Hawaii tourists renting U-HAULS to get around as cheapest rental car goes for $722 a day

Travel to Hawaii has surged in recent weeks to the point where visitors have had to rent U-Hauls because of a shortage of available car rentals.

Last month, the cheapest rental car on Maui was $722 per day for a Toyota Camry, according to HawaiiNewsNow.

‘The uptick from tourism, the uptick from companies opening back up, from the economy restarting – everybody seems to need a vehicle,’ said U-Haul Marketing President Kaleo Alau.

He added that U-Haul facilities are the busiest they have been in years as the company works to meet the demand.

The image above is an undated file photo of Kaanapali Beach in Maui. Tourists are returning in droves to Hawaii, which is driving up the demand for rental cars

A browse of the web site Turo reveals that car rentals on Maui can set you back some $850 per day for a 2017 Land Rover 

Renting a 2016 Land Rover on Maui can set you back $600 per day, according to Turo

The limited supply and high demand for rental cars has sent tourists to U-Haul offices where they rent trucks for just a fraction of the price

‘Most of the time they’re saying that they can’t get a vehicle from any of the rental spots,’ Alau said.

‘They’re all sold out.’

A browse of the web site Turo reveals that car rentals on Maui can set you back some $600 per day.

A U-Haul, on the other hand, costs just a fraction of that amount. A pickup truck can be had for $20 per four hours – or just over $80 for a period of four days. That cost can vary depending on the mileage driven.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state imposed a 10-day quarantine requirement for anyone arriving on one of the Hawaiian islands as well as those traveling between the islands.

In October, as cases fell, travelers were able to skip quarantine if they could show a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within 72 hours of the final leg of departure.

Since then, the number of arrivals on the island has been steadily increasing. In the last week, state data shows that the number of screened tourists who have arrived on the island easily surpasses 20,000 daily.

Renting a pickup truck in Honolulu costs $20 per four hours – or just over $80 for a period of four days. That cost can vary depending on the mileage driven.

The pandemic has walloped the local economy, which relies on tourism. In January of this year, a total of 171,976 visitors traveled to the island – 80.1 per cent fewer compared to the 862,574 who came in January 2020.

State officials recorded an increase in arriving tourists in February, when 235,283 visitors were screened.

Hawaii officials are moving forward with a plan to allow people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to skip pre-travel testing and quarantine requirements for flights between islands.

The rule, for now, is only for people who have received vaccinations in Hawaii and for travel within the state.

The plan does not change anyone’s ability to travel and avoid quarantine by testing, but adds another option for those who have received the shots.