Rental Car Tolls (How to Pay at Toll Roads) | Budget Rent a Car

Does Budget Have Rental Car Toll Charges?

Can I drive on a toll road in my rental car?

Yes, Budget allows drivers to use toll roads in a rental car. Should you encounter a toll booth, you can either pay the toll using cash or opt for our e-toll service. The e-toll service includes a daily fee, plus the cost of all tolls. If you use e-tolls, you agree to pay these fees as well as other charges associated with your rental.

 

How Do Toll Roads Work?

Certain highways and roads in the U.S. require a small fee to travel on, but only about half the states in the U.S. have toll roads. 

Should you encounter a toll road, you have a few options for how to pay a toll road fee. These include:

  • Electronic transponder

  • Online registration of license plate

  • Cash

  • Debit or credit card

If you’re wondering how to pay tolls with a rental car, you have the same payment options as listed above. The simplest option is to use the electronic transponder in your rental car, but you can also choose to use the other payment methods. See “Alternatives” below.

Be aware that some toll roads will only accept certain forms of payment. For example, some toll booths do not accept cash, whereas others will accept cash but not a credit or debit card. Some toll roads only accept electronic payments—you won’t have the option to pay with cash or card.

Toll roads are typically faster and less crowded than regular highways, and they are better maintained. Toll roads are able to provide those advantages because of the extra cost to drive on them.

 

Which States Have Budget Rental Cars With e-Tolls?

 

 

Budget e-Toll is offered in the Northeast (from Maine to North Carolina), California, Chicago Area, Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and Puerto Rico. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the Budget toll road policies before pickup to avoid unwanted fees. Budget offers e-Toll services in the following states:

 

Northeast (Maine to North Carolina and Chicago Areas):

What Are the Fees if I Drive Through Tolls in a Rental Car?

Budget offers a convenient e-Toll service for travelers who want to drive on toll roads.  You will be charged for the cost of the tolls, plus a service fee of $6.95 per usage day, plus the cost of the toll.  This fee will only apply to each day during your rental where you choose to use the e-Toll. The maximum service fee is $34.95 for all rentals.

Anytime you drive through a toll booth without using an alternative form of payment (such as cash or card), you opt into the Budget e-Toll service. 

Toll fees may take 4-8 weeks to be billed to you through the card you used to pay for your rental. 

 

Are There Toll Roads and Fees in Canada?

Cashless Tolls - Canada

Please be aware of roads that may be "cashless tolls" and drivers on these roads are not able to pay cash once they have entered these roads. You automatically opt into our e-Toll service program and will be charged $17.00 plus GST/HST per rental, plus incurred kilometer charges and video tolls at the maximum prevailing rates posted by the toll authority. The charges may take 4-8 weeks after the rental to be billed to your billing account or credit card/debit card on file.

 

Alternatives to Toll Roads or Car Rental e-Toll Fees

There are some alternatives to toll roads or e-Toll fees. These include:

  • Paying cash/card for tolls. Remember, some toll roads are cashless, which means you might have to drive through an e-toll and opt in to the Budget e-toll program.

  • Use or bring your own e-toll device. This will require advance planning on your part.

  • Avoiding toll roads altogether. While driving, you can program your navigation to avoid toll roads. Just set your GPS device or smartphone maps app to the “avoid tolls” option.