Car Rental Advice needed-Israel

The Wife and I are going to Israel soon. It will be my first time, but not her’s. I will rent a car to drive but I have no idea what the process is like. I’ve rented cars in the US and Canada before but never in Israel.

If I use a Chase credit card with rental coverage will it be covered?
Can I drive the car if it’s rented in my Wife’s name
How can I tell if the car rental is from a reputable place?

I haven’t done it in a long time, but it is my understanding that it will cost at least twice as much to rent at the counter, than if you book the rental in advance. Look at online providers, see what rental companies are operating in the country, and read user reviews of them.

Israel is a very small country, you will not likely ever be more than a couple hours drive from the rental agency, so car reliability is probably not much of a factor there.

I’ve never rented here except for car sharing, but you should definitely book online and pick it up at the airport. The big rental car companies are Sixt, Avis, Hertz, Budget and Thrifty franchises, and local firms Eldan and Kal Auto. Don’t rent from anyone else. Bear in mind that cars here are smaller than in the States - think Corolla, not Camry - and that gas is *much *more expensive.

One thing to keep in mind is they will go over the car with a fine tooth comb before and afterwards to find and dent or ding.