Park and ride means you park the car yourself a few miles from the terminal, keep your keys and take a free shuttle. It is the cheapest way to park at most UK airports. Code BCP25 takes up to 25% off the pre-booked rate. Verified 10 September 2026.
Park and ride means you park the car yourself a few miles from the terminal, keep your keys and take a shuttle. It is the cheapest way to park at most UK airports. Code BCP25 takes up to 25% off the pre-booked rate at every operator below.
Land near an airport terminal is the most expensive land at an airport, and on-airport car parks are priced accordingly. Move two to four miles out and the land cost collapses, which is the whole economic basis of the park and ride model. The shuttle is what you pay in time instead of money.
There are two clear exceptions in the UK and both are worth knowing. At Stansted, the airport's own Long Stay at £33 for eight days is the cheapest option at the airport, undercutting every off-site operator. At Manchester, the airport's JetParks brand is priced like an off-site product while sitting inside the airport boundary. In both cases the airport has chosen to compete rather than skim, and travellers benefit.
| Airport | Car park | Transfer | 8 days with code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | Heathrow Park and Ride | 15-20 min shuttle | £47 |
| Gatwick | Cophall Park & Ride | 10-15 min transfer | £40 |
| Stansted | Official Long Stay | 10-15 min shuttle | £33 |
| Luton | APH Luton | 10 min shuttle | £35 |
| London City | Official Short Stay | 1 min walk | £152 |
| Southend | Official Long Stay | 5 min walk or shuttle | £26 |
| Manchester | Park & Fly Manchester | 10-15 min shuttle | £40 |
| Liverpool | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min walk or shuttle | £32 |
| Leeds Bradford | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min shuttle | £35 |
| Newcastle | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min shuttle | £34 |
| Edinburgh | Fast Park Edinburgh | 10 min shuttle | £38 |
| Glasgow | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min shuttle | £37 |
| Aberdeen | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min shuttle | £34 |
| Inverness | Official Long Stay | 3-5 min walk | £29 |
| Birmingham | Car Park 5 | 10 min shuttle | £38 |
| East Midlands | Official Long Stay | 5-10 min shuttle | £30 |
| Bristol | Official Short Stay | 2-5 min walk | £66 |
| Cardiff | Official Long Stay | 5 min shuttle | £29 |
| Exeter | Official Long Stay | 3-5 min walk | £27 |
| Southampton | Official Long Stay | 5 min walk or shuttle | £28 |
Park Mark accreditation is the first and most useful signal — it is the Police-backed UK standard covering perimeter security, lighting, surveillance and management, and every operator we list holds it at its main sites. Shuttle frequency is the second: a published every-ten-minutes service is a different product from an on-demand one, particularly at 4am.
The third is the return pick-up point. This is the most common complaint across every park and ride operator in the UK — the designated stand is often a few minutes' walk from arrivals rather than immediately outside, and the walk is worse with heavy cases after a night flight. It is set by the airport rather than the operator, so it is not something a better operator fixes.
Our guide to whether off-site airport parking is safe covers what accreditation does and does not certify, and the insurance point that surprises most people.