Quick Summary:
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toll is charged in one direction only.
- Most rentals bill tolls later, plus admin and service fees.
- E‑ZPass usually costs less than toll-by-plate for the same crossing.
- Check your rental agreement, then keep receipts and dates for disputes.
Driving in New York often means encountering tolled bridges and tunnels, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is one of the most common pinch points for visitors. If you are using a car hire vehicle, the key questions are simple: when is the toll charged, who pays it, and how does it appear on your rental invoice later? The details matter because toll systems in the New York City area use a mix of cashless tolling, electronic tags, and camera billing, and rental companies add their own administration charges.
This guide explains how the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toll works in practice, the direction-of-travel tolling rule, what to expect with E‑ZPass versus toll-by-plate, and the typical types of admin fees that can show up after you return the vehicle. The aim is to help you avoid surprises, especially if your trip includes an airport pick-up such as car rental New York JFK or nearby New Jersey locations.
Where the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is, and why tolling feels confusing
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge links Staten Island and Brooklyn, spanning the Narrows between Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay. It is operated by MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Because it connects two boroughs and funnels traffic towards other tolled roads, drivers often cross it as part of a larger route rather than as a standalone trip. That is where confusion begins, because you might not notice exactly where the charge occurred, especially with cashless tolling.
In a car hire vehicle, you might also be using a transponder you did not actively sign up for, or you may be billed by plate if the vehicle has no active tag. Both can produce a delayed charge on your card days or even weeks after the drive.
Direction-of-travel tolling: which way you pay on the Verrazzano
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge uses direction-of-travel tolling. In plain terms, that means you are only charged when travelling in one direction, rather than paying both ways.
For the Verrazzano, the toll is collected westbound, from Brooklyn into Staten Island. If you travel eastbound, from Staten Island into Brooklyn, you should not be charged a bridge toll for that crossing. This one-way collection system helps reduce congestion by keeping tolling infrastructure to one side, and it is common on major crossings around New York.
For your planning, this has a practical consequence: if you are doing a loop drive that includes both boroughs, only one of your crossings triggers a charge. If you see a bill for a time you believe you travelled eastbound, check your route timeline carefully, because you may have taken a westbound crossing earlier or you may be mixing up bridge crossings that look similar on your map.
Cashless tolling in New York: why you may not notice the toll
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge operates as cashless tolling. There are no cash booths where you stop and pay. Instead, tolling is handled electronically by E‑ZPass readers and licence plate cameras. As a driver, you simply pass under the gantries, and the toll is recorded.
This is convenient, but it also means the toll does not feel like a purchase. With car hire, that can lead to a surprise later when toll charges and fees appear on your rental statement. It is normal for the toll billing to be delayed, because the toll authority charges the rental company or its toll service provider first, and only then does the rental company pass the cost to you.
E‑ZPass vs toll-by-plate: what is the difference for car hire?
E‑ZPass is the electronic toll collection system used across New York and many neighbouring states. When a vehicle has an active E‑ZPass transponder, the toll is generally charged at the E‑ZPass rate. If there is no transponder read, the system uses toll-by-plate, where cameras capture the number plate and a bill is generated for the registered owner of the vehicle, in this case the rental company.
For most drivers, the headline difference is cost. The E‑ZPass rate is typically lower than the toll-by-plate rate. In addition, toll-by-plate can take longer to process, and it can create more admin handling for the rental company, which may add fees.
However, with car hire, the choice is not always yours in the moment. It depends on what the rental company provides and whether you opt into their toll programme. Some rentals include a transponder in the car, but it may only be activated if you accept the toll service terms. In other cases, the vehicle may already have an E‑ZPass tag that charges automatically whenever you pass a reader.
If you are picking up at car rental airport Newark EWR, ask at the counter how tolls are handled for New York crossings, because your route may quickly take you into MTA, Port Authority, and New Jersey Turnpike toll zones.
Who pays the toll on a rental car?
Legally and practically, you do. The toll authority charges the vehicle owner on record, which is the rental company. The rental agreement you sign then allows the rental company, or its toll processing partner, to recover the toll amount from you, along with any applicable service charges.
That means you rarely pay a toll operator directly when driving a rental in New York City. Instead, you pay later through your rental account. This is why it is important to understand the billing method before you drive over tolled crossings, especially if you are trying to control costs on a short stay.
How tolls show up on your invoice, timing, descriptions, and split charges
Toll charges on car hire statements can be confusing because they may appear after you return the vehicle, and they may be itemised in a way that is not obviously linked to a specific bridge. You might see a line for the toll amount, plus a separate line for an admin or convenience fee. You might also see the same date with multiple toll entries if you crossed several facilities on one day.
Timing varies. Some tolls post within a few days, while toll-by-plate processing can take longer. It is also common for the rental company to charge your card in a later batch, separate from the main rental payment. Keep that in mind if you are watching exchange rates or reconciling expenses after returning to the UK.
If you notice a toll charge but cannot match it to a crossing, start with your navigation history. Look for a westbound crossing from Brooklyn to Staten Island, and also check for nearby tolled routes such as the Henry Hudson Bridge, the Cross Bay Bridge, or tolled tunnels if your day involved Manhattan.
What admin fees to expect on a car hire toll invoice
Beyond the toll itself, rental companies commonly apply additional charges for toll processing. The exact wording varies, but the typical categories include:
Daily toll programme fee: Some companies charge a per-day fee for each day you use tolls, sometimes capped per rental. This may apply even if your toll amounts are small.
Per-toll convenience or service fee: Other programmes charge a small fee per toll event processed. If you cross multiple tolled facilities in one day, these can add up.
Administrative fee for toll-by-plate: If the toll is captured by plate rather than transponder, additional handling may apply. Even if the toll authority does not add a penalty, the rental company may still charge for processing.
Violation or late fees: If a toll is not paid in time, toll authorities can add penalties. Most rental programmes aim to avoid this by paying promptly once they receive the bill, but issues can occur if vehicle details are mismatched or if the plate read is unclear.
The best way to avoid unexpected fees is to read the toll section of your rental agreement at pick-up. If your trip plan includes multiple tolled crossings, an all-electronic toll programme might be simpler, even if it adds a daily fee. If you expect to drive mostly on non-tolled roads, you may prefer to avoid optional programmes, but be aware you can still end up billed by plate, with separate admin charges.
E‑ZPass in a rental car: practical tips to prevent double billing
If your rental provides a transponder, keep it in its correct position, usually on the windscreen near the rear-view mirror, and do not cover it with metalised sunshades. A failed read can trigger toll-by-plate, which may result in higher toll rates and more admin handling. In some cases, the toll authority later matches the plate to the transponder, but you cannot rely on that.
Avoid bringing your personal E‑ZPass and using it in the rental unless you fully understand how the rental company bills tolls. If both the rental tag and your personal tag are active, you risk duplicate charges. If you do use your own tag, you would typically need to ensure the rental vehicle plate is correctly added to your E‑ZPass account for the dates of travel, and that the rental company toll device is shielded or inactive, according to the rental provider’s guidance.
If your group size means you are renting larger vehicles, such as through SUV rental New York JFK or minivan rental Newark EWR, confirm the toll class and whether the vehicle counts as a standard passenger car. Most typical SUVs and minivans are treated as passenger vehicles, but special cases exist for commercial vehicles and certain configurations.
Common scenarios and who gets billed
Scenario 1, you cross Brooklyn to Staten Island once: Expect one Verrazzano bridge toll event, billed to the rental later. If you crossed at off-peak times, the toll amount may differ from peak pricing.
Scenario 2, you drive Staten Island to Brooklyn only: You should not see a Verrazzano toll for that direction. If you are billed, check whether you also used another tolled facility that day, or whether your mapping app rerouted you over the bridge in the tolled direction.
Scenario 3, transponder not read: The toll can be billed by plate, potentially at a higher rate, and the rental company may add extra processing fees.
Scenario 4, multiple toll facilities in one day: You might see several toll line items plus one or more service fees, depending on the programme structure.
How to check charges and resolve disputes
If you think a toll is incorrect, gather your rental agreement number, the vehicle plate (shown on your rental paperwork), the date and approximate time of the alleged crossing, and your route evidence. Many disputes come down to misunderstandings about one-way tolling or mixing up crossings on a busy day.
Start by reviewing your rental company toll statement, which may be provided by a third-party toll service. Confirm whether the charge is the toll itself, a service fee, or both. If the toll event does not match your travel, contact the rental provider with your supporting details. Be realistic about timing, because toll authorities can take time to finalise records, especially for toll-by-plate.
Also check whether anyone else drove the vehicle. With group travel, a different driver may have taken an unplanned route, and cashless tolling makes it easy to miss.
Planning your route: avoiding the toll, or at least controlling it
If you want to minimise toll exposure, use your navigation settings to avoid tolls, but remember that in New York City this can add significant time. Sometimes the better value is not avoiding the toll, but avoiding the highest admin fee setup. For example, if your rental toll programme charges a daily fee whenever you incur any tolls, a single crossing can trigger the daily charge, while multiple crossings that same day may not increase the programme fee further. Conversely, if the programme charges per toll event, taking several tolled facilities in one day may become costly.
Build a simple plan before you drive: identify which day you are most likely to cross the Verrazzano westbound, and decide whether it is worth consolidating other tolled travel on that same day. Keep a note of the time you cross, because peak versus off-peak can affect the toll amount and help you reconcile charges later.
FAQ
Do you pay the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toll both ways? No. The bridge is tolled in one direction only, westbound from Brooklyn to Staten Island.
Will I pay the toll at the bridge when using car hire? Usually not. The bridge uses cashless tolling, so the charge is recorded electronically and billed to the rental company, then passed to you later.
Is E‑ZPass cheaper than toll-by-plate for this crossing? In most cases, yes. E‑ZPass rates are typically lower than toll-by-plate, and transponder reads can reduce extra processing.
What extra fees might appear on my rental invoice? Many rentals add a toll programme fee, a per-toll service charge, or an admin fee for toll-by-plate handling, separate from the toll amount.
How long after my trip will toll charges appear? It varies. Some post within days, while toll-by-plate and third-party processing can take longer, so charges may appear after return.
