A little late with my review as we rented in January 2026. Everything was great. Rick was…read moreresponsive, had all info in emails or text, his staff was so friendly (Snow, that's you!). We even had cell numbers for the staff who would be our contact in each city. The price was much better than the national companies, the Hilo airport pick up was easy, and we were able to leave the car in the parking lot at Kona airport as our flight was very early morning. I saved Rick's info and recommended him to my daughter who is in O'ahu right now. They ultimately decided to forgo a car rental since they would have been arriving on a cruise ship and only had a few hours in port. Unfortunately, she was not able to get to the Big Island due to hurricane Lala. You can be sure that we will continue to recommend Rick to others.

I had another great experience with Rick at Hilo Auto Sales. Two years ago, I purchased a 2010…read moreToyota Corolla from him for my son while he attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo. It turned out to be an excellent, reliable car throughout his college years. When my son's time in Hilo came to an end, Rick honored the conversation we had when I originally bought the car and purchased it back from us, making the entire process simple, fair, and hassle-free. What I appreciated most wasn't just the transaction--it was knowing that while my son was living 2,500 miles away from home, he had someone local we could trust. Rick and his team always took good care of him whenever the car needed service, and that gave us tremendous peace of mind. If you're looking for an honest dealer who stands behind his word and genuinely cares about his customers, I highly recommend Rick and Hilo Auto Sales. Mahalo, Rick!

Although I didn't need to rent a car I was looking for some good binoculars for an upcoming family…read moretrip. Tony's name came up as someone knowledgeable on the topic. After getting's Tony honest take on the craft of binoculars I ordered a pair of ScoopX UHD 10x42 binoculars for a huge discount from practically anywhere else. They're great to say the least especially for the price! I can 100% vouch for Tony as a great trustworthy source for binoculars. He'll take care of all your needs. Highly recommended.

The Nissan Maxima rented to us was filthy, but I'm still giving Tony 4 stars because he saved our…read moreBig Island trip. We went to Big Island thinking we'd just rent a car once we get there because we didn't know yet what days we'd need a car. We didn't want to pay car rental for a full week (plus hotel parking) when we'd only use it for a couple of days or so. BIG MISTAKE! We didn't realize a golf tournament and some medical conventions would take place in the island during the time of our visit. Long story short, all the major car rental companies did not have a single car available for us. And believe me, we called them all---Enterprise, Budget, Avis, National, Dollar, Hertz, you name it! It was such a nightmare! We were finally able to rent a Subaru AWD on our 4th and 5th day in Kona for about $160 PER DAY!!! You read that right, PER DAY. So we spent over $300 for a 2-day car rental. When we moved to Hilo, Tony's was the ONLY car rental that had a vehicle available. Tony was aware of the car shortage situation in the island that week, but did he take advantage and jack up his prices??? NO!!! He charged us about $40/day. If only for that, he definitely deserves the 4 stars. But here's the thing...as I've mentioned earlier, the car he rented us was filthy. It reeked of cigarette; there were hair strands from previous passengers on the dashboard cover; the center console beverage holder was yucky and sticky; the 12-volt DC power outlet didn't work so we couldn't charge our cellphones; the driver's door had a broken handle; the gas door was broken as well; the wiper fluid was empty; the check engine light was on; it was manual transmission. Despite all of those negatives, the car still got us from point A to point B. And in the end, isn't that all that really matters? Had we not been desperate at that time, we would have looked elsewhere. But I'm glad to have met a decent, hardworking guy like Tony. Maybe next time we'll still rent from him, but we'll make sure to request for a cleaner car :)

Staffs at Discount Hawaii Car Rental were very knowledgeable and they were able to give me…read morerecommendations based on two day plan at Hilo coming off a cruise ship. They responded emails and phone messages promptly and they were very helpful in finalizing my plan.

The biggest money saving tip for the Big Island PERIOD: go with DHCR!…read more After a major screw-up on my part, reserving 9 pm instead of 9 am with Thrifty, I called them up two weeks before my trip to correct the time. My weekly rate of $329 soared to ridiculous $889!! What the fudge!! This disaster was going to ruin my entire vacation. I desperately scoured the interwebs for hours on discount sites like Expedia, Hotwire, Travelworm, Cheap Ticket, etc and nothing remotely better was found. About to surrender, I revised my keyword search and 10 mins later, I found Discount Hawaii Car Rental (DHCR). Not believing the incredibly reasonable rates ($200?!!) for a week on the site, I decided to YELP this one. I contacted Miriam W, an ambassor & megastar in the Yelp world, to double check and verify the legitimacy of this company. Indeed, it's the real deal. Thank you, Miriam! In confidence, I booked and reserved on DHCR's website with NO credit card information needed. Within less than an hour, a confirmation email in my inbox popped up and the edges of my lips began to curl upward (turning my frown upside down). An Alamo full sized car rental has been reserved for almost 40% lower price than the one I made 4 months ago from Thrifty!! When I arrived at Kona airport, everything went according to plan. Needless to say, I was a happy camper. Details: Website: http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ Bonus: FREE additional driver included with reservations, NO cancellation fees. If your destination is the Big Island of Hawaii, this must be the ONLY place you should go to rent your car.

I rented vehicles from Budget Hilo for many years until recently when they did not address my…read morecomplaint. Consequently, I switched to Alamo/Enterprise and am totally satisfied with the service, prices and vehicles. I just rented a vehicle this past weekend and unfortunately ran into a problem with the key fob. In a matter of minutes, they resolved the issue and replaced the vehicle! Yes, it was a little inconvenient, but it wasn't their fault! The best customer service I've received in years! I'll be renting from Alamo wherever I travel! Thank you!

These rental car companies that don't even provide a shuttle from the cruise line port are crazy…read more If they would just provide a shuttle people would flock to their business. Cheap and sad.

Locally owned and operated they have rentals from the smallest car to the largest truck and then…read moresome vehicles in between. Make your reservations in advance; call them upon arrival and their shuttle will be there in minutes to pick you up. Harpers is located outside of the Hilo International Airport grounds but still close enough to do things timely. The vehicles are checked before you leave with those mirrors which permit you to see the underside of the car... I suppose they want to make sure you don't drive over lava rock or something.... suffice to say; INSPECTION at its MAXIMUM. Same upon your return. You return it the same way you got it is their bottom line. Be sure to return the car with a full tank of gas or you will be surcharged some horrendous amount. The good part is there are a couple gas stations on the way to the Harpers Rental location. If you have a Hawaii driver's license and address; you will qualify for a "kamaaina" discount. so be sure to ask for it. With the volcanic activity in full motion on the big island, Harpers would be the place to get your 4 wheel vehicle rental. If you need hauling trucks they got it and even if it's just a car to rent for your visit they are the ones! Locally Owned, Locally Operated Local Attitude with "aloha" attitiude!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! When all the other BIG name companies were out of cars, Harper…read morecame through! Thanks to my friend who's from Hilo that suggested this place, we were able to rent a car for a busy weekend. The location is a shuttle ride away from Hilo airport. If you let them know in advance, they will pick you up from the airport. Yes, the car wasn't as clean and nice as the other places, I'm not going to complain since it's a working car. The car came with a USB charging port, but that thing charged my device SO SLOW. Don't worry though... it still got us up to the visitor center on Mauna Kea. I'm tempted to rent from this place again just so that they can stay in business.

UNDERRATED! The stress and pressure to find another vehicle is already mentally exhausting. But…read moreunlike the big, name brand car dealerships, this one makes you feel like you're just talking with friends, no pressure, just talking and looking. Uncle Mark Foster is as real an uncle you can get :) made you comfortable and he knew his vehicles. Was very transparent on how each of them were either a good fit or not for our needs. Braddah Alika was just as chill to talk to while we waited for our paperwork. The owner Pat Aiona helped with the closing transactions and it was seamless and easy. They did all the back work and kept us in the loop the whole way thru. Hustling to get us the best rates to fit our desired numbers. The service department was excellent too! Kaimi was very informative with our questions and details of our vehicle. We already have plans to bring our other vehicles here for maintenance service in the near future. And yes...we are already sending others to go check them out!

Best car buying experience I've ever had! Very friendly and…read moremost importantly trustworthy! We were referred, for the above reasons and we will most certainly do the same. Thank you Sergio! You are the best!

As someone who has had repeated bad luck with vehicles, I often have to rent. I can't recommend…read morethis particular location enough. Josh Nagle, the location manager, has really gone above and beyond for me in the last few years. If possible, I always rent from them!

From the god awful smell inside, be ready for just as awful of a selection- or lack thereof. Trying…read moreto rent me a car with no working ac. Staff is unprofessional, lack courtesy and empathy. Don't get pushed around into paying for upgrades because they have no cars to offer even if you have a reservation.

WARNING as of 7/2021: Car rental places all throughout Hawaii are unable to rent vehicles and they…read morewill cancel your reservation at the last minute with no warning. Not just this place, but ALL rental places in Hawaii. I had made a reservation 2 MONTHS before coming to Hilo. AT 3AM ON THE DAY WE WERE SUPPOSE TO ARRIVE IN HILO, I just happened to check my email and I saw that my reservation was canceled without notice. I called and just got a recording saying that they weren't able to get vehicles to rent. I did receive my deposit back, but our entire vacation was in jeopardy because you need a vehicle to get around the island. THERE IS A GREAT APP CALLED TURO, USE IT TO RENT A VEHICLE INSTEAD. With this app, you are renting from people, not corporations. Cheaper rentals too. And more reliable. We ended up renting a car from Vasyl in Hilo with no issues! Thank goodness for Turo!!

The woman who runs this business is unstable and unprofessional. After returning my rental as…read morescheduled she claimed the car was dirty and late and is holding onto my $250 security deposit and charging $75 cleaning fee. I disputed this with my credit card company and now she is threatening me with. An example response: "Let me warn you of something else . For the extremely ignorant and low integrity people who choose to make an agreement then dispute charges , we have a term in our t &c that says if renter makes a dispute on a charge and we win the dispute , we reserve the right to charge a $500 fee for time it takes disputing and collecting evidence and for waiting for the money . I will charge you once you lose the dispute ( which you will ! Since I take pictures and have proof and your signed agreement !) I have your initials right next to cleaning fee . even if cancel your card the debt goes to collections and gets reported to the credit bureau every month . I promise you it won't be worth it . Just do this with integrity and honestly and it will work out better . I have things in place for people like you and trust me it will only cost you more in the end . It really bothers me I works 60 hours a week and try to rent for a reasonable price then have to deal with bullshit like this from complainers who clearly knew the agreement before they rented. " Avoid this company!

My rental vehicle is always from Enterprise when I am sent to Hilo because my employer has an…read moreaccount with the company. Customer service is consistently friendly and helpful. Picking up and returning the vehicle is simple and relatively quick. I have driven mostly Nissan cars and trucks that were clean and in excellent condition. The last time I was in Hilo, I left my iPhone X in my vehicle after I turned it in. The kind Enterprise employee ran after me as I was on my way to check-in for my flight back to Honolulu. That was a close call! Very thankful to the employee who did a thorough check of my vehicle and returned my phone. I'm very much looking forward to another opportunity to return to Hilo and get to everywhere I need with an Enterprise vehicle!

When we got there the Enterprise window was closed and so we had to get checked out with Alamo. The…read moreguy at the desk didn't ask to see ID and didn't go out to inspect the car with us. He just gave us papers and said "your car is in stall 5. If there's any damages just take pictures of them." Given, it was near 6:15pm at this point and getting dark. I didn't like that we didn't have someone check out the car with us and agree on any potential existing damage, but I also understand there was ONE guy working two different company's check outs. Drop off (after hours) was easy and we received our check out paperwork and final costs by the end of the same day.

We are so glad we went with Hawaii Lifted. We got the lifted jeep and visited the whole island…read more Totally worth it. I accidentally left my wallet in the jeep and the company quickly mailed it back to me. Great customer service and a total great experience. The check in and out process was very simple and automated. Will rent from again.

Jeep was high-quality everything worked and it was clean the renting process and the return process…read morewas different but relatively easy communications were excellent.