CBS Arena parking is limited, pre-bookable and tightly controlled on event days. The venue has four on-site car parks with about 2,200 spaces between them. Prices change from event to event, and every car park locks down for an hour after the final whistle or encore. If you’d rather not sit in that queue, you have three alternatives: Coventry Arena station next to the stadium, the extended number 20 bus from Coventry railway station, or a drop-off at Arena Shopping Park.
This guide covers each option in turn. It explains how the official car parks work, where you can still drop off since the new Judds Lane restrictions arrived in August 2026, and how to choose the right option for a match, a concert or a conference.
CBS Arena parking at a glance
| Option | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Official on-site car parks | Shortest walk, families, bulky bags | One-hour exit lockdown, event-day prices |
| Arena Shopping Park (pre-booked) | Quicker southbound exit | Strict time limits unless booked |
| Private driveways and car parks | Better value, easier exit | Longer walk, quality varies |
| Train to Coventry Arena station | Fans coming via Coventry, Nuneaton or Bedworth | Crowd holding pens after events |
| Number 20 bus | Rail passengers arriving at Coventry station | Busy immediately after events |
| Drop-off and collection | Groups, guests, anyone not driving | Must use designated points only |
How the official CBS Arena car parks work
The arena’s four car parks all sit within walking distance of the North and South entrances. The venue manages bookings through its official parking website, cbsarenaparking.co.uk. Entry and exit are handled by number plate recognition (ANPR), so you won’t need a paper ticket.
Booking and prices
Spaces go on sale event by event, and prices follow a dynamic model. The cost for a quiet midweek conference will be very different from a sold-out Premier League fixture or a stadium concert. For that reason, no fixed “price per day” figure exists that you can rely on. Always check the booking page for your specific event.
Book early for any high-demand date. Since Coventry City’s return to the top flight, capacity crowds are far more common. Turning up without a booking on a big day is a gamble.
Match-day opening times
The arena publishes these general car park times for football:
- 2pm kick-off: open 11am, close 7pm
- 3pm kick-off: open midday, close 8pm
- 7.45pm kick-off: open 5pm, close 11pm
Premier League broadcast slots often fall outside these three times, for example 12.30pm, 5.30pm or 8pm starts. Check the details for your fixture rather than assuming the standard times apply.
The one-hour car park lockdown
This is the single most important thing to know about on-site parking. After every event, the arena locks the car parks for one hour to protect pedestrians leaving the stadium. So if the match ends at 4.55pm, you shouldn’t expect to drive away much before 6pm.
The lockdown isn’t a reason to avoid the car parks altogether. However, you do need to plan around it. Many fans stay for food at the arena or the nearby retail park. Others choose an off-site space so they can walk out and drive away sooner.
Blue Badge parking
The arena offers a limited number of accessible spaces on an event-by-event basis. You book them through the car park operator, APCOA, by emailing cbsarena@apcoa.com. Staff check badges on arrival, and the badge holder must travel in the vehicle. Allocation is first come, first served, so book as soon as you have your tickets.
Parking for conferences, exhibitions and non-event days
The CBS Arena is also a busy conference and exhibition venue, and parking works a little differently on those days. Event organisers sometimes pay for delegate parking and send attendees a code to use when booking. If you haven’t received a code, you may be able to pay on the day at a kiosk.
Don’t simply drive in and leave. Because the system is ANPR-based, visitors who neither pre-book nor validate their stay risk a parking charge. If you’re attending a trade show, check your joining instructions or ask the organiser before you travel.
Parking near the CBS Arena: off-site options
Arena Shopping Park
The retail park opposite the stadium has its own rules. On match days, standard parking is limited to two hours unless you can show proof of spending at least £50 with its retailers. Alternatively, you can pre-book a space there through the official CBS Arena parking website.
One useful advantage is that vehicles in the shopping park aren’t held back like those in the main car parks. Instead, they’re allowed to exit southbound towards Coventry city centre. That suits drivers heading back that way, but less so anyone joining the M6 at Junction 3.
Private driveways and car parks
Apps such as JustPark list driveways and small car parks within a 5 to 15-minute walk. Some are basic driveways. Others are larger event car parks with staff and lighting. Read the listing carefully for walking time, entry rules and vehicle size limits before you pay.
Residential streets
Street parking near the arena is a poor bet. Several surrounding areas have residents’ permit schemes and event-day restrictions, and the streets closest to the stadium fill quickly. You risk a ticket, and you may add to congestion for local people.
Getting to the CBS Arena by train
Coventry Arena station
Coventry Arena station sits right beside the stadium complex on the Leamington–Coventry–Nuneaton line. The journey from Coventry’s main station takes about eight minutes. Normal services run roughly once an hour, and West Midlands Railway adds extra trains on match days.
Expect crowd management after big events. The station has holding gates, and staff release passengers in batches as trains arrive. Before you travel, check the West Midlands Railway website for event-day timetables and any engineering works.
Changing at Coventry
Most rail visitors arrive at Coventry railway station first, which has direct trains from Birmingham, London Euston and beyond. From there, you have two choices: a connecting train to Coventry Arena or the number 20 bus. Given the hourly base service on the Nuneaton line, the bus is often the more flexible option.
Travelling from further afield
- From Birmingham: take a train to Coventry, then change to the Arena line or the bus.
- From London: the arena quotes a rail time of about 55 minutes from London to Coventry, before the final leg to the stadium.
- From Nuneaton or Bedworth: direct trains run to Coventry Arena, so you don’t need to change.
Buses to the CBS Arena
The number 20 bus now links Coventry railway station directly with the arena area. It runs seven days a week until 11pm and stops on Foleshill Road, a short walk from the stadium. Previously, the route ended in the city centre, which left rail passengers facing a 15-minute walk to the station.
Transport for West Midlands can also add “football special” buses on busy match days. In addition, the Stagecoach 148 serves Foleshill Road and runs towards Bedworth and Nuneaton. Queues build quickly at full time, so allow extra time after the match if you have a train to catch.
Where can you drop off at the CBS Arena?
This part changed recently. From 24 August 2026, a No Stopping At Any Time restriction applies to Judds Lane and to part of Rowleys Green Lane, between the A444 Jimmy Hill Way and Judds Lane. The same order created a bus-only waiting area and a limited waiting bay on the southern side of Judds Lane, next to the stadium. That limited waiting bay is intended mainly for visitors with mobility needs.
For most drop-offs, Arena Shopping Park is the practical choice. The shopping park allows drop-offs before events and collections afterwards, provided the vehicle stays no longer than five minutes at a Drop Off/Pick Up point.
Collection after the event
Picking someone up is harder than dropping them off. After major concerts, organisers have closed Judds Lane to vehicles and directed taxis and ride-hailing cars exclusively to Arena Shopping Park. The A444 Jimmy Hill Way also closes for a period after home first-team matches and concerts.
As a result, “wait outside the ground” isn’t an option. Agree on a specific meeting point in advance, keep your phone charged, and expect the first half hour after an event to be slow.
Driving routes and post-event road closures
The arena sits just off Junction 3 of the M6, and CV6 6AQ is the postcode to use in your sat nav. The A444 runs past the stadium and connects the motorway with Coventry city centre to the south and Nuneaton to the north.
After home fixtures and concerts, the A444 closes between Holbrook Way and M6 Junction 3 while crowds disperse. The closure lasts until police and stewards judge it safe to reopen, which after concerts has meant up to an hour. Combined with the car park lockdown, this closure is why so many drivers find the exit slower than the arrival.
Which option suits your visit?
Football fan driving from Birmingham: Pre-book an off-site space within a 10 to 15-minute walk on the northern side of the ground. You’ll avoid the lockdown and have an easier route onto the M6. If you’d rather not drive, the train to Coventry followed by the number 20 is a reliable alternative. Our Villa Park match-day guide covers similar planning for Birmingham’s biggest ground.
Group of six going to a concert: Parking two cars means two bookings and two lockdowns. A single vehicle drop-off at Arena Shopping Park, with a pre-arranged collection later, keeps the group together. Everyone can also enjoy the evening without anyone needing to stay sober to drive.
Conference delegate flying into Birmingham Airport: Rail is possible via Birmingham International and Coventry, but that means two changes with luggage. Alternatively, a direct road transfer usually takes you straight to the conference entrance.
Visitor with mobility needs: Book Blue Badge parking through APCOA early, or arrange a drop-off using the limited waiting bay on Judds Lane. The arena’s accessibility team can advise on entrances closest to your seats.
If a pre-booked car suits your plans, National Executive Transfers provides a chauffeur service in Coventry for match days, concerts and business events at the arena.
Using a chauffeur for CBS Arena events
A chauffeur doesn’t avoid the road closures. Nobody’s vehicle does. What it does is remove the parking decision and the post-match hunt for a taxi. Your driver drops you at a permitted point, then meets you at an agreed location once the roads reopen.
For groups, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class seats up to seven passengers in one vehicle. That’s often simpler than splitting a group across cars. For hospitality guests or clients, the S-Class and E-Class suit a more formal occasion. Our football match chauffeur and wider event chauffeur service pages explain how bookings work.
Hourly or full-day hire makes sense when you’d like the car available throughout, for instance for a pre-match lunch in Warwickshire followed by the game. Exhibition teams moving staff between hotels, the arena and the airport may find our guide to group travel for conferences useful.
Businesses that host clients at the arena regularly can open a corporate account. Accounts include a dedicated account manager, pre-agreed rates, multiple authorised bookers and consolidated monthly VAT invoicing with journey-level detail. For guests flying in, Birmingham Airport transfers include flight monitoring and meet-and-greet. International visitors landing further south can book a Heathrow to Coventry transfer.
Checklist before you set off
- Check your event’s car park times, as broadcast kick-offs often differ from the standard slots.
- Book official, shopping park or private parking as early as possible.
- Save CV6 6AQ in your sat nav and check live traffic around M6 Junction 3.
- Look up West Midlands Railway event-day services if you’re travelling by train.
- Agree a precise pick-up point at Arena Shopping Park if someone is collecting you.
- Allow at least an hour after the event before you expect to be moving by car.
- Check the arena’s bag policy, which is often A4 size or smaller for concerts.
Heading to a Birmingham venue next? Our guide to getting to Utilita Arena Birmingham covers the city’s main indoor arena.
Book your CBS Arena transfer
If you’d rather skip the car park queue altogether, National Executive Transfers can take you to and from the CBS Arena from Birmingham, the airport or anywhere across the Midlands. Tell us your event, group size and timings, and we’ll arrange a fixed-price journey. Get a quote and book online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prices vary by event because the arena uses dynamic pricing. High-demand matches and concerts cost more than conferences or quieter fixtures. Check the official booking page for the exact price for your date.
Sometimes, but it isn't guaranteed. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and popular events can sell out in advance. Pre-booking is strongly recommended for Premier League matches and concerts.
Plan for at least an hour. The on-site car parks lock down for one hour after every event, and the A444 also closes temporarily while crowds disperse.
Yes. Coventry Arena station is next to the stadium, about eight minutes from Coventry's main station. Extra services run on match days, and staff manage queues after events.
Use the drop-off and pick-up points at Arena Shopping Park, where vehicles can stop for up to five minutes. Judds Lane now has a No Stopping At Any Time restriction, apart from designated waiting bays.
Only for two hours, unless you spend at least £50 in its shops or pre-book a space through the official CBS Arena parking website. Overstaying without either can result in a charge.
Use CV6 6AQ, which takes you to Judds Lane in Longford, just off Junction 3 of the M6.
The arena is about three miles north of the city centre. The number 20 bus connects it with Coventry railway station until 11pm, seven days a week.
