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Guy is an award-winning travel writer with 20+ years experience. He runs a crack team of researchers, unearthing everything from the best beaches to the worst car hire companies.
Off-site airport parking is not only cheaper, but it often offers a better experience, and better service, according to Which? Travel’s survey on parking at the UK’s biggest airports.
Parking can be one of the priciest parts of your holiday. If you were to turn up without booking in advance at Heathrow’s (short-stay) ‘Terminal Parking’, you’d have to pay £686 per week.
But there is a risk-free way to save money on parking. Which? Travel’s survey of more than 3,000 people who had recently parked at UK airports found that off-site car parks were the best rated at Birmingham airport, Gatwick airport, Heathrow airport, Leeds Bradford airport and Manchester airport.
The more expensive official on-site options took nine of the bottom 10 car parks in our table.
But are off-site providers safe? We’ve investigated shady unregulated parking companies and discovered they were dumping cars in muddy fields, joyriding them for hundreds of miles and taking no responsibility for damage. Some providers even stole from our car.
It’s essential, then, to only use names and brands you can trust.
Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent third-party providers of both Park and Ride (where you take a bus to the airport) and Meet and Greet (where you leave your car with a chauffeur at the terminal) services. Our survey of thousands of readers and members of the public will help you choose a car park you can trust.
Read our top tips to save on airport parking
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The table shows the best off-site airport parking brands, where your car is stored by a third-party, outside of the airport grounds.
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER | 93% | LBA | PR | |||||
Flying Scot (41) | 86% | GLA, EDI | PR | |||||
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER APH (206) | 79% | LGW, MAN | MG/PR | |||||
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER Cophall Park & Ride (37) | 74% | LGW | PR | - | ||||
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER | 74% | BHX, LGW, LHR, STN | MG/PR | |||||
Airparks (park and ride) (104) | 73% | LGW, LTN, BHX | PR | |||||
Purple Parking (206) | 73% | LGW, LHR, LTN | PR | |||||
| 71% | LGW, LTN, BHX | MG | ||||||
JetParks (138) | 70% | MAN, STN, EMA | PR | |||||
Blue Circle (49)) | 69% | Not operating | n/a | |||||
Ace Parking (45) | 68% | LGW, LHR, STN | MG | |||||
Maple Parking (82) | 68% | BHX, LGW, LHR, STN, LTN | MG/PR | |||||
NCP (58) | 64% | Nationwide | PR |
Based on an online survey of 1,034 Which? members and the public in May/June 2024. Sample size in brackets. A dash (-) indicates too few responses for a rating. Airports served BHX Birmingham international, EMA East Midlands, EDI Edinburgh, LBA Leeds Bradford, LGW Gatwick, GLA Glasgow, LHR Heathrow, LTN Luton, MAN Manchester, STN Stansted. Customer score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
Our Which? Recommended Providers aren’t just the best rated, their sites have all passed a police risk assessment and meet our safety requirements.
Flying from Heathrow airport? Check our roundup of the cheapest Heathrow parking
Sentinel’s park and ride service, just half a mile from Leeds Bradford airport, is streets ahead of its competitors.
It’s the only operator with a full five stars for ease of parking, transfer time (2 minutes), comfort (including free tea/coffee on arrival) and security (it’s a purpose-built floodlit compound).
Sentinel prides itself on its 24-hour customer service and comprehensive refund policy – ‘if you don’t park you don’t pay’ – and you can even get your car cleaned and MOT’d while you’re away.
Book your Leeds Bradford airport parking with Sentinel
An independent, family-owned company, APH has been providing airport parking services since 1980.
It operates its own Park and Ride and Meet and Greet car parks serving Gatwick and Manchester airports, which were rated highly by customers in almost every category.
As one customer raved, ‘I have been using APH for many years and have always been more than happy with the whole process. It’s easy, friendly, efficient and affordable.’
Book your Gatwick/Manchester airport parking with APH
One of just three companies to offer four-star value for money, Cophall is the no-frills Gatwick-only arm of Maple Parking.
Its ParkMark accredited site, with 24-hour security, is a 15-minute bus ride from the terminals.
Pickup is ‘on-demand’ but customers described the process as ‘quick and efficient’. They were also impressed by the ‘personal service’ which includes ‘friendly bus drivers loading and unloading luggage at either end of the journey.’
Book your Gatwick airport parking with Cophall Parking
Customers loved the convenience and security offered by I Love Meet and Greet.
Drop-off and pickup are at the airport forecourt and you are met by fully insured, uniformed drivers, who take your car to a secure car park equipped with 8ft fences and electric gates.
‘It really is the most convenient and efficient service – especially if you’re in a rush,' one customer told us. It also offers Park and Ride at Gatwick and Stansted.
Book airport parking with I Love Meet and Greet
Off-site parking is often the cheapest option, but it’s not always the best. That’s why we asked thousands of you to tell us about your parking experiences at the UK’s 12 biggest airports.
| Car park | Customer score | Off-site or on-site | Time/ transport to terminal | Indicative price per week | Customer service | Ease of finding car park/drop-off point | Ease of finding parking space | Car park security | Transport to/from terminal | Transfer time to/from terminal | Comfort of transport | Condition of car on return | Value for money |
| BELFAST INTERNAT'L | |||||||||||||
| Long Stay (40) | 64% | On | 6min walk | £62 | - | ||||||||
| BIRMINGHAM | |||||||||||||
| Airparks (46) | 74% | Off | 3-14min bus | £115 | |||||||||
| Mid stay: Car park 5 (67) | 68% | On | 5-10min walk | £120 | |||||||||
| Short stay multi-storey: Car parks 1-3 (44) | 68% | On | 1min walk | £150 | - | ||||||||
| Car park 7 (46) | 67% | On | 10-15min bus | £110 | |||||||||
| Short stay: Car park 4 (68) | 67% | On | 3-5min walk | £140 | - | ||||||||
| EDINBURGH | |||||||||||||
| Edinburgh FastPark (32) | 86% | On | <1min walk | £136 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Multi-storey (31) | 74% | On | 1min walk | £203 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| Long stay (35) | 67% | On | 10-12min walk | £112 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| GATWICK | |||||||||||||
| APH (76) | 84% | Off | 2min walk or 10-12min bus | £144 | |||||||||
| Valet Parking (77) | 84% | On | 5min walk | £189 | |||||||||
| Airparks (55) | 74% | Off | 2min walk or 10-12min bus | £144 | |||||||||
| Cophall Parking (37) | 74% | Off | 15min bus | £109 | - | ||||||||
| Purple Parking (72) | 73% | Off | 2min walk or 10-15min bus | £127 | |||||||||
| Long stay (343) | 69% | On | 10min bus | £133 | |||||||||
| Short stay: Car parks 1,2,3,5,6 (79) | 62% | On | 3min walk | £242 | |||||||||
| GLASGOW INTERNAT'L | |||||||||||||
| Long stay (38) | 67% | On | 8min walk | £68 | |||||||||
| HEATHROW | |||||||||||||
| POD Parking T5 (32) | 75% | On | 6min pod | £163 | - | - | |||||||
| Purple Parking (85) | 75% | Off | 1min walk or 12-30min bus | £109 | |||||||||
| Business T2,3,5 (58) | 74% | On | 5-8min bus | £152 | |||||||||
| Meet and Greet / Valet parking (103) | 74% | On | 2-3min walk | £185 | |||||||||
| Long stay (266) | 68% | On | 7-10min | £118 | |||||||||
| Maple Parking (32) | 68% | Off | 2min walk or 4-15min bus | £110 | - | - | |||||||
| Short stay (85) | 65% | On | 2min walk | £200 | |||||||||
| LEEDS BRADFORD | |||||||||||||
| Sentinel Car Park (56) | 93% | Off | 2min bus | £79 | |||||||||
| Long stay (57) | 74% | On | 2min bus | £96 | |||||||||
| LIVERPOOL | |||||||||||||
| Long stay (64) | 76% | On | 2-4min walk | £99 | |||||||||
| LUTON | |||||||||||||
| Terminal Car Park 1 (59) | 74% | On | 4min walk | £257 | |||||||||
| Airparks (60) | 68% | Off | 4min walk or 14 min bus | £166 | |||||||||
| Long stay (80) | 68% | On | 10min bus | £158 | |||||||||
| Mid stay (53) | 61% | On | 10min walk | £180 | |||||||||
| MANCHESTER | |||||||||||||
| APH (32) | 79% | Off | 10min bus | £124 | - | - | |||||||
| Meet and Greet (146) | 78% | On | 1-2min walk | £129 | |||||||||
| Drop and Go (long stay) (128) | 75% | On | 5min walk or 5 min bus | £103 | |||||||||
| Multi-storey (130) | 74% | On | 1-8min walk | £132 | |||||||||
| JetParks (100) | 71% | On | 6-9min bus | £92 | |||||||||
| Mid stay (55) | 68% | On | 3-10min walk | - | |||||||||
| NEWCASTLE | |||||||||||||
| Long stay (67) | 73% | On | 10min bus | £95 | |||||||||
| STANSTED | |||||||||||||
| Meet and Greet (89) | 83% | On | 2-3min walk | £149 | |||||||||
| Mid stay (101) | 71% | On | 7min bus | £123 | |||||||||
| JetParks (38) | 67% | On | 15-20min bus | £110 | |||||||||
| Long stay (112) | 65% | On | 15min bus | £112 | |||||||||
| Short stay (68) | 64% | On | 1-10min walk | - |
Sample size in brackets. A dash (-) means too few responses for a rating. Indicative price per week is based on the last week of August 2024, checked in June 2024. Where there was more than one price, we've shown the cheapest. Transfer times from operators' websites. Customer scores combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
There are plenty of reputable third-party providers that can save you a fortune on airport parking. Here are our tips for booking safely:
Guy Hobbs, airport parking expert, says:
'Shop around. I always check our WRP prices against the official airport prices and book the best rate I can find well in advance – usually at the same time as booking the flights.
'Never pay turn-up prices. Even if you book on your way to the airport, we found you can save hundreds of pounds. Some providers let you pre-book as little as two hours in advance.'
See more tips on finding cheap airport parking deals
In May/June 2024, we collated results from 3,161 Which? Connect members and members of the general public who completed an online survey telling us about 4,394 experiences of parking at the UK's 12 biggest airports. We only reported on parking options when we received at least 30 responses.