What Stansted's parking costs
Eight days at Stansted run from SMG Park & Ride at the bottom to I Love's Valet at the top.
The table lists every product we sell at Stansted: the operator, the kind of parking, how you reach the terminal and the eight-day price. Click a name for its guide. CSL, Peak and Stansted Easy have no guide pages yet but can be booked through the search.
| Operator | Car park | Type | Transfer | 8-day price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
SMG Park & Ride Off-Airport · Takeley |
Park & Ride | Keys at reception, bus 6–7 min | £51.09 £6.39/day |
Book now |
 |
Official JetParks On-Airport · Official |
Park & Ride | Bus every 15 min, about 10 min | £56.69 £7.09/day |
Book now |
 |
Official Long Stay On-Airport · Official |
Park & Ride | Bus every 15 min, 24/7 | £59.49 £7.44/day |
Book now |
 |
CSL Park & Ride Off-Airport · Takeley |
Park & Ride | Keys at reception, bus 3–5 min | £59.84 £7.48/day |
Book now |
 |
Peak Park & Ride Off-Airport · Takeley |
Park & Ride | Bus on demand, 2–3 min | £59.84 £7.48/day |
Book now |
 |
Official Mid Stay On-Airport · Official |
Park & Ride | Bus 7 min, 24/7 | £64.39 £8.05/day |
Book now |
 |
SMG Value Plus Meet & Greet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Driver meets you at the terminal | £65.09 £8.14/day |
Book now |
 |
Official Short Stay Blue On-Airport · Official |
Park & Walk | Walk 10–12 min | £76.15 £9.52/day |
Book now |
 |
Official Meet & Greet On-Airport · Official |
Meet & Greet | Keys at reception, 2-min walk | £78.40 £9.80/day |
Book now |
 |
Stansted Easy Meet & Greet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Call ahead for the meeting point | £79.09 £9.89/day |
Book now |
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I Love Park & Ride Off-Airport · Stansted |
Park & Ride | Keys at reception, bus about 5 min | £79.80 £9.97/day |
Book now |
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Maple Parking Park & Ride Off-Airport · Stansted |
Park & Ride | Keys at reception, bus about 5 min | £82.59 £10.32/day |
Book now |
 |
Official Short Stay Green (multi-storey) On-Airport · Official |
Park & Walk | Covered walk 5–8 min | £84.00 £10.50/day |
Book now |
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SMG VIP Meet & Greet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Chauffeur meets you at the terminal | £86.09 £10.76/day |
Book now |
 |
APH Park & Ride Off-Airport · Stansted |
Park & Ride | Keys at reception, bus about 5 min | £93.80 £11.72/day |
Book now |
 |
I Love Meet & Greet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Driver meets you on the forecourt | £119.00 £14.87/day |
Book now |
 |
APH Meet & Greet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Driver meets you at the Express Set Down | £129.50 £16.19/day |
Book now |
 |
I Love Meet & Greet Valet Off-Airport · Terminal handover |
Meet & Greet | Handover plus an exterior wash | £130.90 £16.36/day |
Book now |
*Eight days, 7–14 November 2026. Products without a link have no guide page yet. Search above for the dates you need.
The spread is wide. The cheapest park and ride costs well under half the dearest meet and greet. The airport's own products sit in the lower half, which makes JetParks, Long Stay and the official Meet & Greet hard to beat on value.
Official car parks at Stansted
The airport runs Short Stay, Mid Stay, Long Stay, JetParks and Meet & Greet. You keep your keys in all but Meet & Greet.
Five zones you walk from, 1–12 minutes.
A seven-minute bus, 24/7, no minimum stay.
Bus every 15 minutes; five-day minimum.
The lowest official price, for trips of a week or more.
Keys at reception, two minutes from check-in.
Charged kerbside stops at the terminal.
The airport says all its car parks are accredited and read number plates. Its terms allow six hours past your booked exit time before overstay charges in most car parks, and set a 2.0 metre limit in multi-storeys and at Meet & Greet. We set out where you can charge on our Stansted parking with EV charging page.
The five Short Stay zones explained
Short Stay is five colour-coded zones: Orange, Red and Yellow a walk of 1–4 minutes, Green a covered 5–8, and Blue 10–12.
| Zone | Walk, per the airport | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1–4 min | The closest Short Stay car park |
| Red | 1–4 min | Right next to the terminal |
| Yellow | 1–4 min | Right next to Arrivals |
| Green | 5–8 min | New multi-storey, covered walk |
| Blue | 10–12 min | The lowest Short Stay price |
Orange, Red and Yellow are the Premium zones: pre-book only, and with no grace period for late returns, per the airport's terms. Green and Blue also take turn-up drivers. Our sample prices cover Blue and Green; the others are priced live in the search. The airport has also added Enterprise House, five to seven minutes from the terminal. See the Short Stay page.
Mid Stay and the free drop-off area
Mid Stay has a seven-minute bus that runs 24/7, no stated minimum stay, and the airport's free drop-off area.
It suits trips too short for Long Stay or JetParks, and it is the official car park that takes turn-up drivers as well as bookings. You keep your keys, the barrier reads your plate, and the bus runs through the night, so a delayed flight home is no problem. The free drop-off area is in the same car park, served by the same bus; 2026 guides put the limit at 60 minutes. See the Mid Stay page.
Long Stay and JetParks
The airport's two holiday car parks both run buses every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. JetParks is cheaper but needs seven days; Long Stay needs five.
| JetParks | Long Stay | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum stay | 7 days | 5 days |
| Bus | Every 15 min, about 10 min ride | Every 15 min |
| Postcode | CM24 1AE | CM24 1SF |
| Keys | You keep them | You keep them |
Both are pre-book only. For a week or more, JetParks is the lowest official price; for five or six days, Long Stay. See the JetParks and Long Stay guides, or our Stansted long stay comparison.
Off-airport park and ride
SMG, CSL and Peak operate from Takeley; I Love, Maple and APH list Thremhall Avenue. All hold your keys.
SMG is the cheapest product we sell at Stansted. Several of the Takeley sites add a per-person charge for the bus and close overnight; the Thremhall Avenue sites run 24 hours. Add any levies before comparing with JetParks, which is free to ride and lets you keep your keys.
| Operator | Where | Hours | Bus charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMG Park & Ride | Takeley | 04:00–23:55 | £2.50 per person each way, per resellers |
| CSL Park & Ride | Takeley | 04:00–23:45 | £1 each way, cash |
| Peak Park & Ride | Takeley | 04:00–midnight | £2 each way |
| I Love Park & Ride | Thremhall Avenue | 24/7 | None listed |
| Maple Parking Park & Ride | Thremhall Avenue | 24h | None listed |
| APH Park & Ride | Thremhall Avenue | 24h | None listed |
Our Stansted park and ride page compares them in detail.
Meet and greet and valet
Stansted's handovers range from SMG Value Plus to I Love's Valet with an exterior wash. The airport's own service sits near the bottom of the price range.
| Product | Handover | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| SMG Value Plus Meet & Greet | At the terminal | Cheapest; exit fees extra, per resellers |
| Official Meet & Greet | Airport car park by the terminal | 2.0m limit; no motorcycles |
| SMG VIP Meet & Greet | At the terminal | Airport fees included |
| I Love Meet & Greet | Forecourt set-down | Driver waiting on return |
| APH Meet & Greet | Zone C, Express Set Down | Fees included |
| I Love Meet & Greet Valet | Forecourt set-down | Exterior wash |
Our Stansted meet and greet page explains the differences.
Dropping off and picking up
The Express Set Down costs £10 for up to 15 minutes, paid online or by phone by midnight the next day. Mid Stay's drop-off area is free.
There is no barrier at the Express Set Down; cameras record your plate. An unpaid charge brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 within 14 days. Blue Badge holders pay too. For meeting a flight, Short Stay starts at £13 for 30 minutes. Every detail is in our Stansted drop-off and pick-up page.
Electric vehicle charging
The airport sells EV charging bookings on specific terms: one charge of at least five hours, on a charger of at least 7kW, with your cable left in the car.
The terms also say a full battery cannot be promised. That is enough for most cars to come home with a healthy charge, but check the product description at checkout for which car parks offer it. Off the airport, InstaVolt's hub at Priors Green in Takeley has six rapid chargers, open 24 hours, for a top-up on the way home.
The cheapest way to park at Stansted
SMG Park & Ride is the cheapest product we sell at Stansted; JetParks is the cheapest the airport runs.
| Product | Per day | Bus | Keys |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMG Park & Ride | £6.39 | 6–7 min, levy per person | Held |
| Official JetParks | £7.09 | Every 15 min, free | Yours |
| Official Long Stay | £7.44 | Every 15 min, free | Yours |
| Official Mid Stay | £8.05 | About 7 min, free | Yours |
For a family, JetParks often beats SMG once the levy is counted. Book early and avoid turning up without a booking. The exact saving per product is on our Stansted discount codes page.
Price guide: turn-up rates and overstays
Only Mid Stay and Short Stay Blue and Green take turn-up drivers, and they charge per 24 hours.
| Charge | Amount, per the airport |
|---|---|
| Turn-up, Mid Stay | £48 per 24 hours |
| Turn-up, Short Stay Blue or Green | £70 per 24 hours |
| Overstay, Mid Stay, Long Stay, JetParks | £48 per day |
| Overstay, Short Stay and Meet & Greet | £70 per day |
| Grace period | 6 hours (none in Short Stay Premium) |
A week on a turn-up rate costs several times a pre-booked stay. The airport says booking ahead saves up to 80%.
Five ways to pay less at Stansted
Small choices change the final bill more than the headline price.
- Book early. The cheapest products sell out first in school holidays.
- Match the minimum stay. JetParks for a week or more, Long Stay for five or six days, Mid Stay for shorter trips.
- Count the extras. Per-person bus charges and exit fees change the order.
- Pre-book. Well below the drive-up rate.
- Avoid turn-up rates. They cost several times the booked price.
Most of the saving at Stansted comes from choosing the right product for the trip rather than chasing the cheapest name on the list. A family flying for a week often ends up best served by JetParks; a couple on a long weekend by Mid Stay; a business traveller by the airport's own Meet & Greet.
Height limits and larger vehicles
The airport's terms set a 2.0 metre (6ft 6in) limit in all multi-storey car parks, including Short Stay Green, and at Meet & Greet.
Off-airport operators generally accept standard cars and vans that fit a normal bay, and several charge extra for larger vehicles or refuse commercial ones. Motorcycles can use the airport's car parks, but not its Meet & Greet.
Getting to Stansted by car
Stansted is beside the M11 in north-west Essex. Leave at Junction 8 (8a from the south) and follow the airport signs.
Leave the M11 at J8 (or J8a from the south) and follow the airport signs.
Mid Stay CM24 1PZ, Long Stay CM24 1SF, JetParks CM24 1AE. Operators give their own.
Trains run from London Liverpool Street into the station under the terminal.
From London, the M11 takes around an hour outside the rush hour; from Cambridge, about half that. Use your car park's own postcode rather than the terminal's. The off-airport operators on the Takeley side and on Thremhall Avenue each give their address in the confirmation. The Stansted Express from London Liverpool Street is the alternative to driving.
Which car park for which trip
Match the product to the trip length, the keys and the walk.
| Your trip | Our suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | SMG Park & Ride | Cheapest we sell |
| A week or more, keep your keys | Official JetParks | Lowest official price |
| Five or six days | Official Long Stay | Five-day minimum |
| A weekend | Official Mid Stay | No minimum stay, 7-min bus |
| No bus at all | Short Stay | Walk in from a zone |
| Hand over the car | Official Meet & Greet | Official, next to the terminal |
| A clean car on return | I Love Valet | Exterior wash |
Security
The airport says all its car parks are Park Mark safe, with number plate recognition.
Accredited, per the airport.
Read at every official barrier.
Fencing, CCTV and staff, per operators.
Reported as their own.
We report each off-airport operator's security claims as its own; some resellers describe accreditation awards we have not verified. Wherever you park, keep valuables with you.
How booking with us works
Search, compare and book in minutes.
- Search. Enter your dates above to see live prices.
- Compare. All eighteen Stansted products appear with prices.
- Book. Pay securely; the saving shows first.
- Travel. Follow the directions in your confirmation.
Keep the confirmation on your phone: it has the postcode, the zone or meeting point, and any number to call.
Parking at London Stansted: FAQs
SMG Park & Ride in Takeley, on our sample dates. JetParks is the cheapest car park the airport runs.
Orange, Red and Yellow are the Premium zones, 1–4 minutes from the terminal; Green is a covered multi-storey, 5–8 minutes; Blue is 10–12 minutes.
Yes, in the Mid Stay car park, with a free bus to the terminal. The Express Set Down at the terminal costs £10 for up to 15 minutes.
The airport says all its car parks are Park Mark safe, with number plate recognition.
JetParks needs seven days and Long Stay five, per the airport.
The airport sells EV charging bookings: one charge of at least five hours on a 7kW-plus charger, with your own cable left in the car.
2.0 metres in all multi-storey car parks and at Meet & Greet, per the airport's terms.
Bookings made with us can be cancelled free within 24 hours of booking.
Parking at Stansted? Search your dates at the top of the page to save up to 80% on drive-up prices, and cancel free within 24 hours of booking. Need help choosing? Call 0333 5678 678.