Everything you need to know about dropping off and picking up at Heathrow Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 — or skip it: your driver meets you inside arrivals and there is nothing to pay at the airport.
Drop off. Each Heathrow terminal has a drop-off zone right outside departures. Since 1 January 2026 it costs £7 every time a vehicle enters, with a 10-minute maximum. Number-plate cameras record the car; there is no barrier and no machine, so the charge must be paid online or by phone, before you go or by midnight the day after. Miss it and an £80 Parking Charge Notice follows.
Pick up. Cars cannot wait outside arrivals. Whoever collects you parks in the terminal’s short stay car park and walks in to meet you — paying by the minute while passport control and baggage take their time — or waits for free in the Park & Ride car park while you take the shuttle bus to them.
The easy way. With a pre-booked car, your driver tracks your flight and waits inside the arrivals hall with your name on a board — at Pret A Manger in Terminals 4 and 5 and at WHSmith in Terminals 2 and 3 — then walks with you to the car. You never deal with drop-off charges, car parks or time limits.
A drop-off at 5am still costs £7 and still needs paying by midnight the next day. A pre-booked car collects you from your door at any hour and drops you right at departures — nothing extra for you to pay at the airport.
Get my fixed price ↑Checked October 2026. Heathrow can change charges at any time — confirm on heathrow.com before you travel.
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