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Car Rentals Hawaii

Basic Rental Rates

Amount of rent would depend on the category of the car and the duration of the rental. All most all the websites of the renting agencies provide a clear bifurcation of rates for each type of the car and the duration of the rental. Some even provide a comparable table of prices of different renting companies so that you can calculate which is most economical for you. Travel experts believe that you must do this exercise more than once for getting the best price.

An economy/intermediate range car might cost you around $28 per day and $140 per week; a mini-van costs around $55 per day and $272 per week; a jeep wrangler/convertible would cost around $54 per day and $268 per week. These are only the basic rates. You need to pay extra amount for child seats and wheelchair friendly vehicles. You are allowed unlimited mileage for all cars. You have to pay the rent before you pick up the car from the agency.

Minimum five days booking is compulsory to qualify for a weekly car rentals hawaii; otherwise rent is charged on a daily basis. Lowest rates are charged for long leases ranging form 1-6 months. It is possible to negotiate the prices. Since multi-island booking is not possible many tourists prefer a daily rate.

However, if you wish to spend more than a week on the same island weekly rental is advisable. After five days, a weekly rental works out much cheaper than the daily rental. Many companies offer discounts ranging from $15 per day after the seventh day.

You should be careful to return the car promptly at the appointed time. Usually you are allowed a grace time of 50-60 minutes. After that you have to pay rent for the full day.

Caution: The rates displayed on the agency website or in the brochure are only illustrative of the price range. Rates change according to demand and supply. Rent is blocked only after your reservation is confirmed and the confirmation number is conveyed to you.

Additional charges not included in the rent

In addition to the basic rental charges, you need to pay Hawaii state taxes such as sales tax, surcharge, on-road tax, Excise tax etc. There are also fees such as license fee for vehicles, airport concession and recovery fee etc. Gasoline charges are also not included in the rent. Sometimes you may be asked to make an additional deposit of around $200 for renting full size vans and big trucks.

Additional drivers are charged separately at around $25. Dollar charges a concessional rate of $6 for spouse as the additional driver whereas Budget, Avis, Thrifty don’t charge at all for spouse.

Pick up and drop costs, if not provided free of cost, may also be charged separately. More often than not you need to make pre-arrangements for them.

Insurance is charged separately; it is included in the rent only on your request. You may have to shell out around $20-25 per day towards extra insurance. The agencies provide an array of coverages such as Supplemental Liability Coverage, Personal Effects and Accident Coverage, Supplemental Liability Coverage etc. You can refuse the agency’s insurance by signing a waiver and use your own insurance. You can provide your insurer’s name and your policy details to the police should you meet with an accident.

Before making the reservations study the tariffs of as many agencies as possible and zero down on what you consider the most economical offer. You can fill up the on-line booking form giving the necessary details such as your name, age, type of the car you want, duration of the trip giving both arrival and departure dates etc. Reservation is usually free and you don’t need to give your credit card number to fill up the on-line application.

Confirmation of your reservation and your confirmation number is e-mailed to you within 24 hours or one business day. However, no guarantees are given regarding the color and make of the car. It is possible to upgrade to a better model depending on availability without paying extra amount. Agency reserves the right to replace your request with a similar or better model. You have to pick up the car within two hours from the appointed time on the appointed day; otherwise the reservation lapses and you will also have to forfeit the deposit, if any.

You need to present your driver’s license, credit card and confirmation number at the time of picking your car. If you have a second driver, s/he, too, should be present with a valid driver’s license at the time of singing the renting agreement and should be a co-signatory.

Usually many agencies allow you to cancel the reservation for free by filling up an on-line cancellation form. Cancellation rules tend to be slightly strict if a deposit is necessary to make the reservation. You need to inform the agency at least 72 hours before the appointed time to get a refund; otherwise the deposit is forfeited.

Hawaii’s busiest tourist season starts in December and ends in March. Renting agencies charge highly inflated prices during this time. Again, the summer period is very busy. Of all the categories, mini-vans are the most popular and their bookings sell out the fastest. SUVs are the next most popular category. Once mini-van bookings are sold out it won’t take much longer to exhaust the SUV supply. Therefore, six month advance reservation is compulsory to book either one of them during the peak season; for summer bookings three months advance reservation is necessary. For other types of cars December season requires three months advance reservation. Summer season is relatively less busy and one month advance reservation would suffice.

It is essential to know the driving laws of Hawaii for driving your own car. Usually the renting agency provides detailed driving instructions. You can also buy a ‘Hawaii Driver’s Manual’ for a nominal price. Foreign tourists should be aware that just like everywhere in the US Hawaii, too, has right hand traffic. Speed limits for urban and rural driving are 50mph and 60mph respectively. The speed limit is pegged at 45mph for roads classified as ‘restricted/limited access roads’.

It’s not just the driver but everybody sitting in the front seat must compulsorily wear the seat belt. Children aged below four must sit only in a child booster seat. Morning 6-8.30 and afternoon 3.30-6 are the rush hours. Tourists must check the traffic signals to confirm whether a particular road is one-way or two-way road. You better make a short list of the frequently used travel words such as parking, mountain, beach, ocean, west, north, south, east etc.

Taking a right turn during the red signal is thoroughly permitted in Hawaii unless it is specifically prohibited. Tourists should know that in Hawaii horns are used very sparingly. You should honk the horn only to caution the other drivers or the traffic officer about an emergency situation such as a breakdown or an accident. If the fellow driver lets you to change the lanes it’s customary to give the ‘shaka sign’ (this is form of greeting unique to Hawaii. ‘Shaka’ is made by folding in the three middle fingers and stretching out the thumb and pinkie finger).

Hawaii driving laws are very stringent about drunk driving. If 0.8% or more alcohol is present in the blood when you are behind the steering, you can be charged for drunk driving. You cannot decline to take the alcohol test. If you get ticket for violating any of the traffic rules you cannot render the fine to the ticketing officer directly. It is considered as an attempt to bribe the officer. The fine amount should be either posted or rendered in person to the clerk at the court of law.

Now you know all the basic details of car rentals hawaii. Equipped with this essential local knowledge you may consider yourself all set to plan your trip to this tourist paradise.

Car Rental Hawaii