Heathrow Airport Parking and Drop Off Charges

How Heathrow divides its kerb

Heathrow runs the most functionally divided kerb of any UK airport, and most of its charges follow from that division. The terminal forecourts cost £7 per visit and exist for drop offs only: pick ups from the forecourts are not permitted, and the closest collection point to any terminal is the Terminal Parking car park, formerly Short Stay, where stays start at £8.00 for up to 30 minutes. The free window on the estate sits in the Park and Ride car parks, formerly Long Stay, where the first 29 minutes cost nothing and up to two hours costs £9.40, with free shuttle buses running to the terminal doors every 15 minutes or so around the clock. Those short Park and Ride stays cannot be booked online; the driver simply enters, takes the ANPR-read barrier, and pays on exit if the stay passes the free window. Blue Badge holders receive two hours free in Park and Ride. The forecourt fee is paid per visit rather than per minute, which makes it the rare UK airport charge where a two-minute stop and a full stop cost the same.

The parking ladder: Park and Ride to Pod to valet

Heathrow's official products ladder cleanly by proximity and service. Park and Ride is the price floor, with drive-up rates of £46.80 for the first day and £37.40 for each day after, and pre-booked online rates for the same car parks set below those figures and falling with lead time. Terminal Parking sits beside each terminal for walking-distance convenience, with pre-booking available only for stays over nine hours and overheight vehicles facing minimum charges of around £19.50 to £21.00. At the top, Meet and Greet and Valet Parking carry drive-up rates from £143.40 for the first day, with vehicles stored in the airport's own secured car parks, and Terminal 5 adds the Pod Parking product, where driverless pods run to the terminal in about six minutes and the pay-on-the-day rate is £59.60 per day. Priority Park and Ride, the former Business Parking, offers faster shuttles, though its Terminals 2 and 3 site is currently closed to passengers. Bookings across the estate can be made up to a year ahead, with a 99-day maximum stay and free cancellation or amendment up to two hours before the booked arrival.

ULEZ, EV gaps and the costs beyond the tariff board

Two costs sit outside Heathrow's own price list and change the arithmetic for many drivers. The first is the Ultra Low Emission Zone: Heathrow has been inside the expanded ULEZ since August 2023, so any vehicle that does not meet the emissions standards pays Transport for London's £12.50 daily charge on each day it is driven to or from the airport, though not for days it sits parked. For a non-compliant car, a fortnight's trip therefore carries two chargeable days on top of the parking. The second is the electric vehicle gap: Heathrow states that it currently provides no EV charging in its car parks and advises electric vehicles to arrive with enough charge banked for the journey home, with fast and rapid charging available at sites near the airport. Smaller reliefs exist around the edges: motorcycles park free in dedicated areas near the Terminal Parking car parks, and Heathrow Rewards points accrue on official parking purchases. The forecourt alternative for drop offs, as ever, is the Park and Ride 29-minute window, which converts a £7 stop into a free one for anyone willing to add a shuttle ride.

Choosing at Heathrow, and the wider comparison

The decision tree at Heathrow reduces to three questions. For a drop off: is the £7 forecourt worth the doorstep, or does the free 29 minutes at Park and Ride plus a shuttle serve as well. For a pick up: Terminal Parking buys proximity by the half hour, while Park and Ride absorbs arrival uncertainty for £9.40 over two hours. For a trip: the same car park costs materially less booked ahead than driven up to, the booking can be placed the moment flights are ticketed, and the two-hour cancellation window removes the risk of committing early. Heathrow's numbers anchor the national comparison because they publish clean drive-up figures at both ends of the ladder, from £37.40 a day at Park and Ride to £143.40 for a first valet day. How every other major UK airport prices the same decisions after the 2026 wave of drop off increases, and the full checks for off-airport and meet and greet operators, is set out in the guide to getting cheap airport parking in the UK, with wider guidance in the global travel and before you sections and running costs in the bills section.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to drop off at Heathrow?

Using the terminal forecourts costs £7 per visit, charged per visit rather than per minute, and the forecourts are for drop offs only. The free alternative is the Park and Ride car parks, where the first 29 minutes are free.

Where should passengers be picked up at Heathrow?

Pick ups are not permitted from the terminal forecourts. The closest option is the Terminal Parking car park at each terminal, from £8.00 for up to 30 minutes, or the Park and Ride car parks, free for 29 minutes and £9.40 for up to two hours.

How much is drive-up parking at Heathrow?

Pay-on-the-day Park and Ride costs £46.80 for the first day and £37.40 for each day after. Drive-up meet and greet and valet parking start at £143.40 for the first day. Pre-booked online rates for the same car parks are set lower.

Does the ULEZ charge apply when driving to Heathrow?

Yes. Heathrow sits inside the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone, so non-compliant vehicles pay the £12.50 daily charge on days they are driven within the zone. The charge does not accrue while the vehicle is parked.

Can electric vehicles charge in Heathrow's car parks?

No. Heathrow states it does not currently provide EV charging in its car parks and advises electric vehicles to arrive with enough charge for the return journey, with fast and rapid charging available at sites near the airport.