Navigating the Hawaiian Islands this winter poses bigger challenges than finding affordable accommodations and flights. First, rental car prices in Hawaii have calmed down significantly since the post-COVID-19 car shortage and other issues. This will be true for the car rental industry through most of 2023. But now, finding an affordable Hawaii rental car without some hidden pitfalls is once again proving to be a difficult task.
Planning to visit Honolulu in mid-February, we ran into a problem. Rental car prices in Hawaii have become ridiculously high again. We wondered if much of it should have ended.
Do you think there may still be a shortage of cars? That’s not the reason. Let me show you how we know. And this is what we are doing to fight back.
We’ve checked every possible source, starting with tried and true technology. Our preferred options were a compact car from the dealership or better, preferably a Hertz or Avis (although we would consider other majors as well). I also don’t want to pay upfront, so I keep my options open.
The confirmed locations are as follows.
- Cheap car rental in Hawaii.
- Kayak.
- costco travel.
- Auto slash.
- price line.
- Expedia.
Here’s the latest info we found on our 4-day rental: Please note that these change frequently.
- Avis – $458 – Cannot be paid in advance. Via Priceline. Also available via Costco Travel for $480.
- Dollars or Thrifty – $551 – No advance payment. Via Kayak.
- Hertz – $659 – Cannot be paid in advance. Via Kayak.
The only cheap deal we could find was from an unknown rental company named Economy. Prices started oddly low at $180.However, some Check independent reviews We completely closed off that possibility to the rental company.
In the end, Avis’ $458 free rental through Priceline was the most economical option. I just found it and set it up so I can track price changes. auto slash.
In our experience, prepaid rentals should be avoided in most cases.
Unfortunately, the last time I rented a Thrifty at the Honolulu Airport late last year, I abandoned my Thrifty reservation due to the mind-boggling lines at Thrifty that apparently lasted several hours and the more expensive but seamless situation at Avis. So I made the decision to head to Avis.
With our Hawaii rental car experience, enrolling in our frequent rental program usually allows you to avoid long lines, and sometimes no lines at all. But that didn’t happen at Thrifty, as we had to book through Priceline and use the regular counter instead.
While Thrifty’s lines snaked out the door, Avis offered an instant and efficient check-in process, emphasizing the value of time on a time-sensitive trip to Hawaii. This experience emphasized the importance of the rules we have set for rental cars in Hawaii.
Rule 1: First, create a free frequent rental account with your rental car company before making your reservation to significantly reduce your wait time at the airport. But keep an eye out for the new games car rental companies are playing in this regard below.
Rule 2: Avoid prepaying for your rental car to maintain flexibility in changes, take advantage of lower prices that occur, and avoid problems when picking up your car.
Rule 3: Keep checking back for better car options and prices until the end of your trip. Set up notifications for rental price changes in Autoslash.
Rule 4: The same source may not always offer the best rate, so research multiple sources to find the best deal. Another cost-effective option is Costco Travel.
Rule 5: Evaluate the need for a rental car throughout your stay, especially in areas like Waikiki, where alternative transportation may be sufficient for short distances and may reduce overall costs, including parking. . Consider the difference between city rentals and airport rentals, and if you don’t need a car, take advantage of public transportation such as Honolulu’s TheBus.
It doesn’t matter how you determine your inventory shortage.
To make sure at least one island had enough rental car inventory, we headed to Kauai’s Lihue Airport. At Afkini Landing, you can see rental cars parked in the parking lot. And this is what we found. In short, it’s a “massive” car. This photo shows only one of the lots, but it looked full of cars.
On Kauai, car rental prices from major companies start at $665 during the same period in mid-February. This is the cheapest rental rate with no upfront payment.
The latest consumer deception in Hawaii rental cars.
In recent rentals, we’ve noticed that companies like Thrifty and Dollar no longer honor free club benefits when you book directly through a website other than their own. As a result, if you booked through Priceline, even if you were a Dollar Express member, you would not be able to use the Dollar Express (shortened) line and your membership number would be entered into your reservation. It’s not yet known whether this is true across the board, but there appears to be a move to offer express service only to those who pay a high price to rent directly on a car rental company’s website.
In solving Hawaii car rental challenges, adopting these suggestions will help visitors to Hawaii make informed decisions and improve their overall experience on the islands. I hope.
What’s happening with rental cars in Hawaii these days?