Hawaii is a favorite holiday and honeymoon destination. If you have plan to visit the state then you must be wondering do you need to rent a car in Hawaii. Especially since this state consist of several islands and each island has their own inland roads.
Do You Need To Rent a Car in Hawaii?
With millions of people visiting the islands each year you can be sure that you will be able to find a lot of car rental place in Hawaii. You can find various places from national to local rental companies. With those places competing with each other that means you can compare their offer to find the best deal.
Remember that renting a car in Hawaii is pretty expensive especially if you do it during high season. The average during low season is around $60 for one day. So, if you plan to visit during big holiday then it is better to book your car as soon as possible to get discounted price.
You can book it online long before your visit. Who knows maybe you can even get good deal for your booking. If you wait too long or if you rent the car right when you arrived without reservation beforehand then you might need to spend more.
Requirements to Rent the Car
If you plant to rent a car then there are a few requirements that you need to fulfill. Although each car rental place might have their own specific requirements. Here are some more general requirements that you need to pay attention:
1. Age requirements
The general age requirements for most rental companies in America is minimum 21years old. But if you still under 25years old or over 70years old then they usually will chance you extra fee.
If you want to avoid this fee then you can try to put someone else name when you rent the car. As long as that person is within the age of 25 to 70 then they should be able t to avoid the extra fee.
2. Credit card requirements
Do not forget that when you rent the car then you need to give them your credit card detail. The credit card used to rent the car must be under the driver’s name so make sure it’s under the same name.
The car rental company will then change you the rental fee and some extra fee to hold right when you register. The fee that they hold can range from 15% of rental fee to $300.
But do not worry since the fee that they hold will be return back when you also return the car to the company safely. However the process may take up to a week so you need to consider this on your budget.
3. Insurance requirements
Insurance offered by car Rental Company is optional. Typically major credit card company already provide rental car insurance as part of their service. So, try to contact your credit card company to know if you can use this offer or not.
Remember that you will need to decline insurance offered by the car rental company if you want to use this service. So, when you contact your credit card company ask them everything about their requirements so you can use this service.
Do You Really Need Insurance?
So do you need to rent a car in Hawaii with insurance? You should know that the roads in Hawaii are quite bumpy. Not to mention that sometimes you will need to park your car on dirt lots. This means that your rental car will be at risk and might get some damage.
This is why, you need to get an insurance when you rent the car. Furthermore, you need to make sure that when you pick up the car, you are accompanied by an agent. Then you need to inspect the car both the interior and exterior. Document everything especially when you find any kind of damage on the car.
Choosing the Right Car to Rent
You should know that the speed limits in Hawaii is very low. In fact in Kauai Island the highest limit would be on Kuhio Highway that lies all around the island coast. The speed limit on this highway is 50mph. This means that you do not need to rent a car with high speed.
Another thing to remember is that the gas price in these island actually higher than the gas price in mainland. So, if you want to save some money then it is recommended to just get economic rental car with good gas mileage. But it is best to get a car with air conditioning since Hawaii is pretty humid and most tourist cannot adjust that easy.
Now if you want to go out to a more remote part of the island or want to visit beaches around Polihale. Then you will need to rent a 4WD car such as Jeeps. This car also have rag-top roof that you can open. But the Hawaiian local actually love to ride on the back of their pickup truck. In Hawaii it is actually a legal thing to ride in the back even without using any seat belt.
Where to Not Rent a Car
There is actually one area where you do not need to rent a car which is Honolulu city. You will see that this city have a lot of traffics and the parking also restricted. Some of the hotels might also charge you for parking there. But do not worry as the city also have a lot of public transport that you can use.
You can get around the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai by bus. But you can also use Uber or taxis although it will cost you more money than renting a car. But there is no bus in Lanai and Molokai so you need to rent a car if you visit them.
Most of the bus in outlying area designed to the local’s work schedules so it might not be convenient to use. So do you need to rent a car in Hawaii? As you can see there are a few areas where you need to use rental car.
