Stansted Airport parking - shop around in one search, compare the latest prices from 8 leading sites and find the cheapest deal.

How to choose the cheapest Stansted Airport Parking?

Used to just rocking up to the official Stansted site on the day and paying as you enter? Perfectly understandable as you just want to relax and enjoy your holiday; however, by using Airport Parking Shop and a tiny bit of planning, you can save money and perhaps find an option better suited to you.

A comparison: Turn Up & Park prices at Stansted are £70 per 24 hours in Short Stay (Blue/Green) and £48 per 24 hours in Mid Stay (each additional 24 hours is charged at the same rate). Our lowest price last week was £45.36 for a 7-day stay.

Tempted? Then, whether it’s the nearest car park or the cheapest, we give you the answers below in just five bite-sized chunks.

1 – Understand Your Parking Type Options (and what’s usually cheapest)

Quick Insights

Park & ride is usually the cheapest (you park further away and take a bus), while short stay, right by the terminal, is the most expensive. Off-airport park & ride shuttles can be surprisingly quick (think 2–5 minutes), so don’t assume “off-airport” means “far.”

A Deeper Dive

(but don’t worry you will be back to the surface in no time)

The four main types of parking are short stay, long stay, meet & greet and valet parking options:

• Short stay (or multi-storey) — usually a few minutes’ walk to departures.
• Long stay (or park & ride) — These two names exist because Long Stay is more often used for the name of the official airport car park, while Park & Ride is used by third-party providers. What they have in common is that they usually require a bus ride or are at the very least a longish walk of 10 minutes or so (depending on the airport).
• Meet & greet — you leave your car and keys in an agreed part of the airport, and it is taken to a secure car park off-site.
• Valet parking — like meet & greet but with the added bonus that a driver will meet you at the terminal drop off point, saving you the trouble of even having to go to the agreed space.

If you’re travelling with the family, you may find meet & greet is best suited to you; if you’re not carrying huge amounts of luggage, a cheaper off-airport park & ride may be the best option for you.

Stansted Airport Carpark Specifics

Short Stay — There are six Short Stay options within walking distance of the terminal. Orange, Red and Premium Yellow are about a 1–4 minute walk; Green Multi Storey is around 5–8 minutes; Enterprise House is around 5–7 minutes; and Blue is around 10–12 minutes. Blue and Green are also the Short Stay options currently available for Turn Up & Park.

Meet & Greet — Official Meet & Greet is a ~2-minute walk to the terminal after you drop your keys at reception; there’s also Official Valet. Third-party meet & greet options include APH Meet & Greet, FHR Meet & Greet, Platinum VIP Meet & Greet, and Official Meet & Greet Plus.

Park & Ride — Official choices are Mid Stay (free shuttle ~7 minutes), Long Stay (around 15 minutes; buses around every 15 minutes), and JetParks which is farther from the terminal and operates seasonally, closing over winter. Off-airport options include Maple Parking Park & Ride (on-demand shuttle ~2–3 minutes), Bubble Park & Ride (~3 minutes), APH Park & Ride (~5 minutes), Go Airport Parking Park & Ride (~3 minutes), Peak Park & Ride (~3 minutes), Enjoy Parking Park & Ride (3–5 minutes), FHR Park & Ride (~3 minutes), and I Love Park & Ride (~1–1.5 miles from the terminal; on-demand). (Short ride, long saving.)

Long Stay — At Stansted, as walking is not an option from Long Stay, this sits under park & ride (shuttle to terminal; keep your keys).

Mid Stay — Between Short Stay and Park & Ride, it is either a godsend that exactly matches your distance vs price needs, or a head scratcher that keeps you up for countless nights as you evaluate the incremental extra time you can spend getting ready versus extra money you have to spend on your space. And every airport is different: the 7-minute journey time is usually a walk at many airports, but at Stansted it is a shuttle ride.

Drop-off & pick-up — Express Set Down (drop-off only) is £10 for up to 15 minutes. For pick-up, use a Short Stay car park, or use Mid Stay free for up to 1 hour and take the shuttle to the terminal. (Your wallet may prefer the bus.)

Motorbikes — Stansted offers a 50% reduction for motorcyclists. (Half the price, same breeze-in-your-hair feeling.)

Stansted-specific parking warnings

• Express Set Down is for drop-off, not pick-up. For pick-up, use Short Stay (the airport directs drivers to Orange) or use Mid Stay, which is free for up to one hour and has a shuttle to the terminal.
• Long Stay has a minimum stay of 5 days, subject to availability. For shorter trips, Stansted recommends Short Stay, Mid Stay or Meet & Greet.
• JetParks is seasonal and closes over winter. If it does not appear for your dates, it may simply be closed rather than sold out.
• The Blue Badge scheme does not apply on Stansted's airport road system. Blue Badge parking is available in designated car parks and Express Set Down, but unattended vehicles on airport roads can be removed.

Which parking type is cheapest?

Expect to pay more for convenience. Short stay tends to be priciest as your car sits closest to the terminal and your keys stay in your pocket. Meet & greet can still undercut long stay/park & ride at times (meet & greet providers take your car off airport to cheaper locations, so they can be very competitive), but you’ll need to leave your keys and agree drop-off/collection windows.

Stansted Airport Parking - Short Stay, Meet & Greet and Park & Ride Comparison

The table above shows that over the six months from the 1st April to 31st September 2025 the average price of a day in Short Stay booked two weeks in advance was £25.60 compared to Park & Ride which was £20.64. That is a saving of approximately £5 a day.

Note: The above is for guidance on price differences not an estimate of your price. It includes quotes for 1 day's parking up to 14+ days and you will pay a much lower price if you book for more days. In addition, it includes all providers in that category - for example, Park & Ride - and some will be more expensive. You can see a list of the cheapest providers over the last week above or simply do a search to compare latest prices across all the leading comparison sites. We don’t own any car parks, we are only interested in getting you the cheapest price.

Using Airport Parking Shop

Tip: By default, Airport Parking Shop lists prices from low to high irrespective of the parking type (you’ll see it in the blue box). If you know the type you want, hit Filter Results and select just what you want under Parking Options.

2 – Plan to Book in Advance

Quick Insight

Start looking at least two weeks in advance.

Can you just turn up and park?

Only some official Stansted car parks allow Turn Up & Park. Short Stay Blue, Short Stay Green and Mid Stay can be used without a pre-booking if space is available. Short Stay Premium Orange, Premium Red, Premium Yellow, Enterprise House, Long Stay, JetParks, Official Meet & Greet and Official Valet are pre-book only. Even where turn-up parking is available, Stansted recommends booking in advance because spaces can be limited.

(The Quick Dive-Down Part)

The most expensive way to park is to turn up on the day and pay as you enter. Not only will it cost more but they might not have spaces—cue more stress than simply remembering to book.

Stansted publishes Turn Up & Park rates: Short Stay (Blue/Green) £70 per 24 hours; Mid Stay £48 per 24 hours. Each additional 24-hour period is charged at the same rate. You’ll often save substantially by pre-booking. (Dynamic pricing means late bookers subsidise the early birds—sorry.)

Stansted Airport - Advance Pricing Comparison

As you can see from the table above, the average price of one day’s Short Stay parking fell from £36.69 to £25.60 when booked two weeks in advance, compared to one day ahead. The one day ahead price was also half the turn up at the gate price.

Tip: Prices rise with demand. Around school/national holidays, start checking earlier.

3 – Compare Official and Third-Party Stansted Parking

Quick Insight

Third-party car parks at Stansted are usually cheaper than official ones on a like-for-like basis and can also offer faster transfer times. You should still compare the parking type, transfer, key handling and location rather than relying on the brand alone.

What counts as official parking at Stansted?

Stansted’s official parking range includes Short Stay, Mid Stay, Long Stay, JetParks, Official Meet & Greet and Valet. These products are operated by London Stansted Airport and include options from terminal-adjacent walking products through to shuttle-served long-stay parking.

What do third-party operators add?

Third-party operators add more Park & Ride and Meet & Greet choices. At Stansted these include products from operators and brands such as APH, I Love, Maple Parking, Bubble, FHR, My CSL, Peak, Enjoy Parking and Go Airport Parking.

What are the practical differences?

• Walking vs shuttle: official Short Stay, Meet & Greet and Valet put you within walking distance of the terminal. Official Mid Stay, Long Stay and JetParks use a shuttle, as do most third-party Park & Ride products.
• Keep your keys: official self-park products such as Long Stay let you keep your keys. Most third-party Park & Ride services at Stansted require you to leave your keys because staff may move the vehicle while you are away.
• Transfer style: official shuttle products generally use scheduled airport buses. Several third-party Park & Ride products use smaller on-demand minibuses with shorter quoted transfer times.
• Meet & Greet: both official and third-party services require you to leave your keys, but the handover point and vehicle storage location can differ.
• Choice: the official range is consistent, while third-party availability varies much more between booking sites — which is why the provider matrix above matters.

Which is cheaper?

Comparing like-for-like — for example, Park & Ride against Park & Ride or Meet & Greet against Meet & Greet — third-party parking is more often than not cheaper than the official equivalent. Of the official Park & Ride options, JetParks is generally the budget choice when it is open, but several third-party Park & Ride products quote shorter transfer times.

Pricing is dynamic, so this is not a guarantee for every set of travel dates. Run a search for your actual dates and compare the final prices side-by-side.

Tip: Don’t assume “official” always means closer or more convenient. Compare the actual walk or transfer time, shuttle frequency and whether you keep your keys.

Using Airport Parking Shop

Airport Parking Shop lets you compare official and third-party side-by-side by parking type. For example, anything requiring a bus sits under Park & Ride — we don’t hide official long-stay options under an “on-airport” filter where you can’t compare like-with-like.

4 – Compare Parking Features to Find the Best Value

There’s very likely to be more than one provider for your chosen parking type. At Stansted you’ll find at least 6 off-airport park & ride operators plus the two official bus-served car parks (Mid Stay and Long Stay). So once you’ve picked the type, compare features to find the right balance of price and convenience:

• Transfer time & frequency: walk time or shuttle time; how often the bus runs.
• Distance from terminal: if meet & greet, how far is the reception from departures?
• Keys: leaving keys is often cheaper; keeping them is a convenience premium.
• Booking flexibility: fully flexible vs pay-now/non-refundable.
• Opening hours: 24/7 collections for early/late flights.
• Accessibility: step-free routes, Blue Badge bays.
• Security & reviews: Park Mark, recent ratings.
• Total price, not headline: watch out-of-hours fees, late return, oversized vehicles.

Examples: Mid Stay shuttle is around 7 minutes; Long Stay is around 15 minutes with buses around every 15 minutes. Maple Parking Park & Ride quotes ~2–3 minutes on-demand; I Love Park & Ride is ~1–1.5 miles away with on-demand transfers (24/7). (Short shuttle, long savings.)

Different product, same parking site

Some Stansted parking products use the same underlying site or operator even though they are sold under different names. That can make the market look more fragmented than it really is.

The important point is that a different brand name does not always mean a completely different car park. If the underlying service is the same, compare the final price and booking conditions before choosing.

Using Airport Parking Shop

After you run a search, you’ll see these features right in the result cards or under More info.

5 – Compare Sites to Find the Cheapest and Save More

Quick insight

Not every airport parking site works with every car park — and sometimes they sell the same space at different prices. Checking more than one site (or using a meta-comparison like us) helps.

The Detail

(I ran out of deep dive riffs)

So, you’re ready to save money — you’ve even planned how many more drinks you can get at the pool bar. But then you google for Stansted parking, you see so many sites to choose from, and your head starts to hurt. Which one is best?

The world of airport parking is made up of lots of businesses:

• The official airport car parks run by the airport.
• National third-party chains (e.g., APH, Maple) with branded, large-capacity sites.
• Smaller independents.
• Meet & greet operators who whisk your car to secure compounds you’ll never visit.

Smaller ones may rely wholly on comparison sites; larger ones often sell directly and via partners (sometimes re-branded). Result: lots of choice and understandable throbbing in your head.

Use a comparison site to cut through the noise

This definitely helps, but not every car park works with every comparison site and the same parking product can appear at different prices or with different booking terms. Ever been searching for car insurance and found a provider available on one comparison site and not another, or at a different price? Airport parking is no different — with the added complication that some comparison sites also sell their own parking products.

Search more than one

The key therefore is to compare more than one seller. You could check the top 3 or 4 yourself. Or you might just give up! Airport Parking Shop does that comparison in one place.

All the comparison sites have a lowest price guarantee – isn’t that great?

Checking multiple sites for lowest prices is a time-consuming exercise so why not just rely on the cheapest price guarantee of the first one? Cheapest price guarantees are fantastic, but it is down to you to go find a lower price elsewhere, often within 24 hours, and then contact the original provider, send them the link, and wait for their refund. Something most of us don’t have time for.

How Airport Parking Shop Can Help

That’s why Airport Parking Shop is here. We compare the car parks and the comparison sites in one search. We’re independent — we don’t run any car parks — so the aim is simply to help you see more of the market and compare like-for-like options more easily.

Useful things to know when comparing Stansted Airport parking

Airport parking results can throw a lot of names at you. The easiest way to make sense of them is to separate who runs the parking, what broad type of parking it is, which specific parking product you're booking, who is selling it and what deal you're buying.

So what should you actually compare? First decide which parking type suits you. Then compare the specific parking products on things like transfer time, keys, location and facilities. If the same parking product is being sold by different booking companies or at different rates, you can jump straight to price, refundability and the small print.

Which comparison sites sell which Stansted car parks?

Not every comparison site sells the same Stansted parking products. The table below shows products we could verify on the public Stansted listings of the eight sites we compare. Availability can change by date and season, so a dash means we did not find the product on that site's current public Stansted listing when checked, rather than that it can never be available.

Why this matters: the official airport products are widely available, but independent products are much more fragmented between booking sites. Comparing several sites can therefore change both the range of car parks you see and the price available for the same type of parking.

How we save time and money:

• See more options: both independent car parks and comparison sites.
• Compare providers: see prices for the same space, side-by-side.
• See like-for-like: compare park & ride with park & ride, meet & greet with meet & greet.
• Quickly narrow down: filter by parking type, reviews, providers and even distance to the terminal.
• Switch dates in a click: easily change arrival/return times to spot cheaper combos.
• Understand feature differences: scan key features on the cards or dive into More info.

A few Stansted parking terms worth knowing

Meet & greet vs valet parking

Similar beasts, but valet is the premium flavour. With meet & greet you usually park in a designated bay and drop keys at reception; valet is often kerbside and even closer.

On-airport vs off-airport

“On-airport” does not always mean “walk to the terminal”. Official Long Stay and JetParks are on-airport products but still use a shuttle, while some off-airport Park & Ride products quote very short transfer times. Compare the actual journey rather than the label.

Short Stay

Short stay doesn’t mean you have to stay for a short period of time. It’s just the closest option — great for drop-offs, goodbyes, or “I forgot the passports” sprints. Your wallet will feel the proximity tax.

How much is Stansted Airport Parking?

Stansted car park prices vary hugely as they are based on how long you’re staying, proximity to the airport, which provider you choose and if you want to book more convenient services such as valet or meet and greet.

Generally, parking is priced from £6.48 per day (lowest daily price based on quotes made over the past 7 days). If you’re looking to get the cheapest airport parking, we recommend comparing all the deals with our quote finder and booking in advance.

Can I park my motorbike at Stansted Airport?

Motorcyclists receive a 50% reduction on parking prices at Stansted Airport. Our article looking at motorbike parking at airports gives further details on what options you have and how to book.

What availability is there for disabled drivers?

Stansted provides dedicated Blue Badge parking across several official car parks. In Short Stay, Blue Badge spaces are available in the Orange and Green zones, close to the terminal, with help points available if you need assistance.

In Long Stay, Blue Badge parking is in Zone Q. The free shuttle bus is wheelchair accessible, and Blue Badge holders are normally given boarding and seating priority. In Mid Stay, Blue Badge spaces are in Zone L close to the bus shelter, and the courtesy buses are also wheelchair accessible.

Official Meet & Greet is suitable for Blue Badge holders and has a dedicated drop-off area close to the terminal. If you have booked JetParks and require accessible parking, Stansted advises passengers to state their requirements when booking; eligible customers are then upgraded to Long Stay.

Blue Badge spaces are also available at the front of Express Set Down. Vehicles cannot be left unattended there. If you need longer than the standard 15-minute period, speak to a marshal in the area.

If you need a wheelchair or additional assistance after parking, use one of the airport help points or arrange Assisted Travel support before you travel. For independent car parks, accessibility arrangements vary by operator, so check the individual product details before booking.

Options for Stansted Parking for Vans?

Vans can use some Stansted parking products, but vehicle restrictions vary by car park. A 2.0 metre (6 ft 6 in) height restriction applies to all official Meet & Greet and multi-storey car parks. Do not assume that the same 2.0 metre limit applies to every surface car park.

Trailers are not permitted in any official London Stansted Airport car park. Independent car parks set their own rules on vehicle size, commercial vehicles, vans and oversized vehicles, so check the individual product conditions before booking.

Can I charge an electric car at Stansted Airport?

Yes. Stansted has a public high-speed EV charging hub on Thremhall Avenue, the main road into and out of the airport. It has 10 charging bays with chargers capable of delivering up to 150 kW.

The airport also offers a separately bookable electric vehicle charging service with selected parking products. Stansted's parking terms state that EV charging bookings must be made at least 6 hours before arrival; you must leave the required charging cable in the vehicle, and the airport provides a minimum five-hour charge on at least a 7 kW charger. A full charge is not guaranteed.

Do not assume that every Stansted car park has charging bays. If charging while you are away is important, check that the specific parking product includes EV charging before booking.

Are there any discounts for Parking at Stansted for NHS workers, Military personnel or Concessions?

Being an NHS employee can get you up to 30% off your booking but only at particular car parks. Check your NHS benefits account to your valid discounts. Unfortunately, there aren’t any discounts or codes available for military passengers. The easiest way to get the best deal for you is by comparing your favourite Stansted Car Parks with our helpful quote form.

Stansted Airport parking feedback? Issues, cancellation, complaints?

Airport Parking Shop is a price comparison site to help you find the cheapest rates for Stansted Airport Parking. If you have an issue or complaint about specific car park services, then we recommend contacting your car park provider. Here's our complete list of airport car park contacts.

If your issue is with your booking, or have a problem with our site then please do contact the team at booking@airport-parking-shop.co.uk.