How does Florida collect tolls from a rental car?
Florida charges tolls in two ways. A transponder such as SunPass pays at the lowest rate. Without one, Toll-By-Plate photographs the plate and mails an invoice to the registered owner, with a US$2.50 administrative fee per invoice. Florida's Turnpike says SunPass customers save about 25% on average compared with Toll-By-Plate.
For a rental car, the registered owner is the rental company. That is why SunPass's rental vehicle page says ordinary post-paid Toll-By-Plate is not available to renters: the invoice goes to the company, which charges you under its own program.
Your four options
| Option | What you pay | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental company program | Daily fee on days with tolls, plus tolls at the higher undiscounted rate | Short trips, no time to shop | Fees can exceed the tolls themselves |
| Your own SunPass PRO | US$14.95 plus tax, tolls at the SunPass rate | Stays of several days with repeated tolls | Must be bought, activated and topped up |
| Transponder from home (E-ZPass and others) | Your home account's rate | Visitors from states with E-ZPass | Plate and dates must be added to your account |
| Prepaid Toll-By-Plate account | Tolls at the plate rate, no transponder | Avoiding the rental fee without buying hardware | No discount; only eligible Florida facilities |
The Visitor Toll Pass, a free hangtag with a US$10 deposit, is often mentioned online. Its FAQ states it is available only at Orlando International Airport, so it does not help if you fly into Miami.
How much do rental car toll programs cost in Florida?
These are the published terms as of September 2026. Every program bills tolls to the card on the rental agreement weeks after the rental ends.
| Company | Program | Fee | Cap | Toll rate charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise, National, Alamo | TollPass | US$4.95 to US$5.35 per day a toll is used | US$34.65 per rental | Higher of video, cash or undiscounted toll |
| Avis | e-Toll | US$6.95 per day a toll is used | US$34.95 per rental | Highest non-discounted or cash rate |
| Avis | e-Toll Unlimited (opt in) | US$10.99 to US$25.99 per day, by location | US$54.95 to US$181.93 per week | Tolls included |
| Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty | PlatePass | US$14.99 per day, per SunPass's listing | Not published | Hertz calls it unlimited toll usage for a daily rate |
Sources: Enterprise TollPass FAQ, Avis e-Toll, Hertz PlatePass and the SunPass rental page. SunPass's list shows different figures for some companies, including a US$30 Enterprise cap and US$12.99 a day or US$64.95 a week for Avis and Budget; the table follows each company's own page. Budget runs its own e-Toll terms, so confirm its fee at the counter. SunPass also lists Fox at US$14.49 a day with a US$217.35 cap.
Hertz's page does not print the daily price, and its rental terms say the convenience fee is "set forth on your rental record". Check that figure on your contract before driving off. Hertz warns that declining PlatePass and then driving through a toll brings an administrative fee plus tolls at the highest undiscounted rate.
Can you use your own SunPass or E-ZPass in a rental car?
The SunPass FAQ lists the SunPass PRO at US$14.95 plus tax. It is portable and also works in E-ZPass states from Maine to Illinois. The US$4.99 SunPass Mini is a windscreen sticker, so it suits your own car, not a rental you hand back. Activation requires a minimum replenishment of US$10, which then pays your tolls.
SunPass sells transponders at CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Sedano's, Navarro, Amscot and AAA, and at Turnpike service plazas and visitor centres. E-ZPass, E-Pass Xtra and Uni transponders are also accepted.
The step that protects you from double billing is adding the rental plate to your account for the rental dates. Enterprise's FAQ says no convenience fee applies when you pay with your own transponder. Avis asks you to register the plate with your toll account and keep its own device stowed.
A Prepaid Toll-By-Plate account works the same way without hardware, but SunPass says it gets no discounted rates and covers only eligible Florida facilities. It suits a traveller who wants to avoid the rental daily fee but not buy a transponder.
Sample tolls around Miami
Posted two-axle rates, SunPass versus Toll-By-Plate:
| Toll point | SunPass | Toll-By-Plate | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR 836 Dolphin Expressway, 17th Ave mainline | US$0.66 | US$1.32 | GMX |
| SR 836 Dolphin Expressway, 97th Ave mainline | US$0.66 | US$1.32 | GMX |
| SR 112 Airport Expressway, 17th Ave | US$0.33 | US$0.66 | GMX |
| SR 924 Gratigny Parkway, 57th Ave | US$0.47 | US$0.94 | GMX |
| Rickenbacker Causeway (Key Biscayne) | US$3.25 | US$6.50 | Miami-Dade County |
| Venetian Causeway | US$3.25 | US$6.50 | Miami-Dade County |
Expressway figures are from the GMX toll rate schedule, which is dated May 2022 and was still the posted schedule in September 2026. Causeway rates took effect on 1 October 2025, per Miami-Dade County. The county also adds a US$2.50 monthly invoice fee for plate billing. Most expressway trips cost well under a dollar each with SunPass; the causeways are where plate rates bite.
The MIA Rental Car Center, at 3900 NW 25th Street, is linked to the terminals by the MIA Mover and houses Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrifty and others.
Worked example: a week based in Miami Beach
A seven-day rental picked up at MIA. Tolls fall on four separate days:
- Day 1: airport to Miami Beach, passing the SR 836 gantry at 17th Avenue
- Day 3: Key Biscayne via the Rickenbacker Causeway
- Day 5: the Venetian Causeway
- Day 7: back to the airport past the same SR 836 gantry
Tolls come to US$7.82 at SunPass rates and US$15.64 at Toll-By-Plate rates. The programs below assume the plate rate is the highest undiscounted rate they charge.
| How you pay | Fees | Tolls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own SunPass PRO | US$14.95 plus tax for the device | US$7.82 | US$22.77 plus tax |
| Enterprise TollPass | 4 days × US$4.95 = US$19.80 | US$15.64 | US$35.44 |
| Avis e-Toll | 4 days × US$6.95 = US$27.80 | US$15.64 | US$43.44 |
| Avis e-Toll Unlimited | Weekly US$54.95 to US$181.93 | Included | US$54.95 to US$181.93 |
| Hertz at US$14.99 a day | 7 days × US$14.99 | Included | US$104.93 |
Before tax, the SunPass route saves between about US$13 and US$82 on this trip. It wins more clearly the more toll days you have: Enterprise and Avis stop adding fees only at their caps, while SunPass tolls stay at the discounted rate.
The rental program makes sense if you will hit a toll on only one or two days. At one toll day, Enterprise's fee is US$4.95 and Avis's is US$6.95, both below the price of a transponder.
What happens if you miss a toll in a Miami rental car?
If you drove through without a plan, nothing needs doing on the road. The invoice goes to the rental company, which applies its program under your agreement, and Florida's Turnpike tells renters to take disputes to the rental company. For a private owner, unpaid invoices escalate to a second invoice, collection agency fees, a registration stop and possibly a Uniform Traffic Citation. The rental company absorbs that escalation and then bills you.
Avis's rental terms allow an administrative fee for each violation it handles, up to US$25 or 10% of what it paid, whichever is lower. Keep your SunPass statement until the rental company's final charges have cleared.
For licence and insurance questions before you drive, see renting a car in Los Angeles. California's bridge tolls work differently; see San Francisco driving rules and parking tickets.