Car Rentals in Israel

Old Oct 22nd, 2014, 06:02 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Car Rentals in Israel

I have never rented a car in Israel. When I rent in the US or Europe, we decline insurance from the rental company because our insurance on our car at home covers us. In booking a car for two days with Hertz in Israel, the reservation confirmation states the following:

"If Collision Damage Waiver(CDW) and Theft Protection(TP) are declined or not included in your rate, you must present a document verifying that your credit card company provides full coverage for damage in Israel for the duration of rental.
If this document is supplied, it is mandatory to purchase Third Party Property Damage at the counter for an additional fee ranging from USD 9.00 to USD 17.00 per day (excluding tax)."

When picking up rental cars in the US, we sometimes encounter heavy, unending sales pitches from the rental employees to add on more insurance and other options that we don't want or need. I would appreciate any information that would explain what we have to comply with in Israel and what we can decline.

Nothing is mentioned about fuel. Are gas tanks automatically full on pickup as in the US?

Thanks for any advice on this.
Centralparkgirl is offline  
Old Oct 22nd, 2014, 09:28 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Even though you can decline insurance when you rent in the US based on your own car insurance covering the insurance, or your credit card covering it - that is usually not the case in Israel. There are very few US credit cards that cover the insurance on a rental in Israel. Hence the requirement for you to bring a letter spelling out what coverage you have. If you can bring such a letter then you can decline the CDW or anything else that your credit card will cover.

Liability, or third party (TP) insurance is legally required in Israel and you will have to purchase that - unless you have documentation proving you are already covered some other way.

You will usually get a full tank of gas with your car, or your contract will indicate how much fuel was in the tank. You will need to return the car with the same fuel level as you received, or you will be charged the company's fees for gas.
Oreet is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 04:36 AM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you, Oreet! Time for more research on this end.
Centralparkgirl is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 04:59 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The company that gets the most positive reviews on the forums is "Eldan", a large Israeli company. The company that gets the most negative reviews is "Shlomo-Sixt".
mbgg is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 05:02 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You should always check the prices and terms on a company's Israeli web site, e.g. hertz.co.il - and NOT on their international web site - hertz.com
mbgg is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 07:26 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
American car insurance covers rental vehicles in the US. Check with your company. It is NOT going to cover rentals overseas! As Oreet said, some credit cards cover you in israel--but not all, that is why they need it in writing. Credit card companies have no problem providing this note. BUT compare the cost of a vehicle with CDW and TP versus TP only. Frequently the difference is not that great and the aggravation and paper work necessary to put in a claim through your credit card may not be worth it.

What you will be offered when you pick up the vehicle is additional insurance to bring the deductible down from approx. $500 to zero. THIS is definitely expensive and it depends upon your pocketbook and your tolerance level.
Elkaz is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 07:29 PM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I used a link from Hertz that was on my flight confirmation email, mainly because there were discount codes. It was not for the Israeli site. What is the difference? I remember seeing European sites the last time I rented in Europe, but I don't recall the significance.
Centralparkgirl is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 10:31 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
From comments about car rentals posted on the various travel forums, it appears that the insurance terms & conditions and prices on the Israeli web sites tend to be more accurate. I don't know if it is true of all companies.
mbgg is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2014, 04:47 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What i would do is a dummy booking on the co.il site that mirrors your actual booking. Then you can see if the insurance is the same or less. BTW if it is less you may be hit with the difference once in Israel. If it is more--unless you can't I'd cancel the international site reservation and re-reserve with the co.il. ( obviously do the new reservation BEFORE you cancel anything)
Elkaz is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2015, 01:05 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
you can surly rent a car in tel aviv or jerusalem with less money if youll rent it in a small companys like orael' shaye or http://www.aviv-rent.co.il/
madonna007 is offline  
Old Apr 30th, 2015, 06:08 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Small agencies ( with Hebrew only websites!!) are not necessarily less expensive than the major companies and have their own problems. The agency you linked has offices in Jerusalem and Bnai Brak. That means if you have any problems up North or down South there is no local support available. They are also NOT at the airport! Finally, when a company has only a Hebrew website the message is they are not looking for English only speakers. So while they may rent to all, who knows how multi-lingual their staff really are?
Elkaz is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 07:54 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 12,820
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have booked w/Hertz because of the discount code too, but they also didnt charge a dropoff fee when I dropoff at another location. I talked w/my CC company and was able to avoid having to pay for additional coverage this last visit
FrankS is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 10:10 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Israeli rental companies do not have drop charges if you return at a different location -the only exception is that if you are going to or from Eilat and your rental is less than three days.
Oreet is offline  
Old May 13th, 2015, 12:44 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wondering if American Express covered the rental car insurance in Israel? Did anyone have luck checking into that?

Im looking at renting as well this summer.
MiamiBeachMomma is offline  
Old Jun 10th, 2015, 08:01 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If you cannot rent a car: www.blacklane.com could be your choice as well. Used it once in Tel Aviv, and liked it!
bestgumever is offline  
Old Jun 10th, 2015, 06:02 PM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
MiamiBeachMomma--sorry no one saw your question. American Express does NOT cover car insurance in Israel. Some Capital One and some Chase cards do. However, since there are only a few cards doing this, it is highly advisable to bring a letter from the credit card company clearly stating that they do cover Israel. Otherwise the rental agency may make you buy insurance. ( this is a relatively new thing)

bestgumever--why would anyone want to rent from an international agency? I tried to get a fare--but it isn't available unless you register. What are they scared of? The advertised fare in NYC is significantly more than local service. I am also wondering what your connection to the company is, as it appears you just joined Foders and BAM--you are posting what could be construed as an ad.
Elkaz is offline  
Old Jun 10th, 2015, 11:30 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Elkaz - Hi, I didn't mean to spam you. Just to share some idea. You can do the fare thing here(https://www.blacklane.com/en/fares) without registering. Also, I think it is more expensive because it is chauffeur service? plus, I prefer to do it with international agency because you manage your travel at once, with only one account, if it makes sense to you.
bestgumever is offline  
Old Jun 10th, 2015, 11:55 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Blacklane charges $93 from the airport to Tel Aviv !! (a 30 minute ride) ? A regular taxi costs about $40 (supervised and regulated by the MoT).
mbgg is offline  
Old Jun 11th, 2015, 04:30 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
bestgumever--I just got a 404 from your link. Same no response as when I tried to use the "calculate fare" the first time. Again--I still wonder about you-- BUT mbgg apparently did get the site to work. I saw the NYC fare and compared it to what I know the NYC fare to be, he compared the Tel Aviv fare and compared it to regulated Tel Aviv fares and we both find Blacklane prices to be ridiculous.
Elkaz is offline  
Old Jun 11th, 2015, 06:51 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Mbgg - I am always going as business travel, so for me time and service is more important than the price.

Elkaz - Actually, you have to erase ) this part of the URL, because I cannot put link properly and your browser just recognize ) as part of URL. I do aware price is higher than normal taxi, but the service that I had was also different from what I supposed to have with taxi.
bestgumever is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -