Stansted Airport Parking – Compare Cheap Deals at STN

Book your Stansted Airport parking ahead, and you'll usually pay around half what the gate charges, sometimes less. On-airport car parks cost over £20–£25 a day for anyone who just shows up; reserve the same space a couple of weeks out, and it costs around £8–£12. Identical car park, different number entirely. Ezybook airport parking lines up every car park at Stansted against each other and shows you the cheapest for your exact dates.

Quick bit of background. Stansted (STN on the boarding pass) is up the M11 at junction 8 or 8a, and despite the name, it's actually in Essex near Bishop's Stortford, not a quick hop from the city. CM24 1QW gets you to the airport, but most off-airport firms have their own entrance on a different road with its own postcode, so once you're a mile out, follow the map your provider sent rather than the airport pin.

Terminal's a good one, as these go. The Norman Foster building from the early 90s, all glass and that famous floating roof. Wetherspoons (the Windmill), Wagamama, the coffee chains, an Aspire or Plaza Premium lounge if you want somewhere calmer. Ryanair runs the show; it's their biggest base anywhere, with easyJet, Jet2, TUI and Eurowings filling out the rest. Almost all short-haul Europe.

We pull the on-airport and trusted off-airport car parks together and let the prices fight it out, which swings with demand week to week. Everything's below: the Stansted airport parking choices, what each is actually like, and the rough cost. Scroll to whatever fits your trip and compare cheap Stansted parking for your dates.

Why Pre-Book Beats Walk-Up Every Time

The gap between booking ahead and paying on arrival is roughly two to three times. Same tarmac, double or triple the bill.

It's the single most common thing people email us about afterwards. They drive in, see the board, panic-book at the on-the-day rate, then ask why nobody flagged it. This whole page is the flag, for what it's worth.

Pre-book your Stansted parking with us and here's what you're getting:

• About half the gate price for the same space
• A reliable spot when the summer weekends are packed solid
• Free amendments with most providers if your flight time moves
• The full spread of options, not the dregs left at the barrier
• Orange, green, mid stay, off-airport and meet and greet, all in one comparison

Sort it early, sort it online. There's no cleverer trick than that.

Stansted Airport Parking Choices Explained

Five categories to choose from. A few firms slap fancy names on them, but strip that away and it's the same five underneath.

The Ezybook Stansted car parking comparison stacks them next to each other, so the cheapest and the most convenient are both obvious at a glance, and those aren't always the same option. It's the quickest way to compare car parking at Stansted on price and reviews in one place. Have a read of the reviews on each provider while you're there. The recent ones especially. A firm that ran beautifully last year can have a rocky month, and the latest feedback shows that far quicker than anything I could tell you.

Short Stay Parking at Stansted Airport (Orange Car Park)

This is the one practically on top of the terminal, three or four minutes on foot to the desks; the closest parking to Stansted check-in you'll find. The Stansted orange car park is multi-storey by the doors, and being so close is exactly why the hourly rate is the steepest of the lot.

It earns its money on the quick stuff: dropping someone off properly rather than at the curb, collecting a relative, and overnight where you're home by midday. Short stay Stansted charges by the hour at first, then flips to a daily rate, and by the one-day mark, it's already losing badly to mid and long stay. In a full week you'd be handing over forty or fifty quid more than you need to.

Now, the odd exception. A single night before a dawn flight, back the following evening? Leaving it in orange parking Stansted overnight can just about stack up. Beyond two nights, drop down to mid or long stay. What you're really buying with Stansted orange parking is the short walk. That's fine if the walk matters to you. Just go in knowing that's the trade.

Mid Stay Parking at Stansted Airport

The in-betweener, both on price and on distance. There's a free shuttle every 10–15 minutes, and the ride's only 5–7 minutes. Stansted airport mid-stay tends to win for the two-to-five-day trips, the ones where the full long-stay shuttle feels like too much hassle, but short stays quietly drain your wallet.

You'll find the Stansted mid stay car park postcode on your booking email, though honestly, the M11 signage gets you there fine once you're near. Stansted parking mid stay sits right against the airport boundary, fenced off, cameras up, open round the clock.

And here's a useful bit that catches people cold: Mid Stay is also the spot for Stansted's free set-down, where you can drop someone without paying the terminal fee. I'll come back to that just below because it deserves its own bit.

Long Stay Parking at Stansted Airport (Green Car Park)

This is where the proper money gets saved. Long stay car park Stansted runs at a fraction of short stay, and the rate keeps dropping the longer you're away.

The airport's own one is the Stansted green car park, a big, sprawling site with a 10–15-minute shuttle into the terminal. Buses go every ten or fifteen minutes, all day and all night. The off-airport operators do the same thing and frequently undercut it, with much the same setup and occasionally a slightly longer ride.

Heading off for two weeks with the family? Long stay parking Stansted airport is the sensible pick, and for anyone driving out of the capital, London Stansted long stay is the obvious place to leave the car for a fortnight. Cameras across the whole site, access any hour, and your keys stay in your pocket. The one warning I'd give: the green car park is genuinely massive. On a heaving summer Saturday, the walk from your bay to the shuttle stop can be longer than the shuttle ride itself, so don't turn up too tight on time.

If you want the cheapest long term car park Stansted airport has going, it's nearly always one of the off-airport names that takes it, and the cheapest London Stansted long term car park for capital drivers is the same story. Stansted long stay parking firms undercut each other constantly, so the cheapest changes from week to week. Even if you've already booked, a thirty-second search is worth it. We've had people switch the night before because the price had quietly dropped.

Park and Ride at Stansted Airport

The name throws people. Park and ride Stansted airport sounds like a separate thing entirely, but in practice, it's just an off-airport long stay with a bus. You park your own car, jump on the shuttle, fly, and do the same in reverse, coming home.

Against an on-airport long stay, you're saving 15–25%, sometimes a bit more, and the shuttle's only about ten minutes. Stansted park and ride makes a lot of sense for a week or longer. Where it falls is if you're already late and stressed, or wrangling small kids, because the extra wait and transfer is friction you won't thank yourself for.

The providers, transfer times and current prices are all on our Stansted park and ride page.

Meet and Greet at Stansted Airport

The hands-off option. You pull up at the terminal, a driver in uniform meets you at the marked bay, you pass the keys over and walk straight through to departures. No bus, no hauling cases anywhere.

Meet and greet at Stansted runs dearer than long stay, usually £40–60 more across a fortnight. But if you've got little ones in tow, a bad back, or a flight you're cutting fine, that extra spend pays for itself before you've even reached security.

The process is simple enough. Book online, send over your flight details, and drive to the meeting point on the day. The driver takes the car off to their compound, and when you land you give them a ring from baggage reclaim so it's back and waiting as you come out. A few minutes at each end, no more. That's Stansted meet and greet done with the least possible fuss.

Driving something big, an SUV or a van? Mention it when you book. The operators deal with larger vehicles all the time, they just like the warning so they can set aside the right space.

Full breakdown and live rates on our Stansted airport meet and greet parking page.

Stansted Airport Drop Off and Pick Up

Pay attention to this section, because Stansted handles drop-offs differently from a lot of UK airports and it costs people money they didn't expect.

The drop off Stansted airport zone right outside departures is paid. It's about £7 for the first 15 minutes at present and it ramps up fast beyond that, so if you pay Stansted airport drop off rates more than the odd time it stacks up. Stansted pay for drop off blindsides plenty of first-timers, mainly because there's simply no free option at the front anymore.

What plenty don't realise, though, is that the closest thing to free parking near Stansted airport is sitting there at the Mid Stay car park, where Stansted airport free set down parking runs for up to an hour. You can park free for up to an hour, take the free shuttle to the terminal in 5–7 minutes, drop your passenger, and ride back. Doesn't cost a penny. The only downside is the shuttle wait at both ends, so budget an extra 25–30 minutes against just paying the £7 out front. Locals tend to call it Stansted set down, but it's the same thing.

Forgot to pay Stansted drop off? It's a number-plate camera system, so the charge catches up with the registered keeper by post within a few days, normally with a short window before it climbs. No drama. Check the airport site for the current figure and settle it on the day the letter shows up.

Collecting someone runs along the same lines. Stansted airport free pick up is at Mid Stay too, park free, shuttle in, grab your passenger, shuttle back. For pick up parking Stansted nearer the terminal, the Short Stay car park is signed off the M11 slip road and charges by the hour. Pickup from Stansted at arrivals is well signposted, and the pick up point at Stansted airport for short stay sits straight off the slip road if you just follow the short stay arrows.

What Affects Stansted Airport Parking Charges

A few things nudge the price one way or the other. Quick run-through.

• Type of parking. Short stays are the dearest by the day, park and ride the cheapest, with meet and greet up the higher end and mid stay sitting in the middle.
• How long are you gone? Longer trips work out cheaper per day, so a fortnight's daily rate is well under a three-day one.
• When you're flying. School holidays, half terms and Christmas send prices up sharply. The cheap windows are midweek in February and October.
• How far ahead do you book? Three weeks out is a different price from three days out, in the very same space.

Stansted Airport Parking Price Guide

Ballpark figures below. Live prices move around all the time, so read these as a guide rather than a quote.

Parking Type	1 Day (from)	4 Days (from)	8 Days (from)	14 Days (from)
Short Stay (Orange)	£14–––
Mid Stay	£12	£35	£60	£90
Long Stay (Green)	£10	£30	£50	£75
Park and Ride	£9	£25	£42	£65
Meet and Greet	£20	£50	£75	£110

For the real number on your dates, pop your departure and return times into Ezybook.co.uk. The Ezybook parking deals refresh as providers compete, so the cheapest on a quiet February Tuesday won't be the cheapest on a packed August Saturday. Prices simply don't behave that way.

Getting to Stansted Airport

Come off the M11 at junction 8 or 8a, well signed from a few miles out. CM24 1QW for the sat-nav.

London to Stansted

Reckon on 50–60 minutes off-peak from London, longer in rush hour as you'd expect. The M11 north out of east London is the usual line; from the west, you'll loop round the North Circular to reach it. If the parking sums don't quite work, the Stansted Express does Liverpool Street in 47 minutes.

Cambridge to Stansted

Cambridge is a straightforward 35–40 minutes down the M11. One of the easier runs, rarely held up.

Norwich to Stansted

From Norwich, it's roughly two hours on the A11. Tack on 20–30 minutes if you're travelling Friday afternoon.

Stansted to Heathrow

Around an hour and a half by car when the M25 cooperates, give or take, over about 60 miles. It doesn't always cooperate, so leave half an hour of slack if you're connecting. The National Express coach can actually beat the car at the worst times.

By Train via Stansted Express

If you'd rather not drive, the Stansted Express runs from Liverpool Street in 47 minutes, every 15 through the day and less often overnight. Tottenham Hale is the other main stop, which suits anyone coming off the Victoria Line. Grand with light luggage. Less so with a couple of cases, a buggy and a fractious toddler in tow.

Other UK Airports Worth Comparing

If your dates have any give in them, and more people have wiggle room than they think, it's worth weighing up other airports. Now and then a different departure point shaves forty quid off the parking alone, more again if the flight's cheaper too.

• Luton Airport Parking: The nearest rival on value, with strong, cheap long-stay.
• Heathrow Airport Parking: The long-haul choice, with the widest selection of meet and greet.
• Gatwick Airport Parking: Solid park and ride, good budget short and long stay.
• Manchester Airport Parking: Worth a look if you're driving down from the north anyway.

At Stansted Airport: Restaurants and Facilities

With the car parking near Stansted airport sorted, the rest is fairly stress-free. The food spans the usual quick stops, Costa, Pret, Greggs, through to proper sit-down places like Frankie & Benny's, Wagamama and Camden Food Co. The Windmill (Wetherspoons) does a cheap breakfast and pint. The Aspire or Plaza Premium lounge is worth the thirty-odd quid if you've an early start or a delay to ride out, to my mind anyway.

Stansted airport security fast track is bookable and genuinely earns its keep on a summer Friday when the standard line creeps towards 40 minutes. Sort it online beforehand, roughly £8–10 a head.

For timings, aim for two hours ahead on short-haul and three on long-haul. Security's at its quickest first thing and after about 8 pm; the grim slot is mid-afternoon on summer Fridays and Saturdays, so add half an hour if that's your slot. Stansted runs from a single building, so unlike the bigger London hubs with several Stansted terminals to juggle, there's no inter-terminal shuffling, but the far gates (80 and up) sit out at a satellite reached by a little driverless train, which adds a few minutes to the walk. Bear that in mind if you're tight.

Off-airport sites generally have you get off the bus, drop into the terminal inside 15 minutes.

Why Book Stansted Airport Parking with Ezybook

It mostly boils down to price. We surface more providers than the airport's own website bothers to show, and what's on screen is what you pay, with none of those surprise fees bolted on at the final step.

A booking takes two or three minutes. The confirmation arrives by email, you turn up with it on your phone, and that's that. Most providers let you amend free of charge if the flight shifts.

We also keep an eye on who stays on the platform. It sounds like a throwaway line, but providers genuinely drop off when complaints start stacking up. The point of Ezybook parking is that you book in two minutes and never think about it again, which is what most people actually want from a car park.

Worth a quick word on offers, too. London Stansted airport parking discount codes turn up on cashback and voucher sites here and there, so always check. That said, our price is often already at or below where those codes land you, so compare both before committing.

And for valet parking Stansted airport specifically, going through Ezybook tends to come out cheaper than booking direct. Same service, smaller bill.

How to Book Stansted Airport Parking

Five steps, three minutes from start to done.

1. Put in your travel dates and pick Stansted from the airport list.
2. Compare what comes back across short, mid, long, park and ride and meet and greet.
3. Choose whichever suits.
4. Book it online.
5. The confirmation lands in your inbox. Bring it on the day.

Stansted Airport Parking Tips

A handful of small things that genuinely move the needle.

Book Early for Better Rates

The sooner you book parking at Stansted, the lower the rate. Three weeks out is about the sweet spot. Same space, noticeably different price.

Compare Real-Time Deals

Stansted parking prices shift day to day. Run a fresh search even if you've booked elsewhere already; it takes a minute, and we've seen people rebook the day before for £15 less.

Double-Check the Postcode

The airport postcode is CM24 1QW, but check your own provider's exact location as well. Some off-airport sites use a different access road with their own postcode, so don't take the sat-nav at its word for the final mile. Use the map they email you.

Use Mid Stay for Free Drop Off

If you're not pressed for time, Stansted airport drop off is free at the Mid Stay car park. Park free for up to an hour, free shuttle in at 5–7 minutes, and you've dodged the £7 terminal charge.

Allow Buffer for Shuttle Transfers

On a long stay or park and ride, add 15–20 minutes to your normal arrival routine. The shuttle's quick enough; it's the wait for it that occasionally isn't.

Stansted Airport Parking FAQs

How much is parking at Stansted Airport?
It depends on the type and your dates, but Stansted parking prices start at around £9 a day for park and ride booked ahead, rising to roughly £20 a day for meet and greet. The longer the stay, the less you pay per day.

What's the cheapest long stay car park at Stansted?
Usually an off-airport one, since they tend to undercut the official green car park by 20–30%. Booking ahead through Ezybook wins on price most of the time. Search your dates and the cheapest long stay parking Stansted airport option floats to the top.

Is drop off free at Stansted Airport?
Not at the terminal, that's about £7 for the first 15 minutes. But Stansted airport free set down parking at the Mid Stay car park is free for up to an hour, with a free shuttle in. Pick up works the same way.

What are the Stansted drop-off charges?
Stansted drop-off charges at the terminal sit at roughly £7 for the first 15 minutes and rise from there. Stansted set down at Mid Stay is free for up to 60 minutes. The rates do change, so check the airport site for today's figure.

Where is Stansted's orange car park?
Stansted airport orange car park is the multi-storey closest to the terminal, three or four minutes' walk to check-in. It's the official short stay, best for drop-offs and quick trips.

Where is Stansted green car park?
The Stansted green car park is the official long-stay, a 10–15-minute shuttle out from the terminal, and the cheapest on-airport option once you're away three days or more.

What's the difference between Stansted mid-stay and long-stay?
Mid stay's nearer the terminal with a 5–7 minute shuttle and a slightly higher rate, and it's where the free drop-off and pick-up happen, London Stansted mid stay, same place. Long stays are further out, at 10–15 minutes and cheaper. For a typical week away, long stay's the one.

Can I get meet and greet parking at Stansted?
Plenty of it. Meet and greet Stansted is among the most-booked services we handle. A driver meets you at the terminal, takes the car to a monitored compound, and brings it back when you land.

Is there a quick pick-up zone at Stansted?
Free pick up at Mid Stay, park free for up to an hour, shuttle in, collect your passenger, shuttle back. For pick up parking Stansted closer to the terminal, the Short Stay car park is signed off the slip road and charges by the hour.

How far is Stansted Airport from London?
About 40 miles. By car, it's 50–60 minutes off-peak, or the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street covers it in 47 minutes, every 15 days.

Do I need to book in advance?
Pretty much, yes. Drive-up rates are well above the pre-booked ones, so a week or two ahead gets you the sensible price.

How early should I arrive for my flight?
Two hours for short-haul, three for long-haul, plus another 15–20 minutes if you're on long stay, park and ride or the free Mid Stay drop-off, for the shuttle.

Is fast-track security available at Stansted?
Yes. Stansted airport security fast track is bookable ahead at around £8–10 a head, and well worth it in peak summer when the standard queue's pushing past 40 minutes.

Can I cancel my Stansted airport parking booking?
Most Ezybook bookings can be cancelled, though the terms vary by provider, so check yours before you assume anything.