If you are visiting not just Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, chances are that you might prefer a car. Well, honestly it is NOT expensive to rent a car in Israel, it is even cheaper than it is in Jordan. Let’s see what are the things you should know:
Car Rental Company Recommendations
Most people recommend Eldan for transparent pricing. It is recommended on the forum to go to websites that end with .co.il.
For example: hertz.co.il, thrifty.co.il, budget.co.il
Make sure that CDW/TP is already included in price quotation! I found a good deal on kayak.com, a third party platform. I didn’t know about the compulsory CDW/TP rule (explained below), so I went with the notorious company Sixt/Shlomo. and I was charged this insurance at the time of car return!!! The office staff was going to charge me $28 for airport return, until I Proved my innocence!
Driving in the Middle East?
Hmmm…. I would say it is NOT that different driving in Israel, comparing what it is like in Asia. But it depends on where you come from. Google Maps navigation is sufficient, though sometimes when it doesn’t work, try WAZE.
Age Requirement
You need to be 21 years old, and a holder of driver’s license for at least a year. If you are renting a more expensive car, then you need to be 26 years old, and a holder of driver’s license for 2 years.
* But the rule is different for every company. Check first.
Document Requirement
You need your passport, driver’s license from your country AND international driving permit. And most importantly, a credit card in driver’s name!!
Things to Know
Umm… don’t drive the car you rent in Israel to Palestinian Authority Area. And you can’t drive it to Jordan or Egypt! It’s not allowed!
Why can’t you drive the car to Palestinian Authority Area? (For example, Jericho, Bethlehem etc). It isn’t legal, and it is what you agree to rental company. It is NOT ALLOWED! The car is insured only in Israel, if something happens to you and the rental car in Palestinian Authority Area, then no Israeli can help you!
The Shabbat Dilemma
So we know a day is defined as 24 hours. But the funny thing is you CANNOT return your car on Shabbat. So rental offices close on Friday noon and the whole day on Saturday. You cannot even return your car….!
The only exception is to return the car in TLV airport!! The airport office opens 24/7. But that’s why you need to pay $28 service fee for returning car in airport.
Car Rental Fees Explained
A small car includig insurance costs around $30 a day in low-season. And $50 in high-season. If you make your searches on kayak.com, make sure if the prices include:
- 1.Basic Car Rental
- 2.CDW/TP
- 3.Airport Service Fee or Other Fees
- 4.GPS Rental
1.Basic Car Rental
The lowest dauky basic car rental I saw was $10/day! Normally it is around $20/day. But this fee includes only Third Party Liability/TPLC/TLDW, and it doesn’t include CDW/TP.
2.CDW/TP
On top of basic car rental fee, there is a compulsory CDW/TP charge. It’s also called Comprehensive Coverage. The funny thing is, even when it is compulsory, you have the option not to include this charge online, but you’ll end up paying it in the office. It is compulsory!!
I think the only exception is Eldan.co.il and Hertz.co.il. The examples are below:
Example 1：eldan.co.il
By default, the Comprehensive Program including CDW.
For 7 days the rental fee and insurance costs $171.
If you manually change the program to 3rd Party Liability. Without CDW insurance, for 7 days the rental fee is $146.
Once again… if you don’t include insurance, you’ll still need to pay for it in car rental office!!
Example 2：Hertz.co.il
Including CWD/TP, for 4 days rental the fee is $150.
There is self-risk charge that you need to pay if there’s an accident. For example, the self-risk amount with Herzt is $450. It means you will pay maximum $450 from your pocket for any accident you make, whether the loss is $451 or $5000!
So that is why you need a credit card in driver’s name. When you rent the car, at least 1000 euro is frozen on your card. When something goes wrong, then will deduct from this amount.
If you don’t like the idea of bearing self-risk charge, the other way to do it is buy the more expensive insurance- SCDW. But you’l pay at least $10 more PER DAY! Not sure if it is really worthy.
3. Airport Return Fee and Other Charges
So what are the other charges? Every car rental company is different.
Take SIXT as example, airport return fee is $28. If you use No.6 highway, you need to pay SIXT $12 for handling your payment, or another $12 for Carmel tunnel. And additional $75 for returning car in Eilat. And $3 extra per day for having an extra driver etc.
4. GPS Fee
It’s about $12 per day. You can buy a local SIM card and use Google Maps and Waze.
Conclusion
Just make sure you have the right documents. Check Eldan first. Don’t return your car on a shabbat unless you return it to the airport.
