How Much Are the Tolls in New York City? | What Drivers Pay

With E-ZPass, New York City tolls run $2.80 to $16.79 for most car crossings, plus a $9 peak Manhattan toll.

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Driving into New York City can mean one toll, two tolls, or none at all, depending on which bridge, tunnel, or Manhattan street your route uses. For a typical passenger car, how much tolls cost in New York City comes down to three pieces: the crossing toll, the Manhattan Congestion Relief Zone toll, and whether the car has a properly linked E-ZPass.

The biggest surprise for visitors is the stack. A New Jersey to Midtown trip can include a Port Authority crossing into New York and a separate Manhattan congestion toll if the route enters local streets at or below 60th Street. A Queens or Brooklyn route may be cheaper, but it can still trigger the congestion toll once the car enters the zone.

How Much Do New York City Tolls Cost For A Car?

New York City car tolls generally cost $2.80 to $7.46 on MTA crossings with a New York Customer Service Center E-ZPass, $14.79 to $16.79 on Port Authority New Jersey crossings with E-ZPass, and $9 during peak hours for the Manhattan Congestion Relief Zone. Paying by plate or Tolls by Mail costs more.

The current MTA bridge and tunnel car rates took effect on January 4, 2026. The most common MTA crossings for travelers are the Queens Midtown Tunnel, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

Port Authority crossings are a separate system. The George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, and Outerbridge Crossing charge tolls only when entering New York, not when entering New Jersey.

New York City Toll Costs By Crossing: What Drivers Pay

New York City toll costs vary by operator, payment method, and whether the route enters Manhattan below 60th Street. The table below shows the main passenger-car rates a visitor is most likely to face.

MTA rates for cars, motorcycles, and larger vehicles are listed in the official MTA bridge and tunnel toll schedule. Port Authority rates for the New Jersey crossings are listed in the official Port Authority 2026 toll schedule.

Payment gate: The lowest MTA car rates apply to New York Customer Service Center E-ZPass accounts. Drivers with no tag, a mismatched plate, or an out-of-network setup may see a higher bill.

Which Toll Applies If You Drive Into Manhattan Below 60th Street?

The Manhattan Congestion Relief Zone toll applies when a vehicle enters local streets and avenues in Manhattan at or below 60th Street. The FDR Drive, West Side Highway, and specific Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are excluded if the driver stays on those roads.

Passenger cars and motorcycles are charged the congestion toll once per day. Trucks and buses are charged per entry, so a delivery route or charter bus can pay more than once.

• Peak period: 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
• Overnight period: all other times, with a 75% lower congestion toll.
• Taxi and ride-hail trips: taxis, green cabs, and black cars charge passengers $0.75 per trip; app-based for-hire vehicles charge $1.50 per trip.
• Crossing credits: E-ZPass drivers entering during peak hours through the Lincoln, Holland, Queens Midtown, or Hugh L. Carey tunnels can receive up to $3 off the passenger-car congestion toll.

The crossing credit matters because it can turn the $9 peak congestion charge into a $6 net congestion charge after a qualifying tunnel entry. The credit does not apply overnight because the overnight congestion rate is already reduced.

E-ZPass, Tolls By Mail, And Rental Cars

E-ZPass is the lowest-friction way to pay New York City tolls, but rental-car drivers need to check the rental company’s toll policy before taking the car into the city. A rental agency may charge the official toll plus a daily convenience fee, an administrative fee, or a bundled toll plan.

New York City’s tolling network is cashless on the MTA and Port Authority crossings covered here. Cameras read the plate if no valid tag is detected, and the bill goes to the registered owner, which is usually the rental company for visitors.

For a short city trip, compare these three choices before driving:

• Use transit into Manhattan: often cheaper than parking plus tolls if the car will sit unused.
• Use a rental toll transponder: simple, but the agency fee can exceed the toll on light-use days.
• Stay outside the zone and enter once: useful if the car is needed for day trips beyond the subway network.

Sample Routes And The Real Cost Stack

Sample New York City routes show why the toll total can be higher than a single bridge or tunnel rate. The same car can pay a crossing toll, a congestion toll, and parking before the trip even starts.

Route apps can miss the money context. A route that saves 10 minutes may add the congestion toll, while a subway or commuter-rail transfer may avoid the driving costs entirely.

Staying Near Your Plans Cuts Repeat Tolls

Staying close to your main New York City plans can reduce repeated bridge, tunnel, parking, and congestion charges. A visitor who wants Broadway, museums, Lower Manhattan, or Midtown dining usually saves stress by sleeping near transit and using the car only for out-of-city days.

For travelers comparing Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and New Jersey bases, a hotel map makes the toll trade-off easier to see:

Manhattan hotels may cost more per night, but daily driving from outside Manhattan can add tolls, parking, and time. Queens and Brooklyn can work well when the hotel sits near a subway line and the car stays parked.

Pick The Toll Strategy That Fits Your Trip

The right toll plan for New York City depends on whether the car is useful after arrival. A car helps for Hudson Valley drives, Long Island stops, airport moves with heavy bags, and multi-city road trips; a car hurts when the whole trip sits inside Manhattan.

• Lowest toll exposure: stay near a subway line, avoid driving below 60th Street, and use transit for Manhattan days.
• Lowest driving hassle: use E-ZPass, enter the zone once per day, and avoid routes that bounce in and out of Manhattan.
• Lowest New Jersey to Manhattan surprise: budget for the Port Authority toll plus the Manhattan congestion toll if the route enters the zone.
• Lowest rental-car risk: read the rental toll fee policy before pickup and match the plan to how many toll days you expect.

For most visitors, the cleanest answer is simple: do not bring a car into Manhattan unless the car solves a real trip problem. When driving is needed, price the crossing and the congestion zone together, because New York City tolls are often a stack rather than a single charge.