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Short answer: It is a family-owned local company running since 1990, but it isn’t at the airport. You take its shuttle from Kahului to Kihei to pick up, free on rentals of 5 days or more.
If you search for a rental car on Maui, Kihei Rent A Car comes up fast. It has one of the highest review counts of any rental option on the island. Here is what is actually true about it, not just the marketing copy.
It is not at the airport
Kihei Rent A Car is based at 96 Kio Loop in Kihei, not inside the Kahului Airport rental car center. Instead, they run a shuttle from Kahului Airport (OGG) to Kihei, Wailea, and South Maui. Their FAQ says it is free for rentals of 5 days or more, with a fee on shorter rentals; arrival pickups run 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM, with a 10:30 PM cutoff for delayed flights. That means your pickup is not a walk-up-to-the-counter situation like the majors in the airport’s consolidated facility. You are coordinating a shuttle first, which adds time the airport brands do not.
Want to compare Kihei Rent A Car with the airport majors? Check prices for your dates before you land.
What the reviews actually say
The numbers are genuinely strong: 4.8 out of 5 across more than 1,000 Google reviews, and the same 4.8 out of 5 on Facebook. Family-owned since 1990, which is long enough on Maui to have a real reputation either way. This is not a fly-by-night operation.
What you actually get
The fleet leans toward used cars, Jeeps, SUVs, vans, and trucks, with unlimited miles on rentals. They advertise no-deposit-hassle booking, which is a real point of friction some visitors hit with the major brands. The first shuttle back to the airport leaves at 8 AM.
The honest tradeoff
Used-fleet, shuttle-based local rental companies like this one tend to beat the majors on price and hassle, and lose to them on having a brand-new car or an airport-counter pickup. If your priority is the lowest friction possible and you do not care about driving something with low mileage, the review numbers here suggest it is worth a look. If you want to walk off the tram and into your car with zero coordination, an airport-based major is the simpler choice. See the Kahului Airport rental car guide for how that works.
Not sure you need a rental at all? Start with whether you actually need a rental car on Maui.
Confirm current rates and fleet directly on Kihei Rent A Car’s own site: review counts and pricing shift over time.
Spending a beach day in Wailea? See Ulua beach parking for whether it costs anything and how early the lot fills.
Weighing a peer-to-peer car instead? See how Turo compares with a rental car in Hawaii.
Comparing it with the other options in town? See every car rental desk in Kihei and Wailea, rated.
Compare rates from major rental brands instead →
Researched and written by Neo Pecorro. Facts on this page were checked against the sources linked above. Hawaii rules change often, so confirm on the official page before you go.
Last updated: September 7, 2026.