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Honolulu
car-rental rates
lowest in U.S.

Its daily price of $41 leads
the way with Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., next with $42.50

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Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu has the cheapest car rental rates in the nation, mainly because of a high emphasis on tours and the short distances between most locations, according to a recent annual survey.

Ignoring discounts, renting an intermediate-size car for an unlimited number of miles costs $41 per day on average in Honolulu, the lowest price out of 100 metropolitan areas surveyed by management consulting firm Runzheimer International.

Following Honolulu were Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at $42.50; Sioux Falls, S.D., at $44; and Cheyenne, Wyo., and Manchester, N.H., which both posted an average of $45, according to figures published in the latest "Runzheimer Guide to Daily Travel Prices." The national average was $62.

"One of the big reasons for Honolulu's low rates was geography. You can't drive very far," said Rolfe Shellenberger, senior travel consultant for Rochester, Wis.-based Runzheimer.

Oahu's tourism industry boasts so many tours that car rental agencies must price themselves competitively, Shellenberger added.

Cleveland was the most expensive in the survey, doubling Hawaii's rate at $86.50 per day for the same-size car.

New York and nearby Newark, N.J., followed at $85.50 and $85 per day respectively, Runzheimer said.

Even in high-cost areas, renting may still make sense where it offers greater flexibility than public transportation and taxis, Shellenberger said.