Great service! The employee working the counter was extremely helpful and pleasant to work with. The car itself was very clean, low mileage and ran great! Returning the vehicle was just as easy as picking it up. The employee was very nice and the return went fast. No issues. The only con I would have is cost. Now Thrifty was the cheapest place to rent from, but Hawaii in general is so much more expensive then renting from anywhere else. read more

Dishonest service here. I checked in to pick up my car and while checking out, the lady, I believe her name was Michelle, older asian didn't seem the most polite. She bombarded us with a bunch of upgrades... "only $15 per day..etc" and questions which we understand they need to make commission but we rejected. Anyway, she pulled out a pamphlet and told us to choose a "package" but did not explain much or how much more each would cost. Just straight up pick one. So we chose the most basic one, once again did not tell us how much more it would be or explain any pricing whatsoever like she previously did. She prompts us to quickly just press accept and sign on the screen, trying to speed through the transaction. She prints out our receipt and starts highlighting a bunch of things really quickly but not explaining any charges of our ADDED charges and WHY. Just highlights the ENTIRE RECEIPT and just tells us our total. Anyway I thought her behavior was weird and after we got the car we realized it's about $100 more than our original quote and quickly realized why. When we came back she was super rude and defensive saying how she's "worked here for 30 years." Yeah, imagine the number of people you've probably scammed over the past 30 years. Anyway had to call thrifty to dispute but luckily they opened a case for when the contract closed and processed our refund. Lesson learned, be more vigilant. 1 star because thrifty was actually able to help us out. Also, car was dirty inside, plenty of dents and scuffs, 2 of the cars emblems were missing lol. Seems like people in this thread had the same experience as us... PILAU ! read more

Update: Thrifty has "so graciously" offered me a refund of a whopping $25.00 (twenty five, yes.) I paid more than $25 having it cleaned. I will not be renting from this company again. read more

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Arrive 12/3/25 7am lady there was not welcoming at all and didn't give us any option since we had a debit card. Was gonna hold $800 on a 2 day rental and do a credit check like geez we renting a car not buying a house!! My ohana was deciding where to have breakfast and tita from next door national rental heard us and offered places to eat. As see was more than willing to help us I ask if she had any vehicle available and boom she was super accommodating we ended renting our vehicle from national. She had so much aloha and smile through out our transaction. Held 3 days rental on the debit card and we was off and ready to go to our ohana funeral. Thrifty you can learn customer service from your neighbor national!! read more

They were very helpful when I went to the desk. It was my first time renting a car so she helped me figure out which papers to sign and how to fill out the damage report slip. The parking lot was right behind the desk and my car was in the first row. It was easy to spot and easy to drive. read more

One of the worst rental experiences I've ever had. I reserved and paid for an all-wheel drive vehicle from Thrifty for a trip to the Mauna Kea Summit in Hawaii, where AWD is required. Thrifty gave me a rear-wheel drive vehicle without informing me of the change. I only found out after driving all the way to the Visitor Center, where we were turned away -- wasting an entire day of our trip and the purpose of staying in Hilo. I've exchanged over 20 emails with Thrifty and Hertz customer service. I was told by Expedia (who I booked through) that Thrifty had confirmed I was eligible for a refund, only for Thrifty to later refuse it. I was offered a $50 voucher, then ignored. When I followed up, I was handed off to different agents who repeated the same copy-paste responses and never addressed my concerns. This level of miscommunication, lack of accountability, and complete disregard for customer experience is unacceptable. I will not be renting from Thrifty or Hertz again. read more

Had no wait to get the car. The guy was nice and gave us a heads ups up that there can sometimes be a wait for the shuttle at the Kona location (which is where we will drop it off). The car got was modern and had no issues. read more

rental car in out of ITO. I was given a very brand new car 2025 which had only 15 miles on it I have never driven a brand new car. I own a 2002 lol... They handed me the fob. I was expecting a key . so I had to ask someone else -not Thrifty. Where is the key ??? So he was kind enough to explain. I knew nothing about how the car worked ! They assumed I did. IT would have been advantageous to both of us to take the time to at least ask ' do you know how to work this car ? " I had to sit in that HOT parking lot and figure out how to drive this 'beautiful' car. It took me a while to get used to it and to get it out of the parking lot. The customer service people were NOT anywhere near kind and amiable. Curt and rude more like it. Where is the Aloha ? Will not be using Thrifty again. read more

We flew into Hilo today and picked up the minivan we had reserved from Millie. She was professional and pleasant. She explained the various costs and gave us helpful information about the car return process in Kona, where we are flying out from in a couple of weeks. The minivan is a new model which was clean and drives great. read more

Did the check in online 5 hours before car pick up. Still waited in line for 1 hour 30 minutes. Totally unacceptable when your jet lagged and the fact that they had only 1 customer service agent for a huge line is ridiculous. Never again. read more

Andy and Doug were great! Gave us some good tips on places to visit in Hilo. Super deals on cars for our stay! The spirt of aloha is at Thrifty in Hilo. read more

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Rented at Kona Intl. Airport, car was not valeted and there were cut fingernails on the driver's floormat.

Near the end of our 2 week rental in Hilo, we got a door ding on our almost new rental car. I was worried that our Hawaiian vacation was to end on a sour note because of a bad experience with another company. After I told the counter person Michelle about it, she took a look at it with her manager Julie who happened to be close by. I was so relieved to hear them say that it wasn't a big enough hit to worry about, so I could be on my way. They were so kind and understanding, it was great to experience that customer service and support! Thrifty is getting my next rental for sure. Mahalo, Larry G read more

I signed up for the Blue Chip program because of previous bad experiences with wait times to pick up a car. There was NO blue chip option at Hilo, so I ended up waiting over an hour to get my car, even though there were only 7 people ahead of me in line. I reserved an AWD or 4WD vehicle and did not get one (I was told my SUV was AWD, but it was not). Terrible Service. They are cheap for a reason. read more

I rented a car for 3 days, the first was a black dodge charger. It was decent and nice. That same day we took a 1hr and 30 minute drive to Kona for the day. As we enjoyed our day and we had finished going out to dinner and getting ready for the long drive back to Hilo we came across the critters. They come out when it's dark, right when we opened the door with the lights on, a whole army of roaches swarmed around the car (mainly to the middle console). We have never been so disgusted and disappointed. Who would want to take that long drive back in a car like that? anyways we suck it up and took the drive with awareness because what other choice did we have? it was late and right when we parked at our hotel we came back to spray it down as you can see in the videos. The amount of whats caught on the video has NOTHING compared to what we seen. there was hundreds of them. the filth. there was no words to the way we felt on that drive way back to hilo. Anyways to top it off the next morning we went to trade for a newer cleaner car, and when we first talked to the Manager of thrifty her only response was "Oh" with attitude. Then proceeds to just be quiet and assigned us a new car. There was no type of apology or any explanation to the cause. It was ridiculous they way she handled and then one of the customers had heard and seen how she reacted and told me to the side that in Hawaii its normal to have roaches in the cars thats why the manager took it lightly and didn't care. Literally Ridiculous and unacceptable. read more

Even though I was early, the staff got me taken care of with minimal wait! Excellent customer service, pick up and drop off

Not a good selection of vehicles. On two visits, asked for a standard size, got a gas guzzling muscle car instead. One was a convertible with windows that wouldn't close. Not a good security risk while traveling. Bad suspension too. Normally ok with high performance cars, but with gas prices skyrocketing need something more appropriate for the Big Island. read more

My mother made a mistake with our car rental accidentally making a reservation in Kona instead of Hilo. Kelsi was so great and understanding. She helped us with our booking and was able to get everything situated. Even though they could've easily sent us to Kona, their Aloha to accommodate saved us the drive lol (IYKYK). Mahalo again Kelsi and Thrifty! read more

I thought the lady who helped me was very kind and pretty efficient. I joked and asked if there was enough wiper fluid since my last car rental in Hilo through Hertz was out of fluid and ironically, it actually did run out while I was using my vehicle (I got a Jeep). Besides that, I was pretty satisfied with the experience. read more

Libby greeted me warmly and was all ready to check me in and get me on my way. When I asked questions about breakfast and local attractions that we've been trying to get to over the years, she was informative and helpful, providing maps, free coupons, and her honest opinion. Great customer sevice with a smile, with true Aloha! Woo hoo! read more

I almost always rent from Thrifty and enjoy their service and prices. This location continued to have good prices but their service was to do as bare minimum as possible from what I saw. No pre or post inspection; had to return my first vehicle, (fortunately, without skepticism) due to electrical issues with both the airbag and fuel systems. Furthermore, despite having a sign saying they have a line for their blue chip rewards members, there is no preference given to them when it comes to the line, unlike other locations. Overall, I just felt like the service was slow and a bit careless compared to other Thrifty locations. On the plus side, however, as a brand, they continued to not be pushy about their insurance or gas programs. read more

Issues: 1. They will not hold your car, even if you have reserved one. I witnessed the staff give away reserved cars to people w/o reservations, after saying they had no more unreserved cars. They did not have the car I reserved, either, and I had to take something that was too small at a higher cost. 2. I had an unpleasant confrontation with a clerk who insisted I had smoked in their vehicle. I do not smoke, and my passengers did not, either. Probably best to try someone else. read more

Awful experience... showed up after reserving an intermediate car for our family of 4 (2 small kids with carseats) and the guy insists he's only going to give me a compact 2 dr hatchback vehicle (see photo). My reservation clearly showed a Nissan Versa or similar with 4 doors and a trunk able to fit 4 people and 3 pieces of luggage. He looked at it and said that was a compact and what he was giving me was a compact. He was rude, mean and unwilling to listen. With tears rolling down my face, I tried to explain to him that I had 2 small children that would not fit in that car with our luggage. THEN he tells me that if I pay about $100 more he would give me an intermediate (what I reserved in the first place!). He was so condescending and smug. My husband and 2 kids were getting the luggage, so my only guess is that guy thought he was just going to railroad me into paying more. While he was typing in his computer, I went on my phone and checked prices for an intermediate and Budget popped up even cheaper than Thrifty's original price so I walked a couple feet down and rented through them instead. And what did I drive away in? A 4 door Nissan Versa with a trunk. This guy needs to retire. He's bad for business. read more

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Awful service! I was waiting for the shuttle bus at the airport, which should be the only location to transfer people. However, the shuttle bus is full of people from nowhere and I was not allowed to get on the shuttle. They lied that another one was coming, but they only have one shuttle bus. Worst ever. I would give zero star for them. read more

Oh, where do I begin??? If I could have given 1/2 a Star rating..I would have... Their two representatives at the front desk (one male/one female) were extremely rude! My boyfriend and I asked some simple rental questions and they both talked down to us, and acted like we were dumb for not knowing. The male rep actually rolled his eyes at me! We decided not to purchase their Insurance coverage b/c we already have our own. They were pushy, rude, and tried 3 times to get us to purchase their Insurance. Finally they accepted NO as an answer, but not without giving us an attitude. At the end of this strenuous 30min long process, the Rep was handing me the keys & I tried to be kind and thank her by name saying "Thank you Julie" and she blatantly ignored me!! Hands down, the WORST customer service I have ever experienced. And I travel a lot!! I will NEVER rent from Thrifty again! read more

shame no minus stars available @thrifty the car they gave me total piece of shit covered in dents doors roof bonnet rear bumper damage front missing paint dirty inside inside window has something sprayed all over it it shakes at low speed like tyre has flat spot gearbox jerks and low speed traveled 9miles before fuel moved a notch social media @thriftycars told me to fill car up and drive the 25miles back to exchange car once I returned the "man" was rude but while waiting in line he was pressure selling insurances and upgrades to a German couple telling them he has an "abundance" of cars when it was my turn I told him about the @thriftycars advice and he Said he has no cars to exchange and that Twitter doesn't tell him to exchange cars and that the damage was "wear and tear" so I drove back the 25miles to where I was staying today I returned the car and they wanted me to fill in incident reports for the damage that happened while I rented it I told the lady working it was reported when I left she said she didn't care i needed to do the report I smiled at her and walked away never to use thrifty or dollar again it will be interesting if they attempt to bill my card for the damages read more

Horrible. They posted a price for the car online, by the time I got to the final payment it was several hundred dollars more. Then when I went to pick up the car they charged an absurd fee for being under 25. When I took the car back a few days later (I had intended to keep it for the month but the fee was unacceptable) they insisted that they hadn't charged me initially but only put a hold on my account. They double charged me for the few days I used the car, and refused to reimburse the initial payment for the entire month. Now I'm filing a dispute with my credit card company. These people are the worst. read more

I was not pleased with our service here. The older gentleman helping my husband was rude to me and very unkind in his manners. We had to exchange our rental that we got in Kona because the check engine light came on, which was not our fault. We got the car with it on and kindly asked, in Kona, if we could have it checked before we left the lot. The last drove it about 25 feet into tone service center and brought it back 30 minutes later saying it was fine. The light was off now and we thought we were in the clear. About halfway to Hilo, it came back on so we called and reported it. They said bring it back the next day and we'll get something else. At the Hilo airport I was expecting like a sorry or something but the man said, you'll have to talk to Kona, it's not our fault and proceeded to be an ass to me about it. Sorry I just wanted a nice experience on my honeymoon, I surely didn't get it. Don't rent with them. Not worth it. read more

Their website says you can rent with a debit card, but apparently this is a lie. This company left me and my service dog stranded out in the rain at night with luggage because I choose not to have credit cards and pay for all of my purchases with cash with funds immediately available in my bank accounts. The rental was prepaid and the "hold" requirement funds were available on my debit card. My debit card was registered with the company's Blue Chip program and I only needed the rental for one day. They still left me and my service dog (who had not eaten or had anything to drink during his 13 hours of travel) out in the rain to figure out how to complete the remaining 35 minute drive of travel for a very long day of travel. This company is GARBAGE! Obviously, if I could rate them ZERO I would. No customer care here to be sure. They didn't even offer to help me figure out what I was going to do. Just shooed me away from their counter. read more

Terrible experience. We filled up the tank at a nearby gas station and made sure it took as much gas as possible but the agent Michelle insisted on charging us for more. In fact she charged us for more than two gallons even though it couldn't possibly have taken more than 1/2 gallon. She also charged the only cleaning fee we have we've been charged for a car returned without more than crumbs to be vacuumed. Never renting from here again. read more