On this page (10 sections)
Every Stansted car park at a glance
Stansted is a single-terminal airport, so there is no terminal to choose between: every car park serves the same building. The choice is about price against convenience. The airport runs the official car parks below, and pre-booking any of them is far cheaper than the drive-up gate price, up to 80% off, so the rates in the table are the pre-book "from" prices rather than the gate rate.
| Car park | Walk or transfer | From (pre-book) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Stay | 1 to 12 min walk, no shuttle | £13 / 30 min, from £59.99 / 4 days | Short visits, pick-ups, closest |
| Mid Stay | Free shuttle, 7 min, 24/7 | From £69.99 / 8 days | Mid-range, free drop-off |
| Long Stay | Free shuttle, every 15 min, 24/7 | From £64.99 / 8 days | Cheapest on-airport, longer trips |
| Meet & Greet | None, hand over the keys, 2-min walk | From £84 / 8 days | Convenience, no shuttle |
| JetParks | Off-airport, shuttle every 15 min | From £59.99 / 8 days | Cheapest park and ride |
| Valet | None, kerbside drop in Zone C | Online quote | Drop at the door |
"From" prices are indicative pre-booked rates that move with your dates and how far ahead you book. All the airport car parks are Park Mark accredited with number-plate recognition, and a standard booking can be cancelled free up to 72 hours before arrival (1 hour with the paid Upgraded Cancellation Protection). There is no congestion or emissions charge to drive to Stansted. The rate is lowest booked well ahead, so lock your dates in early.
Why booking ahead is the big saver
Stansted prices its car parks dynamically: the rate rises as the date nears and as spaces fill, and the price for turning up at the gate without a booking is much higher than the pre-booked one. Mid Stay illustrates the gap, starting from around £69.99 for 8 days when booked ahead against roughly £360 for the same stay paid on the day.
The practical rule is simple: once your travel dates are fixed, book the car park. Waiting rarely lowers the price and usually raises it. Prices are lowest booked ahead, so lock your dates in early rather than waiting. For the cheapest option across both the airport car parks and the independent operators, the cheap Stansted parking page does the comparison.
Short Stay: closest to the terminal
Five Short Stay car parks sit closest to the terminal, with a walk rather than a shuttle. Premium Orange, Red and Yellow are nearest, a 1 to 4 minute walk; the Green Multi Storey is a 5 to 8 minute walk; and Blue is the furthest and cheapest of the five at a 10 to 12 minute walk. They run on an hourly tariff: £13 for up to 30 minutes, £21 for an hour, £25 for two hours and £38 for four. For a stay of a day or more, a pre-booked rate from around £59.99 for 4 days is better value than the hourly meter.
Short Stay is the right call for short visits, for meeting an arriving passenger when you want to wait inside, or for an overnight when being close to the door matters more than the price. For anything longer, Mid Stay or Long Stay cost less. Sat-nav postcodes are CM24 1QW for Premium Orange and CM24 1PP for Red, Green and Blue. The full layout is on the Short Stay parking page.
Mid Stay: mid-range and free drop-off
Mid Stay sits between Short Stay and Long Stay on both price and distance, with a free shuttle bus that runs 24 hours a day and reaches the terminal in about 7 minutes. Pre-booked rates start from around £69.99 for 8 days. The postcode is CM24 1PZ.
Its other use is the one most drivers miss: Mid Stay is the airport's free drop-off area, with the first 60 minutes free for dropping off or picking up, which is the way to avoid the £10 kerbside charge. Stay longer and the second hour is £5, then a day rate, and re-entering within an hour adds £48, so go in once and leave. The detail is on the Mid Stay parking page and the drop-off charges page.
Long Stay: cheapest on-airport
Long Stay is the cheapest of the airport's own car parks and the default for a holiday or any trip of several days. Pre-booked rates start from around £64.99 for 8 days, with a free shuttle bus every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. The postcode is CM24 1SF.
It is further out than Short Stay or Mid Stay, so allow time for the shuttle at both ends of the trip. For most week-long stays it is the best balance of price and convenience among the on-airport options, with only the off-airport JetParks and the independent operators tending to undercut it. The full picture is on the Long Stay parking page.
Meet & Greet: hand over the keys
Meet & Greet is the drop-and-forget option. You drive to the reception, hand the keys to the team, and walk to check-in in about 2 minutes, with no shuttle to wait for. The car is parked for you and brought back on your return. Pre-booked rates start from around £84 for 8 days, more than Long Stay but with no transfer at either end. Note the vehicle height limit of 2.0m.
It suits travellers with an early flight, heavy luggage, small children, or anyone who would rather not manage a shuttle. The trade is purely price against convenience. The detail and current rates are on the Meet & Greet parking page.
JetParks and Valet
Two more official options that fill specific needs.
JetParks
The airport's own off-airport park and ride, usually the cheapest official choice, from around £59.99 for 8 days, with a shuttle bus every 15 minutes and the postcode CM24 1AE. The trade against Long Stay is a slightly longer transfer for a lower price. Detail on the JetParks page.
Valet
The kerbside-drop variant: you drive to Zone C of the Express Set Down and hand over the keys, skipping the walk and the car park entirely. Prices are by online quote and vary by dates. It is the quickest hand-over of all, for a price. Detail on the Valet parking page.
Dropping off and picking up
If you are only dropping someone off or collecting them, you do not need to park at all. The kerbside Express Set Down zone outside the terminal charges £10 for up to 15 minutes and £28 for up to 30, paid online afterwards. The free alternative is the Mid Stay 60-minute free window described above, with a shuttle to the door.
Collecting an arriving passenger works the same way but the timing is harder, because bags and the walk from the gate add unpredictable minutes after landing. The free Mid Stay hour is usually the better call for a pick-up. Full detail is on the drop-off charges and picking someone up pages.
Blue Badge and motorcycles
Blue Badge bays are provided in the Short Stay orange and green zones, in Mid Stay Zone Q, and in Long Stay Zone L. A Blue Badge does not make parking free at Stansted: the normal charge for the car park applies, so book the right car park in advance as any driver would. The dedicated Blue Badge parking page covers the bays and the accessible routes.
Motorcyclists get a 50% discount when pre-booking Short Stay or Long Stay; there is no separate motorcycle product, just the discount applied to those car parks.
How to choose
The decision comes down to a few questions, each narrowing the field.
How long is the stay? An hour or two, Short Stay on the hourly tariff. A few days to a week, Long Stay pre-booked is usually cheapest on-airport, or JetParks off-airport for a little less again. Mid Stay sits in between if you want a shorter shuttle than Long Stay.
How much does convenience matter? If you would rather not deal with a shuttle, Meet & Greet or Valet hand the car over and put you minutes from check-in. If a short walk or a free shuttle is fine, Short Stay, Mid Stay and Long Stay all cost less.
Are you only dropping off? Then do not park. Use the free Mid Stay hour to avoid the £10 Express Set Down charge, covered on drop-off charges.
Is price the priority? Book as early as you can, compare Long Stay and JetParks against the independent operators on the cheap parking page, and use the right sat-nav postcode for the car park you booked. For the drive itself and the M11 approach, see driving to Stansted, and for the postcodes in one place, Stansted's postcode and directions.