October 20, 2024 - Maui car rental prices are up from last week for every vehicle category except minivans. Minivan prices have dropped 44% for airport rentals and 33% for off-airport rentals, bringing the minivan price down to its a low season level of $364/week from the airport and $268 off-airport. All other vehicle types have continued to rise into their high-season range. The unexpected drop in the price has made minivans the cheapest vehicles to rent for this week, cheaper than any other vehicle type. (see Figure 1).

Why has the price for a minivan dropped so low? How long will it stay at this level? We don't know. The movement in the price could be caused by adjustments in inventory levels at the car rental companies or it could be caused by competitive pressures. Usually minivans are one of the highest price categories. This reversal in the price structure comes as a complete surprise.

CHEAPEST PRICES FOR THIS WEEK FROM OGG

These are the cheapest one week rental prices for each vehicle type, from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), with the change from the previous week:

Category Price Change
Economy $392 +$23
Midsize $450 +$73
Jeep $599 +$13
Convertbl $922 +$349
SUV $552 +$149
7 St SUV $578 +$3
Minivan $364 -$286

The best price for an economy car is $392/week from Thrifty. For a midsize car, it's $450/week, from Dollar. The best deal on a Jeep is $599/week from Payless. For a convertible it's a whopping $922/week from Thrifty, with $552 for an SUV from SiXT, and $364 is the very unusual low price on a minivan, from Dollar.

These prices apply for the cost of a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, October 21. The price includes all taxes and fees, but does not include optional items like supplemental liability insurance, collision and comprehensive, roadside assistance, and so on.

WHY HAVE PRICES BEEN RISING IN OCTOBER?

Apart from minivans, prices for every vehicle category have gone up steadily every week for six weeks in a row. This increase is expected according to our seasonal pricing model which is based on a multi-year analysis of seasonality of Maui car rental prices and their correlation with visitor arrival numbers. We covered this analysis in previous blog posts for details, see for example Maui Car Rental Prices Stay In Low Season Range For Labor Day Holiday. Based on the historical data, prices for Maui rental cars can be e xpected to rise every October, transitioning from low-season summer pricing to their high-season levels for the winter.

AIRPORT PRICES VS. OFF-AIRPORT

The prices listed above are all for rentals from the airport. Usually, cheaper prices are available for rentals from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle. But this week, prices are mixed, with off-airport prices higher for economy cars, Jeeps, and SUV's. See Figure 2 for a comparison of this week's airport prices versus off-airport. For the other two categories, where both options were available, midsize and minivan, the airport price was higher.

We've covered the reasons for higher airport prices, including the additional taxes and fees and the "convenience premium" that rental companies charge, in a previous blog post comparing airport prices with off-airport prices. However, when prices go against the establishe d trends, the reasons are not well understood.

These prices are from our survey taken on 10/20/24, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 10/21/24, for seven vehicle categories, Economy Car, Midsize Car, Convertible, Jeep, SUV, 7-passenger SUV, and Minivan. The rental companies covered in the survey are Ace, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, NU, Payless, SiXT, and Thrifty. For more info on the companies we cover, see our blog post on customer satisfaction ratings for these Maui car rental companies. 

ECONOMY/COMPACT CAR PRICES FOR MONDAY 10/21/24

Normally prices for this category are the lowest prices available, but not this week. This week the cheapest price for a one week car rental of a compact car from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $392 (up $23 from last week). For a rental from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle, the cheapest price is $424 (up $151). 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.

Prices for both airport and off-airport prices have been on an increasing trend for the last five weeks (see the highlighted area of Figure 3). In this chart, we've tracked the lowest advertised price week-by-week for the last year. Prices are now solidly above the median price for the year, which as of this date is $277/week for airport rentals and $207/week for off-airport locations served by shuttle from the airport. Prices above the median are an indication of a transition from low-season discount pricing to stronger seasonal pricing.

We monitor 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 lowest advertised rate week by week for the entire last year is shown in the accompanying chart (Figure 3), for both airport and off-airport categories.

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.

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