Driving In Sydney - Toll Roads

Driving in Sydney can be expensive as the various toll roads are the quickest and easiest way to get from one side of the city to another by car. There are 9 toll roads in NSW. They are:

  • M2
  • M5
  • M7
  • Eastern Distributor
  • Sydney Harbour Tunnel
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • Cross City Tunnel
  • Lane Cove Tunnel and
  • Falcon St Gateway.

Some toll roads allow you to pay the toll by cash but others only accept E-Tags. All E-Tags from Victoria and Queensland work on Sydney toll roads.

If you do not have an E-Tag you must pay by cash (where available) or pay by credit card by ringing the appropriate number displayed on the tollway within 48 hours of passing through the toll collection point.

If you are visiting Sydney and do not have an E-Tag, or cannot access a cash booth, you will need to ring the toll road operator in order to pay the toll using your credit card. The toll road operator will charge a fee to accept your payment by credit card. Note that cash booths are usually un-manned so it helps if you have some small change to pay the toll using the automatic collection booths.

Failure to pay tolls within 48 hours will result in an infringement notice being issued. This will be sent to the hire car company who will pass it on to you. Note that the car rental company will charge an Administration Fee for processing an infringement notice. For example, Thrifty car rental have a $35.00 fee for processing any infringement notices.

For details of toll charges visit the relevant motorway website or go to www.sydneymotorways.com to calculate the toll for trips around the entire network.

Time of day tolling has been introduced on the Sydney Harbour crossings.

So, when driving a Sydney rental car be sure to take note of the many toll road signs and be prepared to pay to drive.

The best way to pay for tourist or occasional travel is with an electronic pass. Visit www.roam.com.au or www.roamexpress.com.au for more information or to purchase a pass.