Renting a Car for the World Cup: Is it Worth It in NJ/NYC?

Updated: June 202625 min read

For international tourists arriving at Newark (EWR) or JFK, the immediate instinct is often to rent a car to secure freedom of movement. However, the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area is uniquely hostile to personal vehicles. If you are debating whether to rent a car for your World Cup trip to MetLife Stadium, you must carefully evaluate where you are staying and what you plan to do.

When You Absolutely Should NOT Rent a Car

If your hotel is located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hoboken, or downtown Jersey City, renting a car is a catastrophic financial and logistical mistake. Parking at a Manhattan hotel will routinely cost $60 to $80 per night. Furthermore, driving in these areas is intensely stressful, and crossing the Hudson River requires paying steep tolls (currently over $17 just to enter NYC via the Lincoln Tunnel). In these areas, the public transit system (subway, PATH, NJ Transit) is drastically faster and cheaper than driving. Do not rent a car if you are staying in the urban core.

When Renting a Car is Necessary

If you have booked a large Airbnb in a deeper New Jersey suburb (like Montclair, Paramus, or Morristown), a rental car becomes mandatory. Public transit in the deeper suburbs is designed for commuting into NYC during rush hour, not for casually navigating between towns or running to the grocery store. Having a car allows you to explore the state, drive down the Jersey Shore on rest days, and most importantly, it allows you to host a proper, massive tailgate in the MetLife Stadium parking lots before the match.

The Cost of Driving to the Stadium

If you do rent a car, remember that driving to MetLife Stadium requires a pre-paid parking pass. For the World Cup, these passes will likely cost between $50 and $100 per game. You must also factor in the rental fees, insurance, expensive New Jersey gas prices, and the inevitable highway tolls.

Rental Car Survival Tips

E-ZPass is Mandatory:
Ensure your rental agency provides an E-ZPass toll transponder. The New Jersey Turnpike and many bridges are entirely cashless. If you drive through a toll without one, the rental agency will charge you the toll plus a massive administrative penalty.
Use Waze, Not Google Maps:
The local traffic patterns change by the minute. Waze is vastly superior in Northern New Jersey for routing you around sudden accidents or stadium road closures.
The Tailgating Vehicle:
If you plan to tailgate, rent an SUV or a minivan. A standard sedan does not have the trunk space for coolers, chairs, and a pop-up tent.

Renting a car unlocks the freedom of the American suburbs, but if you intend to spend your trip immersed in the culture of New York City, it is an expensive burden you must avoid.