $533 -23%
Convertible $447 $735 -39%
SUV $330 $507 -35%
7 st SUV $364 $603 -40%
Minivan $364 $803 -55%
This week, prices for economy/compact and midsize cars showed relatively small increases from last week. But prices on everything else dropped like a rock, down to low levels not seen in the last year.
The lowest price for a compact cars is up 2% from last week - nearly the same, Midsize cars were up 14%. For all other categories, prices were down. Jeeps were down 23%. Convertibles, down 39%. Standard SUVs, down 35%. Large SUV's down 40%. And minivans were down more than half, by 55%. At $364/week, minivans are at their lowers price since May 2025, in the depths of last year's spring shoulder season, before the July safety recall on Chrysler minivans sent prices for minivans and SUV's soaring.
Prices for this week and last week, with the percentage change week-to-week, are illustrated in Figure 2.
These low prices are great news for travelers. But will prices stay at these levels? The storm passed causing relatively little damage across Hawaii. So travel is expected to return quickly back to the level before the storm. Which means that a quick snap back to a higher level on the categories currently discounted is highly likely in the next week. From there, prices should hold at a steady low shoulder season level until mid-September, when cold weather in the mainland US and Canada kicks off the fall travel season and higher prices for Maui car rentals .
HOW DO THIS WEEK'S PRICES COMPARE TO THE 52-WEEK MEDIAN PRICE?
To put this week's prices in proper context, we compare them for the median price in each category taken over the last 52 weeks. The current prices for the week of August 17 are compared to their corresponding medians, with the relative discount, in the next table
Category Currne Median Discount Economy $268 $351 -24%
Midsize $343 $513 -33%
Jeep $409 $875 -53%
Convertbl $447 $785 -43%
SUV $330 $602 -45%
7 st SUV $364 $1,007 -64%
Minivan $364 $885 -59% These numbers are illustrated in Figure 3.
The median prices are based on data we have collected week-by-week over the last year. The median gives a reasonable idea or yardstick for what one might expect to pay, but without accounting for seasonality or special factors.
This week, every category is deeply discounted from its 52-week median.
Compact cars are at 24% discount from their median price over the last 52 weeks. For midsize cars, the discount is 33%. For Jeeps, it is a deep discount of 53%. For convertibles, it is 43%, comparable to standard SUVs, that are discounted by 45%. Large 7-seat SUV's and minivans, that have been the high flyers over the last year, because of the minivan safety recall, have the deepest discounts this week: prices are off 64% from the median for for the large SUVs, and 59% off for minivans.
It takes an external shock like a passing hurricane or a tropical storm (like those that hit the islands in March) to produce a price reduction of this magnitude. In some ways, this gives an idea of the operating profit margin that rental companies are able to extract. We doubt that they are willing to price below break-even, even in the toughest circumstances. So we deduce that their operating margins on the various vehicles are of the same order as this week's discounts. Is this shameless profiteering, or is it just capitalism. You choose how to label it. It's "Nice work, if you can get it - and you can get it if you try" is the thought that comes to mind.
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.
Price Data Sources: rentalcars.com, rentals.mauicarrental.biz
