Driving has slowly become a mindless activity with advancements in navigation apps and even self-driving cars. But if you’re not paying attention, a steep toll fee could be waiting for you when you check your car back at the rental company, as Robert Watson thought he did after driving to New York City and racking up a $912 bill just in tolls. Although that bill ended up being a mistake, the point stands: If you don’t prepare for the worst, you could be caught off-guard paying a heavy toll.
Renting a car and driving somewhere can be tempting when it’s cheaper than flying (if driving short distances of around 400 miles or less) and when you’re splitting costs with a group of people, according to Nerdwallet. But if you don’t take tolls into consideration in your budget, you could end up paying more than you bargained for. Car rental companies are notorious for their hidden fees and sketchy practices, overcharging for tolls and renting toll tags at higher rates, according to Christopher Elliot, a consumer and travel journalist. But there are ways to avoid being played by rental car companies.
How to avoid being overcharged by tolls on car rentals?
The fees for tolls aren’t the only numbers increasing—the number of toll roads are also increasing. According to IBISWorld, the number of toll roads expanded by 1.8% since last year and the industry is expected to keep growing over the next five years. Rental companies profit off the tolls by charging a daily fee for the transponder on the rental you take; depending on where you are, this will most likely be an E-ZPass on the East Coast or FasTrak in California. Even if you use the transponder for one out of the three days you rented the car, you’ll be charged for all three days, plus the tolls. Sometimes they’ll overcharged for the tolls, because they assume you won’t know or remember how much each toll was so they can easily get away with this (you can use this toll calculator or this map to get an idea of how much your trip will cost in tolls).
Use your own transponder
The easiest way to avoid this is by bringing your own transponder from your car. If the rental already comes with one, you can close the box. They usually come mounted in a lead-lined box that can open and close. You can also put the transponder in a bag like this, which will have the same effect. If you do, the toll plaza won’t be able to see it and won’t charge you. If you do bring your own, make sure to add the rental car to your account so they don’t think your transponder was stolen. Just log into your account and add the rental’s license plate.
If you don’t have one, they’re cheap and easy to buy. If you’re traveling on the East Coast, E-ZPass will get you through most states. You can buy the E-ZPass from any of the states listed, but according to AutoSlash, if you buy the transponder from Massachusetts, there will be no monthly fee, and the cost of the transponder gets credited to your account and made available for tolls.
Pay cash
Not as reliable as the first option since not all tolls accept cash these days, but if it’s a possibility, it’ll help you avoid getting charged much more later down the road. Make sure you bring enough cash with you for all the tolls.
Pay for the toll buffet option
Some rental companies offer a “buffet” option, like Budget and Avis’ e-Toll Unlimited, where you can pay a set amount and all the toll fees will be covered by the rental company. Use the toll calculators to see if you would end up saving money this way.
Avoid toll roads
If you have the time and patience, you can always set your route on your navigation app to “avoid tolls.” This will make sure you take back roads or other methods that avoid all tolls. Just know that you’ll be paying more with time and gas, but it may be worth it.
