Tolls, Congestion Pricing, and Tickets on a Shared Car in New York

Every toll crossing in and around New York City is cashless, and so is the New York State Thruway. When you drive a car you don't own, whether it's a rental, a friend's car, or a car from a peer-to-peer platform, the toll bill and any camera ticket go to the car's registered owner, sometimes weeks after your trip. The owner or platform then passes the charge to you. This guide explains how that works, what the main tolls cost, and how to avoid paying more than you should.

Rates and rules below are as of September 2026. Tolls change, often each January, so check the official sources linked throughout before a trip.

A note on timing: Levy is a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace for New York with automatic toll handling. Drivers can join early access and hosts can create a draft listing. Bookings open when the marketplace launches in your area.

E-ZPass, Toll-by-Mail, and Mid-Tier

New York's toll agencies charge one of three ways:

• E-ZPass. A tag in the car is read at the gantry and the toll posts to the tag's account. This is the cheapest rate.

• Tolls by Mail. If no tag is read, a camera photographs the plate and a bill goes to the registered owner. This is the most expensive rate. On the Thruway, bills are mailed 30 to 45 days after the trip, according to the Thruway Authority.

• Mid-Tier. At MTA and Port Authority crossings, a middle rate applies when a New York or New Jersey E-ZPass account is matched by plate because the tag wasn't read, usually because it wasn't mounted properly.

Can you use your own E-ZPass in a shared car? According to the E-ZPass New York FAQ, you can use your tag in any vehicle of the same class if you add the car's plate to your account and mount the tag. Before you do, ask the host or platform. If the car already carries the owner's tag, both tags could be read, and you could be charged twice. The MTA also offers a temporary travel account for rented or borrowed cars.

What the main tolls cost

Passenger car rates, as of September 2026:

Sources: MTA toll rates (effective January 4, 2026), Port Authority tolls, the Thruway's 2026 toll chart, and the MTA Congestion Relief Zone pages.

MTA bridges and tunnels

The MTA runs the tolled crossings inside New York City. Mid-Tier rates fall between the two columns above: $9.79 at the major crossings, for example. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge has been tolled in both directions since December 2020, under split tolling.

Unpaid MTA toll bills get expensive. The MTA adds a $5 fee if a bill is unpaid 30 days after the bill date, and $50 per unpaid toll after 60 days, according to its toll violation fees page.

Port Authority crossings

The George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, and the three Staten Island bridges to New Jersey charge only when you enter New York. Nothing is collected entering New Jersey. E-ZPass peak hours are weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Off-peak discounts apply only to New York and New Jersey E-ZPass accounts. The Mid-Tier rate is $19.55. Details are on the Port Authority tolls page.

The New York State Thruway

The Thruway is cashless from end to end. Since January 1, 2024, Tolls by Mail and out-of-state E-ZPass rates have been 75% higher than NY E-ZPass rates, according to the Thruway's toll adjustment fact sheet. The next systemwide increase is scheduled for January 1, 2027.

If a Tolls by Mail bill isn't paid, a second bill follows with a $5 late fee. An unpaid second bill becomes a Notice of Violation with a $50 fee, according to the Thruway's cashless tolling page.

The Manhattan Congestion Relief Zone

Congestion pricing began on January 5, 2025. The zone covers local streets and avenues in Manhattan at and below 60th Street. It excludes the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street. Drivers who stay on the FDR or the West Side Highway to pass through aren't charged.

How the toll works for a passenger car, according to the MTA:

• Peak hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Other hours are overnight.

• You pay once per day. A car that enters more than once between midnight and 11:59 p.m. pays the toll in effect at its first entry.

• Crossing credits of up to $3 apply at peak times for E-ZPass users entering through the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown, or Hugh L. Carey tunnels. There are no credits overnight.

• Rentals and borrowed cars: if your E-ZPass account isn't linked to the car's plate, the registered owner receives a Tolls by Mail bill.

• Scheduled increases: the peak E-ZPass toll is set to rise to $12 in 2028 and $15 in 2031.

The program has faced federal legal challenges. In March 2026, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Transportation's attempt to terminate it was unlawful, and the administration appealed, as Bloomberg reported. As of September 2026, the MTA is still collecting the toll.

Camera tickets

In New York City, camera violations are sent to the registered owner, not the driver, and a speed camera ticket adds no points to a license, according to NYC311. Current fines:

• Speed cameras: $50. School-zone speed cameras have operated around the clock since August 1, 2022, and ticket cars going more than 10 mph over the limit, according to the Department of Finance.

• Red-light cameras: $50, and the owner is responsible regardless of who was driving, according to NYC311.

• Bus lane cameras: $50 for a first violation, rising to $100, $150, $200, and $250 for further violations within 12 months, according to the Department of Finance.

Because the ticket goes to the owner, the platform usually passes it to whoever had the car at the time on the ticket. That's why accurate trip start and end times matter.

Parking tickets

NYC parking fines are set by violation code. Common ones, from the city's violation code list:

• Street cleaning (alternate side): $65 citywide.

• Fire hydrant: $115.

• Expired meter: $65 in Manhattan at or below 96th Street, $35 elsewhere.

Tickets can be paid or disputed online, by mail, or in person. Penalties begin if a ticket isn't paid or disputed within 30 days, according to the city's ticket page. Under New York's Vehicle and Traffic Law § 239, the owner is jointly liable with the driver when the car is used with the owner's permission. For street-by-street parking advice, see parking, pickup, and return for a shared car in NYC.

How charges usually reach the driver

Rental companies and peer-to-peer platforms handle tolls differently:

• Rental companies run toll programs that bill tolls plus a service fee. For example, Avis e-Toll charges $6.95 for each day you use a toll, up to $34.95 per rental, plus the tolls. Hertz PlatePass lists a per-day charge that varies by state if you don't opt into its plan.

• Peer-to-peer platforms generally let hosts request reimbursement after the trip. On Turo, for example, hosts can invoice guests for tolls up to 90 days after a trip, with a longer window through support for late-arriving bills, according to Turo's help center.

The owner has a strong reason to collect. New York can suspend a vehicle's registration for three or more unpaid toll violations within five years, according to the DMV.

Tips for drivers

• Ask whether the car has an E-ZPass and how tolls are billed before you book.

• Don't add your own tag unless the host or platform says it's fine.

• Screenshot your trip start and end times. Match every toll or ticket to your trip window.

• Plan your Manhattan route. Staying on the FDR or West Side Highway avoids the congestion toll if you're just passing through.

• Park legally, even after the trip ends. A ticket on a returned car can still be traced to your trip.

• Watch your email for a few weeks. Mailed tolls can arrive long after the trip.

Tips for hosts

• Keep an E-ZPass tag in the car, properly mounted, so you pay E-ZPass rates rather than Mid-Tier or Tolls by Mail.

• Keep the plate current on your E-ZPass account.

• Record exact handoff times so late tolls and tickets can be matched to the right trip.

• Invoice promptly, within your platform's window. For more, read keyless car sharing handoff and preparing your car for car-sharing guests.

How Levy handles tolls

Levy's marketplace is designed around automatic toll handling. Tolls will be matched to the trip that incurred them and charged to that trip, so hosts don't chase invoices and drivers see each toll tied to their booking. The FAQ covers more.

Get early access

• Drivers: Get early access.

• Hosts: Start your listing. Your draft listing goes live when the marketplace launches.

Bookings open when the marketplace launches.