The short answer
If you turn up without booking, a week in the cheapest official car park costs from £125 at Aberdeen (Long Stay) to £469 at Birmingham (Car Parks 1 to 5), across the 14 airports where we can work out a week from the airport's own price list. Booking ahead is usually cheaper, and 13 of the 15 airports have somewhere to wait free when you drop off or collect.
Every price is the airport's own published turn-up (gate) price, checked on its website; week, 3-day and 14-day figures are our sums from those prices. Each airport's guide has its check date (the oldest here is 30 Sep 2026). How we check.
Turn-up parking prices at 15 UK airports
Cheapest official car park for a week if you just turn up, with the cheapest 3-day and 14-day stays at the same airport. Tap an airport for every car park, walking times and pick-up rules. Southampton publishes turn-up prices only up to 4 days, so its row shows that stay.
| Airport and cheapest car park | Week | 3 days | 14 days | Free waiting | Booking ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AberdeenLong Stay | £125 | £80 | £195 | 1 hour in Long Stay | Up to 50%on turn-up prices |
| GlasgowLong Stay | £140 | £80 | £245 | 1 hour in Long Stay | Up to 60%off turn-up, stays over 24 hours |
| Leeds BradfordLong Stay | £149 | £89 | £254 | 1 hour in the One Hour Free Zone | Best pricewhen you pre-book online, says the airport |
| EdinburghPlane Parking | £165 | £85 | £305 | 30 minutes in Long Stay | Up to 60%if you book early |
| ExeterCar Park P4 | £205 | £85 | £415 | 30 minutes in Car Park P4 | Best ratesbook early, says the airport |
| London GatwickLong Stay | £230 | £102 | £454 | 2 hours in Long Stay | Up to 60%says the airport, without saying against what |
| London LutonLong Stay Car Park | £245 | £105 | £490 | 2 hours in the Long Stay Car Park | Up to 65%off on-the-day prices, stays over 24 hours |
| BristolMid Stay | £250 | £130 | £460 | 60 minutes in the Waiting Zone | Up to 70%in the airport's 15-day example from January 2026 |
| London HeathrowPark & Ride | £271.20 | £121.60 | £533 | 29 minutes in Park & Ride | Cheaper onlinethan on the day, says Heathrow; 5% more off for My Heathrow members |
| NewcastleLong Stay | £280 | £120 | £560 | 90 minutes in the Airport Waiting Zone | Up to 60%on stays of a day or more |
| London StanstedMid Stay | £336 | £144 | £672 | 60 minutes in Mid Stay | Up to 80%based on an 8-day stay in January 2027, says the airport |
| East MidlandsMid Stay 3 | £395 | £135 | £826 | 60 minutes in Long Stay 2 | Up to 76%on an 8-day stay in January 2027, says the airport |
| ManchesterT2 West or T3 Multi Storey | £443.80 | £190.20 | — | None published | Up to 77%on the turn-up price, says the airport, without saying where |
| BirminghamCar Parks 1 to 5 | £469 | £201 | £938 | 10 minutes in the Drop Off car park | Up to 70%on 14-day-plus stays in Car Parks 1, 2 & 3, says the airport |
| SouthamptonShort Stay | £225 (4 days) | £170 | £910 | None published | Up to 50%on stays of more than a day |
A dash means the airport publishes no turn-up price for a stay that long. "Booking ahead" is what each airport says about pre-booking; the basis differs by airport, so read the guide before counting on it.
Why turn-up prices matter
Turn-up prices are the most you'll pay: they are what the barrier charges if you haven't booked, and the one price every airport publishes. Pre-booked prices move with demand and dates, so we link to them live rather than quote them. The gap can be large, which is why every guide sets the airport's own booking-ahead claim next to its gate prices.
Compare before you book
Pre-book airport parking
Booking sites sell the airports' own car parks alongside independent park & ride and meet & greet. Prices change often, so compare them live for your dates.
These are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never affects the prices and facts on this page.
Airport parking prices: your questions
Which UK airport has the cheapest parking?
On turn-up prices, Aberdeen is the cheapest of the 14 airports we compare for a week: £125 in Long Stay. Next are Glasgow (£140) and Leeds Bradford (£149). Pre-booked prices can be lower.
Which UK airport has the most expensive parking?
Of the airports we compare, Birmingham has the highest cheapest-week turn-up price: £469 in Car Parks 1 to 5.
Is it cheaper to book airport parking in advance?
Usually. Every airport here says booking ahead gets a better price than turning up, though only some give a percentage, and the basis differs. Each guide quotes the airport's own claim.
Where can I wait for free at the airport?
Aberdeen: 1 hour in Long Stay, Glasgow: 1 hour in Long Stay, Leeds Bradford: 1 hour in the One Hour Free Zone, Edinburgh: 30 minutes in Long Stay, Exeter: 30 minutes in Car Park P4, London Gatwick: 2 hours in Long Stay, London Luton: 2 hours in the Long Stay Car Park, Bristol: 60 minutes in the Waiting Zone, London Heathrow: 29 minutes in Park & Ride, Newcastle: 90 minutes in the Airport Waiting Zone, London Stansted: 60 minutes in Mid Stay, East Midlands: 60 minutes in Long Stay 2 and Birmingham: 10 minutes in the Drop Off car park.
Method & corrections
Every turn-up price on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. Details credited to a booking site come from that site's own pages, and weekly totals are our sums. We re-verify the full dataset quarterly, and after any reported change — see how we check every figure and who maintains the site.
Spotted an error? Email hello@airportdropoffcharges.co.uk — corrections are made visibly and dated. The dataset behind this page is free to reuse with attribution: JSON · CSV (CC BY 4.0) — about the data.