Avoid Tolls and Ferries: Google Maps, Apple Maps and HERE WeGo Tested

• Google Maps handled tolls well, but with “avoid ferries” on, it still sent us on a ferry to the Isle of Wight.
• Apple Maps on the web has no “avoid ferries” option at all, and on New York to Philadelphia every route still said “Tolls required” with “avoid tolls” on.
• HERE WeGo often admits it can’t do what you asked and shows other routes instead. In Iceland it ignored “avoid toll roads” without saying anything.
• Waze wouldn’t run our searches on its web map, so we couldn’t test it.

The lesson: after you tick the box, read the warnings on the route. That’s where the toll or ferry still shows up.

How we tested

We checked the web versions of each app on 6 November 2026, signed out, leaving now. Phone apps can behave differently. The times and distances below are what each app showed on its route card, in its own units.

The four trips:

1. New York City Hall to Philadelphia City Hall (toll roads, free roads exist)
2. Seattle City Hall to Bainbridge Island City Hall (ferry, or a long drive around)
3. Southampton Central station to Cowes on the Isle of Wight (an island: no road at all)
4. Jökulsárlón to Höfn in Iceland (a new toll section since September 2026)

We tried “avoid tolls” and “avoid ferries” one at a time. Small time differences between apps don’t mean one is faster; each app picks its own start and end points.

New York to Philadelphia: Apple kept the tolls

Google did what you’d want: with “avoid tolls” on, it moved from I-95 to a longer route via I-287, and the toll warning went away. It still showed a warning about a restricted or private road, so read all the warnings, not only the toll one.

Apple didn’t. With “avoid tolls” on, every route still said “Tolls required”, even after the list refreshed.

HERE found a longer route, but told you plainly that it couldn’t meet your setting: “There are no routes with your chosen preferences, so we’re giving you the best routes instead.” A different route is not the same as a toll-free route.

Seattle to Bainbridge Island: the ferry or two hours of driving

The ferry route takes about 40–50 minutes in Google and Apple. Avoiding it means driving all the way around Puget Sound: almost two hours and about 91 miles.

Apple has no “avoid ferries” switch, but it already lists a road route marked “Avoids ferries” (1 hr 48 min, 91 miles), so you can just pick that one.

HERE’s ferry time needs care. It said 29 minutes, but its own departure and arrival times were about an hour apart. WSDOT, which runs the ferry, gives the crossing itself as about 35 minutes, before any waiting to board.

The drive around goes down I-5 and over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on WA-16. That bridge only charges a toll heading toward Tacoma, so the way out is free but check your return trip.

Southampton to Cowes: “avoid ferries” still gave a ferry

Cowes is on the Isle of Wight, so there’s no way to drive there without a ferry. A good app would say so. Google still gave a route, now longer at 34.9 miles, with the note “This route includes a ferry”. HERE said it couldn’t meet the setting and kept a ferry too.

If you’re taking a car, check which ferry the route uses. Red Funnel’s car ferry runs from Southampton to East Cowes; its Red Jet to West Cowes takes foot passengers only. A route on a map is not a ferry booking, so check the timetable and book with the operator.

Iceland: HERE ignored the new toll

Since 1 September 2026, a new section of Route 1 near Höfn has a toll, according to Vegagerðin, Iceland’s road authority. A single trip in a car is ISK 1,500 at Spölur, which runs the toll. None of the apps showed that price.

Google and Apple both found a longer route without the toll, about 13 minutes more; Google named it as road 987. HERE kept the same 49-minute route with no toll message, so don’t read the missing warning as a free road.

In winter, think twice before taking the old road. Spölur says roads 987 and 988 aren’t cleared on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Our Iceland Ring Road guide covers this stretch, and our winter driving guide covers the road checks.

Where to find the settings

Google Maps: get driving directions, click Options, and tick Tolls or Ferries under Avoid. Our avoid tolls, highways and ferries guide walks through it on phone and computer.

Apple Maps: in driving directions, click Avoid. On the web you get Avoid Tolls and Avoid Highways, no ferries. On iPhone, Apple’s help puts the same choices under Options. To skip a ferry in Apple Maps, look in the route list for one marked “Avoids ferries”, as on the Seattle trip.

HERE WeGo: open Route preferences under the directions and tick Avoid toll roads or Avoid ferries. Watch for its yellow message saying it couldn’t meet your preferences.

Waze: in the app, Settings, then Navigation, has Avoid toll roads and Avoid ferries. Waze’s own help says it may still use them if there’s no other way. We couldn’t test it: on the web map, our New York search found nothing and Waze refused the Seattle search.

Why you still get tolls or ferries

“Avoid tolls” asks the app for a route without toll roads it knows about. “Avoid ferries” asks for a route without a boat crossing; in driving directions that means a ferry that carries your car. Both are requests, not rules. Waze’s own help says it may still use toll roads or ferries depending on the routes available, and our tests showed the same in the other apps.

You’ll still get the toll or ferry when:

• There’s no other road. Cowes is on an island, so every app still used a ferry.
• The app doesn’t know about the toll. HERE showed no toll on the new Iceland section, so its “avoid” had nothing to avoid.
• The app can’t meet the setting. HERE says so in a yellow note; Apple just kept “Tolls required” on the New York routes.

So, before you set off:

• Read every warning on the route card, not just the first line.
• Look at the route line for crossings and bridges.
• If the route must pass a certain place, add it as a stop; our multiple stops guide shows how.
• Check tolls and ferry times with the operator. No price on the map doesn’t mean no charge.
• Save the area for offline use first; see our offline maps guide.