How do you pay Highway 6 tolls in an Israeli rental car?
Israeli law makes the vehicle's registered owner liable for the toll. The operator's page on rental and leased cars explains the consequence: the invoice goes to the rental company, which passes it on with handling fees that can reach "dozens of shekels per invoice".
The Shlomo Sixt rental contract spells this out. You pay Highway 6 trips at the occasional tariff, even though the company itself is billed at the cheaper video tariff, plus a handling fee. Eldan's terms say toll roads are charged at the operator's rates plus a handling fee shown on the price list at its branches. Neither company publishes the toll handling fee online, so ask for the figure at the desk.
The toll section runs between the Sorek interchange in the south and Ein Tut in the north. South of Sorek, Highway 6 is free. Section 18, the stretch that ends at Ein Tut, has its own price. North of that, the Cross-Israel North section is run by a different company, and Shlomo Sixt bills it the same way as the main section.
How much is the Highway 6 toll in 2026?
These are the operator's published tariffs for vehicles up to 4 tonnes, valid from 1 April 2026 and including VAT. Invoices round to the nearest shekel.
| Distance on the toll section | Occasional (no account) | Video subscriber |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 sections | NIS 24.20 | NIS 19.60 |
| 4 sections | NIS 29.21 | NIS 24.60 |
| 5 or more sections | NIS 34.21 | NIS 29.61 |
| Section 18 only | NIS 16.93 | NIS 12.33 |
The table also lists Pascal subscribers, whose cars carry a transponder that needs a refundable deposit. That option is not practical for a short rental.
Which option fits your trip
| Your plan | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No Highway 6 at all, e.g. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea | Do nothing | Nothing is billed |
| One or two trips | Register a video subscription, or accept the rental charge | The saving is small, but so is the effort |
| Several days of north–south driving | Register a video subscription on day one | Saves about NIS 4.60 per trip plus every handling fee |
| You forget to remove the car at return | — | The next renter's trips land on your card; Shlomo Sixt says it cannot refund them |
Registration uses a credit card or standing order and carries no subscription fee. The operator's pages do not say whether foreign-issued cards are accepted, so try it before you set off and keep the rental company's route as the fallback.
Worked example: four long trips in a week
Suppose you drive from the Tel Aviv area to Galilee and back twice, and each run covers five or more sections.
- Billed by the rental company: 4 × NIS 34.21 = NIS 136.84, plus four handling fees at the rate on the branch price list.
- Video subscription in your name: 4 × NIS 29.61 = NIS 118.44, with no handling fee.
The saving on the tolls alone is NIS 18.40. If the rental fee is "dozens of shekels" per invoice, as the operator warns, those fees are where most of the money goes.
The Fast Lane and Carmel Tunnels
The State Comptroller lists three toll roads built by private concession: Highway 6, the 6.5 km Carmel Tunnels in Haifa, opened in December 2010, and the 13 km Fast Lane on Route 1 into Tel Aviv. The Fast Lane price rises with congestion so that traffic keeps an average of 70 km/h.
Shlomo Sixt's contract gives the renter's side of both:
- Fast Lane: you are billed the Fast Lane rate plus a handling fee. The company recommends stopping at the payment stations to pay directly.
- Carmel Tunnels: trips in the subscriber lane are billed with a handling fee. The company recommends using a non-subscriber lane and paying on the spot.
The Carmel Tunnels operator lists NIS 11.97 per section for a private car from 1 July 2026, including VAT, with payment stations for non-subscribers. A Highway 6 subscription does not cover the tunnels, and a non-subscriber car that uses the subscriber lane is invoiced to its owner with a special charge on top. For a rental car, that invoice goes to the company and comes back to you with its handling fee, so pick the payment-station lane. The tunnels also close for Yom Kippur each year.
Can you rent a car in Israel on a foreign licence?
Israel's Government Press Office says a foreign licence, including an international licence, is valid for one year from the date of first entry. Rental companies add their own conditions, which are company policy rather than law:
| Company | Age | Licence | Other points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldan | 24+, or 18–23 for some groups with a fee | Two years' experience; licence in English with photo, or add an IDP | Credit card only; hold of up to NIS 3,500 plus rental cost |
| Avis | Varies by car group; 23 and under pay US$7 a day | Held 12 months; IDP for non-Roman scripts | US$39 fee for rentals starting or ending at Ben Gurion |
| Sixt | 21+, surcharge under 24 | Held at least one year | Higher ages for some categories |
Tourists on a B2, B3 or B4 visa are exempt from the 17% VAT on the rental, according to Avis and Eldan. Avis also notes that damage to tyres and the undercarriage is never covered by its waivers.
At Ben Gurion, the Israel Airports Authority places the rental counters in the Eastern Gallery on Level 1 of Terminal 3, with pickup in the Pardes car park and free 24-hour shuttles from the return lot.
Where are you not allowed to drive an Israeli rental car?
Rental companies set these boundaries themselves:
- Eldan forbids driving outside Israel's borders, "including the autonomy areas defined as Area A", and anywhere Israelis are prohibited from driving by the authorities.
- Avis forbids leaving the country or entering Palestinian Authority territory.
- Shlomo Sixt forbids use "in areas outside the full sovereignty of the State of Israel" and cancels theft cover if the car has been there, even if it is later stolen inside Israel. It also rules out unpaved roads.
The UK government's advice makes the same point from the other side: before driving into the West Bank, check your insurance, because some hire companies do not insure vehicles taken there.
Speed cameras and fines in a rental car
The UK government says Israeli police enforce speed limits with radar traps and impose heavy fines. We could not confirm the current fine amounts or camera numbers from an official Israeli source, so this guide does not quote them.
What is certain is how a camera ticket reaches you. Shlomo Sixt transfers the ticket to your name and charges a transfer fee of NIS 45 plus VAT per fine, or NIS 25 plus VAT when the transfer is done online. It charges this fee even if you have already paid the original ticket on time. Eldan's FAQ says an unpaid ticket is transferred to your name with a handling fee under the rental agreement.