How much does it cost to drop off at UK airports in 2026?

In 2026, Heathrow and Luton charge £7, while Gatwick and Stansted charge £10 to drop off. Heathrow also sits inside the ULEZ, adding £12.50 for a non-compliant car.

What happens if I forget to pay the drop-off charge?

Most airports use cameras and require online payment by the end of the next day. Miss it and you typically get a Parking Charge Notice of around £80, often reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.

Does a taxi avoid the drop-off charge?

With a fixed-price transfer the charge is included in your fare, so it never appears as an extra and there is nothing to pay online afterwards.

UK Airport Drop-Off Charges 2026: A Complete Guide

Q: Is Heathrow in the ULEZ?

Yes, all of Heathrow's terminals are inside London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, so a non-compliant vehicle pays £12.50 a day on top of the £7 drop-off charge.

Pulling up to wave someone off at the terminal is no longer free. Almost every major London airport now charges simply to enter the drop-off zone, and in 2026 several charges rose again. Here is a clear, up-to-date guide to what you will pay, plus the penalties to avoid.

Key Takeaways

In 2026, Heathrow and Luton charge £7 to drop off, while Gatwick and Stansted charge £10.
Most use cameras and online payment, miss the deadline and you face an £80 penalty (often £40 if paid quickly).
Heathrow also sits inside the ULEZ, adding £12.50 for a non-compliant car on top of the drop-off fee.

What are the 2026 airport drop-off charges?

As of 2026, Heathrow charges £7 (10-minute limit), Luton £7 (10 minutes, then £1 per minute), Gatwick £10 (up to an hour, extra time per 10 minutes), and Stansted £10 (15 minutes, rising to £28 for 15–30 minutes). London City also charges to drop off. The fees apply to every vehicle, including taxis.

How do you pay, and what are the penalties?

Most airports use number-plate cameras and require online or app payment by the end of the following day, there is no cash booth. Miss the deadline and you typically receive a Parking Charge Notice of around £80, often reduced to £40 if paid within two weeks. It is an easy and expensive thing to forget.

Don't forget the ULEZ at Heathrow

Heathrow sits inside London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, so a non-compliant vehicle pays a £12.50 daily charge on top of the £7 drop-off. Gerrards Cross is outside the zone, but the drive into Heathrow crosses it. That is two separate charges before you have parked or fuelled.

How a fixed-price transfer avoids all of it

With a fixed-price transfer, the drop-off charge, the ULEZ and the penalty risk simply do not appear, the fare you are quoted is the fare you pay. There is nothing to remember and nothing to pay online the next day. See how the numbers stack up in our taxi vs driving comparison.

How the charges have crept up

Airport drop-off charges are a relatively new cost that has risen steadily. What began as a modest fee at a handful of airports is now standard across almost all of them, with several increases landing in 2026 alone, Gatwick and Stansted reaching £10 and Heathrow £7.

The direction of travel is clear, and so is the lesson: for anyone making regular airport trips, the drop-off charge, the ULEZ and the parking are no longer rounding errors. Bundling them into one fixed transfer fare is increasingly the rational choice as well as the convenient one.