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Israel Tax Authority data for May 2026 reveals sharp fluctuations in the Israeli vehicle market: private vehicle imports recorded a monthly decline, totaling 22,155 cars, while the cumulative figure since the beginning of the year jumped to over 116,000 vehicles.
May 2026 presented mixed trends in the local vehicle market. According to official data published today, 22,155 private vehicles were imported during May, representing an 8.8% decrease compared to May last year (when 24,294 vehicles were imported). However, the cumulative figure for the first five months of the year (January-May 2026) indicates an unusual import momentum, with a 38.3% surge and a total volume of 116,272 vehicles, compared to 84,049 in the corresponding period in 2025.
The monthly decline recorded in May is mainly explained by a high comparison base in May 2025, a month that saw higher-than-average imports to compensate for low import figures at the beginning of that year. In the commercial vehicle sector, relative stability was recorded, with 1,577 vehicles imported in May 2026 compared to 1,634 in May last year—a slight decrease of 3.5%.
Looking at the broader picture since the start of the year, the significant jump in cumulative imports (January-May) is attributed to two main factors reflecting changes in the freight and taxation markets:
Exchange Rate: In the months of January-March 2026, a relatively low US Dollar exchange rate was recorded, which incentivized importers to increase the pace of orders and shipments.
Tax Manipulations and Inventory Mixing: Figures for the same period last year (2025) were particularly low due to an exceptional massive front-loading of imports carried out in December 2024, just before the purchase tax increase on electric vehicles and the update of the "Green Taxation" formula in January 2025. A similar phenomenon, though on a smaller scale, repeated itself in December 2025 on the eve of another purchase tax hike on electric vehicles.
Alongside the high cumulative figures, the latest trend data from the Israel Tax Authority signals a certain change in direction, pointing to a gradual moderation in passenger vehicle imports since the beginning of 2026.
