About once per month or more often if the trip is sooner , I check back to see if prices have declined for my trip. Important note: Over the last year, many Hawaii car rental locations have sold off big portions of their fleets to meet cashflow needs. Lock in your car here. Just be ready to pay for it. Toll roads. As of this writing, there are no toll roads in Hawaii.
It probably goes without saying that gas in Hawaii is expensive. Like most things in the state, it has to be transported in by boat. How expensive it seems to you will really depend on where you live and where you fill your tank — both at home and on vacation. The best way to combat the high gas price in Hawaii is to be choosy about where you fill up. Gas prices at Costco in Hawaii are similar to the mainland — that is, substantially cheaper than other options.
Be prepared that Costco gas stations in Hawaii move on island time, so the lines can be long. My advice? I know it sounds strange, but hear me out. Choosing Hawaii rental cars on the smaller side will save you money on the rental and on gas. On our lengthy trip to Oahu with kids and grandmas in tow we opted for a minivan and it was amazing to have so much trunk space. Even once the grandmas left and we could fold down the back seat, we were still grateful to have the extra space for all our beach gear.
You may have visions of cruising around the islands with the top down and the wind in your hair. First off, I personally found the whole wind-whipped hair thing a novelty for a solid 10 minutes last time we rented a convertible. After that, I was ready to put the top up. Getting sunburned while riding in a convertible is a rookie mistake for sure. Either way, be prepared to stop to put the top up if you suspect that rain may be in your immediate future. Third, renting a convertible in Hawaii probably makes you more of a target for a car break in.
A fancier car probably means fancier valuables inside! If not, feel free to skip this one. It should come as no surprise that car seats are required in Hawaii. They only require that children be in a harnessed car seat until age 4 and following manufacturer limits on minimum age to forward face and in a car seat or booster seat until age 7. A much safer choice is to keep your child rear-facing until at least 2, but ideally until he reaches the maximum rear-facing limits of his car seat.
There are some wonderful lightweight convertible car seats that will make traveling with your young child a breeze! For children 4 and up, the Ride Safer travel vest is a great ultra-portable car seat alternative to bring to Hawaii. If you prefer a regular car seat as we often do for trips to Hawaii , these will serve you well. Some rental car locations in Honolulu are surprisingly far from the airport and involve fast driving on major streets in a car rental shuttle. The Big Island is big enough that many visitors consider flying in to one side Hilo and out of the other Kona.
Is it the end of the world to pay a drop fee? Certainly not. On the Big Island it will really depend on how much time you have and how the flight costs break out. On our most recent trip to the Big Island we got an amazing award ticket redemption but we could only use it to fly to Kona roundtrip, so we bit the bullet and drove across the Saddle Road and on to Volcano Village as soon as we landed.
It was mid-day, so we had plenty of time to do it and also stop for groceries before dark, but it was two hours of driving after a five hour flight. We stayed at an amazing house that had free parking, visited public beaches and generally explored all over.
Other people will not sit next to you so you will have more privacy. Car rental companies on Oahu provide brochures including maps giving you an idea of all points of interest. You can also rent an additional GPS system. You can choose the type of car you want to rent. Waikiki has it all — restaurants, beaches, shops and a variety of outdoor and evening entertainment. Also, most of the hotels charge extra if you have a rental car.
But, unlike flights and hotels, you have a plethora of options on the islands. We highly recommend picking up a rental car, but there are a lot of variables when it comes to planning your Hawaiian vacation. Hawaii sees nearly 10 million annual visitors from all over the world. That means there is a lot of demand for rental cars, and all the major American rental car companies have set up shop in Hawaii.
They compete with each other for your business and to your benefit as rental car prices in Hawaii tend to be rather inexpensive. Of course, that comes with a caveat. And with big crowds comes a big demand for rental cars. This will shoot the price of a rental sky high. The prices of rental cars rise the longer you wait, and the prices peak if you rent a car on the spot without a reservation. So get out ahead of it. Reserve your rental right after you reserve your flights and hotel.
And unlike airfare, you can usually cancel a car rental, so reserve your rental first thing, even before your hotel and airfare in some cases. American rental car companies usually require you to be at least 21 years old to qualify for a rental. Most rental car companies charge the cost of the rental plus an extra authorization hold. The hold will be refunded to you when you return the car safely, but it may take up to a week to process.
This hold can be a big cost that eats into your vacation fund. Make sure to call your rental car company to understand how they hold works and factor the hold into your budget. Make sure to call your credit card company to understand just how their rental car insurance works before signing the papers for your rental car in Hawaii. There are plenty of bumpy roads and dirt parking lots in Hawaii which puts your rental car at risk for damage. To protect yourself, make sure to inspect your rental car at the lot with an agent present.
If you find any pre-existing damage, alert the representative and take a picture of the damaged area. Make sure to immediately email yourself the picture in order to get a timestamp. Be sure to treat the agent well.
After all, the rental car company employees are locals and they live Aloha. Most of the islands have very low-speed limits. Take the island of Kauai, for example. The highest speed limit on the Kuhio Highway which hugs the coast to wrap around the island is 50 miles per hour. Remember that gas on the islands can be much more expensive than the mainland, so it might be prudent to simply rent an economy car with good gas mileage. Jeeps are a great option as they come with a convertible rag-top roof, but locals love pickup trucks that would allow you to fit right in.
But, in an odd way, rental cars save you money on the islands. Right off the bat, renting a car at the airport allows you to avoid the cost of a ride to your hotel. Some hotels offer free airport transfers, but the majority of travelers will have to pay for transfers. Alternatively, you can hail a cab or order an Uber, but that costs money as well. Save yourself some money. Drive yourself to your hotel in a rental car. And Hawaii is known for its towering hikes, cascading waterfalls, isolated rainforests, and multi-colored beaches.
The vast majority of these natural attractions are absolutely free. You simply show up. Taxis and Uber run hour services on the islands, but the cost of ordering a ride to each and every attraction can really add up. Renting a car not only allows you to get to these attractions easily, but you save time in the process. You also might get stranded without a rental car. Flagging a taxi or ordering an Uber can be impossible in the more remote regions of the island.
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