Heathrow Airport

Parking Options at Heathrow Airport

Official parking options at Heathrow Airport include:

Short Stay

Boasting a direct link to each terminal, the official Short-Stay Multi-Stories are a very convenient place to park. The handy lighting above each space will guide you to an empty space—a green light means an empty space, whilst disabled/parent and child parking are highlighted with blue LEDs!

It’s like Bladerunner, but without all the murderous cyborgs and existentialism.

Thanks to excellent lighting and regular security patrols, you should feel safe at any time of the day or night when using the official Short Stay car parks.

As you'd expect from a fairly whizz-bang car park with all the mod cons, Heathrow Short Stay uses ANPR technology. For those organised enough to book in advance (securing the best prices), entering and exiting the car park will be a breeze.

When it comes to Short Stay, the cherry on the cake is the Car Finder system. In T3 and T4, you can get a reminder of your car’s location by entering your number plates into the Car Finder system! Now that's handy!

Valet Parking

Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the easiest parking option at Heathrow. As the name suggests, all you need to do is drop off your car at one of the conveniently located valet receptions within the preferred areas of each Terminal Departure Forecourt.

To ensure everything runs smoothly, your car will be inspected for damage and your keys will be taken. You can advance towards your terminal knowing that your car is in safe hands.

Once you've left, your car will be driven to a secure parking area where it will remain until just before your arrival.

In a similarly seamless way to the departure procedure, upon arrival, your car will be waiting for you in a reserved space in the Short-Stay car park (without the need to call in advance), just a hop and a skip from the terminal building!

Meet & Greet

This option is somewhat similar to Valet Parking. Upon arrival, you'll drive your car into a designated Meet & Greet space which will be clearly identifiable thanks to the Pink branding. A member of the Meet & Greet team will take your car and you'll be on your way.

For peace of mind, vehicles are digitally inspected and stored in a 24/7 monitored facility at Heathrow Airport.

On return, there's no need to notify anybody of your arrival as your car will automatically be transferred to a reserved bay near the terminal. No fuss and no queuing!

Long Stay

A more budget-friendly parking option than the ones we've already mentioned, Long Stay (as it says on the tin), is ideal for travellers leaving their vehicle for an extended period of time.

The Long Stay car parks are located around the edge of the airport and are connected to the terminals. Complimentary shuttle buses run every 15 minutes during flight operation hours to take travellers from their cars to their terminals.

Business

The Business option is basically a fancier version of the Long Stay. Business car parks are located nearer to the airport terminals than the Long Stay, meaning the shuttle bus journey is shorter.

The shuttle buses are also fancier, sporting leather seats and a shorter waiting time (maximum 10 minutes).

Pod Parking (T5 Only)

We've saved the best until last! This is THE coolest of the parking options at any airport in the UK.

For those traveling from T5, Pod Parking offers a spacious car park where you can leave your vehicle in total confidence. The icing on the cake is the means of transportation to get you to T5.

In a similar way to how you're used to calling a lift, you'll call for a Pod which will arrive at the car park, on demand, usually within 30 seconds. Once your driverless Pod arrives, just climb on board and you'll be whisked to your destination with a journey time of around 7 minutes. Each Pod carries up to 4 adults and their luggage and provides a super convenient (and fun) start to your journey!

Unofficial Parking Options at Heathrow Airport

Unofficially parking options are ones that have not been provided by the airport. They are still secure and convenient though, and they are often cheaper as well.

MBW Meet & Greet

As with the official meet & greet service, this is a convenient valet parking option. You can drive straight to your terminal where an insured driver will be waiting for you.

Unload the car, grab your bags, and then hand over the keys. The driver will take your car to a secure facility where it will be kept until your return. When your trip is over, simply meet the driver at a designated area, collect your vehicle, and drive home.

Edward Lloyd

Edward Lloyd is another meet & greet service.

It follows the same steps as above, beginning when you meet the driver at the terminal and drop off your keys. You can check and confirm the condition of the vehicle, come to an agreement, and then catch your flight.

When you land back in Heathrow, just give the driver a call and they will swing by to drop off your vehicle. They monitor the flight schedule to see when your flight has arrived, so they’ll know if there is a delay and can accommodate for it.

*We've included this list of parking options available at Heathrow Airport for information only. The products mentioned are not necessarily available for purchase through CheapAirportParking.co.uk

Cheap Parking Heathrow Airport

Car Park	Total Price (8 Days)	Price Per Day
Maple Express Park & Ride (T5)	£98.95	£10.99
Parkair 24/7 Meet & Greet (All Terminals)	£115.99	£12.89
Maple Parking Meet & Greet T4	£131.99	£14.67
Maple Parking Meet & Greet (T2, 3, 4)	£131.99	£14.67
Parkair 24/7 (All Terminals)	£135.99	£15.11
MBW Meet & Greet (T2, 3, 5)	£137.90	£15.32
APH Meet & Greet (T2, 3, 5)	£137.90	£15.32
Maple Business Meet & Greet (T5)	£137.90	£15.32
Parkair 24/7 with Premium Wash (All Terminals)	£150.99	£16.78
MBW (EV Rapid Charge) (T2, 3, 5)	£163.90	£18.21
MBW Meet & Greet (T4)	£167.90	£18.66
APH Meet & Greet (T4)	£167.90	£18.66
MBW Wash Inside & Out (T2, 3, 5)	£172.90	£19.21
MBW (EV Rapid Charge) (T4)	£193.90	£21.54
MBW Wash Inside & Out (T4)	£202.90	£22.54

The prices in the table above were generated by CheapAirportParking.co.uk.

The table above shows prices for an 8 day period in January 2025.

Please note: CheapAirportParking.co.uk returns live prices that change regularly due to price adjustments by the suppliers we work with and their availability. Therefore, it’s important that you understand that the above prices are provided for illustrative purposes only to give you an indication of a likely price at an option we offer in our database. You must not rely upon the prices in our table and for up-to-date pricing, you should run a search.

A Guide to Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport is made up of four terminals, spread over a gigantic area. If you're not careful, it's easy to get lost. But don't worry, we're here to help.

In this guide, we'll show you how to get around the different terminals using a variety of different methods.

Heathrow Airport Terminals

Terminals 2 and 3 are located a short walk from each other, while Terminals 4 and 5 are a bit further away and are serviced by free buses and trains.

Getting About

Fortunately for those who are lugging around heavy luggage or those who are less able to walk, Heathrow Airport has a variety of transportation at your disposal.

Heathrow Express and London Underground

Transfers from Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminals 4 and 5 can be made using the Heathrow Express trains and the London Underground (Piccadilly Line).

Transit System (Airside Only)

Exclusively for air side passengers, the so-called Heathrow Transit T5 with T5B and T5C. This is a high-speed service that runs every 2 minutes and has journey times of just 90 seconds!

Driverless Pods (Heathrow Pod Personal Rapid Transit System)

Writing about car parking options can get a bit repetitive, but someone’s got to do it! As noted above, Heathrow Airport offers what is probably the coolest innovation in airport parking, the Pod system (officially and less snappily titled as in the header above).

This system is actually worth a look at on YouTube! It’s made up of 21 little Pods which run along a 4km track. Each Pod can carry 4 adults, 2 children, and whatever luggage they may have, whisking them along at speeds of up to 40kph (25 mph).

The whole system is on demand, so in a similar way to you call an Uber, you would call for a pod!

At present, the pods only run between T5 and the business car park, but there are plans to connect T2 and T3 with the Pod system.

Airport Lounges and Fast Track

Fast Track is technically available at Heathrow Airport, but it’s limited to certain airlines. What’s more, many of them stopped offering it during 2020, the year in which nothing of note happened so we should stop talking about it immediately and erase it from the history books.

Even as we write this in early 2023, the Heathrow Airport Fast Track page still carries a warning about this.

It’s a different story with airport lounges though, and there are several of these currently available at Heathrow Airport:

Plaza Premium (Terminal 2)

Located in terminal 2, Plaza Premium is open from 5 am to 9 pm every day and offers a relaxing environment for all. It’s spacious, quiet, and has food and drink service. You can also tap into the free WiFi and use the charging facilities to ensure your tablets, phones, and Kindles are charged for the flight.

Club Aspire (Terminal 3)

Head to terminal 3 for this lounge, which comes with complimentary food and drink and a maximum stay of three hours. It’s an award-winning Airport Lounge, which is something you don’t hear every day.

Club Aspire is open from 5 am to 8:30 pm every day.

Plaza Premium (Terminal 4)

This terminal 4 Plaza stays open an hour later than its terminal 2 counterpart but offers many of the same amenities. There are also shower features if you want to freshen up between flights or you’ve just stumbled out of bed, hopped on a bus, and are now worried that your stink will cause a biohazard warning and lockdown the entire airport.

We’ve all been there.

Club Aspire (Terminal 5)

Another lounge that can claim to be award-winning, this terminal 5 option one-ups its terminal 3 sibling by staying open for an extra half hour.

Drop-Off Information

Every time you enter a drop-off area at Heathrow Airport, you are charged £5. This is true even if you drop one person off, forget about your napping gran in the back seat, and then swing back around again when she wakes up and panics. In such cases, you’ll be charged £10.

These areas are located right outside the terminal, so they offer the easiest access and are perfect for dropping off friends and family. Just keep that charge in mind.

You can pay these fees online. If you don’t you could be hit with a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) of £80 that drops to £40 if it’s paid within 14 days.

Click here for More Information on Heathrow Drop-Off Charges.

Free Drop-Off?

Contrary to what you may have assumed, it is actually possible to drop-off, free of charge at Heathrow Airport.

Simply head to any of the Official Long Stay car parks, where you will be able to park, free of charge, for up to 29 minutes.

In addition to this, your passenger will be able to board the free shuttle bus to the terminal.