The Heathrow drop off charge is £7 every time a car enters a terminal drop-off zone. It applies at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, day and night, and has to be paid by midnight the following day or a £80 fine follows. Below is everything you need to know, plus what the charge looks like from the driver’s seat after years of Heathrow runs.
Heathrow drop off charge at a glance
| Charge | £7 per entry to a terminal drop-off zone |
| When it applies | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Terminals | 2, 3, 4 and 5 |
| Pay by | Midnight on the day after you drop off |
| If you don’t pay | £80 Parking Charge Notice, £40 if paid within 14 days |
| Pick-ups allowed? | No, drop-off only, no waiting |
| Free alternative | Park and Ride car parks with a free bus to the terminals |
How to pay the Heathrow drop off charge
- Online: on the official Heathrow drop-off charge page, using your number plate.
- By phone: 0330 008 5600, an automated line.
- Autopay account: register your car and Heathrow takes the charge automatically, so you can’t forget.
- Pre-pay: buy one or several drop-offs in advance. Pre-paid drop-offs last 12 months.
Heathrow only accepts card payments. Also, there is no barrier or booth: cameras read your number plate as you drive in, so it’s easy to forget you owe anything until the fine arrives.
Who doesn’t pay
- Blue Badge holders (Heathrow applies the discount once you register)
- Motorbikes, buses and coaches
- Emergency, military and Heathrow operational vehicles
- Heathrow Valet Parking customers
Black cabs and minicabs are not exempt. Every taxi pays £7 each time it drops a passenger at the terminal.
Where to drop off, and the free alternative
Each terminal has a drop-off zone on the forecourt next to departures. If you want to avoid the charge, drive to one of Heathrow’s Park and Ride car parks instead. Drop-off there is free and a bus takes passengers to the terminals, but allow extra time for the transfer.
You can’t pick up in the drop-off zone
This catches people out all the time. The drop-off zones are strictly for dropping off. Number plate cameras record every vehicle, and waiting for someone or collecting a passenger there can lead to a fine, even though you have paid to be in the zone. Instead, drivers need to collect arriving passengers from the terminal car parks.
That’s why Carrot Cars drivers park and meet you inside the arrivals hall with a name board, rather than asking you to find the car at the kerb.
What the drop-off charge looks like from the driver’s seat
On paper it’s simple: drive in, drop off, drive away. In real life the pressure starts before the car even stops.
- Queues inside the zone. At busy times, a driver can sit in traffic inside the charged area for several minutes. That time is used up just looking for a space to pull in.
- Some passengers need longer. Unloading a wheelchair, heavy luggage or young children takes time. Of course, no one wants to rush a passenger who needs help.
- No waiting means no margin. If a passenger isn’t ready or a bag gets stuck, the clock keeps running. At several UK airports, a longer stay costs far more than the basic fee. At Heathrow, waiting isn’t allowed at all, so any delay risks a charge notice. By the time that notice arrives, the passenger is long gone. As a result, the driver ends up dealing with it, and a calm journey turns into a race against the clock.
How to make your drop-off quick: have your bags packed and reachable, passports in hand before the terminal, and tell us when you book if anyone needs extra help, so the driver can plan the best spot.
Our view: who really pays the drop-off charge?
There is nothing wrong with a business charging for a service. On German motorways, for example, you pay one euro to use the toilets at a service station, and you get a voucher that comes off your bill if you buy a coffee. You pay for what you use, and if you are a customer anyway it costs you nothing. That feels fair.
What does the £7 actually pay for?
The airport drop-off charge is different. So what exactly does the £7 pay for? The few metres of road outside departures? Cleaning the forecourt? Passengers are already the airport’s customers: they buy the flights, the parking, the food and the shopping. Even so, the airport only charges people who arrive by car for stepping out at the door. Arrive by train or bus and you pay nothing for using the same terminal.
The 4am problem
Heathrow says the charge encourages public transport and reduces traffic at the terminals, in the same spirit as London’s congestion charge. That argument makes some sense in the middle of the day. However, it makes very little sense at 4am, when you have an early flight and the trains aren’t running yet. If the aim really were to change how people travel, there would be no charge when there is no alternative.
Paying for the zone, but not allowed to pick up
Then there is the pick-up rule. You pay to be in the zone, yet the moment someone gets into the car instead of out of it, the cameras treat it as a breach and the driver has to collect the passenger from a car park instead. Nobody explains why one is acceptable and the other isn’t.
So who really loses?
Almost every major UK airport now has a drop-off charge, and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the main reason is simple: it makes the airports a lot of money.
In the end, someone always pays for it. For example, some taxi companies make their drivers cover the charge out of their own earnings, which quietly takes a real bite out of every airport job. Where companies absorb it instead, prices go up. Either way, the final bill ends up with the traveller.
We hope that one day the government looks again at these charges and decides that simply dropping someone at an airport shouldn’t cost extra. Until then, we can only wonder what might be next. A charge for the air the planes take off through?
How Carrot Cars handles the drop-off charge
- Included in every fixed price. Your fare already includes the £7, and we add nothing at the end.
- Drivers never pay it themselves. Our drivers keep their full earnings, so they aren’t rushing you to save money.
- Meet and greet on arrival. We park legally and meet you inside, so there’s no risk of a pick-up fine.
See our taxi to Heathrow prices from across London, or get an instant quote and book online.
Heathrow drop off charge FAQs
How much is the Heathrow drop off charge?
£7 each time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off zone at Terminals 2, 3, 4 or 5. It applies 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
How do I pay the Heathrow drop off charge?
Online through Heathrow’s payment page, by phone on 0330 008 5600, or automatically with a registered autopay account. You can also pre-pay for several drop-offs. Card payments only.
When do I have to pay by?
By midnight on the day after your drop-off. If you don’t, Heathrow sends a £80 Parking Charge Notice to the registered keeper, which drops to £40 if you pay within 14 days.
Can I pick someone up in the Heathrow drop-off zone?
No. Heathrow doesn’t allow pick-ups or waiting in the drop-off zones, and cameras record every vehicle. Arrange collections from the terminal car parks instead.
Is there a free way to drop off at Heathrow?
Yes. Drop-off is free at Heathrow’s Park and Ride car parks, with a free bus to the terminals. Blue Badge holders who have registered also get the charge removed.
Do taxis and minicabs have to pay the drop-off charge?
Yes. Black cabs and private hire vehicles pay £7 per entry like everyone else.
Is the drop-off charge included in a Carrot Cars fare?
Yes. Every Carrot Cars taxi to Heathrow includes the drop-off charge in the fixed price, and our drivers never pay it out of their own pocket.
We checked these charges and rules against Heathrow’s official information in September 2026. Heathrow can change them, so check the official page before you travel.
