Israelis Favor SUVs and Electrified Vehicles, Data Shows

Israeli car buyers are increasingly opting for larger SUVs and electrified powertrains, according to new data from the car marketplace Yad2. For the first time, over half of all vehicle searches on the platform are for SUVs and "leisure-off-road" vehicles, a significant jump from previous years. This trend comes at the expense of traditional family sedans and smaller car segments, which have seen a decline in popularity.

Alongside the shift towards larger vehicles, there's a growing demand for alternative fuel sources. Searches for electrified vehicles, including fully electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models, now account for a third of all searches, up from 25% in the previous year. Pure electric car searches nearly doubled their share, reaching 11% of the total.

Conversely, gasoline-powered cars saw their market share decrease from 62% to 54%. "Israelis are not giving up on large and comfortable cars, but they are becoming much more aware of the type of powertrain and its running costs," said Yaniv Raabed, CEO of Yad2 Cars.

Further analysis reveals specific trends in vehicle value retention, with the Suzuki Jimny being the only model to see its median asking price increase for three consecutive years. Other models like the Toyota Land Cruiser, Honda Civic, Skoda Karoq, and Chevrolet Spark also demonstrated strong value retention. Notably, demand for heavy-duty SUVs and pickup trucks is significantly higher in the Judea and Samaria and Jordan Valley regions compared to central Israel.

The Toyota Corolla remains the most sought-after model overall, followed by the RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander. However, the fastest growth in demand was observed for two Chinese electric models: the Geely Geometry C, which saw a 127.7% surge in searches, and the BYD Atto 3, with a 107.8% increase, indicating a strong market entry for these vehicles.