8 Car Rental Brands at Kona Airport (KOA)

Satisfied.

Reviewed: Jul 12, 2025

I rented twice, and it's best to return the car at a whole-hour time (e.g., if you pick up the car at 9:48, it’s better to select 9:30 for return). Otherwise, you won’t be able to extend the rental on the website, and the system will show an error. If you're chasing something urgent like volcanic eruptions, extensions are very common. Returning the car and then renting again from Hilo can be exhausting. Overall, the process is quite convenient, and I didn't encounter any major issues. The price for this small sedan is unbeatable in Hawaii. However, there are some differences in the models—my first rental, a Forte, was much better than the second one, a Versa (the Versa didn’t even have proper CarPlay). The cars are assigned by the staff, so I’m not sure if it's possible to request a specific model or offer a small tip. There's no need for a large four-wheel drive vehicle unless you're heading to the observatory. If you are, you could consider carpooling with some kind-hearted people—there are plenty of kind-hearted people around.

Reviewed: Jun 1, 2025

Quick process without upselling, good vehicle condition, 10 minutes for pickup, 1 minute for drop-off.

Reviewed: Mar 7, 2025

Extremely satisfied

Reviewed: Feb 13, 2025

The company defrauds customers by secretly including insurance charges in the contract after we explicitly refused to purchase it. They claimed it was a deposit but actually charged for insurance. Additionally, they overcharged us for fuel. The staff deceived us to meet personal performance goals, deducting fees despite our clear refusal of additional insurance. We returned the car with a full tank of gas, yet they charged us $65 for fuel. Such behavior is extremely unethical. I strongly do not recommend Thrifty; they have zero integrity.

Reviewed: Feb 6, 2025

The remote key provided with the car had issues. Initially, I thought the battery was dead, but the rental company refused to replace it. I had to use the physical key to start the car, and every time I did, the horn would blare. Even after I paid to replace the battery, it still didn't work. This severely impacted my experience.

Reviewed: Jul 9, 2025

The pickup and return procedures are straightforward.

Reviewed: May 25, 2025

Very satisfied!

Reviewed: May 18, 2025

The process was smooth with no additional services. All cars were parked there, allowing me to pick one myself. Five-star review!

Reviewed: Apr 29, 2025

This was my first car rental experience, and it went very smoothly. There were no hidden charges or extra deductions. Both pickup and drop-off were very convenient.

Reviewed: Apr 14, 2025

No upselling.

Reviewed: Jul 3, 2025

Very satisfied, Hertz has always been an industry benchmark.

Reviewed: Feb 12, 2025

Very quick and nice

Reviewed: Feb 9, 2025

プレミアムクラスの車ではなく、ミラーもくすんで見えにくかった

Reviewed: Dec 6, 2024

予定通りの車だったので良かった

Reviewed: Dec 3, 2024

We chose Budget on the Big Island because the price was relatively cheap. However, there were a lot of people when picking up the car, and we had to wait in a long line. Additionally, Budget's vehicles on the Big Island are a bit old. We were assigned a Dodge that had already been driven over 100,000 miles, which felt a bit like driving an old tank, but all the functionalities were still fine.

Reviewed: Jun 26, 2025

Very satisfied, convenient and quick.

Reviewed: Jun 9, 2025

Overall satisfied, I give it 90 points.

Reviewed: May 10, 2025

It was acceptable. However, I had to wait in line for half an hour to complete the paperwork, and then it took another hour for them to bring my car over, which was quite slow.

Reviewed: Mar 21, 2025

予想以上に借りる時間を要した

Reviewed: Feb 26, 2025

Great experience, without a rental car it's almost impossible to explore the island.

Reviewed: May 14, 2025

Pretty good.

Reviewed: Mar 6, 2025

The staff at both pick-up and drop-off were the worst I've encountered after renting cars multiple times overseas—unbelievably bad. The vehicle at pick-up was not the same as reserved, and there was no explanation provided. They didn't guide us to check the car or explain basic usage tips. When we asked questions due to confusion, they answered reluctantly and impatiently. The attitude of the staff at drop-off was even more outrageous. Interestingly, they seemed suddenly patient and courteous when dealing with other white customers.

Reviewed: Feb 5, 2025

Car was ok but expected better booking with Avis as a premium car rental company.

Reviewed: Jan 10, 2025

Very satisfied.

Reviewed: Aug 9, 2024

The staff at the store provided good service. The only dissatisfaction was paying more for a 2-door Jeep, but ultimately the company gave us a 4-door version.

Reviewed: May 10, 2025

Perfect,all too easy. Great car ,great service

Reviewed: Jan 13, 2024

The rental was supposed to only hold a pre-authorization and include a service for returning the car without a full tank. I specifically asked if it was just a pre-authorization, and they confirmed it. I assumed the fuel service was included, but it turned out to be a prepaid fuel option by default. They kept pushing insurance and insisted on adding it. Finally, the rental agreement through this company got canceled—too disappointing.

Reviewed: Nov 4, 2024

The car was a bit old and had manual locks for the doors. I had to use the key every day to open the front two doors, and the rear doors had to be unlocked from the inside. It was frustrating, especially for someone short.

Reviewed: Oct 10, 2024

It's fine.

Reviewed: Oct 2, 2024

The service was very good.

Reviewed: Sep 4, 2024

The car was a bit old and fully manual, but everything else was fine. Luckily, I only rented it for a day.

Reviewed: Aug 21, 2024

We actually went to the Alamo rental center as they were short staff at National but everything went just fine. Plenty of vehicles to pick from and in good condition.

Reviewed: Nov 16, 2021

There's almost no queue, very few people.

Reviewed: Feb 14, 2018