Results of 2022. Electric vehicles and Chinese cars are particularly popular in Israel
Let’s summarize the results of 2022: for 11 months (from the beginning of January to the end of November), around 257,000 new cars were sold in Israel, which is 9.8% less than last year. For comparison, for the same period in 2021, around 285,000 new cars were sold. At the same time, this November has proven to be very productive, with 22,004 new cars delivered in the country against 15,588 in November last year. November’s rather high sales figures are mainly explained by the supply of new electric vehicles to Israel and the fear of an upcoming tax increase on this type of vehicle. Even now, without waiting for the end of the year, we can safely say that the sales leaders in Israel are electric vehicles and Chinese cars.
If you want to know who became the leader of the Israeli car market in 2021, which cars were the most popular and why last year was considered a success, read our article…
In 2022, buyers, without waiting for the new model year 2023, preferred to buy electric cars in advance in order to avoid the inevitable additional cost due to a possible increase in taxes. It is still unclear exactly how the new government will act: it may postpone the increase in the electric vehicle tax or implement the previous decision to increase this tax… In the latter case, in January 2023, the ‘green tax’ on electric models will increase from 10% to 20%, and the benefit limit will increase to 60,000 shekels (versus the previous 75,000 shekels).
In November 2022, the places on the market were distributed as follows:
- 1st place - Kia: 3,116 units sold
- 2nd place - Toyota: 2,413 units sold
- 3rd place - BYD: 2,333 units sold
- 4th place - Tesla: 2,300 units sold
- 5th place - Geely: 1,182 units sold
Result: 3 out of 5 places are occupied by electric vehicles (BYD, Tesla, Geely) and 2 places by Chinese automakers (BYD and Geely). If you want to know why Chinese cars will conquer the world, we have already answered this question.
Sales for the 11 months of 2022 (January-November period):
*Figures in parentheses are data for the same period in 2021
- 1. Hyundai — 42,327 (43,096)
- 2. Kia — 36,697 (39,397)
- 3. Toyota — 35,298 (39,129)
- 4. Mazda — 18,538 (15,007)
- 5. Skoda — 13,031 (19,396)
- 6. Mitsubishi — 11,656 (12,746)
- 7. Citroen — 7,904 (7,217)
- 8. Suzuki — 7,690 (10,335)
- 9. Geely — 6,042 (106)
- 10. Peugeot — 5,569 (7 291)
Result
For the first time, the Chinese company’s models entered the top 10 of the most popular cars in Israel. And this despite the fact that Geely cars appeared on sale about 2 months ago, in October 2022. Yes, Hyundai still retains a leading position, even if compared to 2021, the company lost 1.8%. Kia lost 6.9%, Toyota lost 9.8%, but Mazda added 23.5%, while Skoda experienced a 32.8% drop.
Electric vehicle market
Moreover, according to November 2022 results, Geely leads the Israeli electric vehicle market with its incredibly successful electric model Geely Geometry C (with 6,042 units sold), even ahead of the super popular Tesla, which ranks second with 4,929 units sold. Interestingly, the 3rd place also belongs to the Chinese automaker BYD and its compact electric SUV, produced since fall 2022, the Atto 3. In November, 2,799 units were sold, making the BYD Atto 3 Israel’s most popular electric vehicle in November 2022.
The cost of the new Geometry C in Israel starts at 140,437 shekels including registration fees, namely a Pure version with a 53 kWh battery. The new BYD Atto 3 costs from 157,037 shekels. For comparison, the most "simple" Tesla Model 3 costs 225,719 shekels. All data is relevant as of the end of 2022.
