May 12, 2024 - Maui car rental rates are at or near their cheapest levels for the year. The off-airport rate is $146.90 per week, down $3 from last week. The airport rate is up $20, at $245.69 per week. See Figure 1 for the weekly rate chart. 

This week's cheap rate for off-airport rental is near the record low $146.17/week from September 2023. 

CHEAP MAUI CAR RENTAL RATES ARE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR

Normally, Maui car rental rates vary on a regular annual schedule, with rates for the months of May and June falling in the "low season" grouping, the cheapest for the year. So cheaper Maui car rental rates are normal for this time of year. See Figure 2 for the master rate schedule. 

MAUI CAR RENTAL RATES ARE EVEN CHEAPER IN 2024, BECAUSE OF THE LAHAINA WILDFIRES

This year, rates are even cheaper because of the lasting impact of the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

Statistics from the state's Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) confirm that visitor arrivals in Maui are signific antly below their 2019 levels, pre-Covid. 

Visitor arrivals to Maui did recover from the Covid travel interruption, and returned to their pre-Covid levels in late 2022 and early 2023. But arrivals dropped right after the fires, and have not made a full recovery. 

The most recent numbers published by DBEDT are for March 2024. For that month, visitor arrivals to Maui were at only 76% of their level in March 2019. (See Figure 3). The daily visitor census (this means the number of visitors staying on the island on any given day) was also depressed, at only 77% of March 2019. 

What does this mean? Fewer visitor arrivals and a lower visitor census mean less demand for rental cars. This explains the unusually cheap Maui car rental rates of this spring and summer. 

CHEAPER MAUI CAR RENTAL RATES EXPECTED FOR SUMMER 2024

What does the forecast hold for the rest of the summer? The DBEDT forecast of air travel flights and seats shows that capacity for the months of May, June, and July will remain down about 25% compared to those months in 2019. (See Figure 4).

With lower visitor arrivals, Maui car rental rates are likely to remain very cheap this summer. 

CHEAPEST CAR RENTAL FROM MAUI'S KAHULUI AIRPORT (OGG)

These are the lowest advertised rates for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) beginning on Monday May 13:
Off-airport (with shuttle) $146.90 (down $3)
Airport Rentacar Center $245.69 (up $20)
Source: rentalcars.com