Get a year of super-useful advice
Who to book with, how to get the best deals plus inspiring destination ideas from the experts, for only £49 for the year.
Join Which? TravelBy 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.
6 ways to get cheap airport parking deals
Slash prices at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester by hundreds of pounds by booking deals in advance, unlocking secret discounts and using the best off-site providers
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.
Trevor Baker has almost 20 years experience as a travel writer, having lived in Spain before becoming an award-winning investigative journalist.
Airport parking prices rocketed by 38% between 2019 and last year, according to Holiday Extras, regardless of when you book.
Fail to book ahead and you could find yourself paying £686 per week to park at any of Heathrow terminals 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
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 - the ones that are nearest to the terminal - cost £686 per week at the turn-up price, but that’s reduced to £169 if you book a month in advance. A saving of £517.
You can save even more if you choose the right long-stay carpark. At Heathrow the long-stay parking costs £271 on the day - and £145 if you book in advance. You will need to get a shuttle bus to the terminal, instead of a short walk, but you'll save hundreds.
For late bookers, the good news is that even if you don’t secure your parking until a few hours before departure, you’ll still save. 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.
| Airport | On-the-day price - long-stay carpark | Price one month in advance - long-stay carpark | Saving by booking early |
| Birmingham | £448 | £90 | £358 |
| Edinburgh | £220 | £50 | £170 |
| Gatwick | £230 | £62 | £168 |
| Heathrow | £271 | £145 | £126 |
| Manchester | £429 | £60 | £369 |
Table notes: The biggest savings we found at each airport for a week's parking in the cheapest long-stay carpark. Advance prices were checked on 15 January 2025 for February half term dates.
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 for £198, including the shuttle bus. The standalone charge for the room was £75, making a week’s secure parking £123.
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 in April 2024, Birmingham’s long-stay car park was £5 cheaper and four minutes closer than the off-site option (Airparks). However, when we checked again for February 2026 they were the same price. Luton’s long stay was also the cheapest option when we checked in 2024, although neither were highly rated in our survey.
Find the best-rated airport parking at the UK’s biggest airports