November 17, 2024 - Payless was the company most likely to offer the lowest price, for the four months from August to November 2024, for car rentals from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), with a 25% chance of being the price leader. Next came Thrifty, with a 21% probability, and Dollar was third, with a 16% chance of having the lowest price. The companies least likely to offer the lowest price were Enterprise, Hertz, and National, all three with a 0% chance of having the lowest price from OGG.

HOW DID WE GET THE RANKINGS?

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. This makes it difficult to identify a clear price leader across all categories.

For the past 18 weeks 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. Based on this tally we can tell which company most frequently offers the best price on a given vehicle type. For example, for compact cars, Payless had the lowest price most frequently, in 7 out of the 18 weeks. For mid-size cars, Payless and SiXT were tied as the price leaders, both offering the best price in 6 out of 18 weeks. For Jeeps, Alamo and Budget tied at 4 times with the best price each. For convertibles, it was Budget with 8 weeks of lowest price. For SUV's, Thrifty had the lowest price 8 times out of 18. And for minivans, it was Payless 8 times out of 18.

This is a tabular summary of these results:

Type Company Leads
Economy Payless 7/18
Midsize Payless, SiXT 6/18 (tie)
Jeep Alamo, Budget 4/18 (tie)
Convertbl Budget 8/18
SUV Thrifty 8/18
7 St SUV Thrifty 8/18
Minivan Payless 8/18

The company that appeared in the lead the most times across all vehicle types was Payless, 30 times, followed closely by Thrifty, 27 times. At the bottom of the list were Avis, with the best price in any category only 4 times, and Enterprise, Hertz, and National, with zero.

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO TO HAVE THE LOWEST PRICE?

In the past 18 weeks, for 7 vehicle types, there were 7 times 18 or 126 lowest price positions. Payless had 30 of these - this means there was a 24.6% chance of finding the lowest price at Payless. This percentage represents a score - the higher the score the more likely the company is to have the lowest price in some vehicle category. Next came Thrifty, with a 21.4% chance of having the lowest price. In the third position, Dollar had a 15.9% chance of having the lowest price. These are the rankings for all the companies covered:

Company Score
Payless 24.6%
Thrifty 21.4%
Dollar 15.9%
Budget 13.5%
SiXT 13.5%
Alamo 7.9%
Avis 3.2%
Enterprise 0.0%
National 0%
Hertz 0%

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. The rankings are dynamic and can change significantly from week to week. For example, Dollar had five of its twenty first place finishes just this week, boosting its score from 11.7%, good for fifth in the overall rankings, to 15.9%, good for third overall. 

2. Companies may perform better for specific vehicle types than they do in overall rankings. For example, while Payless performs best for compact, midsize, and minivan categories, it's Budget that performs best for convertibles and Jeeps. 

We will revisit these rankings in a few months and report any changes in the standings.

THIS WEEK'S MAUI CAR RENTAL PRICES

This week price movements were mixed. Prices for compact, mid-size, and SUV were up from last week. Prices for minivans and convertibles were down slightly. Prices for 7-seat SUV's and Jeeps did not change much (see Figure 1). Dollar Rentacar had the lowest price in 5 out of the 7 vehicle types that we track.

This is a summary:

Category Price Change Company
Economy $512.00 15% Thrifty
Midsize $585.00 28% Dollar
Jeep $751.00 -1% Alamo
Convertbl $599.00 -18% Dollar
SUV $616.00 26% Dollar
7 St SUV $616.00 0% Dollar
Minivan $650.00 -10% Dollar

Those are the cheapest one week rental prices for each vehicle type, from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), for a one-week rental beginning on Monday, November 18, with the change from the previous week.

DOES IT ALWAYS COST MORE TO RENT FROM THE AIRPORT?

Normally, off-airport prices are lower than airport prices, but this week, off-airport prices are higher in 5 out of the 7 vehicle categories that we track (See Figure 2).

These prices are from our survey taken on 11/17/24, for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning on Monday, 11/18/24, 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 .

As we've noted in previous blog posts, the price for an off-airport rental is usually lower than an airport rental, due to two factors: 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. 

HOW HAVE PRICES CHANGED COMPARED TO LAST YEAR?

This week the cheapest price for a one week car rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is $512/week, up $65 from last week. For a rental from nearby off-airport locations served by shuttle, the cheapest price is $385/week, up $122 from last week. 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.

Compared to one year ago, for the week of 11/20/23, today's price for an airport rental is $254/week higher than last year, and the price for an off-airport rental is $206/week more than last year (See Figure 3).

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