Driving Out of Coney Island in a Rental Car: Routes, Tolls and the Belt Parkway (2026)

By Megan, Marketing, Drivo Rent A Car.

If you rent a car at Drivo's Coney Island branch in Brooklyn, the Belt Parkway is half a mile north of the lot at exit 8. The way into Manhattan without a tunnel toll is Ocean Parkway to Flatbush Avenue and the Manhattan Bridge, and every trip below 60th Street carries the $9 congestion charge whichever crossing you use.

This is the short version of what we tell renters at the counter, with the 2026 numbers.

Quick facts: Drivo Coney Island

Where is the branch, and where is the Belt Parkway?

The branch sits at the south end of Coney Island Avenue, a block from Brighton Beach Avenue and a short walk from the boardwalk. Coney Island Avenue runs 5.3 miles north from the boardwalk to Prospect Park, where it meets the Prospect Expressway. Ocean Parkway runs parallel a few blocks west, 5.5 miles from the beach to Park Circle at the southwest corner of the park.

Heading north from the lot, the first big cross street is Neptune Avenue. The Belt Parkway crosses Coney Island Avenue about half a mile up. Shore Parkway is the service road on the near side and Guider Avenue on the far side. Exit 8 is the Coney Island Avenue interchange; exit 7, one interchange west, is Ocean Parkway.

What should you know before you pull out?

1. The Belt Parkway is a parkway. NYC DOT bans commercial vehicles from the Belt and from every other New York parkway. If you rented a cargo van or a Sprinter, treat the Belt, the Cross Island, the Jackie Robinson and the Hutchinson River Parkway as off-limits and use the expressways: the Gowanus, the BQE, the Van Wyck, the LIE.
2. The westbound Belt slows at the Verrazzano interchange on summer weekend afternoons. Check live traffic before you commit. If the Belt is stopped, Coney Island Avenue north is slower but it moves.
3. Tolls on a Drivo rental are billed by license plate. Every Drivo vehicle is enrolled in a plate-reading toll program. Tolls are billed after the rental at the highest applicable rate, which at the MTA crossings is the $12.03 Tolls by Mail rate for cars as of January 4, 2026, plus a $9.95 administrative fee for each day tolls are recorded. Mount your own E-ZPass transponder and keep it active and you pay the E-ZPass rate, $7.46, with no fee.
4. The congestion charge applies to every entry into Manhattan below 60th Street. Cars pay $9 during peak hours (weekdays 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and $2.25 overnight, charged once a day. It is read by plate, not by transponder, so your E-ZPass does not cover it. Drivo adds a $5.00 per-day administrative fee for the congestion charge. Entering through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel with an E-ZPass earns a crossing credit of up to $3; entering over the Manhattan Bridge earns none, but the bridge itself is free.
5. The East River bridges are toll-free; the tunnels and the Verrazzano are not. The Manhattan, Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges cost nothing. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge each cost a car $7.46 with E-ZPass, $9.79 mid-tier or $12.03 by mail in 2026.

Which way into Manhattan is faster, and which is less expensive?

The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (fast, tolled). Coney Island Avenue north half a mile to the Belt Parkway, westbound at exit 8, or Ocean Parkway north to exit 7. Stay on the Belt past the Verrazzano interchange, continue onto the Gowanus Expressway (I-278 west), and take the tunnel exit into Lower Manhattan. Typical time in normal traffic is 30 to 45 minutes; on a summer Saturday allow an hour or more.

The Manhattan Bridge (no bridge toll). Coney Island Avenue or Ocean Parkway north the length of the boulevard to Park Circle, then Prospect Park West along the park to Grand Army Plaza, then Flatbush Avenue northwest onto the bridge. About 8 miles on surface streets with lights. It is 10 to 20 minutes slower than the tunnel when the Belt is clear and often faster when it is not.

What each route costs a car at peak hours, entering below 60th Street:

Overnight (9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays, 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends) the congestion charge drops to $2.25.

How do you get to Queens, JFK, LaGuardia, the Bronx and upstate?

Queens, JFK and LaGuardia. Coney Island Avenue north to the Belt Parkway eastbound at exit 8. The eastbound Belt runs along Sheepshead Bay and Jamaica Bay to the JFK exits; for LaGuardia continue to the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) north. No tolls on that path. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to JFK and 45 to 60 to LaGuardia in normal traffic. Our JFK branch is at 124-10 South Conduit Avenue and our LaGuardia branch at 2261 94th Street if you would rather return there; a one-way drop fee applies and is confirmed at booking.

The Bronx, Westchester, Connecticut and upstate. Belt Parkway east to the Van Wyck (I-678) north to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge ($7.46 with E-ZPass, $12.03 by mail on a Drivo plate), then I-95 or the Hutchinson River Parkway (cars only). Allow 45 to 60 minutes from the lot to the Bronx-Westchester line in normal traffic.

When everything is stopped. Coney Island Avenue north to Prospect Park is the surface-street fallback in either direction. It is a straight line with a light every few blocks. On a Sunday before 10 a.m. it is a perfectly good way to reach the BQE or the Manhattan Bridge.

What do you need to know for pickup and return?

• Hours and after-hours return. The Coney Island branch is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., park in the designated return area, take your belongings, and drop the keys in the drop box in the overflow lot. The car is checked in the next morning and the final invoice is emailed to you.
• Fuel. The nearest stations are on Coney Island Avenue about 0.4 mile north of the lot, between Neptune Avenue and the Belt: a Gulf and a Mobil on the avenue, a Shell just off it. Return the car at the fuel level you picked it up with, or prepay a tank at pickup; fuel used beyond that is charged at the rate in your agreement.
• Deposit. Drivo places an authorization hold of up to $500 in addition to the rental cost. It is typically released within 30 days of return, after any tolls or tickets from the rental have come in.
• Parking near the lot. Street parking on Coney Island Avenue and the side streets is regulated. Read the posted signs; alternate side days differ block by block.

Where can you drive if you have an hour to spare?

• The boardwalk. Coney Island Avenue ends at the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Brighton Beach, a few blocks from the lot. The walk west toward Coney Island is the classic one.
• Sheepshead Bay. Emmons Avenue runs along the bay about half a mile northeast of the lot, with Manhattan Beach beyond it for the quietest beach inside city limits.
• Floyd Bennett Field. Belt Parkway east to Flatbush Avenue south, into Gateway National Recreation Area: open runways, walking trails and the widest horizon in the city.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the Belt Parkway in a rented cargo van?

No. NYC DOT bans commercial vehicles from the Belt Parkway and the other New York parkways. Use the Gowanus Expressway and the BQE instead, or surface streets to the expressway.

What does a toll cost me on a Drivo rental?

Without your own E-ZPass, the toll is billed after the rental at the highest applicable rate ($12.03 at the MTA crossings in 2026) plus a $9.95 administrative fee for each day tolls are recorded. With your own transponder mounted and active, you pay your E-ZPass rate and no fee.

Does my E-ZPass cover the congestion charge?

No. The Congestion Relief Zone is read by plate, and Drivo bills the charge plus a $5.00 per-day administrative fee. Entering through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel with E-ZPass earns a crossing credit of up to $3.

Is the Manhattan Bridge really the less expensive way in?

Yes, if you are going below 60th Street anyway. You pay the congestion charge either way; the bridge route skips the $12.03 tunnel toll and the $9.95 toll fee.

Can I return the car at Drivo DUMBO instead?

Yes. Our DUMBO branch is at 106 York Street, about 10 miles north, 30 to 45 minutes by car depending on traffic. One-way rentals between Drivo locations carry a one-time drop fee that depends on the two locations; confirm it when you book.

What happens if I get a parking ticket in the rental?

The ticket is billed back through your rental agreement and can be taken from the authorization hold, which is why the hold can stay in place for up to 30 days after return. Read the signs.

Megan leads marketing for Drivo Rent A Car, a New York operator with five branches: Coney Island, DUMBO, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. Every rate in this guide is as of September 14, 2026.

Sources: NYC DOT, Parkway Truck Restrictions (nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/parkway-restrictions.shtml); MTA, Toll rates by vehicle type, effective January 4, 2026 (mta.info/tolls/vehicle-types); MTA, Congestion Relief Zone (mta.info/fares-tolls/tolls/congestion-relief-zone/about); Drivo Rent A Car FAQ (drivo.com/faq); Drivo Coney Island branch page (drivo.com/locations/BRK).