If you’re driving a rental car in Australia and use a toll road, you’re responsible for paying the toll. Read on to find out how.
If you are driving on Australian toll roads in a hire car, you’ll be responsible for paying any toll costs. Most of our car hire partners fit their vehicles with e-Tags, which automatically cover the price of any tolls during your journey, so don’t pay these costs in advance, via Linkt, or by any means not outlined by your car rental provider as otherwise you could end up paying one toll twice. Toll roads in Australia do not accept cash.
Each car rental provider has its own conditions for toll payment. Some use e-Tags, others offer the option of paying for tolls in advance where, for example, you can pay for unlimited toll use for a day. Many attach a supplementary charge for tolls — either on a per-toll or per-day basis—and these charges can add up quickly if you’re using toll roads frequently. Furthermore, rental providers may charge you additional administration fees for any unpaid tolls. Due to these factors, if you’re planning on using toll roads, it is important to clarify with your rental car provider what their toll charge structure is when you pick up your hire car.
Depending on the toll road, toll charges can vary according to the particular toll road, distance travelled, vehicle type, time of day, and payment method used. And to repeat, toll roads in Australia do not accept cash payments.
The majority of Australian toll roads are in Sydney, with the Eastern Distributor, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel, M2, M4, M5, M7, M8, and NorthConnex being popular options. Melbourne has fewer toll roads, being CityLink (South and West), and EastLink. Queensland is the only other Australian state with toll roads, with the Gateway Motorway, Logan Motorway, Legacy Way, Clem Jones Tunnel and the Airport Link being some of the more popular ones.
Important InformationWhen you drive your rental car on toll roads
Remember that the toll charges vary per location, vehicle type and payment method. Apart from the toll fee, you may need to pay a service charge to your rental car provider. Avoid using other electronic tags or passes to avoid getting charged double since most rental cars are fitted with e-Tags that automatically charge your credit/debit card.