Rent a Car in Israel
From year to year, Israel attracts more and more tourists from around the world. Advanced medicine, architecture, infrastructure, rapid development and amazing places of nature. If your trip is tied to public transport or a sightseeing bus, then you are unlikely to have time to see everything. Advanced travelers in this case resort to the most logical way to save time and direct it to business – rent a personal car. This service will be discussed in this article.
Car rental companies in Israel
There are many car rental companies in Israel. The largest of them are Avis, Hertz, Alamo, Budget, Sixt, Thrifty and Israeli Eldan.
The main websites in English where you can rent a car in Israel:
- rentalcars.com,
- economybookings.com
- eldan.co.il
Due to the large number of car rental companies it is easy to rent it anywhere in the country. Basic: а / п Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Eilat, as well as in Haifa and other locations.
There is only one rental company in Ein Bokek resort – Herz.
Which site is better to book a car?
As a rule, in Israel there are many services with car rental. Depending on various factors, their prices can vary greatly. Often, searching for a car on the official sites of distributors takes a lot of time, therefore intermediary services are very popular, which collect all cars from almost all rental companies. Often, their prices are lower than official. Also on similar sites, prices for mandatory insurance services are much cheaper.
Benefits of Online Booking
- Time saving. It is precisely known whether there are cars in stock, no need to wait until someone hands over the car to the passenger compartment. You set the time convenient for you in advance.
- There is no language barrier. The entire procedure can be performed in English online.
- Free upgrade. If upon delivery of the car the client did not find a certain class booked online, then they will be issued a class higher without surcharge.
- Control of all necessary and included additional options.
- Renting with online booking is lower by 5-20% of the usual cost.
Prices for rent a car in Israel.
Consider an example of a car rental in Tel Aviv for 3 days.
A mini car for four people for three days will cost you $ 80. Of the amenities in the car there are air conditioning, four doors and the capacity of two small bags. The price includes cancellation of the reservation, making changes and covering expenses in case of theft or accident. You need to return the car with a full tank, mileage is not limited.
An economy class car in Tel Aviv for 3 days can be rented for $ 85-90. Of the amenities, one large bag and an additional fifth seat are added. For the same price you can rent a compact car. It will fit two large bags in addition to the other amenities of the economy class.
The middle class car differs from the previous ones in automatic transmission. Also, in addition to two large bags, an additional one is small. For three days a car will cost $ 120.
If you are traveling in a large company or family, it is advisable to rent a minivan. Seats can be from five to nine. Such a car for three days will cost from $ 230, depending on capacity.
Prices for premium cars start from $ 450. Be careful, for some brands of cars mileage is limited – 4000 km. Renting a luxury car in Tel Aviv will cost $ 580 for 3 days.
Registration procedure for car rental.
- Find your car rental company.
- When booking a car via the Internet, upon receipt of the car, provide a voucher, as well as a passport, driver license and a credit card.
- Rental company representative will fill out the contract with you.
- If it is required, indicate your phone number and address of residence in Israel.
- Sign the contract.
- Your card will be charged (if there was no prepayment) and the deductible amount will be frozen.
- Before receiving a car – note all damage, gasoline level. Is there a spare wheel, a jack, a first-aid kit.
- Enter the anti-theft code that will be given to you along with the keys when concluding the contract.
- Here goes!
Car rental conditions in Israel.
Israeli citizens must pay a 17% tax when renting a car. Therefore, do not forget to take a border cross coupon. We also do not recommend renting a car at the airport – in this case you will spend an extra $ 30.
Pay attention to the terms of the contract. You can avoid the “pitfalls”. For example, some services set a limit on mileage – about three hundred kilometers. If you exceed the limit for each subsequent kilometer, you will have to pay extra: basically the extra charge varies within one dollar. Also, the services provide an extra charge for leaving Israel to Egypt or Jordan.
The main conditions for concluding a lease:
- Age 21-75 years.
- Driving experience of at least one year.
- Passport.
- Border crossing ticket.
- Credit Card.
- Driver License.
When traveling, be prepared for contingencies. All cases are impossible to predict, so always take money with you with a margin. Here is a list of situations that will entail additional costs when traveling in Israel. Especially on a rented car:
- Various fines for violation of traffic rules.
- Driving on toll roads. You should familiarize yourself with its location in advance and choose an alternative route if you wish.
- Return of the car not in the specified time. The valid free charge delay period is one hour.
- Damage to the car, navigator, child seat (if any) and other cases.
If you prefer to pay insurance, you will be offered a standard option – CDW + TP. It includes a deductible and third-party car theft insurance. It can be done as follows: a certain amount will be frozen on your international card. Which can be returned upon return of the rented car. If you are experienced in this field, then take the usual insurance option. It is better for beginners to purchase full insurance. In case you do not want to leave a deposit when renting a car in Israel, do not draw up a franchise and be prepared to pay the full cost if you get into a traffic accident.
Car insurance in Israel
There are three main types of insurance.
- The first is mandatory (LDW). This is the main liability insurance, which is initially included in the cost of the rented car and it is not additionally paid.
- The second type of insurance is full insurance (LDW, CDW and TP). It includes compulsory insurance and insurance against various damages to the car and theft. However, even with this insurance, if the car was damaged due to the fault of the tenant, then he loses the deductible in the amount of deposit cost, which depends on the car class.
- The third type of insurance is maximum (EW or Super CDW and TP). With this insurance, the tenant does not lose money and deductible even if the car is damaged due to his fault.
When booking a car online, the cost is usually indicated with the cost of full insurance. It is less than the maximum insurance, but there is a risk of losing the collateral deductible if the vehicle is damaged through your fault.
Tires, roof and underbody are not subject to any type of insurance.
Insurance is not valid upon entry to: Palestinian Authority and Taba.
Deposit.
The security deposit when renting a car varies from company to company. Moreover in practice, it happens that even when choosing the maximum insurance, funds are blocked on a credit card. In addition, the deposit amount for the same car may vary.
Unblocking funds depends on the bank through which the transaction was carried out. Time – up to 1 month.
Car Hire at Israel Airports
The majority of tourists traveling to Israel fly to Eilat (Ramon Airport) and Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion Airport). Therefore, at the airports of these cities there are numerous services that provide rental cars. Prices are generally higher than online prices. Therefore, it is recommended to book a car in advance. Here are some of the major distribution companies on our website:
- ELDAN.
- AVIS.
- ENTERPRISE.
- Budget.
- Sixt.
Toll roads.
Highroad number 6.
If you drove the highway from start to finish, you will have to pay about ten dollars. The amount is usually different. Some sections of the road are priced less, or completely free. The invoice is issued individually. Through the optical system and transmitted to the rental company. The cameras clearly show the number of your car and the place where you turned off the road.
Road number 1.
The main road in Israel that connects Tel Aviv with Jerusalem. Paid is only a strip from Jerusalem. The length of the paid section is 13 km. The price is calculated according to the degree of congestion of the road and is broadcast on a special electronic board at the beginning of the route.
Tunnel Carmel.
The 6.5 kilometer tunnel connects the northern and eastern parts of Haifa. The bill varies from 2 to 4.5 dollars. Price is calculated depending on the number of sections on which you drove. You can pay at specialized payment points located at the entrances to the highway.
High-speed mode on the roads in Israel.
When traveling on roads in settlements, the speed should not exceed 50 km/h. And outside settlements – no more than 90 km/h. When driving on a highway, the maximum speed is 110 km/h.
Some traffic rules in Israel.
- The maximum blood alcohol content allowed is 0.5 %.
- If you see red and white markings on the curb, it means that you do not have the right to park here. A yellow-red mark means a public transport stop. Paid municipal parking is marked with white and blue markings.
- Payment for parking is made through a special machine that will provide you a parking ticket. It should be placed on the windshield of your car.
- The pedestrian crossing here is really pedestrian. In Israel, it is highly developed, so it is better to slow down before the “zebra”.
- Police and ambulances must be skipped, to give them the opportunity to drive. However, as elsewhere.
- It is forbidden to cross continuous road markings.
Fines
- Drive at a red traffic light – 1000 shekels.
- Talking on the phone while driving – 500 shekels.
- Do not stop at the “stop” – 250 shekels.
- Riding without a seat belt – 250 shekels.
- The inclusion of foglights in sunny weather – 250 shekels.
- Drunk driving – from several thousand shekels to long-term deprivation of driving license.
- High Speeding – from 250 shekels to a court call.
Parking in Israel.
Free parking in Israel is mainly located near cultural attractions. In the city itself, almost all parking lots are paid, or banned for cars. In order to know, you can park in one place or another, look at the layout of the border:
- Yellow-red – only public transport can be parked.
- Blue and white – paid parking.
- White-red – prohibited for parking. In case of illegal parking you will be fined.
- No markup – unlimited free parking.
Mobile parking application – Pango.
Pango official website where you can find all the relevant information. This service is convenient and easy to use. Using Pango you can also avoid unnecessary fines.
Consequently, you will save your nerves and money. With the application you are available all the necessary travel services. Such as calling the police, emergency medical care or calling a tow truck. Also, users are available advantageous offers for car wash and car insurance.
Application language: English, Hebrew. Access requires an internet connection.
Navigation application
Waze
The most popular navigator application is the Waze platform. Many drivers in Israel share relevant information and situations on the roads. You can even “drive in” requests and addresses in your native language. The application allows you to choose a trip from point A to point B from several possible route options. Here you can configure the display of the route of the trip without the use of toll roads.
The application is more like a social network of drivers, where they constantly communicate, show location of the police, traffic jams, accidents and more. The only negative is the mandatory availability of the Internet.
Cost in Eilat.
Eilat is a duty free trade zone, so the prices there are significantly lower. All prices do not include 17% VAT. Gasoline is no exception. If you travel from Eilat all over Israel, it’s cheaper to fill a full tank in this city. So you save a lot and leave money for something more interesting.
Anti-theft system in Israel.
Three-fourths of all car thefts in Israel are due to hacking into a car computer. As a rule, it takes less than a minute of time from the kidnappers. Many locals or tourists in Israel use the D-Lock anti-theft system. Safes created using the latest technologies and made of aluminum are widespread. The D-Lock system is approved by all insurance companies in Israel, so you will definitely be calm about the condition and location of your car.
Where to go on a rented car?
When you rent a car in Israel, you can go anywhere within the country. Just don’t cross the border of Israel on rental car. You can travel around the city in which the rental was made, and you can go to nearby cities. Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat, Netanya, Jerusalem, Jaffa are the cities most loved by tourists. Dead Sea, Dolphin Reef, Caesarea National Park, Ancient City, Safari Park – there are plenty of places to visit in Israel.
Israel emergency phone numbers.
- Police — 100
- Ambulance — 101
- Firefighter Service — 102
- Israel international dialing code — 972