“Aloha” is the official greeting (and farewell) in the language of Hawaiian. And that’s just how visitors to Hawaii will be greeted when they touch down at Kahului Airport on the island of Maui. Visitors looking for a ride can choose from six car rental companies with windows located in the airport terminal. That’s to say nothing of the handful of companies near to the airport as well. We at TravelMag have taken the liberty of ranking the best car rental companies of those located inside the terminal.
Maui Airport (Photo: Chris Holdorph via Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
All flights into Kahului arrive at a central terminal. Located at the northeast end of the terminal, where Lanui Circle forms a parking lot, you’ll find most of the car rental companies. We’ve ranked these according to a number of factors, including user satisfaction, price and fleet availability.
Most affordable: Thrifty
Thrifty easily takes the number one spot for most affordable vehicles on the list. Not only can you get an economy-sized rental for around 26 dollars, the price jump to other sizes isn’t too steep either. For example, Thrifty offers mid-size rentals starting at just 27 dollars. Compare that with Budget, for instance, whose economy size vehicles start at $42.50. And that’s after the discount one receives for paying immediately online rather than at the window. What really pushes Thrifty over the finish line over competitors like Budget are the user reviews. Not only is Budget more expensive, but it claims only a 2.4 customer star rating over 313 Google reviews. Compare that with Thrifty, which boasts a 3.2 star rating. One other unique incentive from Thrifty is its Wild Card offer. Customers can get a vehicle as cheap as $22.71 (before fees) per day—provided they let Thrifty pick the vehicle.
Best for families: Alamo
Alamo slightly edged a number of other options in the best-car-rental-for-families category. When compared to, say, Avis, the prices on offer from both companies are comparable. However, Alamo offers a number of discount options and incentives. For example, their Drive Happy Deal allows customers to select the car of their choice without paying extra fees. Also, customers who are members of the Alamo Insiders club can save an additional 5% on even the lowest rental prices. Those who choose to pay online for their reservation enjoy even greater savings. Through this method it’s possible to score a mid-size vehicle that seats five for around 47 dollars. And if even more space is what you’re looking for, then you can upgrade to a 7-person mini-van for just a buck or two more per day.
Best for luxury car: Enterprise
While the other options on this list have do offer premium vehicles, Enterprise is the recommended option for price and fleet. Not only do they offer the Cadillac XTS (a five-seater luxury rental) for just 94 dollars per day, but they also have some solid SUV options, like Chevy Suburbans, that aren’t much more expensive (about 100 dollars per day). Then there’s the user reviews. Enterprise beat out all the other car rental companies as far as customer satisfaction is concerned. Over 415 reviews they maintain a 4.5 star rating, which is nothing to scoff at. So hope in that Cadillac cruise down the Maui coastline in style!