6 ways to get cheap airport parking deals

Airport parking prices have rocketed by 38% since 2019, according to Holiday Extras, regardless of when you book. 

Fail to book ahead and you could find yourself paying £616 per week at Heathrow, and over £400 per week at Birmingham, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted. Even booking a few hours in advance can be significantly cheaper than the price if you turn up and pay.

But being organised isn’t the only way to minimise your airport parking spend. Follow our tips below to ensure you don’t fork out hundreds of pounds before you’ve even left home soil.

See our latest survey results for the best airport parking options at your local airport

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1. Plan ahead for cheap airport parking

‘Book in advance’ might seem like obvious advice, but the cost of not doing so is staggering. Heathrow’s short-stay car parks cost £616 per week at the turn-up price, but that’s reduced to £223 if you book a month in advance. A saving of £393.

Our snapshot research found that across the UK’s 12 busiest airports, booking a month in advance saves you an average of £173 for a week’s parking.

For late bookers, the good news is that even if you don’t secure your parking until a week before departure, you’ll still save £143 on average. The bad news is that the very cheapest options may well have sold out.

For those who forget completely, some providers let you pre-book as little as two hours in advance. When we tried this for short-stay parking at Heathrow it knocked more than £400 off the turn-up price. 

Table notes: The biggest savings we found at each airport for a week's parking. Advance prices were checked in April 2024 for May half term dates and may have since changed. 

2. Use trusted off-site providers

We’ve found that third-party providers that operate outside the boundaries of the airport almost always offer better value than their on-site equivalent. 

What’s more, customers often report a better experience. Off-site providers took the top spot at Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford and Manchester in our latest survey of the best airport parking.

Make sure you choose your parking provider carefully. We recently caught rogue operators speeding, stealing from cars, and dumping vehicles.   

The following companies are Which? Recommended Providers. That means they are the best rated and they all use ParkMark accredited car parks – so their sites have passed a police risk assessment.

• Sentinel Car Park – Park and Ride at Leeds Bradford Airport
• APH – Park and Ride/Meet and Greet at Gatwick and Manchester airports
• Cophall Park & Ride – Park and Ride at Gatwick
• I Love Meet and Greet – Park and Ride/Meet and Greet at Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted

3. Try airport parking hotel deals

If you have an early flight or live some distance from the airport, it’s worth checking parking deals that include a hotel stay.

We found a night’s stay at Heathrow’s four-star Radisson Blu, with a week’s worth of parking and shuttle transfer to the terminal for £195. The standalone charge for the room was £100, making a week’s secure parking just £95.

Check if you can save with an airport hotel at Holiday Extras.

4. Sign up to save

Airports prefer you to book directly and offer discounts if you sign up to their mailing lists. 

All our Which? Recommended Providers (Sentinel, APH, Cophall and I Love Meet and Greet) also offer sign-up and promotional codes of 10-15% for those who book direct via their websites.

If you’re a Tesco Clubcard member, you have the chance to turn every £5 in vouchers into £10 to use with Gatwick and Manchester provider APH.

5. Shop around

Don’t settle for the first deal you find. Prices and discounts change from one day to the next, so it pays to shop around. 

However, scam sites are alarmingly common – to avoid getting caught out, stick to official airport sites and our Which? Recommended Providers. 

To make matters even more confusing, many car park owners sell other companies’ parking. Make sure you know who the actual provider is before you book. 

6. Always check on-site too

Off-site car parks are usually the cheapest, but there are exceptions. 

Long-stay and airport-owned budget options such as JetParks (at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands) and Edinburgh’s Plane Parking are sometimes cheaper.

When we spot-checked airport parking prices at the UK’s biggest airports, Birmingham’s long-stay car park was £5 cheaper and four minutes closer than the off-site option (Airparks). Luton’s long stay was also the cheapest option, although neither were highly rated in our survey. 

Find the best-rated airport parking at the UK’s biggest airports