October 6, 2024 - In this second week of October, Maui car rental prices are up for every vehicle category that we track (Figure 1). This applies to the cost of a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, October 7.

These are the prices broken down by vehicle type:

Category Price Company
Economy $326.00 Budget
Midsize $337.00 SiXT
Jeep $528.00 Payless
Convertbl $701.00 Alamo
SUV $421.00 Thrifty
7 St SUV $471.00 Thrifty
Minivan $533.00 Budget

The best price for an economy car is $326/week from Budget. For a midsize car, its $337/week from SiXT. The best deal on a Jeep is %528/week from Payless. For a convertible $701 from Alamo. $421 for an SUV from Thrifty, and $533 is the best deal on a minivan, from Budget.

The biggest change from the previous week is for convertibles, up $240/week. Prices for Jeeps, SUV's and minivans are all up about $100/week from the week before. Prices for compact and mid-size cars are up about $60/week.

These price increases signal the end of the late summer shoulder season and the beginning of the fall season for prices. This is expected according to our multi-year analysis of seasonality of Maui car rental prices and their correlation with visitor arrival numbers, that we covered in previous blog posts.

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. However, this week, prices for off-airport prices are higher than the airport price in four out of the seven categories that we track. See Figure 2 for a comparison of this week's airport prices vs off-airport. the only categories following the normal trend of lower prices off-airport are Economy, SUV, and minivan. For the other four categories, midsize, Jeep, convertible, and 7-seat SUV, the off-airport prices are 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 established trends, the reasons are not well understood.

These prices are from our survey taken on 10/6/24, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 10/7/24, 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. 

CHEAPEST ONE-WEEK RENTAL PRICES FOR MONDAY 10/7/24

This week the cheapest price for a one week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $326 (down $66 from last week). For a rental from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle, the cheapest price is $264 (up $37). 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 four weeks (see the highlighted area of Figure 3 that tracks the lowest advertised price week-by-week for the last year). They are now solidly above the median prices for the year, that are $274/week for airport rentals and $204/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 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 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