On this page (6 sections)
The five Short Stay car parks
Stansted has 5 Short Stay car parks, all within walking distance of the terminal. They split into three closer premium zones and two cheaper zones a little further out.
- Premium Orange, Red and Yellow are the closest, a covered walk of about 1 to 4 minutes to check-in. These are the ones to pick if you have heavy luggage or are travelling with children. Premium Orange is the zone most people mean by "the closest car park".
- Green Multi Storey is a brand new multi-storey car park, a 5 to 8 minute covered walk, sitting between the premium zones and Blue on both price and distance.
- Blue is the furthest at a 10 to 12 minute walk and the cheapest of the five, which the airport describes as the most competitively priced Short Stay option.
Because Stansted is a single-terminal airport, every zone serves the same building, so the only real difference is the walk against the price. Whichever you choose, it is a walk, not a shuttle, which is what separates Short Stay from Mid Stay and Long Stay.
Hourly rates and pre-book prices
Short Stay is priced two ways. For a quick visit you pay the hourly tariff at the gate: £13 for up to 30 minutes, £21 for an hour, £25 for two hours and £38 for four. That suits a pick-up where you want to wait inside, or any stop of a couple of hours.
For a stay of a day or more, pre-booking is cheaper than the hourly rate. The cheapest Blue zone starts from around £60 for a few days, with the premium zones higher, and the price is dynamic, so it rises as your date nears and as spaces fill. Confirm the live quote for your zone and dates on the official Short Stay page. For a longer trip, Mid Stay or Long Stay cost less again, and the cheap parking page compares the cheapest options.
How it works
The Short Stay car parks are barrierless in the sense that matters: there is no ticket to keep. The ANPR system reads your number plate on the way in and opens the barrier, and reads it again on the way out, so you find the car where you left it and simply drive away. Pre-booked stays are matched to your plate automatically.
All the official car parks are Park Mark accredited, the police-backed Safer Parking standard, and a standard booking can be cancelled free up to 72 hours before arrival. Pay the hourly rate online afterwards or on exit; pre-booked stays are paid at the time of booking.
Short Stay vs Mid Stay
The main decision is whether to stay close on the hourly rate or step out to Mid Stay for less.
Short Stay wins for a genuinely short visit: a pick-up where you want to wait inside, or a stop of an hour or two where the £13 to £25 hourly bands beat the bother of a shuttle. Mid Stay wins for anything longer, because its daily rate undercuts a full day at the Short Stay hourly tariff, and it adds the free 60-minute drop-off window and a free shuttle. The rule of thumb: under a couple of hours, Short Stay; a day or more, Mid Stay or cheaper. The parking hub sets out the full comparison.
Postcodes and directions
The Short Stay zones do not share one postcode. Premium Orange is CM24 1QW; the other Short Stay zones are CM24 1PP. Use the postcode for the specific zone you have booked, not the terminal postcode (CM24 1RW), or your sat-nav will send you to the wrong entrance.
Stansted is off the M11: use junction 8a from the London direction or junction 8 from the Cambridge side, then follow the signs for Short Stay and your zone. The full set of car-park postcodes is on the postcode and directions page, and the M11 route is on the driving to Stansted page.
Blue Badge bays
The Short Stay car parks have Blue Badge bays, in the orange and green zones. A Blue Badge does not make the parking free at Stansted: the normal charge applies, so book the right zone in advance as any driver would. For accessible parking across all the car parks and the routes from each, see the Blue Badge parking page.