APH Park & Ride Gatwick Airport

These two share a car park. Airparks Park & Ride runs from APH’s own site on Copthorne Road, Crawley, where APH says Airparks and APH Gatwick have teamed up, so the check-in at reception, the 2.4 metre height limit and the shuttle timings are the same for both: every 10 to 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, taking about 10 to 12 minutes to North Terminal or South Terminal.

The main difference is how late you can change your mind. With APH Park & Ride’s Super-Flex terms, you can amend or cancel free of charge at any time until your booked arrival time. Airparks Park & Ride is Flexible: changes and cancellations are free up to 24 hours before your departure date, and under APH’s terms the parking period starts at 00:01 on your first booked day, whatever time you arrive, so that’s the point the 24 hours run back from. That matters if something could crop up the day before you fly.

Verdict: With the same car park behind both, this comes down to flexibility and price. Where APH Park & Ride is cheaper, it’s probably an easy call, because the Super-Flex terms come with it. If Airparks Park & Ride is cheaper and your plans are settled, it probably makes sense to choose it. If the price difference is small and your plans could still move, APH Park & Ride’s extra flexibility is probably worth having.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows Airparks Park & Ride was £54.92 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So Airparks Park & Ride is the same price as APH Park & Ride.

These are the same APH car park on Copthorne Road, with check-in at reception, keys left with APH and shuttles to North Terminal and South Terminal every 10 to 15 minutes, taking about 10 to 12 minutes. Both are Super-Flex, so either can be changed or cancelled free of charge right up to your booked arrival time.

The main difference is what happens to your car while you’re away. With APH Park and Ride with EV charging, a trained, insured valet driver takes care of the charging and then moves the car to a secure bay, so you can head for the shuttle without waiting for it to charge. When you pick up your keys at reception, the car is charged and ready. You need to bring your own charging cable, arrive with at least 5% battery and hand over a physical key, because a phone-operated key can’t be used for charging, and if your car has a valet mode, APH’s guide asks you to switch it on before you hand over the keys. For an electric car, that means the drive home after your flight starts with a charged battery and no hunt for a charger near Gatwick.

The upside to APH Park & Ride is that, without the charging, it’s usually the cheaper of the two, and for a petrol or diesel car, you’re not giving anything up.

Verdict: If you drive an electric car and want it charged for the journey home, APH Park and Ride with EV charging may well be worth the extra, and if it’s the cheaper of the two for your dates, the choice probably makes itself. If you’d rather charge at home, or you’re not driving an EV, APH Park & Ride gives you the same car park, shuttle times and Super-Flex terms.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows APH Park and Ride with EV charging was £104.91 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So APH Park and Ride with EV charging is £49.99 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Both are APH’s own car parks at the same Copthorne Road site, with shuttles to North Terminal and South Terminal every 10 to 15 minutes, taking about 10 to 12 minutes. Both are Super-Flex, and both have a 2.4 metre height limit and turn away trailers.

The main difference is who holds the keys. With APH Gatwick Self Park, they never leave your pocket: reception staff show you where to park, you do the parking, and APH says the car stays put exactly where you left it. Coming back, you collect a barrier exit code at reception and drive straight out. At APH Park & Ride, you hand your keys in at reception and APH’s staff park the car, which is ready to drive away when you collect them. In busy periods, and only when it’s operationally required, APH may move these cars to its secondary secure site.

One situation tips it firmly towards APH Gatwick Self Park. If your car has a ghost immobiliser, APH’s staff can’t move it, so with APH Park & Ride you may need to switch to a Self Park booking for an extra £20, paid on arrival, and APH asks you to tell the car park in advance.

Verdict: Got a ghost immobiliser, or simply prefer to hang on to your keys? APH Gatwick Self Park is probably the one to book. If neither applies, APH Park & Ride saves you parking up yourself, and with the same site, shuttle times and booking terms, go with whichever is cheaper for your dates.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows APH Gatwick Self Park was £59.92 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So APH Gatwick Self Park is £5.00 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

At both, a barrier lets you in, you leave the car in an arrival bay, hand your keys in at reception and the staff park it for you. You’ll find both off junction 10 of the M23, with transfers to North Terminal and South Terminal.

The main difference is how you get to the terminal. APH Park & Ride’s shuttles run every 10 to 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, and take about 10 to 12 minutes. Cophall Parking’s eight-seater minibuses don’t follow a timetable: they run on demand, day and night, and the trip takes around 10 minutes to South Terminal or 15 to North Terminal, traffic allowing. Coming home, you catch APH’s shuttle from Bus Stop 7 or 8 at South Terminal or Bus Stop 6 at North Terminal, both on the ground floor, while Cophall Parking sends a minibus once you ring the free number on your key receipt.

On booking terms, APH Park & Ride has the edge: it’s Super-Flex, free to change or cancel until your booked arrival time, while Cophall Parking’s Flexible terms need 24 hours’ notice before your departure date.

Verdict: These two are evenly matched. If your plans could change at short notice, APH Park & Ride’s Super-Flex terms are the stronger safety net, and if you like the idea of a minibus that runs when you need it, Cophall Parking appeals. Otherwise, let the price difference decide - both do the job well.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows Cophall Parking was £48.96 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So Cophall Parking is £5.96 cheaper than APH Park & Ride.

Each is a park and ride with a reception check-in, where you leave your keys and staff do the parking, and both cover North Terminal and South Terminal. Cophall Parking Super Saver is the same Copthorne car park as Cophall Parking, sold at a Non-Flex rate.

The main difference is flexibility, and the two sit at opposite ends of it. With APH Park & Ride, you can change or cancel at no cost at any point before you’re due to arrive at the car park, because it’s Super-Flex. Cophall Parking Super Saver is a Non-Flex rate, so once you’ve booked, there’s no changing or cancelling.

The other thing to weigh up is sports kit. APH Park & Ride’s shuttle won’t take bikes, surfboards or windsurf boards, although skis and snowboards are fine, while Cophall Parking Super Saver’s minibuses will take bikes, surfboards, skis and golf clubs if you ask.

Verdict: If your dates won’t move and Cophall Parking Super Saver comes out cheaper, it’s probably the one to pick, and a bike or surfboard in the boot is one more reason. If there’s any chance you’ll need to change or cancel, APH Park & Ride’s Super-Flex terms may be worth paying more for, and where APH Park & Ride is cheaper anyway, it’s probably an easy call.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows Cophall Parking Super Saver was £45.94 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So Cophall Parking Super Saver is £8.98 cheaper than APH Park & Ride.

Both carry APH’s name, and with both, fully insured drivers take your keys and park the car. APH runs APH Park & Ride itself, while APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South) is run on APH’s behalf by I Love Meet & Greet, so the drivers, the handover and the car park are I Love Meet & Greet’s.

The main difference is that there’s no transfer. With APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South), you ring about 10 minutes before you get there, keep to the right-hand lane of the terminal’s Passenger Drop Off and hand the car to a uniformed driver at the far end, then it’s about a 2-minute walk to the terminal. With APH Park & Ride, you drive to Copthorne Road, check in at reception and take the shuttle.

Vehicle rules differ, too. Minibuses with up to 9 seats are fine with APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South), but taxis, vans, commercial vehicles and anything larger aren’t. At APH Park & Ride, the car has to fit a standard bay, be no taller than 2.4 metres and be drivable on a standard UK licence, and trailers aren’t allowed.

The upside to APH Park & Ride is that a park and ride is usually the cheaper way to park, so it’s a question of whether skipping the shuttle is worth the extra to you.

Verdict: If you want the simplest possible start to your trip, APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South) may be worth paying more for, and if it comes out cheaper for your dates, it’s probably an easy call. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper, or you’d like the freedom to cancel right up to your booked arrival time, it probably makes sense to choose it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South) was £80.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So APH Meet & Greet Forecourt (North & South) is £25.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Both are APH’s own services, with no partner operator named for either, so whichever you book, it’s APH staff who take your keys and park the car. Your car may even end up in the same place: APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only stores cars at APH Gatwick on Copthorne Road, Crawley, which is where APH Park & Ride is.

The main difference is where you leave the car. With APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only, you ring about 30 minutes ahead, drive into the South Terminal Short Stay car park and hand over to a chauffeur on Level 1 of Orange Car Park 3, about a 2-minute covered walk from the terminal. There’s no shuttle bus to board, which APH says makes it a good fit if you have reduced mobility or need extra assistance. With APH Park & Ride, you check in at reception yourself and take a shuttle that runs every 10 to 15 minutes.

Vehicle height works differently. The South Terminal Short Stay car park has a 2-metre limit, though APH will meet a taller vehicle in the open car park next to the Orange Car Park if you tell them when you call. APH Park & Ride takes vehicles up to 2.4 metres. On booking terms, APH Park & Ride is Super-Flex, so you can cancel free of charge up to your booked arrival time, while APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only is Flexible, up to 24 hours before your departure date.

The upside to APH Park & Ride is that a park and ride usually costs less than a Meet & Greet, so the question is how much the terminal handover is worth to you.

Verdict: Flying from South Terminal and keen to skip the shuttle? Where the price difference is small, APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only is probably worth it, and if it’s cheaper for your dates, it’s probably an easy call. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper, or last-minute changes are likely, it probably makes sense to choose it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only was £84.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So APH Meet & Greet South Terminal Only is £29.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Both are run by APH around the clock, every day of the year, with staff on duty 24 hours, and with both, you hand your keys to APH and let its drivers park the car. If you’d like to know where the car goes, APH Meet & Greet North Terminal doesn’t keep it at the airport: it’s stored in APH’s secure off-site compound, with CCTV, floodlighting, security fencing and regular patrols.

The main difference is the transfer, or the lack of one. With APH Meet & Greet North Terminal, you take a ticket at the North Terminal Short Stay barrier and meet the driver in the area signed Approved Operators, a 1 to 2-minute covered walk from the terminal, and on your return you walk back there from customs and show your return ticket. With APH Park & Ride, you drive to Copthorne Road first, and on the way home you catch the shuttle from Bus Stop 6 on the ground floor at North Terminal.

Height can settle it. APH Meet & Greet North Terminal can’t take anything over 1.8 metres, while APH Park & Ride allows up to 2.4 metres, as long as the car fits a standard bay and there’s no trailer.

Verdict: Driving something taller than 1.8 metres? APH Park & Ride is probably the answer. Otherwise, if you’re flying from North Terminal and the price difference is small, handing the car over a short walk from check-in is probably worth it, and where APH Meet & Greet North Terminal is cheaper, it’s probably an easy call. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper, or you want Super-Flex terms that let you cancel up to your arrival time, it probably makes sense to choose it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows APH Meet & Greet North Terminal was £84.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So APH Meet & Greet North Terminal is £29.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Both leave the parking to fully insured drivers, so the question is where you let go of the keys. On security, I Love Meet & Greet says your booking is swiped into the driver’s handheld device at the handover and every time the car moves, and keys are kept in locked, alarmed cupboards that only authorised staff can open. APH Park & Ride’s site has more than 120 CCTV camera points, security fencing, floodlighting and staff on duty around the clock.

The main difference is that with I Love Meet & Greet, check-in is about a 2-minute walk from where you leave the car, which is on the terminal forecourt, in the Approved Operator bays or lane at the far end of the Passenger Drop Off. If you fly back into a different terminal, it can return the car there at no extra charge. APH Park & Ride means a drive to Copthorne Road and a shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes, though its buses are wheelchair accessible and staff can help load and unload your luggage.

Verdict: If walking straight from the car to check-in appeals, I Love Meet & Greet probably earns its keep where the price difference is small, and where it’s the cheaper of the two, it’s probably an easy call. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper for your dates, or you’d value being able to cancel up to your arrival time instead of 24 hours before your departure date, it probably makes sense to choose it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows I Love Meet & Greet was £69.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So I Love Meet & Greet is £14.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

With both, you leave your keys with fully insured drivers. Sure Parking Meet & Greet says its drivers are carefully selected, vetted and trained, and that it keeps cars in its own off-airport compound, which isn’t shared with any other meet and greet company.

The main difference is where the car changes hands. Sure Parking Meet & Greet’s drivers, in orange high-vis jackets, meet you under cover in the Short Stay car park at your terminal, on Level 1 of Orange Car Park 3 at South Terminal or the ground floor of Car Park 5 at North Terminal, and the terminal is about a 2-minute walk away. With APH Park & Ride, you check in at reception on Copthorne Road and take the shuttle.

Height is the other big difference. Sure Parking Meet & Greet’s meeting points have limits of 1.8 metres at North Terminal and 2.0 metres at South Terminal, and it won’t take minibuses, long wheelbase vans or motorhomes. APH Park & Ride allows up to 2.4 metres, as long as the car fits a standard bay and isn’t towing a trailer.

Verdict: Driving something tall, or with a roof box? APH Park & Ride’s 2.4 metre limit probably makes it the safer choice. Otherwise, where Sure Parking Meet & Greet is cheaper or the price difference is small, handing over a couple of minutes from the terminal is probably worth it, and its Flexible booking still lets you amend or cancel up to 24 hours before your departure date. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper and you don’t mind the shuttle, it’s probably the one to book, with Super-Flex terms on top.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows Sure Parking Meet & Greet was £68.99 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So Sure Parking Meet & Greet is £14.07 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Both take your keys at the start of the trip and park the car for you. ACE Meet & Greet says its drivers are uniformed, fully insured and DBS-checked, and APH lists fully insured drivers for APH Park & Ride.

The main difference is that ACE Meet & Greet takes the car at the airport: in row D or E on Level 1 of the Orange Car Park at South Terminal, or in a hotel car park near North Terminal, a short walk from check-in. Staff walk round the car and photograph it first. ACE says your keys are tagged with its own barcode and kept in a secure key room away from the cars, and you get the car back by showing the bar-coded card you were given, sometimes with proof of identity. APH Park & Ride, by comparison, means checking in on Copthorne Road and riding the shuttle in.

Verdict: If a staffed handover at the airport, with a walkaround check and barcoded keys, appeals, ACE Meet & Greet is probably worth it where the price difference is small, and where it’s the cheaper option, it’s probably an easy call. If APH Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper, or Super-Flex terms matter to you, it probably makes sense to choose it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows ACE Meet & Greet was £75.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So ACE Meet & Greet is £20.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

In both cases, insured drivers take your keys and move the car. Their vehicle rules overlap, too: neither takes a trailer, and the car has to fit a standard bay, which Bubble Meet & Greet gives as 2.4 metres wide by 4.8 metres long.

The main difference is that Bubble Meet & Greet’s handover is at the airport, in the meet and greet bays of your terminal’s Short Stay car park: on the ground floor of Car Park 5 at North Terminal, near the exit, or on Level 1 of Car Park 3 at South Terminal. You ring about 10 minutes before you arrive, take a ticket at the barrier and give it to the driver with your keys, and from there it’s about a 2-minute walk into the terminal. With APH Park & Ride, you drive to Copthorne Road, check in at reception and take a shuttle that runs every 10 to 15 minutes, day and night.

Verdict: If being able to cancel right up to your booked arrival time matters, APH Park & Ride’s Super-Flex terms count in its favour, and if it’s noticeably cheaper and the shuttle doesn’t bother you, it’s probably the sensible pick. If Bubble Meet & Greet costs less, or only a little more, handing over in the Short Stay car park is probably worth it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows Bubble Meet & Greet was £73.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So Bubble Meet & Greet is £18.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.

Your keys go to fully insured drivers either way. Both may also move your car when they’re busy: APH may take it to its secondary secure site, adding less than seven miles to the car’s mileage, while I Love Meet & Greet says its main Gatwick car park is less than 2 miles from the airport, but its terms say it uses satellite car parks when busy, and a car taken to the furthest may travel 11 miles each way.

The main difference is that with I Love Meet & Greet With Valet, a driver waits for you at the terminal drop-off. You ring about 10 minutes ahead, head for the far end of the Passenger Drop Off and hand over the car to staff in I Love Meet & Greet’s uniform and ID, and it’s about a 2-minute walk to the terminal. Any valeting is I Love Meet & Greet’s own work, carried out while it has the car. With APH Park & Ride, there’s a shuttle ride of about 10 to 12 minutes from Copthorne Road to factor in.

The upside to APH Park & Ride is that, as a park and ride, it usually comes in below a forecourt Meet & Greet on price.

Verdict: If you’d like the car taken off your hands at the terminal, I Love Meet & Greet With Valet may be worth the extra to you - it’s a judgement call. If all you need is the car parked and APH Park & Ride is cheaper for your dates, it’s probably the better buy, Super-Flex terms included. Where I Love Meet & Greet With Valet is the cheaper of the two, it’s probably an easy call.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 9th Nov to 16th Nov 2026) shows I Love Meet & Greet With Valet was £89.00 whilst APH Park & Ride was £54.92. So I Love Meet & Greet With Valet is £34.08 more expensive than APH Park & Ride.