London has five airports and no two of them are the same journey from Surrey. One is twenty minutes away in free-flowing traffic; another is over seventy miles. Which one you fly from changes the departure time, the cost and the amount of M25 involved, and if you have a choice of airport it is worth making that choice on the road distance rather than the ticket price alone.
This guide sets out the measured distances to all five, shows which airport is genuinely nearest from the towns we cover, and explains the practical things that catch people out at each one — terminals, drop-off charges, timing and luggage.
The Five London Airports by Road from Surrey
Measured road distances and free-flowing drive times from the Clock Tower in Epsom, the junction our head office sits beside.
| Airport | Road distance | Free-flowing time | Usual route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatwick (LGW) | 19.4 miles | about 32 minutes | A217 / M23 |
| Heathrow (LHR) | 24.3 miles | about 32 minutes | A3 / M25 west |
| London City (LCY) | 48.9 miles | about 1 hr 11 min | A3 / Blackwall or Woolwich |
| Luton (LTN) | 57.8 miles | about 1 hr 17 min | M25 anticlockwise / M1 |
| Stansted (STN) | 72.7 miles | about 1 hr 41 min | M25 anticlockwise / M11 |
Two things stand out. Heathrow is five miles further than Gatwick yet takes the same time, because the M25 west does the work while the A217 has traffic lights. And Stansted is nearly four times the distance of Gatwick, which is why “an airport transfer” cannot sensibly have one price.
Which Airport Is Actually Nearest to You
The answer changes sharply across our patch. These are measured today.
| From | To Heathrow | To Gatwick | Nearer airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epsom | 24.3 miles, about 32 min | 19.4 miles, about 32 min | Gatwick by distance, level on time |
| Reigate | 30.3 miles, about 37 min | 7.6 miles, about 15 min | Gatwick, comfortably |
| Leatherhead | 22.7 miles, about 30 min | 21.2 miles, about 25 min | Gatwick on both counts, narrowly |
| Godalming | 30.2 miles, about 47 min | 40.1 miles, about 49 min | Heathrow, against the map |
Reigate is the clearest case on the list: Gatwick is under eight miles away on the A217, which makes it one of the shortest airport runs anywhere in Surrey. Godalming is the most counter-intuitive — Gatwick looks nearer on a map, but the quick road route runs north up the A3 and round the M25, so Heathrow is ten miles closer and a couple of minutes quicker. The Godalming airport guide goes through that in detail.
Choosing the Right Vehicle
Airport work is really luggage work. The vehicle follows the bags rather than the heads, and getting it wrong is the commonest reason an airport booking goes sideways.
Saloon
Up to four passengers with modest luggage. Fine for two people with a hold bag each, or a single traveller with a case and a laptop bag. Not the car for four adults with four hold bags, whatever the arithmetic looks like on paper.
Estate
Four passengers with real boot space. This is the sensible default for a family going away for a fortnight, and the vehicle most people should be asking for when they say “a normal car”.
Six and eight-seaters
Groups, and families with pushchairs, ski bags or golf clubs. For five to eight people one larger vehicle is almost always cheaper and simpler than two cars, because everyone arrives at the terminal at the same time rather than twenty minutes apart.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles
A smaller part of any fleet, so they need booking rather than requesting on the day. Tell us at the booking stage and it is designed into the journey — our accessible taxi page sets out what we run and how it works.
Heathrow: What to Know Before You Travel
Heathrow is four operating terminals spread over a site that takes a while to cross. Terminal 5 sits at the western end and Terminals 2 and 3 in the central area, so the terminal pairing matters to both the route in and the timing.
- Drop-off charge. Heathrow charges £7 for each entry into a terminal drop-off zone, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 — and leaving and re-entering charges again. Source: Heathrow Airport — drop-off charge.
- Blue Badge holders can claim a full discount even when they are not driving, registered against the registration number of the car bringing them. We will give you that number.
- Arrivals. On a long-haul arrival the time from touchdown to kerbside is the biggest variable in the day. A tracked pickup absorbs it; a pre-set clock time does not.
Full detail on that run is on our Heathrow taxi service page.
Gatwick: What to Know Before You Travel
Gatwick is two terminals, North and South, linked by a shuttle. Arriving at the wrong one is recoverable but costs you fifteen minutes you may not have, so the terminal goes on the booking.
- Drop-off charge. A minimum of £10 for a stay of up to ten minutes in the drop-off zones, then £1 for each further minute up to twenty. Maximum stay thirty minutes, daily cap £30, same terms at both terminals. Source: Gatwick Airport — dropping off.
- Blue Badge holders are exempt once the vehicle registration is registered.
- From Reigate and Redhill this is a very short run — 7.6 miles on the A217 — and worth remembering if you have a choice of departure airport.
More on that route on our Gatwick transfers page.
Luton, Stansted and London City
All three are long runs from Surrey and all three go round the M25, which is the governing fact about them. From Epsom, London City is 48.9 miles and about an hour and ten; Luton is 57.8 miles and about an hour and twenty; Stansted is 72.7 miles and about an hour and forty. Those are free-flowing figures on a motorway that is rarely free-flowing, so the departure time is set with a real margin rather than an optimistic one. See our Luton and Stansted pages, and if you are moving between airports rather than to one, our Heathrow to Gatwick guide.
Timing: How Early to Leave
Work backwards, not forwards. Start from the time your airline wants you at the desk, add the drive time for your route, then add a margin for the M25 rather than hoping. For a long-haul departure at a busy time that usually means leaving earlier than feels necessary — which is still cheaper than a missed flight.
- Early mornings are the quickest driving of the day and the reason most airport work happens before six.
- Weekday peaks are the worst, in both directions, on every route in the table above.
- School holidays and bank holidays load the motorways and the terminals at the same time.
What Decides the Price of an Airport Transfer
No single figure covers it, and anybody publishing one is picking a version of the journey and hoping it matches yours. What actually moves the number:
- The distance and the route your postcodes dictate
- The hour and the day — nights, early mornings, Sundays and bank holidays cost more to staff
- The vehicle, which in practice means the luggage
- Waiting and flight tracking on an arrival
- Access requirements and extras such as child seats or a pet travelling
- Airport drop-off charges, which belong to the airport
Our guide to what sets a taxi price works through all six in more depth.
How You Can Pay
Card when you book, by phone or online. Cash to the driver — our cars do not carry card terminals, so if you have not paid in advance please bring cash. Or a business account invoiced monthly, with references on each line, which is how most corporate airport work runs. Details on our pricing and payment methods page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which London airport is closest to Surrey?
It depends where in Surrey. From Reigate, Gatwick is 7.6 miles and about fifteen minutes. From Epsom, Gatwick is 19.4 miles and Heathrow 24.3, but both take about half an hour. From Godalming, Heathrow is the nearer by road at 30.2 miles against Gatwick’s 40.1, even though the map suggests otherwise.
How long does it take to get to Heathrow from Surrey?
About thirty minutes from Epsom or Leatherhead in free-flowing traffic, around thirty-seven from Reigate and about forty-seven from Godalming. Every one of those routes uses the M25 or the A3, so a peak hour or an incident can add considerably. We build the departure time around your check-in rather than the headline drive time.
Is there a charge to be dropped off at Heathrow or Gatwick?
Yes, and it belongs to the airport rather than to us. Heathrow charges £7 for each entry into a terminal drop-off zone, any time of day, every day. Gatwick charges a minimum of £10 for up to ten minutes, then £1 a minute to twenty minutes, with a thirty-minute maximum and a £30 daily cap. Blue Badge holders can claim exemptions, registered against the vehicle registration.
How much does an airport transfer cost?
It depends on the distance, the time of day, the vehicle the luggage requires and whether waiting or flight tracking is involved, so we quote each journey rather than publish a list. Give us the postcodes, the flight and the bag count and you will have the figure before you book.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
On a booked collection we track the flight and set the pickup against the actual landing time, not the scheduled one. There is a free grace period after landing for immigration and baggage reclaim, with waiting chargeable beyond it.
Which terminal will I be dropped at?
Whichever your airline uses, and we need to know it when you book. Heathrow has four operating terminals spread across a large site and Gatwick has two linked by a shuttle, so the terminal changes both the route in and the timing.
Can you take eight people and their luggage to the airport?
Yes. An eight-seater takes the group and the bags in one vehicle, which is usually cheaper than two cars and always simpler at the terminal. Tell us the passenger count and the luggage count and we will confirm which vehicle fits.
Do you cover Luton, Stansted and London City?
Yes, all three, though they are much longer runs from Surrey — from Epsom, London City is 48.9 miles, Luton 57.8 and Stansted 72.7. Those journeys need an earlier departure and are priced accordingly.
Get a Price for Your Airport Transfer
Give us the postcodes, the date and time, the flight number and the number of passengers and bags. You will have the figure before you commit to anything. Call 01372 747 747, or 01483 422 222 for Godalming, or use the online booking form. Everything else we run is on our airport transfers page, and the rest of the practicalities in our FAQs.