Birmingham Airport Parking for Electric Vehicles

Charging at the official car parks

The airport does not list EV charging in any of its car parks.

Its parking pages cover walk times, buses, heights and Blue Badge bays for every car park, but none mentions chargers. Earlier guidance from the airport said there were no passenger charging points, with a hub planned. Until the airport confirms otherwise, plan as if there is none.

Off-airport charging

Airparks sells a Charge & Go product from Mackadown Lane in Garretts Green.

Airparks describes four 7kW charging points, compatible with all makes, and asks you to bring your cable and set the car's charge limit for the trip. You leave your keys and staff park and charge the car. Buses take about 14 minutes. It is not in our price sheet, so book it directly if you need it.

Planning your charge around the trip

Most electric cars can manage the round trip to Birmingham on one charge.

1. Charge at home. Leave with a full battery.
2. Check the distance. Allow for the return in cold weather.
3. Precondition on the grid. Warm the cabin while plugged in.
4. Note public chargers. On your route home, as a fallback.

Winter and batteries

Batteries lose range in the cold, and a week outdoors adds to it.

A car parked for a week in winter may start with less charge than it had, and heating on the drive home uses more energy. Plan for a margin, or choose a car park close to the terminal so the drive home starts sooner.

Which car park suits an electric car

With no charging to choose between, pick on convenience.

For a short trip, Car Parks 2 and 3 get you away quickly. For a week, Car Park 5 lets you keep your keys and drive straight out. Key-drop sites move cars, which uses a little charge; keep enough for that too.

What to check when you book

Confirm any charging claim before relying on it.

Some third-party listings mention charging at the airport. We have not confirmed any on the airport's own pages, so we do not repeat those claims. When charging is offered on a product we sell, it will say so in the product description at checkout.

Charging on the way

Public rapid chargers are common around the M42 and the NEC.

Use a charging app to find one near your route home. A short stop on the way back is often simpler than relying on a charge while parked.

Working out your range

Check the round trip against your car's real-world winter range.

Most of the West Midlands, and much of the surrounding counties, is well within a round trip on a single charge for a modern electric car. Longer drives, from Wales or the North, may need a stop. Plan it on the way home rather than rely on a charger that may be busy.

Plug-in hybrids

Plug-in hybrids have no range worries at the airport.

They can use any car park and fall back on the engine. The only point to watch is height: a roof box on a larger hybrid SUV may exceed the multi-storey limits, so check before choosing Car Parks 1, 2 or 3.

Electric cars at key-drop sites

Tell the operator if the car needs anything special.

Some electric cars need a key card or an app to start, or have unusual handbrake and gear controls. At Car Park 7, the Valet and the Drop & Go sites, staff move the car, so leave clear instructions and make sure the key works without your phone.

Charging in the future

Airports across the UK are adding charging, and Birmingham has said a hub is planned.

We will update this page, and add products to the search, when the airport confirms charging in its car parks. Until then, the advice is to arrive with enough charge for the round trip.

Booking Airparks Charge & Go

It is booked directly with Airparks, not through our search.

It runs from the same Garretts Green site as Airparks Drop & Go, with the same bus of about 14 minutes. Staff park and charge the car while you travel, using your own cable. It suits a long drive home or a winter trip.

Leaving an EV at a car park

A few extra checks help with an electric car.

Switch off any scheduled climate control or sentry-style camera modes that drain the battery while parked. Make sure the car will lock and unlock with a physical key or card, not only a phone app, especially at key-drop sites.

Which car park suits your EV

Pick by trip length and how quickly you want to get home.

Security

The airport says all its car parks hold Park Mark safer parking status, with CCTV and regular patrols.

Keep charging cables in the boot, out of sight.

Our view for electric drivers

Arrive charged, pick the car park that gets you home quickly, and book charging direct when you need it.

With no charging listed in the airport's car parks, the most reliable plan is a full battery at home and a margin for the drive back. For a short trip, Car Parks 2 and 3 get you on the road fastest; for a week, Car Park 5 lets you keep your keys. Travellers facing a long drive home can book Airparks Charge & Go directly. We will update this page as soon as the airport confirms any charging.

Questions to ask an operator

Before relying on any charging product, ask three things.

What charger speed is used, whether the car is charged to full or to a set level, and which cable you need to leave. The answers decide whether the product suits your car.

Booking for an electric car

Book through the search at the top as for any other car, with our code already applied.

Choose on location and keys, not on charging, since none of the products we sell at Birmingham includes it. Add a note to yourself about the charge level you need on return, and plan a stop on the way home if the drive is long.

A common misconception

Some guides suggest the airport's car parks have chargers.

We have not found this on the airport's own pages, so we do not repeat it. Check with the airport before relying on any charger at the terminal car parks.

EV parking at Birmingham: questions answered