Clocktower Cars runs airport transfers to and from all five London airports out of eleven offices across Surrey and south-west London. This page is the starting point: it explains how a transfer works, what moves the price, and — the part most people actually want — which airport is genuinely the sensible one from where you live. Each airport then has its own page with the detail.
If you already know where you are going, the fastest route from here is the airport you need below. If you would rather just talk to someone, the Epsom office is on 01372 747 747 and every branch number is further down this page.
These are real measured figures from our Epsom head office at the Clock Tower, KT19 8BA, using the fastest practical route for each airport. They are the single most useful thing on this page, because the ranking is not what most people assume.
| Airport | From Epsom | Measured drive time | Main route | Airport page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 24.3 mi | about 32 min | M25 clockwise | Heathrow transfers |
| Gatwick | 19.4 mi | about 32 min | M23 | Gatwick transfers |
| London City | 48.9 mi | about 1 hr 11 | M25 and the Blackwall Tunnel | London City transfers |
| Luton | 57.8 mi | about 1 hr 17 | M25 then M1 | Luton transfers |
| Stansted | 72.7 mi | about 1 hr 41 | M25 anticlockwise then M11 | Stansted transfers |
The thing worth noticing: from Epsom, Gatwick is 4.9 miles nearer than Heathrow and takes the same half hour. Most people in this part of Surrey assume Heathrow is the default because it is the bigger airport and feels closer to London. For a flight you can catch from either, Gatwick is usually the shorter car journey from here — and that is before you count the M25 between junctions 10 and 15, which is the least predictable stretch of road on any of these runs.
Measured October 2026. Times are free-flowing conditions and will stretch in the morning and evening peaks — which is exactly why we set the pickup time from the branch that knows the road rather than from a national average.
Mileage and journey time come apart badly on these routes, and the pattern reverses depending on which of our towns you start from. From Carshalton, Gatwick is 17.9 miles while Heathrow is 30.4. From Epsom, Gatwick is 19.4 and Heathrow 24.3. From Kingston, London City is 20.0 miles away and takes about an hour and eighteen minutes — roughly 15 mph average, and slower than the same trip from Epsom, which is 48.9 miles. Distance alone will mislead you on every one of these.
The sharpest example on our whole network is Epsom to Gatwick. Going down the A217 through Burgh Heath is 19.2 miles. Going via the M23 is 19.4 miles. Two tenths of a mile apart — and the A217 route takes about 1 hour 7 minutes against 32 minutes on the motorway. Thirty-five minutes of difference for the same distance. Heathrow has its own version: from Epsom the A308 is 18.8 miles, five and a half miles shorter than the M25 route, and about eight minutes slower.
This is the single best argument for booking a car rather than driving yourself to a route you do not run every week. Our drivers make these journeys daily and know which of the two roads is the right one at 5am on a Tuesday and at 4pm on a Friday — and they are not the same answer.
The honest comparison for a week away is two car journeys against airport parking plus fuel plus the shuttle bus at both ends plus the two drives yourself. We are not going to publish a figure for either side of that, because parking prices move constantly and our fare depends on your actual address. But it is a fair question and the office will quote you both legs so you can do the arithmetic properly rather than guessing.
We will tell you when it is. From some of our towns a direct train plus a short transfer at the other end genuinely beats a car for a solo traveller with one bag. Where a car wins decisively is early mornings before services start, late arrivals after they stop, three or more people travelling together, heavy or awkward luggage, children, and any journey where a missed connection means a missed flight. Ask on the phone and you will get a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.
People search for an airport taxi, an airport cab, an airport car service, an airport minicab and an airport transfer, and for a journey like this they all mean the same booking. There is one real distinction worth knowing and it is not about the words.
A licensed private hire car — which is what we are — must be booked in advance through an operator. It cannot be flagged down and it cannot be hailed at a rank. For an airport run that restriction is entirely in your favour: the booking is where the flight number gets recorded, the right size of car gets allocated and the price gets fixed. A hackney carriage, the traditional black cab, can be hailed and metered, which is useful in central London and much less useful at 4am in Tadworth. Our comparison of minicabs and black cabs sets out the difference properly.
So whether you phone us asking for an airport taxi, an airport cab or an airport car service, you will get the same thing: a pre-booked, licensed, insured private hire car with a named driver and a fixed quote. Ask for whichever word comes naturally.
Phone the branch nearest your pickup address or use the online booking form. For a departure we need the pickup address, the airport and terminal if you know it, your flight number and departure time, how many passengers and how many bags. The flight number matters more than people expect: it is what lets us track the flight rather than guess.
For an arrival, give us the flight number and we track it. If the flight is two hours late the car arrives two hours later; you do not need to phone from the baggage hall to rearrange anything, and you are not charged waiting time for a delay that was the airline’s. This is the single biggest practical difference between a pre-booked private hire car and an app booked after you land, when everyone else on your aircraft is doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same moment.
Meet and greet means the driver parks and waits in arrivals with a name board, which is what you want with children, lots of luggage, an elderly passenger or a terminal you do not know. Kerbside pickup means the driver waits in the designated area and you walk out to the car, which is cheaper and perfectly fine for a frequent traveller with one bag. Both are available at all five airports — our meet and greet service page explains how it works at each one. Terminal car park charges apply to meet and greet and are confirmed when you book.
Book both legs at the same time. It is one conversation instead of two, it is usually better value, and it means the office already has your return flight on file when you land tired at half past eleven at night. Plenty of people book the outbound with us and then try to sort the return from the arrivals hall; the return is the half of the journey where having a car already waiting is worth most.
A 4am pickup for a 7am departure is an ordinary booking for us, and so is a 1am collection from a delayed arrival. We run 24 hours. The thing to get right is booking it in advance rather than at midnight the night before, because the pre-dawn slots on a summer Saturday are the busiest cars on the fleet.
Distance is the obvious one. Less obvious is that the same route can price differently in each direction and at each hour, because what we are really selling is a car and a driver for a block of time. A 6am run to Heathrow and a 6pm run to Heathrow are the same miles and very different journeys.
Four adults with four large suitcases is not a saloon job, and getting this wrong is the most common reason an airport pickup starts badly. Count the bags honestly when you book, including the ones that are going in the boot on the way out and coming back fuller. Our vehicle options run from saloons through estates to MPVs and wheelchair accessible vehicles, and the office will tell you which one your group and luggage actually need.
For arrivals we include a period of free waiting after the flight lands, so that normal immigration and baggage queues are covered. Beyond that, waiting is chargeable, and meet and greet carries the terminal’s own car park charge. Both are explained at the point of booking rather than appearing afterwards. If you are likely to be slow through baggage reclaim, say so and we will plan for it.
Some routes cross charging zones or involve a toll, and the Dartford Crossing and the central London zones are the ones that come up most on the London City run. Where a charge applies to your journey it is included in the quote you are given, so the figure quoted is the figure you pay. Ask the office to confirm it for your specific route if you want it itemised.
Enough people search for a Clocktower Cars price list that it is worth saying plainly why there is not one here. A published table would have to assume a town-centre pickup, a standard car, no luggage and an off-peak hour — and then be wrong for most people who read it. What you get instead is a fixed quote for your actual address, your actual time and your actual vehicle, confirmed before you book and held for the journey. One phone call, about a minute. Our guide to how UK taxi fares work explains the mechanics if you want the background.
All three are ordinary airport bookings, and all three go better when mentioned at the booking stage rather than on the driveway. Tell us a child’s age and height and we will tell you what seat we can fit — our child friendly taxi service page covers the law and the practicalities. For a passenger travelling in their own wheelchair we run wheelchair accessible vehicles with ramp access, and because they are a limited part of the fleet an airport run wants booking well ahead. Pets flying with you need a carrier that meets the airline’s requirements and usually more boot space than you expect; our pet friendly taxi page has the detail.
For companies booking airport runs regularly, an account removes the friction: no card at the kerb, no expense receipts to chase, and one itemised statement covering the period. It also means a colleague or a visiting client can be booked in by your office without them handling payment at all. Open one through the account application.
Where the journey matters more than the fare — collecting a client, a board member, an early flight before a presentation — our executive cars and corporate chauffeur service cover the same airports with a different standard of car and driver.
Every town we cover has its own page with local pickup points, the routes that actually work from there, and the airport runs people book most: Epsom, Ewell, Sutton, North Cheam, Carshalton, Belmont, Burgh Heath, Tadworth, Chipstead, Ashtead, Leatherhead, Surbiton, Kingston, Morden, Reigate, Weybridge, Godalming, Guildford and Farnham.
Airport runs are arranged by the branch nearest the pickup, because the person taking the booking needs to know your road and the route out of it. Phone the office closest to your home address.
| Branch | Where it is | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Epsom (head office) | Epsom Clock Tower, Epsom KT19 8BA | 01372 747 747 |
| Bookham | Bookham | 01372 727 727 |
| Carshalton | 33 North Street, Carshalton SM5 2HW | 0208 773 0700 |
| Chessington | Cox Lane, Chessington KT9 1SD | 0208 397 4747 |
| Ewell West | Ewell West | 0208 330 5555 |
| Godalming | Station Approach, Godalming GU7 1EU | 01483 422 222 |
| Guildford | Station Approach, London Road, Guildford GU1 4DQ | 01483 301 000 |
| Kingston | 39A Walter Street, Kingston KT2 5DS | 0203 388 9999 |
| Reigate | Castle Court, 41 London Road, Reigate RH2 9RJ | 01737 333 700 |
| Sutton | Sutton | 0208 643 2255 |
| Weybridge | Station Approach, Weybridge KT13 8UD | 01932 598 598 |
Not sure which is nearest? The branch locator will place you and the find us page has the full detail. You can read about the people who drive for us on the drivers page, and the FAQs cover the general booking questions.
Gatwick, at 19.4 measured miles against Heathrow’s 24.3 — and both take about 32 minutes on the fastest route. London City is 48.9 miles, Luton 57.8 and Stansted 72.7. Most people in this area assume Heathrow is nearest; from Epsom it is not.
For an ordinary daytime run, a day or two is fine. For a pre-dawn pickup, a bank holiday weekend, the start of school holidays or anything needing a larger vehicle or a wheelchair accessible car, book as far ahead as you can. The 4am to 6am slots in summer are the busiest cars we run.
Yes, provided you give us the flight number when you book. If the flight lands two hours late the car arrives two hours later and you are not charged waiting time for the airline’s delay. You do not need to phone us from the baggage hall.
Meet and greet means the driver parks and waits inside arrivals with a name board, and the terminal car park charge applies. Kerbside means the driver waits in the designated pickup area and you walk out to the car, which costs less. Meet and greet is worth it with children, heavy luggage, an elderly passenger or an unfamiliar terminal.
It depends on the pickup address, the airport, the time of day and the size of vehicle, so we quote rather than publish a table. Phone the branch nearest you with your address, the airport and the times and you will get a fixed quote for your actual journey in about a minute, held for the journey.
It depends on the airport, the dates and how far you live from it. The fair comparison is two car journeys against parking plus fuel plus the shuttle at both ends plus doing both drives yourself. Ask us to quote both legs and you can work it out properly rather than guessing.
A period of free waiting after the flight lands, so normal immigration and baggage queues are covered. Beyond that waiting is chargeable, and the amount included is confirmed when you book. Tell us if you expect to be slow through reclaim and we will plan for it.
Yes, at all five airports. Give us the terminal when you book if you know it; if your airline moves you, the flight number means we will know before you do.
Yes, we run 24 hours and very early departures are routine. Book them in advance rather than the night before, because the pre-dawn slots fill first.
Yes, and it is much better value than separate cars. Tell the office the number of passengers and the number of bags so an estate or MPV is sent rather than a saloon — four adults with four large cases will not fit in a saloon.
Where a toll or charging zone applies to your route it is included in the quote you are given, so the quoted figure is what you pay. The Dartford Crossing and the central London zones come up most on the London City run. Ask for it itemised if you want to see it.
Yes. An account means no payment at the kerb and one itemised statement for the period, and it lets your office book a car for a colleague or a visiting client without them handling payment at all. Apply through our account application page.
Tell us the child’s age and roughly their height when you book and we will tell you what we can fit. You are also welcome to fit your own seat. In a licensed private hire vehicle a child aged 3 or over may legally travel in the rear on the adult belt where no child seat is available, but we would rather fit a proper seat for an hour on a motorway.
Yes, in wheelchair accessible vehicles with ramp access, so a passenger can travel in their own chair. Because these are a limited part of the fleet, book an airport run as far ahead as possible rather than day to day.
Heathrow, comfortably. London City is only 20.0 miles from Kingston but takes about an hour and eighteen minutes, roughly 15 mph average — slower than the same journey from Epsom, which is 48.9 miles away. It is the clearest case on our network of distance telling you nothing useful.
Phone the branch nearest your pickup address with the airport, the date, the flight number and the number of passengers and bags, and you will have a fixed quote in about a minute. Epsom head office is on 01372 747 747, or start online with the booking form. Book the return leg at the same time — it is the half of the trip where a car already waiting is worth most.
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