New Data Reveals Rehovot as Israel’s Electric Vehicle Capital
A new private project called govil.ai has analyzed Israeli government data using AI tools to provide insights into the country's automotive sector. The database reveals key information such as the number and distribution of electric vehicles (EVs), common vehicle recalls, locations of car dealers, and origins of imported vehicles.
According to the data, the Central District leads Israel in electric vehicle ownership with 98,539 EVs, representing about 39% of the national fleet. Within this district, Tel Aviv and Rehovot are the top cities, hosting 40,389 and 39,076 electric vehicles respectively, together accounting for roughly 32% of all EVs in Israel. Private vehicles dominate the EV market at 77%, with leasing and company cars making up about 20%. In contrast, Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area have much lower EV penetration rates of 5.8% and 4.1% respectively.
The data also highlights a trend of rising vehicle prices over the years, though 2026 saw a dip in official prices for some models. Notably, luxury car imports surged in 2025 and 2026, with a record number of Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini vehicles entering Israel. The median price of luxury cars in 2026 reached 531,200 shekels, up from 490,000 shekels in 2025 and 365,000 shekels in 2024.
Regarding car dealers, Jerusalem leads with 697 registered dealers, followed by Tel Aviv with 444, and Netanya with 398. The report also details vehicle recalls, which have increased sharply from just two in 2000 to 435 in 2025. Toyota tops the list with 421 recalls, followed by Ford and BMW. Airbag defects are the most common recall reason, with 593 cases, though a large category labeled "other" includes 817 recalls without detailed descriptions.
On vehicle imports, personal imports mostly involve used luxury cars, with 84.2% of personally imported vehicles being secondhand. The United States is the leading source country for these imports, followed by Germany. Together, these two countries account for 78% of all personal vehicle imports since 1990. Mercedes is the most popular brand among personal imports, followed by Toyota and BMW.
