Apr. 19, 2026. Maui car rental prices are continuing their shift from this winter's extraordinary high levels to more affordable spring shoulder levels. The biggest move this week was for the price of minivans, that dropped by more than half, to just a notch above the $50/day level. The trend of savings for last minute bookings compared to advance bookings continued this week, as it has since the middle of March. This week, the cheapest car from Kahului Airport (OGG) is just $275 with all taxes and fees for a one-week rental - and prices are expected to continue at this level for the next few weeks. Continue reading for all the details.

Fig. 1. Prices for Maui car rental at Kahului Airport (OGG) from January 2025 to now.

HOW MUCH IS THE CHEAPEST MAUI RENTAL CAR ON APRIL 20, 2026?

Every week, we list the lowest available prices for a one-week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), for a selection of vehicle categories, with the company offering the best price. This is our overview of Maui car rental prices for the week of April 20, 2026.

Category Price Company

Economy $275 Thrifty

Midsize $324 Thrifty

Jeep $564 Alamo

Convertbl $707 Hertz

SUV $482 Sixt

7 St SUV $490 Alamo

Minivan $354 Thrifty

The prices quoted here include all applicable taxes and fees. Prices for these vehicle types charted week-to-week for the last 14 months are illustrated in Figure 1.

These are the lowest prices in every car category: The lowest price for a compact car from Kahului Airport (OGG) is with Thrifty, at $275week.. Mid-size cars are starting at $324/week, also at Thrifty. Jeeps are starting at $564/week, at Alamo. The lowest price for a convertible is $707/week, at Hertz. The cheapest standard SUV's were $482/week, at SiXT, and 7-seat SUV's are starting at $490/week, at Alamo. The cheapest minivans were just $354/week, at Thrifty.

Fig. 2. Maui car rental prices at Kahului Airport (OGG) this week and last week, with the percentage change..

HOW MUCH DID MAUI RENTAL CAR PRICES CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK?

This is how the lowest prices for a one week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) starting on April 13, 2026 have changed from the week before, for every vehicle category:

Category This week Last Change
Economy $275 $252 9%

Midsize $324 $350 -7%

Jeep $564 $516 9%

Convertbl $707 $357 98%

SUV $482 $357 35%

7 st SUV $490 $567 -14%

Minivan $354 $798 -56%

Price movements for rental cars from Kahului Airport (OGG) this week were mixed. The biggest move up was for convertibles - they very nearly doubled from last week, continuing on a volatile and unpredictable streak. It could be that the return of good weather, after weeks of storms and rain, is breathing new life into convertible demand. The biggest move down was for minivans, that came down was for minivans, that came down by more than half, to an affordable $354/week - this puts them at the lower end of their price range for the entire last year, and raises the questions of whether the minivan shortage, that began last summer with a safety recall that put hundreds of vehicles out of service, is finally coming to an end. Another notable move was an increase of 35% for standard SUV's.

Prices for this week and last week, with the percentage change week-to-week, are illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 3: This graph displays the minimum advertised prices for a one-week rental, emphasizing trends for reservations made one day, one week, and five weeks ahead.

IS IT CHEAPER TO BOOK IN ADVANCE OR WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE?

In mid-December of 2024, we began to track the movement of advance booking prices as the reservation date approaches. Every week, we check the price one week out, two weeks out, three weeks out, up to five weeks out, and save the numbers for comparison.

From mid-February of 2025 until early October, the prices available one day in advance and one week in advance were consistently lower than the price five weeks in advance (see figure 3). This indicates excess inventory that companies compete to thin out with lower prices.

However, from early October and until mid-March, bookings with short lead times - 1 week or 1 day in advance - have been consistently and sometimes significantly more expensive than advance bookings. This indicates strong demand pressure and/or supply limitations causing prices to ratchet up as the reservation date draws closer.

Mid-March (the infamous Ides of March) brought another reversal. This was precipitated in part by the violent storms that hit Hawaii and caused a disruption in travel. But from a broader perspective, this is the expected transition of price levels from high season to low season, expected at about this time of year. Prior to the mid-March reversal, prices had been ratcheting up from advance levels as the reservation date grew closer, punishing travelers who did not book far in advance. But for more than a month now, travelers have been rewarded for waiting to book closer to their travel date, rather than booking far in advance.

For tomorrow's rental of an economy car from Kahului Airport (OGG), booking today versus five weeks ago would have saved 44% or $213 on a one-week rental.

We expect this trend of last-minute savings to continue through the summer into the early fall, until cold weather returns to the Continental US and Canada, prompting the gradual acceleration of seasonal travel to Hawaii. However, note that advance booking prices have begun their descent into low season levels - see Figure 3. High prices will gradually lose their stickiness. In fact it looks like the advance prices will continue a gradual decline for the next few weeks, and for a rental five weeks from now the advance price is about the same as the discount price available today for tomorrow's rental. As more and more cheap prices become available in advance, there will be less headroom for last-minute savings - so the savings will be less dramatic than those that have been available for the last few weeks in the seasonal transition. In other words, barring unforeseen events that push prices in one direction or another, for travel in a few weeks it won't matter much whether the car rental is booked in advance or last minute, as the advance price curve will be flat.

HOW DO WE GET OUR MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICE DATA?

Prices for Maui car rentals vary from week to week, and the company offering the lowest price also changes from week to week. Furthermore, one company may be offering the lowest price in one vehicle category, for example mid-size cars, while a different company has a better price on another category, for example mini-vans.

Beginning in July 2024, we've tracked the prices on seven vehicle categories - compact, mid-size, Jeep, convertible, SUV, 7-seat SUV, and minivan - from 10 different companies at Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG): Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, SiXT, and Thrifty. Each week, for every vehicle type, we noted which company offered the lowest price. Our weekly price-tracking for the lowest price economy car category goes back to July 2023 - more than one year. These are the data for the charts we post every week.

Figure 4. Week-by-week variation of Maui car rental prices averaged over five years, from 2013 to 2018.

Previously we conducted a five-year price-tracking study for the lowest price economy car category beginning in February 2013 and continuing to February 2018. A sample of these results is in Figure 6, that shows the five-year average of the price over a one-year duration. For details of this massive price-tracking undertaking, and the most important findings on how and when to rent a car, see our blog post of July 14, 2024 titled "When is the best time to rent a car in Maui? "

HOW TO CHECK RATES AND AVAILABILITY FOR MAUI CAR RENTAL

Either click through to to our Maui car rental prices and availability 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.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Frank Saab is a thought leader in the rental car industry, quoted by influential publications like SFgate.com. He is the editor of this blog published by Frank's Friendly Cars Maui Car Rental LLC, an independent car rental company operating in Maui, Hawaii, since 2006. Frank's offers low prices on used local cars and discount prices on new cars, with a "Lowest Price Guarantee" that assures you of getting the best deal on your rental. Visit our website at www.mauicarrental.biz, or call us at 808-280-1196.

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