Maui Car Rental

Absolutely not. If you pick the right place to stay, you can be in walking distance to stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and beaches. Instacart can bring you groceries, Uber Eats can bring you restaurant food. For day trips, you can take the bus to other locations away from your area. Ubers are readily available in all populated areas of the island.

On the other hand, you might want a rental car if you think you might enjoy driving the renowned Road to Hana, or you want to explore other rural and backcountry areas of Maui. Then consider whether you need the car for your entire stay, if it is just going to sit parked at the condo or hotel most of the time.

What if you feel you need constant distraction, and can never sit still, unless it's behind the wheel of a speeding car? Then do it, rent that car!

Smart Local Guide: Check the Maui Bus Routes.

Rent whatever you are comfortable driving. Rent a car that you are familiar with - the chance of any incident is much lower if you do. Make sure it can fit you, your travel companions, and your luggage - and that you can get in and out of comfortably if you have a bad knee, bad back, or bad hip.

The roads in Maui are normal paved roads, so you do not need any special kind of car to get around. Unless you are staying in a remote AirBnB served by a privately maintained (read un-maintained) dirt or gravel road, with ruts deep enough to swallow an entire Toyota Corolla, you do not need a Jeep or a truck. Inquire about access with your local host or property manager.

Smart Touring Tip: Read about no-go areas for Maui rental cars.

Break-ins and theft from rental cars (or any other cars) do occur in Paradise, just like they do anywhere else in the world.

You might think that these incidents are more likely to occur at remote roadside pull-outs or trail-heads, but in fact, if you consult the Lexis Nexis Community Crime map for Maui, and filter for vehicle break-ins, you find that most of those reported were in the more densely populated areas of the island.

Break-ins can happen even in hotel and condo parking areas that seem safe and secure. Never leave your wallet, purse, or phone in the car. Pack a list of numbers to call to get assistance should you need it.

Smart Safety Tip: Never leave your car unlocked with the keys in it.

You need physical (not electronic) versions of a valid driver license and credit card or debit card.

For payment by debit card, an additional hold on funds may be required.

With a driver license from outside the US or Canada, a passport is required.

Usually the name on the credit card and the driver license or passport must match.

Smart International Traveler Hack: Read about our special deals - with insurance - for international visitors..

For nearly all rentals, the minimum age is 20. Some rental companies do charge additional fees for renters under 25. These fees vary, they can be $25/day or more.

Drivers 20-24, it can get confusing, but we can help you navigate the options and restrictions, just call us at 808-280-1196 if you need help figuring things out.

Drivers aged 18 and 19: You are basically out of luck - we do not know of any legitimate options for you.

Smart Young Driver Hack: Check our special deals for drivers under 25, for a discounted fee of just $8/day (on top of the regular rental cost).

Yes, you can, but it might cost you. Counter staff are unscrupulous about charging you the maximum rate, even if discounts are available, because they think they have you in between a rock and a hard place - and their incentives and commission depend on it.

Smart Last-Minute Hack: If you have a smartphone, and want to save some money, book your rental car with an Online Travel Agent (OTA) site like ours right before walking into the rental office. It will save you a bundle, or even, it might get you availability when the counter may otherwise tell you that there is none.

Or call us at 808-280-1196, and we'll handle it for you.