September 8, 2024 - The summer holidays are over and the fall/winter travel season is still down the road. This is the classic September "shoulder season" scenario. For most vehicle categories, Maui car rental prices are hovering near their lows for the year. They are expected to stay low until early October, when travel to the islands begins to pick up again. We believe that rental companies take advantage of this slow-down to perform their fleet rotations - replacing older vehicles with new ones. This limits the number of available vehicles during the transition, and this explains why rates in some vehicle categories have ticked upward even without a supporting rise in visitor numbers.

CHEAPEST ONE-WEEK RENTAL PRICES FOR MONDAY 9/9/24

This week the cheapest price for a one week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $239 (up $5 from last week). For a rental from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle, the cheapest price is $167 (down $16). These prices include all taxes and fees, but they do not include insurance or any other optional add-ons like roadside assistance or re-fueling.

For 2024, the median prices so far for a one-week car rental were $277/week from the airport (which is $38 more than this week's price) and $203/week for an off-airport rental ($36 more than this week's price). This week's prices for airport rentals and off-airport rentals are both below their medians, which reflects a low season level. '

These rates are for the lowest advertised price on an economy or compact vehicle. We also track the price for various other vehicle categories (mid-size, SUV, Jeep, convertible, minivan) that cost more - you can find these below. Rates are down from the previous week across all vehicle categories except Jeeps and convertibles, that are almost unchanged.

We collect Maui car rental price data as part of our weekly survey of car rental prices for a one-week rental. Every Sunday, we check prices for a one-week rental beginning the following day, Monday. The companies included in the survey are Ace, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, NU, Payless, SiXT, and Thrifty. See our blog post on customer satisfaction ratings for these Maui car rental companies.

The lowest advertised rate week by week for the entire last year is shown in the accompanying chart.

MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICE SURVEY BY VEHICLE CATEGORY FOR 9/9/24

Below, we present the tabulated results of the lowest advertised price, based on our survey taken on 9/8/24, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 9/9/24, for seven vehicle categories, Economy Car, Midsize Car, Convertible, Jeep, SUV, 7-passenger SUV, and Minivan. The companies covered in this survey are the same listed above. The results are also shown in the accompanying chart.

For each vehicle category, we list the lowest price for both airport rentals and off-airport rentals, with the name of the company offering that price. The numbers are illustrated in the price chart that accompanies this post.

Usually, more than 90% of the time, this last-minute price is the lowest available price for the rental, lower than a price booked in advance. See our research on When is The Best Time to Book a Car in Maui.

Category Off-OGG Co, OGG Co.
Economy $167.00 ACE $239.00 Payless
Midsize $170.00 ACE $281.00 Payless
Jeep - - $439.00 Thrifty
Convertbl - - $820.00 Budget
SUV $304.00 ACE $302.00 Thrifty
7 St SUV $399.00 NU $368.00 Thrifty
Minivan $375.00 ACE $364.00 Dollar

THIS WEEK'S SIGNIFICANT TRENDS IN MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICES

1. Prices for convertibles are continuing a four-week upward trend that is bringing them close to their highs for the year..
2. Prices for minivans and Jeeps are reversing a multi-week downward trend, ticking up from the last week.
3. Off-airport rentals are showing zero availability for Jeeps and convertibles. This may be due to fleet rotations or it could be a software glitch.
4. Prices for other vehicle categories (economy, mid-size, SUV) have not changed much from last week and staying in low-season-range.

This week introduce a new chart that illustrates the price trends for different vehicle categories (left). It is intended to bring out some of the significant changes occurring week-to-week for specific vehicle types.

HOW TO CHECK RATES AND AVAILABILITY FOR MAUI CAR RENTAL

Either click through to to our Cars & Rates 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.

Price Data Sources: rentalcars.com, rentals.mauicarrental.biz