Heathrow renamed its car parks in 2024, and the change still causes confusion. Short Stay is now Terminal Parking. Long Stay is now Park & Ride. Old signs still use the old names in many places around the airport, so do not worry if you see both terms used either way. This guide uses both names, because that is what you will meet on the ground.
Choosing the wrong Heathrow parking option can cost more than you expect. Terminal Parking for a week adds up fast. Park & Ride for a short pickup can waste time on a shuttle you do not need. This guide shows which option fits each trip, with clear prices and simple advice.
Quick answer
If you only need the main point, start here.
- Terminal Parking costs about £8 for up to 30 minutes. It has no shuttle. It is best for drop-offs, pickups, and trips of a day or two.
- Park & Ride starts at about £35 to £46 for the first day. A free shuttle runs every 10 to 15 minutes. It is better value for stays of three days or more.
- Book Park & Ride early to save money and secure a space.
- Heathrow short stay parking charges are hourly, so they rise fast.
Terminal Parking: the close and costly choice
Terminal Parking is the Heathrow short stay parking option closest to the terminal. You park, walk in, and reach check-in in minutes. There is no shuttle, no wait, and no need to plan around transfer times.
How much it costs
Heathrow car park charges for Terminal Parking are hourly, not daily. As of 6 January 2026, a 30 minute stay costs about £8. A full day can cost £40 or more. That is much higher than Park & Ride for the same day.
Booking Terminal Parking
You can only pre-book Terminal Parking for stays over 9 hours. You can book up to 2 hours before arrival, subject to space. Anything under 9 hours is pay on the day only. Take a ticket on entry and pay when you leave.
Where Terminal Parking is available
Terminal Parking is available at every terminal, but Terminal 4 changed in 2026. From 23 June 2026, the multi-storey car park that served Terminal Parking and Meet and Greet at Terminal 4 closed permanently as part of a revamp to modernise the terminal forecourts. All Terminal 4 passenger parking now runs through Zone A of the Terminal 4 Park & Ride car park.
Who Terminal Parking suits
Terminal Parking suits people collecting an arriving passenger, dropping someone off with a bit of extra time, or parking for a short business trip of a day or two. Pick this option when speed matters more than price.
Park & Ride: the better value choice
Park & Ride is the Heathrow long stay parking option. It sits farther from the terminal, but it gives much better value for longer trips.
How Park & Ride works
You drive in, park, and take a free shuttle to the terminal doors. Buses run every 10 to 15 minutes, day and night. The ride usually takes about 10 minutes, depending on your terminal.
How much Park & Ride costs
Official Park & Ride pricing starts at about £35 to £46 for the first day. The exact price depends on your terminal and how far ahead you book. The value improves over longer stays. The price per day drops the longer you park.
That makes Park & Ride a sensible choice for anything from a weekend away to a two week holiday. Booking early can save a meaningful amount compared with paying on the day. It also gives you a better chance of getting a space in peak travel periods.
Blue Badge holders and ULEZ
Blue Badge holders get the first 2 hours free in Park & Ride. That helps with accessible drop-offs or pickups without paying full Terminal Parking rates for a short stay.
ULEZ still applies. If your vehicle does not meet Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel standards, expect the extra £12.50 daily charge on top of your parking cost.
Other ways to park at Heathrow
There are a few more options worth knowing about.
Priority Park & Ride
Priority Park & Ride was previously known as Business Parking. It offers a faster and more frequent shuttle than standard Park & Ride. It suits business travellers and anyone parking for three or four days who wants speed without paying full Terminal Parking rates.
One note for 2026: Priority Park & Ride for Terminals 2 and 3 is currently closed to passengers for operating reasons. New bookings and drive-up stays are not available, so check the current status before you travel if that was your plan.
Terminal 5 has its own pod system. It runs from the business parking area to the terminal and costs about £57.60 on the day.
Meet and Greet and valet parking
Meet and Greet removes the parking task from your day. Drive to a set point at the terminal, hand over your keys, and walk straight into departures. Your car is parked for you and waiting in the same spot when you return.
This is a premium option. Prices start at about £125 for a single day and rise to around £260 for a four day stay. It suits short trips where ease matters more than cost, or trips where mobility or heavy luggage makes a shuttle bus hard to use.
Book early. Space is limited, and demand is high in peak periods.
Off-site independent parking
Heathrow’s official car parks are not the only choice. Off-site operators often undercut official prices, and long stay parking can drop to about £7 to £8 per day when you book ahead.
These sites usually work in the same way as Park & Ride. Transfers run every 15 to 20 minutes, and the trip to the terminal is usually about 10 to 12 minutes.
The trade-off is trust. Check for IAPA approval and reviews before you book with an unfamiliar provider. For a well reviewed operator, the savings on a week or two week stay can be large.
Quick Comparison
| Car Park | Distance to Terminal | Typical Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Parking (Short Stay) | Walking distance | From £8 for 30 mins | Drop-off, pickup, 1-2 day trips |
| Park & Ride (Long Stay) | Shuttle, 10-15 mins | From £35-46/day, cheaper over time | Trips of 3 days or more |
| Priority Park & Ride | Shuttle, faster and more frequent | Mid-range | 3-4 day trips, business travel |
| Meet and Greet / Valet | None, car collected at terminal | From £125/day | Maximum convenience, short trips |
| Off-site independent | Shuttle, 10-12 mins | From £7-8/day | Longest stays, biggest savings |
Practical things every driver should know
A few details rarely make it into a simple comparison, but they matter once you are on the way to Heathrow.
Booking, amending, and cancelling
Book through the Heathrow website for the lowest available rate. Online prices are usually cheaper than turning up and paying on the day.
Plans change, so Heathrow gives you some flexibility. You can cancel any pre-booked stay free of charge up to 2 hours before your arrival time. You can also amend your dates free up to 24 hours before arrival.
Electric vehicles
Heathrow ended its EV charging trial in April 2024. As of 2026, none of the official car parks offer charging.
Charge your vehicle fully before you leave home. Make sure you have enough range to reach the airport and enough to drive home again. If charging matters to your trip, look at specialist off-airport Meet and Greet providers instead. Some offer dedicated EV charging and return your car with a full battery.
Vehicle height limits
Height limits vary by terminal and car park type. Get this wrong at the barrier and you can face a long delay.
- Terminal Parking allows vehicles up to 2.20 metres at Terminals 2 and 3. Taller vehicles can use the overheight area for an extra charge.
- Terminal 4 has a lower limit of 2 metres.
- Park & Ride car parks take taller vehicles, up to 2.4 metres at the exit barriers.
- Pod Parking at Terminal 5 has no height limit.
If you are driving a larger vehicle, press the assistance button at the barrier rather than guessing. Staff can check CCTV and advise or charge you correctly.
Security
Every official Heathrow car park is well lit, patrolled, and offers wheelchair access with dedicated Blue Badge bays.
If the car park is full or you cannot find your car
If you arrive without a booking and your chosen car park is full, staff will usually direct you to the nearest alternative. That is why pre-booking matters more than people expect, especially in school holidays and peak summer weeks.
If you return and cannot find your car, go to the nearest help point or car park office with your booking reference and ticket. Staff can look up your registration and confirm your bay quickly.
Real cost for a week
A real example helps more than a price list.
Terminal Parking for a week
At about £40 a day, a week in Terminal Parking can cost close to £280. That is why it is a short stay choice, not a holiday choice.
Park & Ride for a week
Booked in advance, Park & Ride often costs about £150 to £220 for a week, depending on your terminal and how far ahead you book. Book months ahead rather than a week ahead, and the saving can be more than half.
Off-site and Meet and Greet for a week
A well reviewed off-site provider can bring the same week down to about £50 to £90. Meet and Greet for the same week often starts above £250, because you are paying for door to door ease.
The point is simple. The price gap can be huge, and it changes with timing as well as choice.
Which option makes sense for you
- Picking someone up in under 30 minutes: Terminal Parking.
- Away for a long weekend, up to 3 days: Compare Terminal Parking and Park & Ride for your dates.
- Away for a week or longer: Park & Ride wins on price.
- Flying on business or want less hassle for 3 to 4 days: Priority Park & Ride, if it is open for your terminal.
- Want zero parking hassle and can justify the cost: Meet and Greet.
- Want the cheapest long stay option: A checked off-site operator.
The option that removes the decision
Every option above still leaves you driving, parking, waiting, or handing over your keys. A pre-booked chauffeur skips all of that.
Your driver collects you from home or the office at the agreed time. They handle the drive to Heathrow and drop you at your terminal entrance. On the return journey, we track your flight and meet you in arrivals.
That means no parking search, no shuttle wait, no meter running while you are away, and no EV or ULEZ stress to work around. Compare the true cost of a week or two in Park & Ride with a chauffeur transfer both ways. The gap is often smaller than people expect.
Our Heathrow chauffeur Service covers all Heathrow terminals. Our guide comparing Heathrow airport parking versus chauffeur service shows the full cost side by side.
Travel to Heathrow with National Executive Transfers
Choosing between Terminal Parking and Park & Ride is a trade between ease and cost. A chauffeur transfer removes that trade-off.
At National Executive Transfers, we have run executive airport transfers to Heathrow since 2009. Professional, fully licensed chauffeurs collect you from your door at a set time. They help with luggage and take you to the correct terminal entrance.
The price is fixed before you travel. There is no daily rate to calculate and no surprise charge to check. On the return journey, we track your flight from takeoff. Your driver waits in arrivals, even if you land early or late.
Book your Heathrow Airport transfer and skip the parking choice entirely.
Related articles:
- Heathrow Airport Parking vs Chauffeur Service: Which Is Better?
- Heathrow Drop-Off Charges 2026: Is a Chauffeur a Better Alternative?
- How Early Should You Arrive at Heathrow Airport?
- Heathrow Airport Departure Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Short Stay, now called Terminal Parking, sits right next to the terminal with no shuttle needed, but charges by the hour and gets expensive quickly. Long Stay, now called Park & Ride, sits further away with a free shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes, and offers much better value for stays of three days or more.
Rates start from around £8 for up to 30 minutes as of January 2026, rising quickly the longer you stay. A full day can cost £40 or more, considerably higher than the equivalent day in Park & Ride.
Official rates start at approximately £35 to £46 for the first day, though the price per day drops significantly the longer you park, making it far better value for trips of several days or more.
The Terminal Parking and Meet and Greet multi-storey car park at Terminal 4 closed permanently on 23 June 2026 for redevelopment. All Terminal 4 passenger parking now runs through Zone A of the Terminal 4 Park & Ride car park.
Blue Badge holders receive the first 2 hours free in Park & Ride, useful for accessible drop-off or pickup without paying full Terminal Parking rates.
Yes. Official Heathrow Parking bookings cancel free of charge up to 2 hours before your arrival time, and you can amend your dates free up to 24 hours before arrival.
No. Heathrow ended its EV charging trial in April 2024, and none of its official car parks currently offer charging facilities. Charge your vehicle fully before you travel, both to reach the airport and to drive home afterwards. Specialist off-airport Meet and Greet providers offer dedicated EV charging as an alternative.
Often, yes, sometimes significantly so for stays of a week or longer. Check for IAPA accreditation and reviews before booking with an unfamiliar provider.
Often closer than people expect once you add up a week of Park & Ride charges, potential ULEZ fees, and the value of your own time getting to and from the car park. Compare the total cost directly against a fixed-price return transfer before deciding.
