Up To The Mountaintop For The MLK Jr. Holiday!

Jan. 18, 2026. The steep increase in prices that came this week follows the same pattern as the prices for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday one year ago. Then, prices increased sharply from the previous week, and they did the same again this year. But this year's MLK holiday prices are significantly higher than last year's. This continues the same pattern of year-over-year increase that we saw last week. The cheapest rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) is a compact cart costing more than $900 for the week, with all other vehicle categories over - in some cases well over - $1,000/week. Looking forward, last year, prices slipped slightly after the MLK holiday, before resuming their climb into February. If we believe the prices in the advance booking systems, the same is expected to happen again this year. Looking back, prices are continuing their seasonal pattern of ratcheting up last-minute: anyone booking a one-week rental of a compact car starting tomorrow is paying 76% more than if they had made their booking for the same rental starting tomorrow about a month ago.