Car Rental Prices Doubling (March 2021 thread)

[VictorB]

We casually checked prices a month ago for MKO ad MOC and prices were around $437 for the week in Honolulu and $365 in Maui for a Ford Fusion or Impala. Today they are $300++ - some over $800 for the week. Crazy things going on. I checked with Autoslasher and nothing better

 

[dlpearson]

Hawaii car rental prices have been much higher-than-usual for many months......

 

[MULTIZ321]

$300 a day for a Kia Rio. Why rental cars prices have gone insane.

$300 a day for a Kia Rio. Why rental cars prices have gone insane

Here's what you need to know if you're planning on a spring break trip to Orlando next week: Renting a car — if you can find one — could cost you at least $300 a day. That's possibly more than you'll spend for air fare, hotel rooms or tickets to theme parks.

www.cnn.com

Richard

 

[VictorB]

$300 a day for a Kia Rio. Why rental cars prices have gone insane.

$300 a day for a Kia Rio. Why rental cars prices have gone insane

Here's what you need to know if you're planning on a spring break trip to Orlando next week: Renting a car — if you can find one — could cost you at least $300 a day. That's possibly more than you'll spend for air fare, hotel rooms or tickets to theme parks.

www.cnn.com

Richard

I saw that and that is why I rechecked my quotes and the autosalsher quote went from $444 to $890

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I made my reservations around New Years day for our August trip to Kauai. Looking good.

Not only that I made two reservations, figuring that I could decide which one I wanted to keep. Now, I'm pretty sure I'll keep both of them if family members join us.

 

[VictorB]

I did not make reservations back then because someone on this Forum said he would never make reservations so far out. Guess you get what you pay for (advice wise)

 

[PigsDad]

I did not make reservations back then because someone on this Forum said he would never make reservations so far out. Guess you get what you pay for (advice wise)

I don't understand that advice. Since there are no fees to cancel a car rental reservation, what possible downside is there to making one even if it is many months out? For my vacation planning, after the dates are set I make my car reservations, and then check back occasionally and re-book if a lower price comes along.

Kurt

 

[VictorB]

I did get one in Honolulu for $385 all in for mid-size... yeah. Now on to Maui

 

[dgalati]

I was in Scottsdale last weekend and booked a car 2 months in adavance with Costco for $186. The car would have been $340 if I picked up at PHX airport. Lyft ride from and to airport was $20 each way. The guy at rental counter in Scottsdale said Budget was sold out with no cars available and the week before he was renting cars at the last minute for $150-180 a day. Another couple at the Wyndham Scottsdale was renting a Uhaul pickup for transportation.

 

[Firepath]

I've noticed that everywhere, not just Hawaii. Demand will be high once we get vaccinated.

 

[dougp26364]

Rental agencies dump/sold a lot of their inventory when demand plummeted and they needed cash to stay afloat. Now the demand is higher than the supply everywhere. We had reserved a car long ago in Fort Meyers. I kept searching but prices kept climbing higher. A week before our arrival they were sold out and stayed that way.

I’m reserving early and continuing to search, just like I’ve always done. Maybe in the future things will return to normal as demand return and stabilizes at their previous levels.

 

[mdurette]

I found the same thing for a recent trip to Orlando. I typically pay around $200-$250 for a full size and I never saw it budge less than $525. We were staying on-site at WDW so I ended up letting them be our transportation and just used Lyft the couple times I needed.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

We are lucky with a good rental car rate out of Santa Fe for 2 weeks mid-April. Booked Enterprise thru Costco in January and the last time I checked their website the price had risen over $200. Our daughter & husband are meeting us in Ruidoso flying into El Paso and their rental car, booked within the last couple of weeks, is running $137 for 4 days.

Initially I'd looked into flying into Albuquerque since we head to Taos after Ruidoso, but that city has high taxes on rental cars- not just at the airport but at all off-site agencies- unless you are a New Mexico resident!

 

[Synergy]

We're looking at $1000+ for nine days from either SLC or BZN for our grand Yellowstone/Glacier adventure this summer. I'm watching frequently but it's just staying high =/. Two different timeshares booked that week, and we'll pay just as much for the rental car, yuck.

 

[TUGBrian]

hope some folks still check priceline via the TUG affiliate link!

Priceline.com - The Best Deals on Hotels, Flights and Rental Cars.

Deep Discounts on Hotels, Flights and Rental Cars. Get Exclusive Savings with Priceline.com.

www.dpbolvw.net

 

[bogey21]

I found the same thing for a recent trip to Orlando. I typically pay around $200-$250 for a full size and I never saw it budge less than $525.

My Son just got back from Orlando. He rented from Budget for 3 days at $14 per day for a small SUV. I notice he got charged $5.75 after turning in his car. I suspect it was for tolls...

George

 

[VictorB]

Decided to go with Priceline offer of $644 for Rav 4 in Maui - better than the $890 I had seen but not the $340 I saw back in January. Figured I better lock it in - the only way to get it was to pay in full. Thought the would only be going higher - it is over labor day weekend

 

[iowateach]

I typically pay about $280 with Hertz for a car in Palm Springs no matter what time of year I travel. I’ve been watching car prices for the last month for an April trip. They have been going up daily. Right now all companies are over $400 for a week and many cars are sold out.

 

[AndySamuels]

Paid $240 for a Nissan Altima for a Sunday to Friday Vegas trip this past week. With AVIS corporate discount. That is not bad.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

This should boost Uber and Lyft use.

 

[tahoe]

If you work for a large company, check if you can use their corporate rate for leisure use.

 

[boraxo]

If you work for a large company, check if you can use their corporate rate for leisure use.

This is good advice - Avis allows us to use the company AWD code and it usually brings up the lowest rates. Costco is also a good option. And then kayak.
Good reminder to book for summer travel now if you ha e figured out your plans.

 

[PDX Matthew]

We are going to Maui in June - I always book plane tickets and car as soon as accommodation is confirmed, which was last week. I often book a car via the airline but this time that option was over $1,000, I ended up getting a RAV4 sized car for $450 with cheap-o-air.

I had to use a rental car this week when my car was in the shop. The agent at Enterprise was telling me there is a shortage of new cars because there is a shortage of a specific microprocessor that all cars need. She was even having to pay a much higher price for a car on an upcoming trip because of the shortage - her employee discount wasn’t helping much.

 

[AndySamuels]

I use Uber (cheap but X is annoying with the wait) or cabs (expensive) when I drink (a lot).

 

[littlestar]

My niece’s reservation was cancelled two days before her vacation started. She received a call from Dollar that they were over sold. Luckily her son lives in Orlando and they were able to borrow his fiance’s car