Quick Summary
- You do not need an I PASS transponder to use Chicago toll roads in a rental, because cameras can bill the vehicle by number plate.
- For short visits, Illinois Tollway Pay By Plate is often the simplest option, as long as you enter the correct plate and travel dates within the allowed window.
- If you bring your own I PASS, you must add the rental plate and trip dates to your account and keep the supplier toll device switched off to avoid duplicate bills and extra admin fees.
Chicago toll roads when you collect a hire car
Landing at O Hare and driving towards downtown usually means joining Interstate 190 and 90, both of which form part of Illinois Tollway. Older guidebooks still mention cash booths, but these have been replaced by gantries that read a transponder or the number plate. That system works for locals using I PASS, but it also handles thousands of visitors in rental cars every week.
The key question is not whether you will be allowed onto the road, but how each toll will be paid. With a hire car there are three practical choices. You can use the suppliers toll package, you can rely on the tollway Pay By Plate system, or you can bring your own compatible device. Each choice has different costs and convenience levels.
How Illinois Tollway bills rental vehicles
On the Illinois Tollway network, tolls are tied to the registration plate of the vehicle that passes the gantry. If there is a valid I PASS linked to that plate, the toll is charged at the discounted transponder rate. If there is no pass, the system records the plate image and bills at the standard plate rate instead.
For a rental car, the registered owner on file is the hire company, not you. If nobody pays, the toll notice goes first to the rental company, which then either charges the card on your contract plus an administration fee, or passes your personal details to the tollway so they can invoice you directly. This is why you should never assume that ignored tolls simply disappear.
When you compare Chicago car hire options with Hola Car Rentals, the booking conditions show whether the supplier runs its own toll programme, and the typical daily service fee that would apply if you drive on cashless roads. That makes it much easier to decide whether to accept a flat daily toll package or manage Pay By Plate yourself.
Pay By Plate for occasional toll use
Pay By Plate is designed for drivers without a transponder, including visitors in hire cars. You enter the plate and the dates you will be using toll roads, then store a payment method so tolls can be charged automatically. As long as you register within the deadline, you avoid violation notices and escalation fees.
This works well if you are using toll roads only a handful of times during a city break. You pay the standard plate rate, which is a little higher than I PASS but avoids daily service fees that some rental companies charge, even on days when you do not pass a gantry. Hola Car Rentals own Illinois tolls in rentals guide walks through worked examples so you can see how plate billing compares with transponder discounts on typical Chicago routes.
When bringing an I PASS makes sense
If you already hold an I PASS and expect to spend several days on the tollways, bringing the device can be cost effective. Before you travel, add the temporary rental plate to your account and set the start and end dates so the system knows when that plate should be linked to your pass. On arrival, make sure any built in supplier device stays in its shielded case and mount your own tag in the recommended spot on the windscreen.
The advantage is that each gantry charges you at the lower I PASS rate without daily rental toll fees on top. The risk is that if you forget to add the plate, or leave the supplier transponder active by mistake, your crossings may still be billed back through the rental company. To see how to avoid those pitfalls, it is worth reading Hola Car Rentals broader article on rental toll programmes when you avoid toll roads or pay as you go before you set off.
Choosing the best option for your trip
For many visitors, the simplest plan is to accept a modest toll package if you know you will be using the tollways heavily, or to rely on Pay By Plate if you are only using them once or twice. If most of your driving will be on freeways that do not charge tolls, you can even avoid the toll network almost entirely by choosing routes that skirt the tollways.
Hola Car Rentals helps here by highlighting inclusive offers where toll products, insurance and fees are already bundled. On some Chicago deals you get the All Inclusive plus rate with maximum liability cover, free travel insurance up to one hundred and fifty thousand US dollars and cashback on tolls. That means your focus can stay on traffic and lane changes, not on reading small print at the barrier.
If you would like more detail about route choices, Hola Car Rentals blog on Chicago tollways and airport routes overview compares typical drives from O Hare to downtown, the suburbs and nearby states.
FAQs
What happens if I ignore Illinois tolls in a rental car? Unpaid tolls are linked to the plate and eventually sent to the rental company. They will either pay and recharge you with an admin fee, or pass your details to the toll authority. Ignoring those bills can lead to escalating penalties and, in serious cases, debt collection.
Can I use both Pay By Plate and a toll package at the same time? It is better to choose a single method for each vehicle. If you register the plate for Pay By Plate but also leave a supplier toll device active, some crossings may still be routed through the rental company, creating confusion and duplicated admin fees.
Are I PASS tolls always cheaper than Pay By Plate? Per crossing, the transponder rate is usually lower. However, if you have to pay a daily toll service fee to use a rental company package, a short stay with only one or two tolled journeys may still work out cheaper on plate billing.
How can Hola Car Rentals make Chicago tolls easier? Hola Car Rentals partners with leading suppliers around O Hare and Midway, showing clearly which include toll packages, what protection is bundled and how cancellation works. You can pick the vehicle and toll setup that suits your route, then book in confidence knowing the main costs are already factored into your hire budget.
Once you have mapped out your drives around Chicago, secure your preferred vehicle and toll solution in minutes by booking with Hola Car Rentals. That way the I PASS question is answered before you even leave the airport car park.
