Park or get dropped off at Heathrow?

The short answer

The drop-off charge was checked against London Heathrow Airport's own published charges on 25 Oct 2026, and the car park prices on 17 Oct 2026. Totals for longer stays are our sums from the airport's published day rates. Pre-booked prices change daily, so we link to them rather than quote them.

Park or drop off at Heathrow: the key numbers

Drop-off charge

£7 for each entry, with no free period at the terminal drop-off zones

A lift there and back

£15 in charges At Terminals 2, 3 and 5: dropped off at a terminal drop-off zone (£7 each time you drive in, no free time, no waiting) and collected from Terminal Parking within 29 minutes (£8)

Using the free option

Free Dropped off and collected using Park & Ride's free 29 minutes, with the free shuttle bus each way (wait longer than 29 minutes and it costs £9.40)

Cheapest official car park, a week

£271.20 in Park & Ride, turn-up price

Booking ahead

Cheaper online than on the day, says Heathrow; 5% more off for My Heathrow members

Checked

drop-off charge 25 Oct 2026 against www.heathrow.com; car park prices 17 Oct 2026 (see the Heathrow parking guide)

Lift or park: the cost by trip length

A lift costs the same however long you're away; parking adds up with every day.

Car park figures are the lowest turn-up price for each stay among the car parks you can drive into without booking and get to the terminal from, worked out from the airport's day rates and checked on 17 Oct 2026. Meet & Greet is left out: it has a turn-up price, but the guide explains why it doesn't suit a drive-up stay. The Heathrow parking guide has every car park and its full price list.

If you're getting a lift

A lift costs £15 in charges. At Terminals 2, 3 and 5: dropped off at a terminal drop-off zone (£7 each time you drive in, no free time, no waiting) and collected from Terminal Parking within 29 minutes (£8). At Terminal 4, which has no Terminal Parking, collecting from Priority Pick-Up costs £7 for up to 10 minutes, so a lift both ways is £14, or £21 if the pick-up takes 11 to 29 minutes. Collecting from Zone A of the Park & Ride car park, free for up to 2 hours, brings it down to the £7 drop-off. It does mean two return trips to the airport for whoever drives you, which is the real cost of a lift. Heathrow is a pay-later airport: nothing is paid at the zone, so pay by midnight the day after you use the zone (see how to pay at Heathrow). The London Heathrow drop-off guide has the exact rules.

Where you drop off at Heathrow

The drop-off zones are on the forecourt outside Departures at every terminal. There are no barriers, and you can't pay in the drop-off area: pay online or by phone before or after your visit.

If you'd rather park

Parking buys you independence: no one has to fit your flight times around their day, and the car is there when you land. The cheapest official option for a week at Heathrow is Park & Ride, at £271.20 if you turn up without booking. Heathrow says its online prices are cheaper than turning up on the day, but it publishes no percentage saving against its gate prices. Its only percentages are member discounts: 5% off an official parking booking with its free My Heathrow membership, or 10% with Heathrow Rewards Premium, for bookings made online by 1 February 2027, terms and conditions apply.

Taxi fares depend on where you start, so we don't quote them. If you're weighing one up, the sum is two fares against the parking totals above.

Why the sums have shifted at Heathrow

Heathrow's drop-off charge has risen from £6 before 1 Jan 2026 to £7, up about 17%. Each rise makes a lift a little dearer, but at £15 it would take a much bigger rise for a lift to cost more in charges than even a day's parking. Every UK rise is tracked in the price index and the change log.

Or leave the car at home

The Underground and rail stations sit directly beneath the terminals — the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line serve all terminals, and the Heathrow Express runs from Terminals 2 & 3 (about 15 minutes to Paddington) and Terminal 5. For some trips that takes the park-or-drop-off question off the table.

Don't forget the pick-up

Pick-ups and waiting aren't allowed in the drop-off zones. At Terminals 2, 3 and 5, collect from Terminal Parking, a 2-minute walk from the doors (£8 for up to 29 minutes, £12.50 to 44, £15.50 to 59, £20 for 1 to 2 hours), or free for the first 29 minutes in the Park & Ride car parks, with a shuttle bus every 15 minutes. At Terminal 4, whose multi-storey car park closed on 23 June 2026, use the Priority Pick-Up Area right outside the terminal (£7 for up to 10 minutes, £14 to 29, £25 to 60; pay online or by phone by midnight the next day) or Zone A of the Park & Ride, free for up to 2 hours. See the UK pick-up charges guide for how other airports handle collections.

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