HONOLULU — Car rental rates in Honolulu this week are the most expensive in the United States, according to a new survey by CheapCarRental.net, an online car rental booking site.

What You Need To Know

  • This holiday week, the average rate for a rental car in Honolulu is $754, the highest in the U.S. 

  • Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Hawaii has faced a shortage of rental cars

  • At one point, some car rentals were reportedly going as high as $700 a day in Hawaii

  • Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Los Angeles and San Francisco were among the top 10 most expensive places to rent a car this week

According to CheapCarRental's survey, visitors to Honolulu, Hawaii that picked up their rental car starting Dec. 21 to the 27 will shell out a minimum of $754 for the cheapest rental car. The survey says the average rate is 64% higher than if you were to book in January.

The survey released Tuesday compared car rental rates across 50 U.S. destinations with each city's primary airport set as the rental pick-up and drop-off location from Dec. 21 to 27.

Hawaii atop the survey shouldn't surprise anyone. 

When the coronavirus pandemic began, Hawaii implemented some of the strictest travel restrictions in the country, forcing many car rental companies to sell off some of their fleets to recoup costs or ship them to the mainland, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported.

However, as the pandemic improved and vaccines became readily available, Hawaii eased into and finally reopened to domestic and, most recently, international visitors. The pent-up travel demand has led to car rentals being in high demand but short supply.

The lack of rental car inventory in the islands has led to claims of price gouging with some rental cars earlier in the year, reportedly fetching as much as $700 a day. Inventory was so low, and with the lack of public transportation to get around the island, some visitors modified their plans, while others downright canceled them. 

Along with Honolulu, the survey found Boston, with an average rate of $718 from Dec. 21 to 27, is the second most expensive U.S. destination for a car rental during this holiday period. The rate is three times higher than January.

The other cities on the list include Fort Lauderdale at $709 for the week, ending Dec. 27, Charleston at $677, Sarasota at $646, Orlando at $631, Tampa at $580, San Francisco at $561, Los Angeles at $539 and Atlanta at $511.