Rental Car Hawaii Vs. Shipping Car to Hawaii : How to Deal with the Rental Car Crunch in Hawaii

Did you know that Hawaii records almost 10 million visitors every year from across the globe? Additionally, a significant proportion of these visitors move to Hawaii to pursue job opportunities, while some move to simply enjoy the island’s warm breezes and seashores. 



So, if you plan to move to Hawaii, one of the most beautiful states, should you avail of a car rental Hawaii or ship your car along?

While renting a car seems a more viable option, it can now be tough to find a car rental service on the island. In fact, recent reports show that there has been a recent rental car crunch in Hawaii. 

Consequently, the extreme rental car shortage is now forcing tourists to cancel their trips or pay exorbitant prices for rental services. This shortage of car rental Hawaii services is due to the pandemic.

Since the pandemic hit, Hawaii, being a significant tourist visit state, had to enforce stringent measures to ensure everyone’s safety. Additionally, the decrease in tourists saw major car rental companies like Budget and Hertz sell off their fleet.

Currently, the Hawaii travel restrictions are less strict, and the island’s tourism is now returning to normal. Thus, there are many tourists and few rental car companies. However, those lucky to book their trips to Hawaii will need to pay sky-high rates, reaching prices as high as $7000.

Furthermore, the car rental shortage problem has become even more prominent in neighboring islands where public buses and other ride-sharing options like Uber are hard to come by. 

So, suppose you had already booked your ticket to Hawaii. In that case, you have two options – rent a car at the prevailing prices, or ship your vehicle to Hawaii. Let us look deep into each of the two options available in the following sections.

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Life in Hawaii can be pretty costly than on the mainland, including car rental services. How much you pay for car rental services depends on the season you rent the vehicle and how long. For example, renting a car for a week tends to be less expensive than renting it daily.



Moreover, the cost will also depend on your location. For example, renting an Oahu minivan can cost $46 daily, while renting a Big Island sedan can cost $35 per day. However, you can try to save money by finding a cheap car rental Hawaii. 

For example, you can get a cheap car rental Honolulu Hawaii for only $35. Doing so can help you cut down on some of the costs of renting a car in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, gas is also more expensive compared to other states since it is imported. However, suppose you are traveling from Los Angeles. In that case, you won’t notice much of a difference in the gas prices in Honolulu. On the other hand, if you are coming from Midwest, you might find the prices exorbitant.

Which car is the best car to drive in Hawaii? Of course, the ideal type of car will depend on where you intend to stay. 

For example, suppose you want to stay at a resort near the beach and only be traveling to restaurants and nearby places. In that case, you only need adequate space for luggage.

However, if you intend to stay in a rental home and do plenty of traveling, you will need a bigger car. While most visitors settle for a minivan, it would be best to consider a truck with decent space, especially if you will be moving around a lot. 

Hawaii is enormous, and sometimes, people prefer to fly in through Hilo and out through Kona. Therefore, it is not uncommon to get one-way drop charges, typically between $75 and $85.

The average cost to ship a car to Hawaii is around $1500 and $2100. However, this is not an accurate figure as several other factors influence the price. For example, if your vehicle is large (larger than the typical sedan size), it will undoubtedly entail more charges.

Additionally, another factor that determines the shipping cost is the time of the year you are looking to ship your car. Lastly, your intended car drop-off location will impact the final shipping charges.

The commonly overlooked shipping rule is that the car should be empty. This is because you cannot ship personal items using your vehicle. So, if you have extra stuff that you would like to ship, you should consider using containers for shipping.

Additionally, you will need to have the vehicle title, registration, and photo ID to successfully ship your car. Lastly, the shipping duration will depend on the distance you are shipping the vehicle from. 

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With that, we have discussed both options broadly. So, which should you settle for? Given the high number of tourists the island gets every year, there is undoubtedly a strain on the car rental option. 

During high travel season months, the shortage can worsen, and you may have to empty your wallets to accommodate your travel needs.

Moreover, the price of rental cars is likely to rise the more you wait. Similarly, the prices get higher when you rent a car impromptu without making previous bookings or arrangements. So while renting could seem like a good option with the attractive discount Hawaii car rental offers, it could also be a costlier option.

Remember, the roads in Hawaii are bumpy, and there are numerous dirt parking lots. Thus, rental cars are prone to damage, which means you need to have comprehensive insurance to get the most of your rental car. 

Aside from this, gas in Hawaii is also quite expensive. Therefore, when renting a car, you might need to choose an economy car that doesn’t consume much gas to get the most of it. With that said, there are many factors to consider with a rental car instead of shipping your vehicle.

In contrast, when it comes to shipping your car, there are fewer procedures involved. With car shipping, you only need to contact a shipping company to get a quotation, book an appointment, and get the car ready for pickup. 

Nonetheless, it would be best if you considered shipping your car a month before your trip to ensure it arrives on time.

Finally, shipping is an ideal option if you intend to spend a considerably long time on the island. It reduces your expenditure as you will not need to spend a lot of money on renting or hiring vehicles.

The island of Hawaii is undoubtedly different from the other mainland states. Moreover, with a fantastic lifestyle on the island, the car preferences in Hawaii tend to be different as well. 

In fact, most people drive trucks and off-road vehicles, with the most popular vehicle being Toyota 4Runner.

Additionally, the best car to drive in Hawaii tends to be the following:

• Ford F-150
• Jeep Wrangler
• Toyota 4Runner
• Honda Ridgeline
• Ford Explorer
• Toyota Tundra
• Ford Expedition
• Nissan Frontier
• Ford F-250
• Toyota Tacoma
• Ford Mustang



So, when renting or shipping your car, consider the above car brands to make exploring more fun and fulfilling on the island.

With that, we have discussed what you need to know about renting vs. shipping your car to Hawaii to help you make an informed decision. While there are numerous car rental Hawaii companies, the vehicles available are barely enough for half the visitors during the summer.

 

There’s no doubt that a discount Hawaii car rental offer can be tempting. However, shipping tends to be more satisfying, especially knowing you’re driving your own car as you will be more familiar with it. 

Additionally, you won’t have numerous restrictions on how to drive the car as most companies discourage visitors from going offroad with their vehicles. In addition, in the event of bad luck and hit a bump, it is easier to deal with our car repairs than the rental car repair charge.