What more can I say.....National Car Rental provides da BESTEST cars, and da most awesome service! I was working on the the big Island last week, as well as this week, and did a ton of driving all over the Island. I took out a Nissan Altima last week, and was so impressed with the ride, comfort space, & gas mileage that I took out another Altima this week as well. Originally, the nice lady was gonna give me a Chevrolet Malibu, but after inquiring if I could get a Altima, the nice lady was able to fulfill my request. Wednesday, when I landed in Hilo, I ended up driving over 240 miles that day, as my travels were in Hilo, Kapa'au, & Kailua-Kona, then back to Hilo on the same day. Lots of driving, but thanks to a good car, the ride was very comfortable. I LOVE the National Car Rental in Hilo, because there is no need to catch a shuttle. As soon as you pick up you baggage, just head across the street to the rental car counter, and all the rental cars are just behind the building in a large private car lot. Need a rental car? National Car Rental is da place! read more

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Hilo's National Car Rental Company is always staffed and ready to assist you. They have clean cars and great rates. It's an easy, walk in and choose your car along with a swift check out process. The return process is just as simple. They scan your car and email you the receipt after verifying your card on file. Just a smooth and simple process. I recommend National to anyone renting a vehicle. read more

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Honestly, no complaints. Blaze was our customer service rep and he was polite, fast, and explained everything before handing us the keys. The car was clean and ran well during our stay. We returned it with a full gas tank and the return was easy peasy. There was no line when we arrived; we got lucky. read more

We recently had 2 trips to Hilo over the summer and had rented through National for both trips. They are located right across from baggage claim. Smooth check in process. Show your ID and they have your name on some paperwork behind them. If you saved your card on your emerald account, the process will go even quicker. I was able to upgrade my rental for the first trip only. Since we arrived at night, the representative advised me to check the car for any damages over a certain size and to take any pictures with my phone light. It was dark in the parking lot but you could drive closer to the back of their building for more light. No upgrades were available as it was a busy weekend during our second trip. However, I was still able to fit my family of 5 including myself in an Altima. Both cars were clean and they had provided travel Clorox wipes. read more

12/03/25 arrive in hilo for a funeral, we had reservations at thrifty however customer service there was none and not willing to work with us. Peggy from national over heard us talking about where we was gonna have breakfast and she advised us of some places to go she was full of aloha. We ended up ditching thrifty and going with national for our vehicle needs because of her. Super accommodating and lots of aloha, transaction was so smooth. Mahalo Peggy for your hospitality and kindness. we made it to the funeral on time but missed breakfast. You diffently treated us kamaaina with lots of aloha and kindness. For that we Mahalo you read more

Always come to get a car here and the service has been excellent!! The last rental was the new Jeep Wagoneer which was so great that it even could massage back and butt area of the driver and the front passenger. At first I didn't even care and bother to use it, but after a jerky stop, decided to turn it on and had it on that whole trip. read more

We rented a car from National (via Priceline) for 2 weeks during our vacation to the Big Island. The pick up near baggage claim was super convenient and easy. It's about a 5 minute ride to the car rental station. There was a small line but it moved slowly because some foreigners did not have the correct paperwork and did not understand English well, but that was not the fault of National. When it was my turn, check in was easy. We got the type of car that I wanted. The car was clean and in good shape, and off we went. Turning in the car at the end of our trip was easy too. Overall, no complaints. I would rent from National again. read more

Rental cars are located outside and the process for pickup is super-easy. I found the National Rental guys (my first time using) easy to work with, pretty laid back and willing to give us plenty of instructions. I would 100% rent from them again. By the way, I did priceline.com to find the best deal on a rental car. With this being a pricier aspect of traveling in Hawaii, it was a good move and saved us several hundred dollars for the 3 days we needed a rental car on Big Island. read more

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to call regarding any issue related to picking up the car. The national phone line people don't know the answer. They refer you to another 800 number and to a local number 808.. Neither answers. Planes during covid timing come in after hours. So, the question is .. what do you do in this event ....? My flight comes in at 9:45 and they close at 9;30. Pretty bad business practice!!!1 read more

We got the most horrible rental car from their Kona location and it shuddered every time we pressed the brake during our drive to Hilo. I called National Car Rental to see if we could switch cars and they told me they were completely sold out because of the holiday weekend. She offered to have us towed back to Kona but we took our chances and went to the Hilo airport location. I expected to get the same poor attitude we had initially received in Kona but were pleasantly surprised when Sue greeted us and apologized for the mishap. She was worried that she wouldn't have a car to put us in because they were indeed sold out but thankfully she had an early return. She noticed a bunch of dings on our original vehicle and she asked if we had reported anything to the Kona office. We told her how they hadn't even asked us to do anything and that it didn't really seem like they cared at all. She warned that we should always report any damage to a vehicle that's larger than a golf ball because we'd be ultimately responsible. We walked through our new vehicle, gave our notes to Sue and ended up driving away in a white mustang which returned us back to Kona safe and sound. read more

Been trying to call Hilo location (808)935-0891. Rings about 50 times, no one pickd up. Call ends so I call back 5 TIMES with the same results. I must have heard their phone ring 200+ times. I don't want to talk to their customer service people from the mainland. read more

Yesterday when i arrived in Hilo, my reserved Economy car was not ready yet. In fact the only cars available were the specialty cars like the Chrysler 200. I was told to wait for my car to be brought from the car yard. However, After 5 mins I was given an upgrade and is now driving a Chrysler 200! Thank you National Hilo! read more

What a Great experience I had renting from National Car Rental in Hilo. I arrived and your Friendly Associate Ellie was just great. She asked me what I would prefer and she without any hesitation gave me a very good Chevrolet Traverse. Excellent choice, the has usage was very good. As we attended a Ohana Reunion and did a lot of traveling it was very comfortable and efficient. Mahalo and the Return was just as easy, I believe it was Su that was there to welcome me back. I love the Hawaii atmosphere that was very present. Aloha n Mahalo National Emeralds Club, happy to be a member for 17 years read more

We are Emerald Isle members and love the perks. Reserve a standard car and take any one from the Emerald Isle. We were lucky enough to get a brand new Jeep Cherokee. Nice vehicle. Usually with Emerald Isle you don't need to go to the counter, just select your car and go, but at Hilo we needed to go to the counter. Service was very professional and everything we needed to begin our journey. The return was also a breeze. The trip was great in part because of the car rental and the great service. read more

Great rental location and experience. I dealt with a lady here (forgot her name) and she's the nicest car rental representative I've dealt with (and I've rented from over 10 different companies/ locations). I stayed at a hotel about 3 miles away from the airport and National didn't offer transfer services so I had to call a taxi to go pick up the car. As I was picking it up and chatting with the rep, I asked her about transfer services. She said they don't do it but if I return the car before her employees go home at 8pm, she can have one of them drop me off. Awesome! When I returned the car, the process was quick and painless. As promised, there was a guy there to drop me off at my hotel. Had a nice chat about this quite little town on the way back so I handed the guy $5 tips. Very friendly people. If you come to Hilo and stay for more than a day, definitely rent a car and explore around. Rent from this location. I think the other companies at this location are great too. The people in each "stall" help each other out quite a bit. read more

Moms needed to put me on her contract as an additional driver. She said to see Su (pronounced "Sue") at the National desk once we got into ITO. We booked it over the the car rental area once we deplaned and Su proceeded to hook it up for us for the few days we were visiting. All I did was show my ID. It was quick easy and painless. Thanks! read more

I have been a customer of national for over 10 years. When I picked up and returned the car, the staff at this location were extremely friendly. The main complaint that I have is that this location doesn't honor the emerald club program. When I rented the car online there was no communication about this. I only found out when I asked and I ended up spending more for a 4 wheel drive and it was days before one was available. In reality I wouldn't have had the extra expense if they honored the emerald club membership. read more

Always a friendly greeting is waiting for you as you get your car at the counter. There is no Emerald Aisle at this location, but they always get me a car to my liking. Been coming to this location for years on my business trips, and they have always had the best customer service of any National location in the state. read more

Rental using National at Hilo was easy, although no "Emerald Isle" of course. Gave us an upgraded car at no extra charge, and that made the whole experience much better. Would definitely recommend using them. read more

Had a very warm welcome from the agent at the counter, Ellie I think is her name. She has a great smile and was very eager to help plan my day on Hawaii Island. I normally use the Emerald Isle service at other National locations, but in this case I'm glad I spent time with the counter agent. Cars are cars, when it comes to rentals. I just need a reliable car that's comfortable and clean. National always come through on this point. Two Thumb's Up for the Hilo National location. Aloha! read more

Excellent customer service at the counter before and after the rental. Fast, Personal and Courteous!!! The car was clean, inside and out and had that good, clear car smell. I will not hesitate to rent again. read more

I had reserved a convertible weeks earlier as a special surprise for my wife while we were on a one day exploration to Volcano National Park. Much to my surprise and disappointment when we arrived, they had no convertibles and suggested a Jeep which they seemed to have in abundance. No apologies, no compensation, and when we returned it I was told there would be an extra charge if I didn't put the top back on. VERY DISAPPOINTED!! read more

After years of renting from all of the other major car rental companies at the Hilo International Airport, I can say with confidence that National is as good as it gets. Ellie, who works the morning shift, is always upbeat and positive, has my keys waiting for me before I even reach the counter so that I may grab them as I walk by (it's literally like a baton pass. I don't even have to slow down my pace), and always greets me by name. In fact, the only time that I have to actually stop at the counter is when she has a new restaurant suggestion, a better car available than the one I rented and wants to know if I want a free upgrade, or a traffic update for me. It's always wonderful having such a positive person to greet me after the craziness of a morning flight. read more

Got a car for a day........received a Buick Lacrosse! Pretty good shape for 19k miles which I imagine is low for the big island! Agent at counter was friendly and helpful, even had a great recommendation for a nearby restaurant (Hawaiian Style Cafe)! Upon return, all rental return location were dead slow but when we pulled into the return stall agent quickly came up to the car to greet us! She was also very friendly and asked us how our rental was along with the usual questions! Overall I wish all renters could experience this kind of service and would definitely recommend National to others! read more

Always good service and car waiting for me. There was a slight wait the last time but they upgraded me to a great car at no extra charge.

I have rented from all the other major car rental agencies at the Hilo International Airport and I like National Car Rental the Best. Most of all, I enjoy the warm Aloha of the staff. They are simply the best! My rental is always on time, clean and ready to go. Pickup and drop off is simple easy and fast. I will continue to use National Car Rental and I highly recommend National Car Rental at the Hilo International Airport. read more

After making a mistake and booking a car for the wrong island, entirely a dumb thing to do, they said they had cars and would help me out by renting one to me for $800 for the week. A total rip off. I ended up with the same car for at Enterprise for $348. Never again National. read more

Great service. The lady who helped us was very friendly. She found a little broken panel on the driver side door and noted it on the paperwork, put down her employee number just in case there ever was a problem. The process was easy and quick. read more

Su was exceptional in her customer service. We were tired and hot (its very humid there) and she was so sweet, fast and competent.