September 21, 2025 - Coming into late September, Maui car rental prices are staying in the low season/shoulder season range, near their lowest levels for the entire year, and not yet showing much sigh of upward movement into the fall travel season range, which would normally be expected this time of year. The price for the cheapest car from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is just $255/week with all taxes and fees included. The off-airport alternative is substantially cheaper at only $173/week. This week's best value deal is once again a Jeep rental at about $49/day from Budget. This week we present a preview of a long-term analysis of airport prices versus off-airport prices. Keep reading for all the details.

Fig. 1. Rental car prices in Maui are at low season levels in September 2025,.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RENT A CAR IN MAUI ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2025?

Every week, we list the lowest advertised prices for a one-week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), for a selection of vehicle categories, with the change from the previous week, and the company offering the best price. This is our overview of Maui car rental prices for the week of September 22, 2025.

Category Price Change Company
Economy $255 +24% Hertz
Midsize $294 -10% Hertz
Jeep $339 -4% Budget
Convertbl $474 -14% Payless
SUV $309 -24% Payless
7 St SUV $420 -9% Payless
Minivan $442 16% Thrifty

For the week of Monday 9/22/2025, the cheapest rental car from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $255/week for one week from Hertz - that's 24% more than last week. The lowest price for a midsize car is down by 10% to $294/week, also from Hertz. Jeeps had a small decrease, down 4% to $339/week, from Budget. Convertibles are down 14% to $474/week from Payless. The price for the cheapest SUV fell 24% to $309/week, from Payless. 7-seat SUV's were also down, by 9%, to $420/week, from Payless. Minivans were up 16% to 442/week, from Thrifty. All prices quoted here include all applicable taxes and fees.

WHAT FACTORS ARE DRIVING MAUI RENTAL CAR PRICES THIS WEEK?

We can gain some insight into the current market conditions by comparing the current price in each vehicle category to its median price over the last 52 weeks.

Vehicle Price Median Premium/Discount
Economy $255 $263 -3%
Midsize $294 $327 -10%
Jeep $339 $528 -36%
Convertbl $474 $599 -21%
SUV $309 $403 -23%
7 st SUV $420 $575 -27%
Minivan $442 $678 -35%

Prices in nearly every vehicle category are at a discount to their median price from the last 52 weeks. Economy cars are at a 3% discount, mid-size cars are 10% off, Jeeps are 34% off, 21% off for convertibles, 23% off for regular SUV's, 27% off for 7-seat SUV's, and 35% off for minivans. The prevalence of discounts reflects shoulder season pricing, which is the lower price level between the summer peak and the beginning of the fall travel season. Note that the out-size discount for minivans is skewed by the multi-week shortage of minivans due to a safety recall that lasted for several weeks and limited availability of these vehicles mid-summer - this pushed the median price for the year up to an unusually high level. The current minivan p rice is actually higher than it was exactly one year ago - more on this below.

The only "real" and significant discount at this moment is on Jeeps, 36% off from their normal median price for the last year, and a relative bargain at just under$49/day with all taxes and fees. This makes it a great opportunity for anyone considering renting one of these vehicles.

HOW DO PRICES COMPARE TO LAST YEAR?

We can gain even more insight by comparing today's prices in every vehicle category to the prices from exactly one year ago. The price movements over the last year are illustrated in Figure 1.

Vehicle Now Last Year Change
Economy $255 $263.41 -3%
Midsize $294 $291.00 1%
Jeep $339 $501.00 -32%
Convertbl $474 $460.00 3%
SUV $309 $329.00 -6%
7 st SUV $420 $369.00 14%
Minivan $442 $373.00 18%

The rates for economy cars, mid-size, convertibles, and SUV's are all very close to what they were one year ago. Jeeps are down 37%, a significant discount. We've reported recently that large stocks of Jeeps are sitting idle on company lots. The reason for this is still not known, but it is likely a factor in the year-over-year price drop for these vehicles. For 7-seat SUV's and minivans, the higher prices this year are likely related to the minivan safety recall that limited availability and sent prices soaring earlier in the summer. Prices for these vehicles are off their previous shortage-driven highs, but there may be some effects of the recall still affecting pricing at this time.

Fig. 2. Maui car rental prices from the last 13 months, with advance reservation prices for the coming five weeks.

MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICE FORECAST FOR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025

As of today, September 21, 2025, the lowest advertised prices for a one week rental made in advance, both from the airport rentals and off-airport, are as follows for the dates shown:

DATE OFF-OGG OGG
09/22/25 $173 $255
09/29/25 $165 $216
10/06/25 $165 $223
10/13/25 $165 $223
10/20/25 $165 $223
10/27/25 $166 $242

These advance reservation prices, marked as "Forecast," are illustrated in the area highlighted in Figure 2.

Right now, for the economy/compact category, prices appear to have settled at their low season levels, in the lowest range of prices for the year.

Figure 3. Average car rental costs in Maui from 2013 to 2018 show significant fluctuations, with a notable spikes in late December and mid-February, and a marked increase during the next five-week period highlighted in red.

Advance reservation systems are not showing much movement from these low levels for the next five weeks of the forecast period. This is in contrast to last year, prices began to increase to fall season levels in mid-September (see Figure 2), but this year, if we go by what the reservation systems are showing, the fall price increase may be delayed. This reflects an expectation of weak travel numbers as the fall season takes off.

Historical price data also show an expected surge in prices starting in mid-September that is not showing in this year's advance pricing. This is based on our tracking rental car prices week-by-week for five years from 2013 through 2018. The five-year average prices showing the seasonal variation throughout a year are illustrated in the price chart in Figure 3.

Historically, between 2013 and 2018, prices fall from their summer high season levels in August, and stay at a depressed shoulder season level from then on through most of September, then increase to fall season levels in early October (see Figure 3).

Figure 4. Price trends for a one-week car rental in Maui from December 2024 to August 2025 show variations based on booking timings: one day, one week, and five weeks in advance.

IS IT CHEAPER TO BOOK AT THE LAST MINUTE?

Beginning in mid-December of 2024, we have tracked 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.

Since mid-February of this hear, the prices available one day in advance and one week in advance have been consistently lower than the price five weeks in advance (see figure 4) - these last-minute prices are generally lower than advance prices except in periods of very heavy demand driven by peak travel holidays.

Figure 5. Chart of rental costs for economy/compact cars in Maui, showing a decrease in prices for both airport and off-airport locations as the rental date approaches.

This week, for the first time since the peak July 4 holiday, last-minute price is slightly higher than the advance price.

This could be an early indication of a cross-over from low season pricing into more firm fall season pricing. However, it is also significant that the advance prices have been exceptionally low for several weeks, which means that it does not take much movement in the last-minute prices to cross over the unusually low level of the advance prices, .

HOW HAVE PRICE CHANGED FOR TOMORROW'S RENTAL?

The progression of advance reservation prices for a one week rental starting tomorrow, September 22, is illustrated in the price chart in Figure 5.

Off-OGG OGG Days in Advance
$173.00 $255.00 1 (last-minute)
$173.00 $218.00 8 (one week)
$178.00 $214.00 15 (two weeks)
$179.00 $208.00 22 (three weeks)
$212.00 $235.00 29 (four weeks)
$202.00 $234.00 36 (five weeks)

The price for a rental from the airport starting tomorrow has steadily increased week-to-week for the last three weeks - from a low of $214/week three weeks ago, to $255/week today. But for an off-airport rental, the price of a rental beginning tomorrow has been essentially flat showing very little change over the same three-week period., dropping only a few dollars from $179/week three weeks ago to $173/week today.
The gradual firming up of airport prices could be indicative of a transition from low season pricing, however at this time the transition is not confirmed by the off-airport price movement.

Fig. 6. Price of one-week car rental in Maui, comparing off-airport locations with airport locations for popular vehicle types.

DOES IT COST LESS TO RENT OFF-AIRPORT?

Historically, Maui's off-airport car rental prices have been expected to be lower than airport prices due to a number of factors that we have explored in a previous blog post, titled "Is It Cheaper to Rent a Car at the Airport in Maui? Updated for 2024." 

However, in recent months, we have seen a disruption of the historical pattern, with off-airport prices frequently higher than airport prices. This may be due to off-airport locations cutting back on inventory and operations in the difficult business environment that came after the Lahaina wildfires of August 2023.

The airport vs. off-airport prices for this week are illustrated in Figure 6.

This week, off-airport prices are lower than the airport in four categories, economy/compact cars, mid-size cars, SUV's, and minivans - same as last week. For Jeeps, the price at the airport is lower. For convertibles and 7-seat SUV's, there is no off-airport availability at all. Again, this is all a repeat of last week.

These prices are from our survey taken on 9/21/25, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 9/15/25, for seven vehicle categories, Economy/compact Car, Midsize Car, Convertible, Jeep, SUV, 7-passenger SUV, and Minivan. The rental companies covered in the survey are Ace, Alamo, Allsave, 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 .

As we've noted previously, there are fundamental factors that contribute historically to higher prices from the airport.

1. Higher mandatory taxes and fees that are added to the cost of an airport rental, and
2. A discretionary "convenience premium" that rental companies charge at the airport. For details, see for example Is It Cheaper to Rent a Car at the Airport in Maui? Updated for 2024.

However this model appears to be turned on its head in light of the current operational environment for the rental car business in Maui. Whether and when we see a return to the usual price pattern is unknown.

SNEAK PREVIEW: LONG-TERM ANALYSIS OF AIRPORT VERSUS OFF-AIRPORT PRICES

Note: This is a preview of an analysis that will be presented in more detail in another separate article.

We have completed a long-term comparison of airport prices versus off-airport prices. In every vehicle category, we've compared the the median price over 52-weeks for vehicles rented at the airport to vehicles rented off-airport. The most striking finding of this analysis is that the difference between airport prices and off-airport prices is not consistent - it varies widely and depends on the vehicle. For some vehicles, including economy/compact, regular SUV, and minivan, the airport prices is higher, as one would expect. However, for mid-size cars, the price is about the same. And For Jeeps, Convertibles, and 7-seat SUV's. the off-airport price is lower!

OGG Off-OGG Savings/Premium
Economy $263.41 $216.50 +18%
Midsize $327.00 $318.00 +3%
Jeep $528.00 $645.00 -22%
Convertbl $599.00 $715.00 -19%
SUV $403.00 $344.00 +15%
7 st SUV $575.00 $798.00 -39%
Minivan $678.00 $476.00 +30%

As can be seen from the chart in Figure 7 and the accompanying table, on average over the course of a year, the price of a compact car off-airport is 18% less than the airport price. For a regular SUV you save 15% off-airport. For a minivan, the savings is 30%. But for a Jeep, the cost is 22% more off-airport. For a convertible, it is 19% more, And for a 7-seat SUV, the off-airport cost is 39% higher. Note that for these three categories, Jeep, convertible, and 7-seat SUV, it is frequently the case that there is no off-airport availability at all. making the airport cost the only option.

The takeaway: you cannot rely on the common wisdom that off-airport pries are always lower, especially not in a unique rental market like Maui. 

Further details and comments will be presented in a separate blog post. 

IS MAUI THE MOST EXPENSIVE HAWAIIAN ISLAND FOR CAR RENTAL?

Here's a quick survey of the cheapest one-week rental cost from each of the five major Hawaii airports, for a rental beginning on Monday, September 22.

COST CHANGE AIRPORT
$266 37% Honolulu (HNL)
$173 -1% Maui Kahului Airport (OGG)
$270 -4% Kauai Lihue Airport (LIH)
$263 0% Kona Airport (KOA)
$263 5% Hilo Airport (ITO)

This week prices for car rentals at the five major airports in Hawaii stayed mostly the same as last week, with only small changes at Maui, Kauai, Kona, and Hilo. Honolulu prices surged upward by 37%, a surprising change. Maui is once again the cheapest island to rent a car, a position it has held for 20 out of the last 25 weeks - while coming in second cheapest for the other five. Low rental prices in Maui is another indication of the very slow recovery of travel to Maui following the Lahaina wildfire disaster of just over two years ago.

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.

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 3, 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 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.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Frank Saab 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.

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