September 1, 2024 - An upward bump in Maui car rental prices is usually expected on holidays. But for this Labor Day holiday, prices are staying in low season territory, with prices on Jeeps and Minivans at or near their lowest level so far in 2024.

CHEAPEST ONE-WEEK RENTAL PRICES FOR MONDAY 9/2/24

This week the cheapest price for a one week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $234 (unchanged from last week). For a rental from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle, the cheapest price is $183 (up $17). 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 $278/week from the airport (which is $45 more than this week's price) and $203/week for an off-airport rental ($20 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.

LOW SEASON PRICES ARE NORMAL FOR LABOR DAY

The expectation of higher prices for the Labor Day holiday runs against the historical price data for this date. We reviewed data on weekly visitor arrivals for five consecutive years from 2013-2018. There is no indication of any bump in visitor arrivals for the Labor Day holiday. The average of weekly arrivals taken over those five years shows arrivals staying flat at a lower-than average low season level from mid-August through late October. These findings are illustrated in the accompanying chart. There is no Labor day bump in arrivals in the five-year average. So if a bump were to occur in Maui's visitor arrivals for the Labor day holiday, this should be considered unusual and it would be inconsistent with historical trends.

The same goes for Maui car rental prices. We tracked prices week-by-week for five consecutive years, from 2013 to 2018. The price data show the same pattern as the visitor arrivals data, with prices staying at a low-season level from mid-August until late September. So the visitor arrival numbers and the pricing numbers are in perfect agreement and they both confirm that a bump in price for Maui car rentals is not to be expected for the Labor day holiday. Our price data are shown in the accompanying chart.

Our research shows this clear pattern in arrivals and in price, however it does not show us the reasons behind this pattern. Labor Day is regarded as a popular travel holiday across the US. But our data on visitor arrivals and Maui car rental prices seem to show that travelers choose to go anywhere but Maui for the holiday, consistently, year after year.

MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICE SURVEY BY VEHICLE CATEGORY FOR 9/2/24

Below, we present the tabulated results of the lowest advertised price, based on our survey conducted on 9/1/24, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 8/26/24, 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. 

Interesting Notes:

1. Once again, Ace and NU share the lead in prices for the off-airport category.
2. Prices on Jeeps have continued their downward trend.
3. In an unusual reversal, the price on an off-airport Jeep rental is lower than the airport price - and not just a little bit.
4. Prices for minivans are near their lowest levels for the year.

Category Off-OGG Co, OGG Co.
Economy $183.00 NU $234.00 Payless
Midsize $236.00 ACE $276.00 Payless
Jeep $646.00 ACE $318.00 Budget
Convertbl $508.00 NU $639.00 Alamo
SUV $285.00 ACE $302.00 Thrifty
7 St SUV $428.00 NU $368.00 Thrifty
Minivan $260.00 ACE $373.00 Payless

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