Israel Import Surge: Vehicle and Durable Goods Value Jumps 44% in October

October 2026 was characterized by a significant acceleration in the import of durable goods into the Israeli economy, with the total value of all imports reaching $10.5 billion—a 44% surge compared to October 2025. Trend data from the Israel Tax Authority continues to indicate a consistent rise in total import value.

The automotive sector recorded a sharp increase: during October, 24,399 private vehicles were imported compared to 19,478 vehicles in October last year, representing a 25.3% rise. Commercial vehicle imports saw a growth of 32.8%, with 1,009 vehicles delivered compared to 760 in the corresponding period. The monthly increase is explained by relatively brisk import activity in October 2026 compared to low import volumes in October last year, which were affected by the timing of the High Holy Days and massive front-loading of imports at the end of 2024 ahead of purchase tax hikes and updates to the green taxation formula.

Summarizing the first ten months of the year (January–October 2026), vehicle imports totaled 246,559 units, a 40.4% jump compared to 175,593 vehicles during the same period in 2025. The cumulative increase was supported by favorable US Dollar exchange rates during several months of the year, as well as the low comparison base from the previous year. Trend data confirms that passenger vehicle imports have maintained a continuous upward trajectory since the second half of 2025.

In the electrical and electronics sector, a mixed trend was recorded in October. In white goods, there was a 59.0% surge in refrigerator imports, a 27.7% increase in washing machines, and a moderate 1.0% rise in clothes dryers, while dishwasher imports saw an 11.8% decline. Conversely, from a cumulative perspective since the beginning of the year, imports of refrigerators and clothes dryers recorded decreases of 9.8% and 48.2% respectively, while washing machines and dishwashers rose by 27.4% and 15.1%. Television set imports showed positive stability with a 15.6% increase in October and a cumulative rise of 16.7% since the start of the year.

In the tobacco products sector, October saw a 5.6% quantitative decrease in cigarette imports, yet the dollar import value jumped by 20.7% due to exchange rate fluctuations. Imports of other tobacco products, including smoking products for hookahs, pipes, cigars, and heating units, decreased in value by 20.7%. Alongside these figures, fuel marketing data for September 2026 indicated a 4% decrease in gasoline and a 9% decrease in diesel compared to September 2025, primarily due to reduced mileage during the holiday period, while cumulatively since the start of the year, gasoline marketing saw a 1% decrease alongside a 3% increase in diesel marketing.