By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
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.
It’s never been so expensive to park at a UK airport. Turn up without a booking at a Heathrow short-stay car park and you’ll face a heart-stopping parking bill of £662 per week, according to our research.
But there is a risk-free way to save money on parking. Which? Travel surveyed over 3,000 people about parking at the UK’s biggest airports and found that off-site (third-party) providers were not only usually cheaper but that the service was better, too.
Off-site car parks were the best-rated at Birmingham Airport, Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Leeds Bradford Airport and Manchester Airport. By contrast, pricier 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 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 with your car.
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
Give the gift of super-useful advice on who to book with, how to get the best deals and inspiring destination ideas from the experts, all year for just £34.30.
Buy and saveSave 30% - was £49, now £34.30 for a year, plus, Which? members also get a £15 M&S voucher with each purchase. Offer ends 6 April 2026
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. They all use ParkMark accredited car parks, meaning their sites have passed a police risk assessment.
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 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 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.
Don’t assume that anything outside the airport boundary is a scam. There are plenty of excellent third-party providers that can save you a fortune on airport parking. Here are our tips for booking safely:
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.