Heathrow Airport Drop-Off Charge 2026: £7 Fee, 10-Minute Limit & Complete 4-Terminal Guide

Written by Gatwick Taxi Transfer · Published: 15 May 2026 · Updated: 15 May 2026

We run Heathrow transfers every week — early morning T5 departures, late-night T2 arrivals, families with oversized luggage at T4. Two things changed at the start of 2026 that every driver needs to know before pulling onto a terminal forecourt: the fee went up from £6 to £7, and for the first time ever, a hard 10-minute maximum stay came into force. Previously you could take as long as you needed at the kerbside. From January 2026, overstaying 10 minutes triggers an £80 PCN on top of the £7 entry fee — even if you paid the entry charge correctly.

This guide covers everything that matters for the 2026 system: the exact fee structure, the 10-minute rule and what it means in practice, each terminal's access road and drop-off zone layout, the ULEZ surcharge most competitor guides skip, motorcycle exemptions that Heathrow offers but Gatwick does not, Park and Ride details, the Authorised Vehicle Area for PHV drivers, and the pre-pay option that lets you settle up to 20 trips in advance. Written from six years of running this route, not from scraping the official website.

What the Heathrow Drop-Off Charge Costs in 2026

Three details that matter and most competitor guides get wrong or skip entirely. First, the 10-minute cap is genuinely new — No time limit existed before 2026 and many regular drivers do not realise the clock is now running. Second, motorcycles are exempt at Heathrow but pay the full charge at Gatwick and Stansted — worth knowing if you use multiple airports. Third, the PCN at Heathrow is £80 reduced to £40, not £100 reduced to £60 as at Gatwick and Stansted. A meaningful difference if you do receive a notice.

The 10-Minute Rule — What It Means in Practice

Before 2026, Heathrow's drop-off zones operated without any time limit. Families could take 20 minutes unloading, elderly passengers could be walked to the door, and nobody watched a clock. That changed on 1 January 2026 with a hard 10-minute cap across all four terminal zones. Airport management gave two reasons: reduce forecourt congestion and keep traffic flowing at a site handling 80+ million passengers a year.

Ten minutes is workable for most standard drops. A single passenger with one bag can be at the check-in queue in under five minutes from the forecourt. Where it becomes tight: families with multiple cases who need all bags unloaded before moving, passengers with mobility issues who need time to steady themselves, split-party drops where a second car follows, and early-morning departures where the passenger needs to recheck which queue to join.

What triggers the PCN: staying beyond 10 minutes in the zone, regardless of whether you are still in the vehicle. ANPR logs your entry time. At 10 minutes and one second, the overstay clock is running. An £80 PCN lands in the post regardless of the reason for the delay.

Blue Badge holders are the only category exempt from the 10-minute limit. For everyone else, the practical approach is to have all luggage at the rear of the boot before reaching the terminal, passengers ready to exit immediately on arrival, and a clear signal for who handles bags and who guides the passenger — the drop should be coordinated before you pull in, not organised on the forecourt.

All Four Terminals — Access Roads, Zones and Airlines

Heathrow's four active terminals sit across a large site. T2 and T3 share the Central Terminal Area and are accessed by the same road approach. T4 is at the southern end of the airport, accessed via a separate junction. T5 is a standalone building to the west, with its own dedicated road and two drop-off lanes. Driving to the wrong terminal and re-entering the correct one triggers two £7 charges.

Terminal 2 — Star Alliance Hub

The Queen's Terminal handles United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, TAP Portugal, and most other Star Alliance carriers. Access via Constellation Way — follow signs for T2 from the M4 spur or A4 Bath Road. Drop-off sits on the forecourt directly outside departures. T2 and T3 share the Central area and are adjacent — confirm your terminal before reaching the slip roads, as the T2 and T3 entries diverge once you commit.

Terminal 3 — Oneworld and International Carriers

Terminal 3 serves American Airlines, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, and a range of international independents. Access via the same Central Terminal Area approach as T2. T3 drop-off sits on the lower forecourt outside departures, clearly signposted from the approach road. For flights to the USA — American Airlines — T3 is the terminal.

Terminal 4 — Select Airlines, Southern Site

Terminal 4 sits at the southern end of the airport, accessed from the M25 J14 or A319 rather than the main A4/M4 approach. Key airlines: KLM, Malaysia Airlines domestic connections, and some charter flights. T4's access road is separate from the Central Terminal Area and takes longer to reach from central London — add 10 to 15 minutes compared with the T2/T3 approach during normal traffic. Long Stay T4 is a short shuttle from the terminal and free for 30 minutes.

Terminal 5 — British Airways and Iberia Only

T5 is exclusively British Airways (including BA CityFlyer) and Iberia. It is a standalone building to the west of the main site, accessed via Wayfarer Road. At the top of the access ramp, Wayfarer Road splits into two parallel drop-off lanes — an arrangement unique to T5 at Heathrow. Both lanes operate the same £7 ANPR system. T5 is the furthest terminal from the M4 motorway junction — for west London passengers it can actually be the most convenient, but for passengers coming via central London it sits at the furthest end of the airport road system.

Note: Terminal 1 permanently closed in 2020. Any sat-nav or guide referencing T1 is out of date. There are four active terminals only.

Airline Terminal Guide — 2026

How to Pay the Heathrow Drop-Off Charge

Option 1 — Pay online

Visit heathrow.com and navigate to the drop-off charge payment page. Enter your vehicle registration and visit date. Pay by card. Email receipt arrives within minutes. Deadline: midnight the day after your visit. This is also where you set up personal or business accounts for AutoPay and pre-pay.

Option 2 — Pay by automated phone

Call 0330 008 5600 for the 24-hour automated phone payment line. Card only, no cash. Same midnight deadline as online. Most useful immediately after leaving the airport when pulling into a layby to settle by phone is faster than waiting until home. It handles T2, T3, T4, and T5 charges on the same call — just enter your registration plate and visit date when prompted. Call duration is typically under two minutes.

Option 3 — AutoPay (removes the deadline entirely)

Register your vehicle and payment card once on the Heathrow website. Every subsequent visit charges automatically — no portal to log into, no midnight deadline. For PCO drivers and anyone doing Heathrow more than twice a month, AutoPay is not optional; it is the only rational setup. One missed payment at £80 wipes out 11 paid trips.

Option 4 — Pre-pay up to 20 trips in advance

Unique to Heathrow among UK airports: you can pay for up to 20 future drop-off visits at once, either online or by phone. Pre-payments are valid for 12 months from purchase and expire unused after that period. This is particularly useful for drivers who do regular Heathrow runs and want to batch their payment admin into a single monthly session rather than paying trip by trip.

Business accounts for PCO and fleet operators

Heathrow's business account allows fleet operators to register multiple vehicle registrations under one billing setup. Drivers within the fleet benefit from AutoPay on every registered vehicle. Business accounts also allow reconciliation of Blue Badge discounts — the driver can verify that a passenger's Blue Badge exemption has been correctly applied against their trip by matching receipt IDs in the Trip Management section of the business account portal.

The ULEZ Surcharge — An £12.50 Add-On Most Drivers Miss

From August 2023, Heathrow added a surcharge for non-ULEZ-compliant vehicles entering terminal drop-off zones. This is separate from and additional to the £7 drop-off charge. Non-compliant vehicles pay £12.50 extra, bringing the total entry cost to £19.50 per visit.

ULEZ compliance at Heathrow requires Euro 6 for diesel engines and Euro 4 for petrol. Most vehicles manufactured after September 2015 (diesel) or 2006 (petrol) meet the standard, but older vehicles — particularly older diesel estates, MPVs, and minibuses used for group airport runs — frequently do not. PCO drivers with pre-2015 diesel vehicles running Heathrow trips daily are paying £19.50 per visit, not £7.

Checking ULEZ compliance: Transport for London runs a free registration check tool at tfl.gov.uk. Enter your registration number and it returns an instant compliance result. Worth doing before the first Heathrow run in any new or second-hand vehicle.

Our entire fleet is ULEZ compliant — all vehicles meet Euro 6 or better. For passengers, that means the £7 drop-off charge is the only airport access cost in the quoted fare, never £19.50.

Free Drop-Off — Park and Ride (Formerly Long Stay)

The Park and Ride car parks at Heathrow (rebranded from Long Stay in recent years) offer the only charge-free drop-off alternative. Free for the first 30 minutes — after which standard parking rates apply: £9.40 for up to 2 hours, then £40.80 for the first day and £32.90 per additional day.

At 30 minutes, Heathrow's free window is shorter than Gatwick (2 hours) and Luton (2 hours) — a meaningful difference for anyone planning to walk a passenger inside or wait. A shuttle runs every 15 minutes and takes approximately 10 minutes to each terminal. Each terminal has its own Park and Ride car park with a dedicated shuttle route.

Blue Badge holders using Park and Ride receive up to 2 hours free parking. Enter your Blue Badge number into the call point at the entry barrier on the way in and again on exit. This is separate from the drop-off zone exemption — Blue Badge holders can choose to use either the forecourt (fee-exempt with prior registration) or the Park and Ride (2 hours free).

The AVA — Authorised Vehicle Area for PHV Drivers

Private hire vehicle drivers waiting to collect an arriving passenger have a dedicated waiting area at Heathrow: the Authorised Vehicle Area (AVA). This is not a general car park — it is a designated zone where PCO-licensed PHV drivers can wait for inbound passengers without incurring standard parking charges.

Access to the AVA requires a current TfL PCO licence and pre-registration with Heathrow. Registered drivers enter the AVA to wait, receive notification when their passenger is approaching the meeting point, and then move to Terminal Parking (formerly Short Stay) for the actual collection. It removes the need to circle the airport or sit in pay-per-minute car parks during a flight delay.

For passengers using Heathrow airport transfers booked with us, the driver uses the AVA and Terminal Parking to wait — the cost of the wait is inside the quoted fare. No separate parking charge appears on the booking.

Exemptions — Who Pays and Who Does Not

Blue Badge holders — fully exempt, both fee and time limit

Blue Badge holders are exempt from both the £7 charge and the new 10-minute maximum stay. Application goes through the Heathrow website — up to 3 months in advance or by midnight the day after the drop-off. Heathrow recommends at least 7 days in advance to guarantee processing. The exemption applies even when the Blue Badge holder is travelling in a taxi or PHV — the driver submits the taxi's registration number when applying, and the discount applies against that vehicle's trip record.

Motorcycles — exempt at Heathrow, not at Gatwick

Two-wheeled motorcycles pay nothing at Heathrow terminal drop-off zones. This exemption does not exist at Gatwick or Stansted — both charge motorcycles the standard fee. If you drop off via motorbike at Heathrow, no registration of any kind is needed.

Electric vehicles — not exempt

EVs are ULEZ compliant but not drop-off-fee exempt. A Tesla, a Nissan Leaf, or any other electric vehicle pays the standard £7 per entry at Heathrow. The distinction matters because some EV owners assume ULEZ compliance provides airport access benefits — it does not.

Local Residents — No Commuter Scheme at Heathrow

Unlike Gatwick, which offers the Local Commuter Scheme for drivers in RH6 and RH11 postcodes, Heathrow has no equivalent local residents discount. All vehicles — including those from Hounslow, Hayes, and Slough postcodes immediately adjacent to the airport — pay the standard £7 per entry. Drivers who do the Heathrow run regularly from nearby areas should use AutoPay or the pre-pay option to remove the payment deadline rather than hoping for a local exemption that does not exist.

How Heathrow Compares With All London Airports

At £7, it is the cheapest of the four major London airports for the kerbside fee — £3 less than Gatwick and Stansted. The 10-minute time limit makes it the most time-pressured of all airports for the actual drop. The Park and Ride free window at 30 minutes is shorter than Gatwick's 2 hours and Luton's 2 hours — meaningful for anyone who needs more time at the airport. The PCN at £80 is less than Gatwick and Stansted's £100 but more than Luton's £95. For the Luton comparison see our Luton drop-off charge guide. For Gatwick see our Gatwick drop-off charge guide. For Stansted see our Stansted drop-off charge guide.

PCN Details — £80, Not £100

The Heathrow PCN is £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. This is lower than the equivalent at Gatwick and Stansted (£100 reduced to £60) and is worth knowing if a notice arrives — the reduced amount is still the better route but the starting figure is different from the other London airports.

Two PCN triggers at Heathrow. The first is failing to pay the £7 entry fee by midnight the day after the visit. The second — new in 2026 — is overstaying the 10-minute maximum in the drop-off zone. Both produce the same £80 notice, and both apply simultaneously if you overstay without paying. Receiving both in the same visit means two separate £80 notices, not one combined fine.

Common triggers in practice

• Forgetting the midnight deadline — by far the most common. Set a phone reminder the moment you leave the terminal area, not when you get home.
• Overstaying the 10-minute cap — new in 2026. Drivers used to the pre-2026 system with no time limit are the most likely to be caught by this.
• Re-entering a terminal zone after exiting — each entry is a separate charge. Looping back because a passenger forgot something triggers a second £7 and resets the 10-minute clock. Drive to Terminal Parking instead of re-entering the forecourt.
• Non-ULEZ surcharge missed — the £12.50 ULEZ surcharge has its own payment requirement for non-compliant vehicles. Failing to pay it is a separate enforcement matter from the drop-off charge itself.

Taxi Fares to Heathrow — Nearby Areas and London 2026

Heathrow sits 15 miles west of central London in Middlesex, accessed via the M4 motorway from the east or M25 from north and south. It is closest to west London postcodes — Hammersmith, Chiswick, Ealing — and furthest from east London and Essex. All fares below are 2026 fixed prices for a standard saloon, inclusive of the airport drop-off charge.

Nearby Areas — West London, Surrey and Middlesex

From London — All Areas

For exact fares from your postcode see our Heathrow airport taxi prices page or use the online booking tool. All fares include the drop-off charge, 1 hour free waiting on arrivals, and flight tracking.

Why Choose Gatwick Taxi Transfer for Your Heathrow Run

We have run Heathrow transfers since 2019 — T5 departures at 4am, T2 arrivals after 14-hour long-haul flights, families with luggage that fills the boot before the passengers are in. The 2026 changes — the £7 increase and the new 10-minute cap — are the most significant system change at Heathrow in five years. Here is how we handle the route specifically.

Drop-Off Fee and ULEZ Surcharge — Both Included

Every fare we quote for Heathrow absorbs both the £7 terminal drop-off charge and, where applicable, the ULEZ compliance cost. No passenger sees an itemised airport access charge on the day. The fare confirmed at booking is the fare paid on arrival — no terminal charges, no surcharges for older vehicles, no midnight portal to log into afterwards.

10-Minute Drop — We Coordinate Before Arrival

The new 10-minute cap changes how the drop needs to be run. Our drivers contact passengers the evening before departure to confirm: the terminal, the correct forecourt access road, and who handles which bag. Luggage is at the boot before we enter the zone, the passenger is ready to exit, and the handover takes under three minutes. Ten minutes is ample when the stop is prepared. It is tight when it is not.

1 Hour Free Waiting on All Arrivals

Terminal Parking at Heathrow charges from the moment a vehicle enters. We provide 1 hour of free waiting on all inbound pickups — because clearing customs after a long-haul arrival, waiting at baggage reclaim, and reaching the meeting point takes longer than Terminal Parking assumes. A 45-minute customs queue on a busy T2 transatlantic arrival is routine. The driver waits without the clock running against the passenger.

TfL PCO Licensed, DBS-Checked, Heathrow AVA Registered

Every driver holds a current TfL PCO licence, an Enhanced DBS clearance, and access to the Heathrow Authorised Vehicle Area for passenger pickups. The AVA means our drivers wait in a designated area rather than circling the airport or sitting in pay-per-minute parking while a flight clears customs. For passengers, this translates to a driver who is already positioned and waiting when they walk out of arrivals.

The Honest Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Heathrow drop-off charge in 2026?

£7 per entry at any terminal forecourt drop-off zone, from 1 January 2026. Plus £12.50 daily for non-ULEZ compliant vehicles — total £19.50 for older diesel and petrol cars that fail ULEZ standards. Motorcycles pay nothing. Blue Badge holders pay nothing with prior registration.

What is the new 10-minute rule at Heathrow?

From 1 January 2026, all vehicles must exit the drop-off zone within 10 minutes of entering. Previously there was no time limit. Overstaying results in an £80 PCN even if the £7 entry fee was paid. Blue Badge holders are exempt from the time limit. The clock starts the moment ANPR logs your entry.

How do I pay the Heathrow drop-off charge?

Online at heathrow.com, by automated phone on 0330 008 5600, or via AutoPay. Deadline: midnight the day after your visit. You can also pre-pay for up to 20 future visits at once — valid for 12 months from purchase. No payment machines at the terminal, no cash accepted.

Are motorcycles exempt from the Heathrow drop-off charge?

Yes — two-wheeled motorcycles and motorbikes are fully exempt from the £7 charge at Heathrow. No registration or application needed. Drive in, drop off, drive out — nothing to pay, no portal to log into. This exemption does not exist at Gatwick or Stansted, where motorcycles are charged the same rate as all other vehicles. Electric motorcycles are also exempt. Electric cars, however, are not — an EV on four wheels pays the full £7 alongside petrol and diesel vehicles.

What is the PCN at Heathrow?

£80, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. Lower than Gatwick and Stansted (£100/£60) but the same applies for both non-payment of the £7 fee and overstaying the 10-minute cap. Two separate PCNs can be issued in one visit if both violations occur simultaneously.

How long is Park and Ride free at Heathrow?

30 minutes free. After that, £9.40 for up to 2 hours. This is shorter than Gatwick and Luton's 2-hour free windows. A shuttle runs every 15 minutes to each terminal — approximately 10 minutes journey time. Blue Badge holders get up to 2 hours free in Park and Ride.

Can I pre-pay the Heathrow drop-off charge in advance?

Yes — unique to Heathrow. Pay for up to 20 future trips at once online or by phone. Pre-payments expire 12 months from purchase. Useful for drivers doing regular Heathrow runs who prefer to batch payment admin rather than settling trip by trip.

What is the AVA at Heathrow?

The Authorised Vehicle Area — a designated waiting zone for TfL PCO-licensed private hire drivers collecting arriving passengers. Registered PHV drivers use the AVA to wait during flight delays rather than circling the airport or sitting in pay-per-minute Terminal Parking. Access requires a current PCO licence and pre-registration with Heathrow.

How does Heathrow's charge compare with Gatwick?

Heathrow: £7 per entry, 10-minute hard cap, PCN £80. Gatwick: £10 per entry, 20-minute flat then £1/min, max £20, PCN £100. Heathrow is cheaper per trip. Heathrow's time limit is stricter. Heathrow's PCN is lower. Motorcycles exempt at Heathrow, not at Gatwick. See our Gatwick drop-off charge guide.

The Bottom Line

Heathrow's drop-off charge in 2026 is £7 per entry — the lowest of the four major London airports. What makes it operationally more demanding is the new 10-minute cap, which requires the drop to be coordinated before you arrive rather than organised at the kerbside. Non-ULEZ vehicles add £12.50, bringing the total to £19.50 — a detail competitors consistently skip. Motorcycles are exempt. Blue Badge holders are exempt from both the fee and the time limit. The PCN is £80 reduced to £40, lower than Gatwick and Stansted's equivalent.

Park and Ride is free for 30 minutes — shorter than the 2-hour free windows at Gatwick and Luton, but sufficient for a solo-passenger drop where the shuttle timing works. For family drops, mobility-limited passengers, or any situation where 10 minutes is not enough, Park and Ride removes the time pressure entirely.

For Heathrow airport transfers from anywhere in London, the Home Counties, and the South East at fixed fares with all airport charges included, use the booking form or call +44 20 3617 7825 any time.

Related Airport Guides

• Gatwick drop-off charge — £10 for 20 min, per-minute after, Blue Badge exempt, North and South Terminal
• Stansted drop-off charge — £10 fee, £28 banded mid-tier, no Blue Badge exemption
• Luton drop-off charge — £7 fee, physical barrier system, 2 hrs Long Stay free
• Heathrow airport taxi transfer — all terminals, 24/7, fixed fares
• Heathrow taxi prices — 2026 fares from all London areas
• Heathrow to Gatwick transfer — inter-airport guide, all options
• Gatwick to Heathrow transfer — complete route guide
• Minibus to Heathrow — groups of 5 to 16
• Corporate taxi accounts — monthly invoicing, priority booking
• 7-seater taxi to Heathrow — up to 7 passengers, fixed fares

Gatwick Taxi Transfer · +44 20 3617 7825 · Heathrow drop-off charge guide · Updated 15 May 2026 · gatwicktaxitransfer.com