Taxi to Gatwick Airport

Gatwick sits near Crawley, right on the Surrey and West Sussex border, about 28 miles south of central London. It is the UK’s second-busiest airport and it has a lot of early-morning holiday departures, which is why so many of our Gatwick airport taxi bookings are for 3am and 4am pickups.

Taxi to Gatwick North Terminal or South Terminal

Gatwick has two terminals, roughly a mile apart. They are joined by a free shuttle train that runs every few minutes and takes about two minutes. By car it is a slightly longer loop round the airport road system.

Airlines are split between the two and the allocation does change, so check your booking confirmation. If you are not sure, put your flight number in the quote form and we will check it for you.

Taxi to Gatwick from London: how the drive works

From central London the main route is the A23 down through Croydon onto the M23, which runs straight to the airport. Some trips use the M25 instead, depending on where you start. In normal traffic expect 70 to 100 minutes from the West End or the City.

Passengers south of the river do much better. From Croydon or Sutton it is often 30 to 45 minutes, and from Reigate, Redhill or Horsham it can be under half an hour.

Starting from	Typical drive to Gatwick
Central London	70–100 min
Croydon	30–45 min
Bromley	40–55 min
Kingston upon Thames	40–55 min
Reigate / Redhill	15–25 min
Brighton	35–50 min
Tunbridge Wells	40–55 min

Early flights and the M23

For the first wave of departures, the motorway is usually empty, so a 4am pickup in central London can reach Gatwick in about an hour. The flip side is overnight roadworks: the M23 and M25 regularly have overnight closures, which can mean diversions. We check for planned closures before allocating a pickup time.

Taxi from Gatwick Airport to London

After you collect your bags and walk through customs, your driver will be waiting in the arrivals area of your terminal with a name board. The car is parked a short walk away. We track your flight, so if you land early or late the driver’s arrival moves with it.

Drop-off charge

Gatwick charges £10 to drop off at the terminal forecourt, the highest of the London airports. It is included in our quote.

Connections from Gatwick

Changing to a flight at Heathrow? The road transfer between the two airports is usually 60 to 90 minutes. It is often more practical than public transport with luggage. See airport-to-airport transfers. We also drive from Gatwick to Southampton, Portsmouth and Dover for cruise passengers.

Most of our Gatwick passengers are families heading to the sun and couples on short breaks, with a steady flow of business travellers from Surrey and Sussex and connecting passengers going on to Heathrow.

Car or Gatwick Express?

Gatwick Express trains run to London Victoria in roughly half an hour, and Thameslink and Southern services also reach London Bridge, Blackfriars, St Pancras and East Croydon. For someone heading to a hotel next to Victoria with one suitcase, the train is hard to beat.

For everyone else, the maths changes. Victoria is still a taxi or Tube ride away from most addresses. A family of four buying rail tickets, then a black cab at the other end, often spends close to the price of a pre-booked car that goes door to door. And trains do not run all night, which matters when your flight leaves at 6am.

Popular Gatwick routes

Central and south London, Croydon, Kingston and Wimbledon; Surrey towns including Reigate, Redhill, Dorking, Epsom and Guildford; Sussex and the coast, from Crawley and Horsham to Brighton; and Kent, including Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. We also run regular Heathrow connections.

Taxi to Gatwick from Brighton, Horsham, Reading and beyond

Plenty of people book a taxi to Gatwick from well outside London. These are typical drives from the places we cover most, and we run each route in reverse for arrivals too.

Taxi to Gatwick from	Approx. distance	Typical drive
Horsham	10 miles	20–30 min
Brighton	28 miles	35–50 min
Tunbridge Wells	30 miles	40–55 min
Guildford	30 miles	40–55 min
Heathrow Airport	45 miles	60–90 min
Reading	50 miles	60–80 min
Luton Airport	70 miles	80–110 min
Stansted Airport	75 miles	90–120 min
Oxford	80 miles	90–110 min
Southampton	85 miles	100–120 min

Gatwick taxi prices and quotes

How much is a taxi to Gatwick Airport? Your Gatwick airport taxi quote depends on the pickup address, the vehicle and any extra stops. The price is fixed when you book and already includes Gatwick’s £10 drop-off charge, so the taxi to Gatwick price you see is the one you pay.

7 seater taxi to Gatwick Airport

Travelling as a group or with a lot of luggage? Our MPVs seat up to six and our 8-seater minibus takes up to eight, which often works out cheaper than two cars to Gatwick.

Before you leave for Gatwick

Check whether you are flying from the North or South Terminal before you book. If we drop you at the wrong one it is not the end of the world, because the free shuttle train between them takes about two minutes, but it is stress you can do without.

For very early flights, book at least a day ahead so the car is allocated before the night shift starts. Overnight closures on the M23 and M25 are common, so we check for planned works and route around them. Coming home late is the other side of the same coin: trains thin out after midnight, and a pre-booked taxi from Gatwick means you are not reading timetables at the baggage carousel.

Booking a taxi to Gatwick

Send us your pickup address, terminal if known, flight time, number of passengers and cases. We reply with a fixed Gatwick taxi price, including the £10 drop-off charge, and a suggested pickup time based on your flight.

Booking a return? Add your inbound flight number and your driver will meet you in the arrivals hall at the right terminal.

Gatwick taxi FAQs

Which Gatwick terminal does my airline use?

Check your booking confirmation. If you include the flight number when you request a quote, we will confirm it.

Can you take us from Brighton or the coast to Gatwick?

Yes. We cover Sussex, Surrey and Kent as well as London.

Is the Gatwick drop-off charge extra?

No. It is in the fare.

How early should I leave for a Gatwick flight?

Work back from your check-in deadline, add the drive time from the table above and leave a buffer of at least 30 minutes. We will suggest a pickup time when we confirm.

How much is a taxi to Gatwick Airport?

It depends on your pickup address and vehicle. Send us the postcode and we will reply with a fixed Gatwick taxi price that includes the drop-off charge.

Do you have a 7 seater taxi to Gatwick?

Yes. MPVs seat up to six with luggage, and our 8-seater minibus takes larger groups.

Can I book a taxi from Gatwick to London late at night?

Yes. Give us your flight number and your driver will be in arrivals whatever time you land.