Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended congestion pricing on Thursday, saying most motorists won’t be affected because only “very rich people” can afford to drive into Manhattan.

“Outer-borough residents are not driving their cars into Manhattan. That’s not how they come in,” Cuomo said at the Association for a Better New York.

“I’m a Queens boy. Only very rich people can drive into Manhattan. You have to pay the toll. You have to pay parking . . . it probably comes close to $100 a day.”

Cuomo said only a fraction of outer-borough commuters — 2 percent or less — drive in from Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

He told reporters afterward “it’s a luxury” to drive into Midtown.

But Assemblyman David Weprin, who represents middle-class sections of Queens, said he’s being ­inundated with calls from constituents alarmed by the congestion plan.

“A lot of people, they have no choice but to drive in,” Weprin said.

Cuomo drew a hearty cheer from the well-heeled audience when he said the congestion plan “will endure to the benefit of Manhattan real estate interests when we have a better transportation system.”

The governor and the Legislature approved the controversial congestion-tolling fee to generate $15 billion for the MTA’s 2020-2024 capital plan.

Cuomo said there will likely be an offset provided to motorists who already pay a bridge-and-tunnel toll to get into Manhattan’s business districts.

But he denied claims that Albany delayed setting the toll until after the 2020 election — as The Post first reported — saying that would be “Machiavellian.”