Hilo Auto Sales & Rentals

This is my second time using this business. They are professional, prompt and great to work with. I can’t say enough good things about the owner, Richard/​Rick. I will always use this company when coming to the Big Island. Our mini van was perfect and It was so easy coming and going to the airport. If I could give more then 5 stars, I would.

If you are coming to the Big Island and need a rental for a day or a year Rick is the man for you! My fiancé and I are traveling physical therapists and we needed two rental cars for 6 months. Rick has been amazing every step of the way! Both vehicles were clean, ran great, and had super cold air. They are not brand new cars but that is a huge advantage on the Big Island. First off there are some rough roads and you don’t want to be concerned about every little dent or scratch the the chain rental places are going to make you pay big money for. BUT most importantly if people think you are local you get treated differently. Everyone we met here were extremely friendly but you hear stories of rentals getting broken into if you are driving the brand new jeep wrangler and because our car looked local we even got into beaches or parks for free that typically have a fee.
Rick’s prices cannot be beat, he truly cares about people and the vehicles he rents to them, and goes out of his way to be ridiculously accomadating! Every time in the 6 months we had a small issue of a light coming on or even just low oil levels Rick would come get the car when I was at work and the thing would be back in tip top shape by the time I was done. And on the one occasion it needed a day to get a part, there was another rental waiting for me. He is such a wonderful man to do business with I had no hesitation to use him to rent a mini van when my family of 6 came to visit for almost two weeks. (Another fantastic and affordable rental) There is literally not a negative thing I can say about Rick or his company. Whether Kona or Hilo if you are an intelligent person I would highly recommend you call Rick! If we ever find ourselves back on the Big Island he will be the first person I call! Thank you Rick for making what can be a stressful situation into a complete piece of cake!

Aloha,
I want to rent car from Jun5−7, if you have SUV is better:). How is the cost and how can we reserve the car? Glade to here your back!

I’ll definitely be renting from Rick again when I visit the big island. Can’t recommend this service enough. Here’s a rundown of how renting from him works:
1) Call him to confirm availability
2) Send a phone picture of your driver’s license, which he uses to run a background check on you and run an abstract with his insurance company
3) He calls you back with a quote (a very low one compared to normal rental companies)
4) You send him your insurance and then show up to the airport where he meets you at arrivals, executes a contract, and hands you your keys.
Sidenote: Rick gave us a good deal, especially considering we were under 25. I can only imagine deals would be even better if you’re 25+. Also, the car we drove was from the 2000’s, but was very clean and ran amazing!

Where to begin. I can’t say enough good things about Rick and his wife. Me and my boyfriend rented a car with him for our trip to Hilo and they provided us with amazing customer service from the very beginning!
But unfortunately on the last day of my trip on my way to Kona from Hilo to the Kona airport (my boyfriend flew out of Hilo so I was alone!), I got in a rear-​end accident where his rental car got completely totaled! I felt terrible about what happened and called Rick hysterical telling him what happened. He then consoled me and was so understanding of the situation. He then offered to take me to Kona (2 hours away!) so I could catch my flight! I couldn’t believe how generous he was and he refused to let me take a taxi. We took the 2 hour trip to the airport and I walked away feeling so much better about the situation. He went above and beyond his role and provided not only great customer service but was a friend when I needed it the most when I knew no one else on the island.
I highly highly recommend Hilo Auto Sales & Rentals. They embody the such beautiful spirit of ‘Aloha’ that I’ve been so lucky to experience here on the Big Island.
Thanks again, Rick.

Great working with Richard. I love the fact he answers his cell phone or immediately calls back. It was an easy car pickup right at the airport with Tina and she was very accommodating for our late drop off for a red eye flight at 10:45pm. The made our life easy, price was right, and the car was clean and operated perfectly. We felt like locals. We rented for 2 months and will definitely rent again when we return next year.

We needed a car for several days while ours was in the shop. Rick came through on short notice with a nice Seabring automatic with cold AC for half of what the rental car companies were asking.
Mahalo Rick! No insurance up-​sales and no cost for the extra driver. Great value and a real life saver! Also, we didn’t look like tourists driving around in the standard Mustang.

Well, I can only echo the glowing praise already written here. Renting from Rick has changed my expectations of the car rental experience. To avoid the big chain car companies and go with a local business was the best decision of my Hilo stay. No fuss, reliable car, vehicle drop off/​pickup with Rick literally running 5 miles to fetch the car when I was done with it — emblematic of the aloha spirit of the Big Island. The fact that Rick is a fellow foodie was just the cherry on top. Cancel your Avis/​Budget/​what-​have-​you reservation and rent from Rick!

This review is long overdue!
I can’t say enough good things about Rick and the way he goes about business and people in general.
I first rented a car from Rick for the month of October, 2015.
It was easy to get connected with Rick and set things up. The car was clean and comfortable and I had a great time showing my mom the big island.
Then I rented again from Rick in December when I needed a vehicle for a few days.
He was on a hike on Oahu at the time, but still took the time to find me a car in Kailua and really saved me a lot of trouble.
Rick and his wife go out of their way to show true Aloha and kindness.
Mahalo nui loa and blessings to both of you!

I just arrived in Hilo and Rick picked me up at the airport and we singed some papers and off I went with a Toyota Avalon. Easy. He’s extremely affordable and very nice and straight forward. Go with him!

Rick Otani’s Hilo Auto Sales and Rentals was recommended here on Unilocal,and I am glad I took that rec rather than the usual Hertz at the airport routine. Rick IS Hilo Auto. He will deliver your car to you and pick it up when you are done. He communicates immediately by Unilocal message or email. I was greeted with hugs and breakfast recommendations. (great, at Hawaiian style café). My car was a nondescript Corolla that ran just fine for me all over the island. Also, the plates were not the ubiquitous Z prefixed ones that rental cars have there. That Z is a giveaway that you’re a tourista. Much better to disguise yourself as a local!

This company was so easy to communicate with. Tina was very efficient and extremely friendly. She picked us up immediately upon arriving to KOA. We signed our contract, she swiped our card, the whole process probably took maybe 20 minutes. And we were on the road to enjoying our vacation. The price can not be beat from any other rental car company. Of course the cars are not brand new or fancy, but it was clean and reliable. Also the car blends in with local vehicles, which I hear is a good thing. Rick and Tina were extremely efficient and very very friendly. I highly recommend them to Anyone traveling to the big island and just need a reliable back and forth vehicle ! We rented a mini van for our family vacation and it worked out great ! We will absolutely be renting from them again ! Great company.

My husband and I booked our honeymoon trip for Hilo. We started to become so overwhelmed while looking for car rental places and shocked by the prices that companies wanted to charge because we were under «25 years old» (like $ 95+ per day!) I then went on Unilocal and discovered a Rick (he was the #1 car rental business in Hilo!) I read all the 5-​star reviews and multiple compliments and decided to give him a call. So glad I did! He was very nice and professional, set everything up, and made it super easy. (Our rental car was extremely affordable and reliable!) He picked us right up at the airport when we landed, visited about where to go and what to do on the island, and signed the papers!
Thank you, Rick, for helping us enjoy the entire island (we put 580 miles on in 6 days)! Our experience could not have been better. We will be back to the Big Island soon and when we go, we’ll be renting through Rick again! He has my highest recommendation.

Mahalo to Rick and his crew. Service was awesome and friendly.
Do you love supporting local businesses, making some new friends and saving some money? Rick is your man! He made all the communication and paperwork painless. He is super thorough and likes things done properly. We had punctual and prompt pick up and drop off at Kona Airport. The vehicles did exactly what we needed them to do. It also put a couple bucks back in my pocket to share with the other local businesses on the island.
If you like new, shiny and paying a whole lot of excess fees. Rick is not for you. The cars were comfortable, clean and blowing cold AC. We had driven a 2001 Avalon and a 1998 Corolla which accommodated 8 adults and 1 baby. Everyone was comfy and cool. If you love feeling like a local. This is definitely the place to rent.
Would I rent from Rick again? Until his company closes on me. He is my rental man!
Would I recommend him to a friend? It’s what friends do to help each other out. I’d try and convince as many people as I knew to rent from him.
Make a new friend, support a local business and save a few bucks to splurge on the Island or even on your family. Glad to of met this brotha and his crew. Thanks for helping make our trip awesome.

Rick did and an excellent job working with me to get an affordable rental car on Hilo last week ($ 225/​week for a minivan). The trip was a very last minute decision and he made a concerted effort with less then 24 hrs notice to accommodate us-​even picking us up at the airport after a 6am arrival! We used PayPal for payment and completed the insurance and contract paperwork with no hassle, and he also made great recommendations for stops around the island. I’d highly recommend Hilo auto sales & rentals for locals looking to A). Not stick out like a sore thumb tourist in a shiny new rental B). Save some money and hassle and support local business.

Rick is a courteous and thorough businessman and beautiful example of the Aloha Spirit. Our Toyota Camry was almost HALF the price of bigger car rental companies. It was clean, mechanically reliable and we encountered zero problems with our car for the 2 weeks we were there. His communication and response time was quick and complete. I only wish I had known this company existed in the past and recommend his car rental service to all … Tourist and locals alike. Renting from him also made your car blend in with the locals and less of a target in my opinion. I will use him every time I am in Hilo in the future!

If I could give Rick 10 STARS I would. In all my travels renting from local agencies, «Hilo’s Auto Sales and Rentals» run by Rick is hands down the best and smoothest rental car experience I have ever had. He accommodated me last minute with a super affordable clean car, supports the troops with a military discount and extended my rental reservation mid stay with just a phone call. He gave me the inside scoop on where to swim with turtles and good eats. On top off all that when I got into an unforeseeable fender bender and I was freaking out, Rick relaxed demeanor calmed me down and I wanted to hug the guy. He is easy to get a hold of, super flexible and a genuinely honest business man. Highly recommend and I look forward to rent from him again when I come to back Hilo.

I recently rented a car for a week from Hilo Auto Sales and Rentals, and I appreciated how smoothly it all went. Rick, his wife and staff were easy to work with, and I liked that we got most of the paperwork (auto insurance confirmation, etc) done in advance over email and text message. It was nice to arrive and have everything done but the payment.
This would not be a service for people who want to pay via credit card or want a shiny new car to drive. They preferred to be paid in cash or check, but that ultimately helped me by keeping costs down (this was the best deal I could find). We ended up driving a used station wagon, which was comfortable and ran well. That is wasn’t the shiniest new car on the road helped us to blend in, which I liked.

Saved me and my friend big time! We didn’t plan the trip right and had to drive all the way to Kona side. Rick picked us up from the airport and dropped us off! We were in our rental car right as we got out of the plane! Super easy. Mahalo Rick!

My Experience with Hilo Auto Sales & Rentals was perfection.
From the moment I called them to returning to the airport after my vacation everything went so smooth and so easy.
After setting up the payment and insurance/​license information, we were picked up at the airport in our car, and sent off to go enjoy our vacation. It was a very nice modest car which I loved because we could really blend in as locals. The car was very clean on the inside and everything worked fine. It did us well throughout our whole trip and when it came time to return, we just met Rick, hopped in the car and were driven back to the airport simple as that.
Communication with Sam was so easy. She was very sweet, and she always responded to e-​mails very quickly.
I was so happy with the service I received and will continue to rent from here whenever I need to.