
Cheap Airport Parking
Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester & more
Airports can make more from parking and shopping than planes. Leave your car there while you're on holiday and it can cost a fortune, but book the right way and you can halve the cost in minutes.
Airport parking deals, incl:
Airport parking need-to-knows
Before you start looking for a cheap deal, here are the key must-knows:
Check comparison sites with discounts
The easiest way to find cheap parking is by using one of the special comparison sites that search the web to find you the best deals. They'll often give you a cheaper price than you'll get booking direct – but we've also blagged a few extra per cent off the following comparison sites' prices.
We've ranked them by the size of the discount they offer, factoring in fees and range of airports covered too, but it's not an exact science and of course a bigger discount doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll get the best overall price. Prices change daily, therefore check a few to find the best price.
Once you've checked these it's also worth looking at renting a private parking space near the airport and hotel parking packages to see if you can further reduce the cost with either.
The biggest of the companies, Holiday Extras* has been running since 1983 and sells a wide range of car parking options at most major airports. Plus go via the special link above to get the from 6% extra off most car parks that we've blagged – and up to 35% off some.
You'll also get 14% off all airport hotels and 15% off all lounges using our link, and you won't be charged any booking fees.
The offer's ongoing, but won't work for most airport-owned car parks. Holiday Extras won't always give you the cheapest price, so check the other sites listed too.
Note: In May we reported on complaints from hundreds of Holiday Extras customers who were sent vouchers instead of refunds for bookings cancelled after Fri 17 Mar. The firm has since reversed its decision and is now giving cash back to those forced to cancel due to coronavirus. For full info, see the Holiday Extras backtracks on cancellation refunds MSE News story.
We've blagged up to 35% off airport parking with Looking4Parking.com* – AWMSEPLUS should automatically be entered in the promo code box. This gives a minimum of 5% off at the majority of the 300-odd airport car parks in the UK.
If you're not sure you'll need your booking you can pay £1.49 to avoid the £9.50 cancellation fee, but remember to take this into account when comparing prices. Certain "non-flexible" bookings can't be cancelled, so won't offer the waiver.
There's a £1 booking fee, and text confirmation can be added for 49p. Some airports impose a forecourt charge for meet and greet services – be aware that Looking4Parking may pass this charge on.
We've blagged at least 5% off most airport parking, if you book via this SkyParkSecure* link.
At 36 car parks including those at Luton, Liverpool and Heathrow you'll get at least 18% off, while at Gatwick and Manchester airports it's up to 35% off. The deal we've blagged also means you pay no booking fee, which is usually £1.99.
If you're keen to avoid a long transfer, SkyParkSecure also has a useful 'Map View' feature that shows you how close the car parks are to your airport.
Some airports charge an access fee for meet and greet services which isn't always included in the price, so check before booking.
Go through this FHR* link for a further 5-30% discount on most airport hotels and car parks, which we've blagged (though not all are participating, so check before you buy – discounts will be shown automatically). The offer is ongoing and there are no booking fees via our link.
Some airports impose a forecourt charge for meet and greet services. If so, FHR will include this in the cost and you'll be shown the breakdown before purchasing.
FHR is a provider as well as a comparison site, so you may also see it listed on some rival sites.
Other sites worth checking
To do a really comprehensive search, it's worth also checking the following:
- Airport Parking & Hotels* – use our link for a blagged extra 20% off APH's own car parks at Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Stansted, plus 16% off the other airport car parks listed. No booking fees.
- Airparks* – go via our link for a blagged extra 10-25% off Airparks-branded car parks and 10%-26% off other car parks. No booking fees.
- Better Car Parks* – offers a blagged 13-15% off most airport car parks, and 10-26% off some. If, when searching the comparison sites above, a BCP car park comes top, it's worth checking the direct cost via this BCP link to see if it beats the price. No booking fees.
Check directly with parking operators too
It's sometimes possible to beat comparison sites by going direct. Compare direct prices with those you were quoted from the comparison sites above, then go with whatever's cheaper.
Rent a private space near the airport – or find another cheap alternative

Armed with the cheapest price for the big car parks, it's worth trying smaller, private ones to see if you can cut the cost further. eBay-style parking marketplaces allow those living close to airport car parks to offer parking on their own drives or spare land.
Overheads are low, which means prices are too, but there's a trade-off here. They usually lack anything like the level of security offered by the dedicated car parks.
There are numerous sites that list parking spaces, and you should be able to find a competitive price in a couple of minutes. Check out Just Park*, Park Let* and Your Parking Space, but for full help first read the Rent Your Parking Space guide.
Probe local knowledge for other options, eg train station car parks
It's also worth checking other local car parks in the vicinity of the airport as they may work out cheaper. For example, some forumites have reporting that parking at nearby train stations has saved them some cash.
Always carefully check the terms of any car park you leave your car at and consider whether the level of security it provides is satisfactory for you.
Plus to help you find the best local car parking we've set up a range of special discussions focused on each airport; please read them and add your suggestions.
FIND HIDDEN LOCAL DEALS IN THE MSE FORUM | ||||
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Add your suggestions/read others by clicking the links above |
Check if hotel parking packages do better
Many airport hotels offer room packages that include parking for the length of your trip. This is great if you live a long way from the airport, or have a super-early flight. Better still, they often only cost a little more than the parking alone and sometimes even cost less – so you could view this as parking with a hotel room thrown in for 'free'.
Check how transfers to the terminal are arranged – while some hotels offer a 24-hour complimentary service, others may charge separately for the journey. It's also worth looking at the more general Cheap Hotel Deals guide to see if you can beat the price.
Typical prices and savings
AIRPORT |
ON-THE-DAY DRIVE-UP PRICE P/W (1) |
PRE-BOOKED P/W (2) |
PRE-BOOKED WITH HOTEL (3) |
SAVING BY PRE-BOOKING |
---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham |
£84 | £37 | £80 | £47 |
Gatwick | £145 | £36 | £79 | £109 |
Manchester | £320 | £41 | £59 | £274 |
Stansted | £151 (Oct-Apr), £165 (May-Sept) | £48 | £106 | £103 (Oct-Apr), £117 (May-Sept) |
1. Prices from official airport parking. 2. Prices from listed comparison sites. 3. Prices from APH*, including one night in double room pre-flight & transfer. Prices for June 2019.
Once you've found the lowest price at your chosen airport, it's worth checking if you can get cashback on top. If you've never used cashback sites, read the Top Cashback Sites guide first for a full explanation.
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