Generally, cars offer speed, freedom, access to the countryside, and an escape from the town-to-town mentality of trains. The US State Department advises caution while driving in Israel because of its notoriety for crowded roads.
If you plan to drive a car while in Israel, you must be over 21 and have an International Driving Permit (IDP).
Your IDP, valid for one year, must be issued in your own country before you depart. An application for an IDP usually requires one or two photos, a current local license, an additional form of identification, and a fee. To apply, contact your home country’s automobile association. Be vigilant when purchasing an IDP online or anywhere other than your home automobile association. Many vendors sell permits of questionable legitimacy for higher prices.
Most credit cards cover standard insurance. If you rent, lease, or borrow a car, you will need a green card, or International Insurance Certificate, to certify that you have liability insurance and that it applies abroad. Green cards can be obtained at car-rental agencies, car dealers (for those leasing cars), some travel agents, and some border crossings. Rental agencies may require you to purchase theft insurance in countries that they consider to have a high risk of auto theft.
You can generally make reservations before you leave by calling major international offices in your home country. It’s a good idea to cross-check this information with local agencies as well. The local desk numbers are included in town listings; for home-country numbers, call your toll-free directory. Most car rental services have offices in major cities and at the Ben-Gurion International Airport.
To rent a car from most establishments in Israel, you need to be at least 21 years old. Some agencies require renters to be 25, and most charge those aged 21-24 an additional insurance fee (around US$7 per day). Small local operations occasionally rent to people under 21, but be sure to ask about the insurance coverage and deductible and always check the fine print.
Car rental in Israel is available through the following agencies:
Rental prices are usually US$100-300 per week, plus tax (15-25%), for a tiny car. Expect to pay more for larger cars and for four-wheel drive. Reserve ahead and pay in advance if at all possible. Always check if prices quoted include tax and collision insurance; some credit card companies provide insurance, allowing their customers to decline the collision damage waiver. However, cars rented on an American Express or Visa/MasterCard Gold or Platinum credit card in Israel might not carry the automatic insurance that they would in some other countries; check with your credit card company. Ask about discounts and check the terms of insurance, particularly the size of the deductible. The minimum rental age in Israel is usually 21; renters must possess an international credit card, a passport and a driver’s license printed in English or an International Driving Permit with a non-English license. It is always significantly less expensive to reserve a car from the US than from Israel.
Remember that, if you are driving a conventional rental vehicle on an unpaved road in a rental car, you are almost never covered by insurance; ask about this before leaving the rental agency. Insurance plans from rental companies almost always come with an excess of around US$400-800 for conventional vehicles. This means that the insurance bought from the rental company only applies to damages over the excess; damages up to that amount must be covered by your existing insurance plan. Some rental companies in Israel require you to buy a collision damage waiver (CDW), which will waive the excess in the case of a collision. Loss damage waivers (LDWs) do the same in the case of theft or vandalism.
National chains often allow one-way rentals (picking up in one city and dropping off in another). There is usually a minimum hire period and sometimes an extra dropoff charge of several hundred dollars.
In Israel, like in the United States and most other countries, cars drive on the right side of the road and the steering wheel is on the left side of the car. Israeli law dictates that all car passengers wear seat belts at all times and cell phone use is strictly prohibited while behind the wheel. Intercity drivers are also required to use headlights during daylight as well as nighttime hours during the winter, and carry a florescent vest with them at all times to be worn when replacing tires or making repairs. These vests may be purchased at most convenience stores or gas stations. Most traffic signs in Israel are tri-lingual, including English, Hebrew, and Arabic, though many are rendered in poor translations. Speed limits are normally around 30-40mph in the city and 60-70mph on highways. The only toll road in Israel is the north-south Road Number 6; due to its relative novelty, parts of it are still under construction. Gasoline (petrol) prices vary, but they average about US$1.30 per liter.
The roads and highways in Israel tend to be fairly crowded, especially near urban areas. The Association for Safe International Road Travel (www.asirt.org) advises drivers in Israel to keep a look out for and steer clear of aggressive and careless drivers. Drivers in the West Bank and Gaza should be extra careful; during heightened tensions, cars with Israeli license plates can be targeted.
Information about Israel’s primary auto assistance organization, Memsi, can be found at www.memsi.co.il, though the website is exclusively in Hebrew.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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