By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
DiscoverCars searches every major rental company at Ben Gurion Airport — filter by vehicle type to find EVs, plug-in hybrids, and conventional cars in one comparison. Free cancellation on most bookings.
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Israel’s road network is compact and the EV infrastructure has grown fast: 163,000 electric vehicles were on Israeli roads by end of 2024 — a 70% jump year-on-year — and a new wave of fast chargers is rolling out through 2026. For tourists, this means renting an EV is now practical for most Israeli road-trip routes, and notably cheaper to run than a petrol equivalent on longer journeys.
An electric car works well for most Israel itineraries. The country is small: the main tourist triangle (Tel Aviv–Jerusalem–Haifa) spans roughly 150 km from corner to corner, and even the Galilee and Dead Sea routes are 150–180 km from Tel Aviv. Any full-size modern EV handles these comfortably without stopping to charge.
The one route that needs planning is the southern Negev run to Eilat (Highway 40 south of Mitzpe Ramon — see below). For everything else, an EV is straightforward.
Not sure if you need a car at all? The cities are well-served by train; a car — EV or otherwise — is most valuable for the Galilee, Golan Heights, and Negev.
DiscoverCars is the most reliable aggregator for EV stock in Israel: it searches all major rental desks at Ben Gurion Airport and city depots simultaneously. Filter by “electric” or “plug-in hybrid” at the vehicle-type step. Available models vary by season but typically include the BYD Atto 3 (most common), Kia EV6, Tesla Model 3, and various plug-in hybrids (Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota RAV4 PHEV). PHEVs are a sensible hedge for Negev-heavy itineraries.
Practical tips:
Three networks cover the country:
| Network | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Doralon | AC Level 2 (22 kW max) | Overnight / hotel parking; city parking garages |
| Enerjoy | DC fast (up to 150 kW) | Highway service stations; shopping centres |
| BYD fast chargers | DC fast (up to 120 kW) | Expanding at dealerships + service plazas |
EVChargers-IL app (Google Play; English interface) combines all three networks plus newer independents. Enter your car model and remaining charge, and it plans charging stops with real-time availability. Download it before landing — an offline cache covers areas with spotty mobile signal in the Negev.
The classic day-trip is easy on a single charge. Park at the Ein Bokek hotels strip on the Dead Sea; most have Level 2 chargers that add 40–60 km of range per hour. A two-hour lunch break at the Dead Sea beach recharges enough for the return. The Negev distance calculator confirms the round trip is ~350 km — within range of nearly any modern EV.
Highway 6 (the north–south toll road) has Enerjoy fast chargers at the Hadera and Yokneam service plazas. From Tel Aviv you can reach Tiberias or Nazareth without a charging stop; a 20-minute fast-charge at Yokneam is enough to extend into the Golan Heights the same day. Galilee wine trail wineries increasingly have guest chargers — confirm when booking tastings.
Haifa’s Hadar neighbourhood has multiple Doralon points; the Golan Heights has Enerjoy fast chargers at the Kazrin junction and at Neve Ativ (near Mount Hermon). A full Golan loop via Golan hiking trails is comfortably within range.
The Negev is where range planning matters. The northern Negev (Tel Aviv → Beer Sheva → Mitzpe Ramon) is fine: 215 km from Tel Aviv, with chargers in Beer Sheva and at the Mitzpe Ramon visitors centre.
The southern Negev run (Mitzpe Ramon → Eilat, 240 km on Highway 40) has gaps south of Mitzpe Ramon. Options:
For the full Negev south, the 3 days in the Negev itinerary includes a charging logistics note per day.
Dead Sea, Galilee lakefront, and Golan Heights hotels at four-star and above generally offer 1–4 Type 2 charging points at the car park — sometimes free for guests, sometimes at cost (₪0.80–1.20/kWh). Budget properties rarely have chargers; use EVChargers-IL to identify the nearest public charger before checking in.
Related: Car rental Israel | Driving in Israel | Israel distance calculator | Israel National Trail hiking
Yes. Major rental aggregators like DiscoverCars now list BYD, Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6, and plug-in hybrids at Ben Gurion Airport depots. Availability has grown significantly since 2024 — filter by "electric" or "hybrid" when comparing prices. Book a few days ahead in peak season (July–August, Jewish holidays), as EV stock is smaller than conventional car fleets.
Three main networks cover most of the country: Doralon (formerly Better Place sites; widespread AC charging across the country), Enerjoy (fast DC charging at highway service stations and shopping centres), and BYD-partnered fast chargers (expanding rapidly in 2026, targeting 3,000 chargers across the EU and Israel by end of year). Most Dead Sea, Galilee, and Golan resort hotels also offer in-house charging for guests.
EVChargers-IL (available on Google Play; English-language interface) shows real-time charger availability by car model, plans trips with charging stops, and covers Doralon, Enerjoy, and BYD networks. Download it before you arrive — offline cache helps in areas with patchy mobile signal.
A modern BYD Atto 3 or Kia EV6 has a real-world range of roughly 350–450 km in mixed driving. Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea is about 175 km; Tel Aviv to Tiberias is about 155 km. Both are comfortably within range of a single charge for most EVs. The Negev circuit (Mitzpe Ramon → Eilat, 240 km) is feasible but plan a charging stop in Beer Sheva or at the Mitze Ramon visitor centre charger — chargers south of Beer Sheva are sparse.
Most four- and five-star hotels at the Dead Sea (Ein Bokek strip), Tiberias lakefront, Herzliya Marina, and the better Golan Heights properties have at least two Type 2 (Mennekes) charging points in the car park — often complimentary for guests or charged at cost. Call ahead to confirm availability and ask if they have J1772 adapters. Budget and mid-range hotels outside major city centres rarely have chargers; plan your charging stops with EVChargers-IL.
The northern Negev (Beer Sheva, Mitzpe Ramon, Makhtesh Ramon) is well within EV range from Tel Aviv or the Dead Sea. The southern Negev (Eilat corridor on Highway 40) requires planning: there is a charger at the Mitzpe Ramon visitors centre and one at the Shaharut junction, but the 240 km stretch to Eilat has gaps. A plug-in hybrid is a lower-stress option if the full Negev south route is your main goal. See the Negev Highway 40 guide for route detail.
EVs typically rent at a slight premium over equivalent petrol cars — roughly 10–25% higher daily rate. However, charging costs roughly one-quarter to one-third of the equivalent petrol cost per kilometre, so on a week-long trip the running costs often offset the higher daily rate. Use DiscoverCars to compare total cost including fuel estimates: the comparison tool shows estimated fuel cost for each vehicle on your specific trip distance.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated