How much do you expect to pay for car rental in Hawaii?

[Quilter]

Currently we have points reservations for 9 nights Maui and 7 night Oahu. What have you found for the best prices for car rentals?

 

[TravelJoy]

~30-40/d depending on where you want to go Kauai and Oahu both have great bus transportation, car rental not needed, you can be selective about the days you rent; Maui and BI you should get a car as both have poor public transit

 

[Luanne]

I start my rental search using Costco. I book something, then keep checking back. There are certain companies I won't rent from so I don't always get the lowest price.

Other places to chack are Discount Hawaii Car Rentals and AutoSlash. If you have a corporate discount that usually has the best prices.

 

[Luanne]

~30-40/d depending on where you want to go Kauai and Oahu both have great bus transportation, car rental not needed, you can be selective about the days you rent

I had never thought of Kauai having great bus transportation. What is you want to go to the Waimea Canyon or out to Hanalei?

 

[TravelJoy]

I had never thought of Kauai having great bus transportation. What is you want to go to the Waimea Canyon or out to Hanalei?

That is what I mean there are only some places where you can be selective about a car rental but for the most part the bus was fine.

 

[zentraveler]

That is what I mean there are only some places where you can be selective about a car rental but for the most part the bus was fine.

I don't think I have ever seen a public bus on Kauai. We have been there a lot - Princeville and Poipu, and would not want to be there without a car.

 

[JIMinNC]

We have rented from Budget in the past, but have switched to National the last couple of trips due to some bad experiences with Budget.

We used to rent convertibles, but except for the time we got a brand new BMW 430i convertible in Kona, we got tired of the awful Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros. On our last trip we reserved midsize with National, but due to Emerald Club membership, we’re able to choose small SUVs instead on Kauai, Maui, and in Kona. For a week, with all taxes and fees, we paid just under $600/week on Kauai and Maui and just under $700 for the week in Kona. That was much better than the $1000-$1200 we always paid in the past for a week in a subpar Mustang or Camaro convertible.

These were Jan/Feb 2025 rates.

 

[easyrider]

Currently we have points reservations for 9 nights Maui and 7 night Oahu. What have you found for the best prices for car rentals?

Maui can be a bit more expensive for the car rental but often times the resort has free parking. Oahu seems to have better car rental rates but often times, especially in Waikiki, you may have to pay to park. The best pricing for both is usually through discounthawaiicarrental.com but since many people rent through this site, getting the car when you arrive can be a long wait, unless someone goes to the rental office as soon as you get off the airplane, while someone else gathers the luggage.

Auto slash and Costco are other good places to check.

Bill

Discount Hawaii Car Rental - Affordable Since 1999

Discount Hawaii Car Rental has provided the best rates and customer service since 1999. Rentals are available across all Hawaiian islands.

www.discounthawaiicarrental.com

 

[TravelJoy]

I don't think I have ever seen a public bus on Kauai. We have been there a lot - Princeville and Poipu, and would not want to be there without a car.

No issues since it's a small island. We had no issues getting around by bus even to and from Airport and we were in Princeville. Rented a car for a couple of days to reach some far off places but no need for a car otherwise.

Kauai Bus Schedules

Printed SchedulesRoute 30 KoloaRoute 60 KapahiRoute 70 LihueRoute 100 Kekaha to LihueRoute 200 Lihue to KekahaRoute 400 Hanalei to LihueRoute 500 Lihue to HanaleiRoute 800-850 Wailua/Lihue Bus Stop ApplicationTo Request a NEW Bus stop please fill out the following application...

www.kauai.gov

 

[SmithOp]

Use Autoslash to monitor prices. I had a Hertz reservation from Kona for a mid size it was $600 for 12 days. Autoslash found a full size with Budget for $460. I am here now and they gave me a KIA K5.

 

[Luanne]

No issues since it's a small island. We had no issues getting around by bus even to and from Airport and we were in Princeville. Rented a car for a couple of days to reach some far off places but no need for a car otherwise.

Kauai Bus Schedules

Printed SchedulesRoute 30 KoloaRoute 60 KapahiRoute 70 LihueRoute 100 Kekaha to LihueRoute 200 Lihue to KekahaRoute 400 Hanalei to LihueRoute 500 Lihue to HanaleiRoute 800-850 Wailua/Lihue Bus Stop ApplicationTo Request a NEW Bus stop please fill out the following application...

www.kauai.gov

Well since the original question was about car rentals for Oahu and Maui our discussion about rentals on Kauai is kin of moot.

 

[vacationtime1]

You don't need a car if you are staying at Waikiki. I wouldn't be without one anywhere else. How will you get to Costco? How will you get to the beaches? How will you get to restaurants at night? It's a vacation; you don't want to be waiting at the bus stop.

For the best price, reserve and then re-check prices over and over and over. Prices change randomly.

 

[zentraveler]

You don't need a car if you are staying at Waikiki. I wouldn't be without one anywhere else. How will you get to Costco? How will you get to the beaches? How will you get to restaurants at night? It's a vacation; you don't want to be waiting at the bus stop.

For the best price, reserve and then re-check prices over and over and over. Prices change randomly.

Completely agree. Oahu has a fabulous bus system - cheap, reliable - and you can get anywhere, but especially around Waikiki, Chinatown, Diamond heat etc. I wrote a review of this in the past including how to get a senior pass and if you end up going there and are interested. That is one island I would never rent a car unless I was staying in Ko Olina or that far side of the island.

 

[TolmiePeak]

They need to bring the Waymos to Hawaii so the tourists won't need rent cars to get around.

 

[zentraveler]

They need to bring the Waymos to Hawaii so the tourists won't need rent cars to get around.

Why Waymo in particular? The usual ride share companies are here and available for use. I have used them and others have used them from the airports.

 

[geist1223]

During our last trip to Oahu we stayed at the Modern Honolulu. Did not get a car rental. We walked or took the Public Bus. When we went to Snorkeling the Company pickup us up at the Resort. Same for Polynesian Center.

 

[Quilter]

Completely agree. Oahu has a fabulous bus system - cheap, reliable - and you can get anywhere, but especially around Waikiki, Chinatown, Diamond heat etc. I wrote a review of this in the past including how to get a senior pass and if you end up going there and are interested. That is one island I would never rent a car unless I was staying in Ko Olina or that far side of the island.

We’re staying at Ko’Olina

 

[zentraveler]

We’re staying at Ko’Olina

We have stayed there (at the Marriott) too several times but not for a few years. I know people have posted about this but I think the general idea is that if you plan to stay at Ko Olina on in that general walkable area (very easy to do - several hotels, restaurants etc) you can do without a car. You can get some kind of shuttle to the hotel, a ride share to Kapolei area (4.7 mi/ 10 min ride) with LOTS of shops (including a Costco), restaurants etc. and I think you can do just fine like that.

If you want to go into Waikiki or explore the island you may be able to do a day car rental fro the resort. I don't know how long you are staying but parking yourself there after one grocery shop in Kapolei is not a bad and if you are at the Marriott they have a fairly substantial market and there is a small shopping center not too far (could be walking distance).

There is something peaceful about not having a car, and although we always get one so we can tour the island , you can do without one there. Just use ride shares. Undoubtedly cheaper in the end.

 

[easyrider]

Completely agree. Oahu has a fabulous bus system - cheap, reliable - and you can get anywhere, but especially around Waikiki, Chinatown, Diamond heat etc. I wrote a review of this in the past including how to get a senior pass and if you end up going there and are interested. That is one island I would never rent a car unless I was staying in Ko Olina or that far side of the island.

One trip our rental car shuttle never showed up and the rental car facility was off airport. I think it was Ace. Anyway, we ended up talking to a couple that were heading to Waikiki on the bus with their luggage so we decided to hop on. It was $5 and took 40 minutes. It dropped us off pretty much in front of our check in office.

I did end up renting a car after a couple of days and we did take the bus back to the airport. I'm almost thinking that the bus was faster than driving.

Bill

 

[zentraveler]

One trip our rental car shuttle never showed up and the rental car facility was off airport. I think it was Ace. Anyway, we ended up talking to a couple that were heading to Waikiki on the bus with their luggage so we decided to hop on. It was $5 and took 40 minutes. It dropped us off pretty much in front of our check in office.

I did end up renting a car after a couple of days and we did take the bus back to the airport. I'm almost thinking that the bus was faster than driving.

Bill

It seems the OP is going to Ko Olina. And as much as I love The Bus, they make it clear that you can't bring luggage from the airport but maybe you didn't have much. It is bit of a hassle, but if one goes to Oahu often enough the Senior Pass is one of the best deals on the planet.

 

[easyrider]

It seems the OP is going to Ko Olina. And as much as I love The Bus, they make it clear that you can't bring luggage from the airport but maybe you didn't have much. It is bit of a hassle, but if one goes to Oahu often enough the Senior Pass is one of the best deals on the planet.

We had a full sized ruck sack, back pack and two carry on's and the other couple had carry on's for the bus ride from the airport to Waikiki. It wasn't crowded or even half way full. I think luggage is allowed on the Oahu bus.

We stayed a KoOlina and had an owners unit so we didn't have to pay to park. I agree that KoOlina is definitely a place where a car rental is best.

Bill

 

[Shiba]

Costco all the way. We got 7/day reservation for $395 on Maui. Check prices often as they fluctuate. This reservation started at over $600 and over the months price dropped.

 

[PigsDad]

~30-40/d

$210-$280/week all in is not a reasonable expectation for a week’s rental in Hawaii these days. I’d budget $500/week and be happy if it was anything less.

Kurt

 

[eddeeeee]

I have a Maui reservation for 7 days in May for $329 for a Ford Edge or equivalent from budget. It was originally over $500 when I booked it 5 months ago, but it has steadily declined in price over the past 2 months. I would say that I have paid anywhere from the mid 200's to mid 700's, depending on the year and type of car. Almost always use budget.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Everybody be careful. We won't need google if y'all can pin this down so quickly & easily. Then what would happen to google's (oops "Alphabet"'s) $2 Trillion valuation?