The short answer
If someone else is flying, dropping them off (an average of £6.74 where it's charged, and free at 2 of 29 UK airports) is the cheap option. If you're flying, a lift there and back costs £12 to £23 in charges at the 15 airports where we've priced the official car parks, and that is less than even one day in the cheapest official car park at turn-up prices. Parking buys independence, not savings. Pick your airport below for the figures.
Why there's no single "park vs drop off" number
Drop-off is a fixed, published charge we check against each airport's own page. Parking has two prices: the turn-up rate the airport publishes, which we quote and date, and the pre-booked price, which changes by date and demand, so we link to it live rather than print a number that goes stale. The lift figures below are the drop-off charge plus whatever the airport charges to collect you; the parking figure is the cheapest official car park for a week at turn-up prices. The price index has every drop-off fee ranked.
Park or drop off at every UK airport
The verified drop-off charge and free alternative at each of the 29 airports we track. Where we have priced the official car parks, the cost of a lift there and back and of a week parked, with a full comparison page.
| Airport | Drop-off | Lift there and back | Cheapest week parked | Free alternative | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Gatwick | £10 | £18 | £230 | ✓ Long Stay car parks | Full comparison → |
| London Stansted | £10 | £23 | £336 | ✓ Mid Stay car park | Full comparison → |
| London Luton | £9 | £18 | £245 | ✓ Long Stay car park | Full comparison → |
| Bristol | £8.50 | £17 | £250 | ✓ Waiting Zone | Full comparison → |
| Edinburgh | £8.50 | £17 | £165 | ✓ Long Stay free zone | Full comparison → |
| Birmingham | £8 | £20 | £469 | ✓ Drop Off car park | Full comparison → |
| Bournemouth | £8 | — | — | ✗ none | On the Bournemouth page → |
| East Midlands | £8 | £20 | £395 | ✓ Long Stay 2 | Full comparison → |
| Exeter | £8 | £16 | £205 | ✓ Car Park P4 | Full comparison → |
| Leeds Bradford | £8 | £16 | £149 | ✓ One Hour Free Zone | Full comparison → |
| London City | £8 | — | — | ✗ none | On the London City page → |
| London Southend | £8 | — | — | ✗ none | On the Southend page → |
| Norwich | £8 | — | — | ✗ none | On the Norwich page → |
| Aberdeen | £7 | £14 | £125 | ✓ Long Stay car park | Full comparison → |
| Glasgow | £7 | £14 | £140 | ✓ Long Stay car park | Full comparison → |
| Liverpool John Lennon | £7 | — | — | ✓ Drop-Off 2 | On the Liverpool John Lennon page → |
| London Heathrow | £7 | £15 | £271.20 | ✓ Park & Ride car parks (former Long Stay) | Full comparison → |
| Southampton | £7 | £14 | £225 4 days | ✗ none | Full comparison → |
| Newcastle | £6 | £12 | £280 | ✓ Callerton Parkway | Full comparison → |
| Manchester | £5.50 | £12.10 | £443.80 | ✓ JetParks 1 free drop-off area | Full comparison → |
| Belfast International | £5 | — | — | ✓ Long Stay car park | On the Belfast International page → |
| Cardiff Wales | £4.50 | — | — | ✓ Car Park 2 | On the Cardiff Wales page → |
| Glasgow Prestwick | £4.50 | — | — | ✗ none | On the Glasgow Prestwick page → |
| Belfast City | £4 | — | — | ✓ Long Stay car park | On the Belfast City page → |
| Inverness | £3.90 | — | — | ✓ Free Drop Off area | On the Inverness page → |
| Teesside | £2.50 | — | — | ✓ Café validation | On the Teesside page → |
| City of Derry | £1 | — | — | ✗ none | On the City of Derry page → |
| Cornwall Newquay | Free | — | — | ✓ West Car Park | On the Cornwall Newquay page → |
| Humberside | Free | — | — | ✓ Short Stay Car Park 1 | On the Humberside page → |
When being dropped off wins
When you're not the one travelling (you're dropping a passenger and driving home), or you have a genuinely free, willing lift and use the airport's free window rather than the paid forecourt. For a set-down it's a one-off — an average of £6.74, and free at 2 of the 29 airports (Cornwall Newquay and Humberside). The free drop-off guide lists every free window and its catches.
When parking wins
Not on price: at every airport we've priced, a lift costs less in charges than a day's parking. Parking wins when nobody can do two return trips to the airport for you, when your flight times are awkward, or when you want the car waiting when you land. If you do park, check the pre-booked price before you set off: each airport's parking guide sets out what the airport says about booking ahead. Taxi fares depend on where you start, so the sum there is two fares against the parking total.
The bit people forget: pick-up
Collecting someone is often not the same simple fee again. Manchester charges £100 for pick-ups attempted in its drop-off zone; Heathrow bans them; Gatwick, Stansted and East Midlands route collections through separate car parks. The pick-up charges guide covers all 29.
Compare pre-booked parking prices
We list the partners here, Holiday Extras and YourParkingSpace, in alphabetical order, not by what they pay us. Some are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never affects our verified charges data.
Park or drop off: your questions
Is it cheaper to park or get dropped off at the airport?
Getting dropped off is cheaper. At the 15 airports where we've priced the official car parks, a lift there and back costs £12 to £23 in charges, less than one day in the cheapest official car park at turn-up prices. Parking costs more but means nobody has to drive you.
Is airport parking cheaper booked in advance?
Usually. Most airports say their pre-booked prices beat turning up, and several put a figure on it: each airport's parking guide quotes exactly what it says, and on what terms.
Which is cheaper, a taxi or parking?
It depends on how far you live from the airport. We don't quote taxi fares because they vary by where you start: compare two fares with the parking totals on your airport's page.
How much is airport drop-off in the UK?
An average of £6.74 across the 27 charging airports; 2 (Cornwall Newquay and Humberside) are still free at the terminal. Gatwick and Stansted are highest at £10. Full ranked list on the price index.
Method & corrections
Every charge on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. 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.