Richmond is one of the easiest places in south-west London to get to Heathrow by car and one of the more awkward to get there by rail. The District line and the Mildmay line both terminate at Richmond station, and the South Western Railway services run to Waterloo, Reading and Windsor — but none of them goes to the airport. By road, Heathrow is 11 miles from Richmond station and about 22 minutes away by the M4.
Clocktower Cars runs pre-booked airport transfers and local journeys from Richmond upon Thames — the town centre, Richmond Hill, Kew, Petersham, East Sheen and Ham — with the price agreed before you travel. Call 01372 747 747 or book online. This page sets out the measured journeys, what decides the price and how booking works.
Every figure below was measured in October 2026 from Richmond station on The Quadrant (TW9) by the route a driver would actually use, in free-flowing traffic. They are the baseline: an early-morning run will usually beat them and a weekday evening will not.
| Airport | Distance | Typical drive | Main road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 11.0 miles | about 22 minutes | M4 |
| London City | 31.4 miles | about 1 hour 11 minutes | A406 North Circular |
| Luton | 43.7 miles | about 55 minutes | M25 |
| Gatwick | 43.9 miles | about 51 minutes | M25 |
| Stansted | 47.6 miles | about 1 hour 18 minutes | A406 and M11 |
London City is 12.5 miles nearer to Richmond than Gatwick is, and the drive is about twenty minutes longer. The difference is the route: Gatwick is reached by the M25, which runs freely for most of the day, while London City means the North Circular and the roads across east London, where speed depends entirely on the hour. It is the clearest single reason we price the journey rather than the mileage — a per-mile tariff would make the slower journey cheaper.
There are two sensible ways out of Richmond towards Heathrow. The usual one is north over Kew Bridge or Chiswick Bridge to the M4, which the measured time above uses. The alternative is west along the A316 Chertsey Road and in by Hatton Cross, which a driver may choose when the M4 is congested at Chiswick. On a Twickenham Stadium match day the A316 is the road to avoid — the stadium sits 2.3 miles from Richmond station on that road, about 8 minutes’ drive on a normal day and a great deal more when a crowd of that size is arriving or leaving.
For a 7am departure from Terminal 5, most people want to be at the terminal around 5am, which means leaving Richmond at about 4:30. At that hour 22 minutes is comfortable and the M4 is empty. The value of booking is that the car is outside before you have closed the front door — a private hire car cannot be hailed in the street, and a cab rank cannot be booked the night before.
Clocktower Cars is a licensed private hire operator, not a black-cab firm. In London that distinction is set in law: a black cab can be hailed or taken from a rank, a private hire car cannot, and every private hire journey has to be booked in advance through a licensed operator. You will not find us on the rank outside Richmond station, and you cannot flag us down on George Street. What you get instead is a price agreed before the car moves.
That matters more on the Heathrow run than anywhere else. Because the office takes the booking, it sees the whole journey first — pick-up address, terminal, number of bags, time of day — and quotes it up front. A metered fare keeps running while the car sits at the Chiswick roundabout; an agreed fare does not. Our operator licence is held as Epsom & Ewell Cars T/A Clocktower Cars, with drivers and vehicles licensed across Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead, Mole Valley, Elmbridge, Guildford, Waverley and Transport for London.
We do not publish a fare list, for the reason the London City and Gatwick comparison above makes obvious. Here is what the office actually weighs when it prices your journey; the full reasoning is on what decides the cost of a taxi.
The M4 into Heathrow at 5am and at 5pm are different roads. So is the A316 on a Saturday when England are playing at Twickenham. Night work, bank holidays and the Christmas period are priced differently because covering them costs differently.
Tell the office how many people and how many bags. Four people with four large cases need an estate, not a saloon; five or six need an MPV; a family of eight with full luggage may need two cars. If you are travelling as a group, the detail is on our eight-seater and large taxis to Heathrow page.
On the way home we track the inbound flight. Land early and the driver is early; land late and the car is still there, and you are not charged for the airline’s delay. Included waiting time runs from landing, which covers the walk, immigration and the baggage hall.
Terminals 2 and 3 are in the central area, through the tunnel; Terminals 4 and 5 are reached from the perimeter roads. Going out is a drop-off. Coming back is a meet in arrivals or a pick-up from the designated area, which is a separate piece of work and quoted as such. Each terminal has its own guide: Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
Heathrow charges £7 for every entry into a terminal drop-off zone, at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, twenty-four hours a day and every day of the year. It is the airport’s charge, not a Clocktower Cars fee, and a second entry is charged again. Blue Badge holders can claim a 100% discount, including as a passenger, but it has to be registered against the registration of the car carrying them — so tell the office when you book. The current terms are on Heathrow’s drop-off charge page. Gatwick charges £10 for the first ten minutes, then £1 a minute up to twenty, with a £30 daily cap and Blue Badge holders exempt. Arrivals pick-ups do not use the drop-off zones at either airport. These were the published charges when this page was reviewed in October 2026.
Airport work is most of it. These local runs were measured the same day, by the same method, from Richmond station:
| From Richmond station to | Distance | Typical drive | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twickenham Stadium | 2.3 miles | about 8 minutes | A316 |
| Kingston upon Thames station | 3.9 miles | about 14 minutes | A307 |
| Heathrow | 11.0 miles | about 22 minutes | M4 |
Richmond is a terminus for two lines and a through station for a third, which is convenient right up until one of them is suspended. The bookings we see most often on those days are not airport runs at all: they are people who need to be in Kingston, Twickenham or Surrey and whose train has just been cancelled. Ring the office — it will tell you honestly how soon a car can be with you.
The car is matched to the booking. A saloon takes up to four passengers travelling light; an estate takes four with real suitcases; an MPV takes five or six with their bags; an eight-seater takes a full group, though eight adults with eight large cases need two vehicles and the office will say so when you book. Executive cars are available for business travel on request. We confirm the capacity of the vehicle; we do not promise a particular make or model.
To be plain about one thing people sometimes ask: Clocktower Cars is not a car hire company and does not rent out vehicles. Every booking comes with a licensed driver.
Pay by card when you book, in cash to the driver, or on a monthly invoiced business account. There is no card terminal in the vehicle, so if you would rather not carry cash, pay the office at the time of booking. More on the pricing and payment methods page.
If your journey starts a little further along the river, these pages carry their own measured times: Twickenham (7.3 miles, about 21 minutes), Thames Ditton (9.4 miles, about 29 minutes), Kingston (9.8 miles, about 32 minutes) and Surbiton (11.4 miles, about 36 minutes). Richmond is further from the airport than Thames Ditton or Kingston and still gets there seven to ten minutes sooner, because it reaches the M4 and they do not.
Heathrow is 11.0 miles from Richmond station and the drive takes about 22 minutes by the M4, measured in free-flowing traffic in October 2026.
We quote every journey before you travel rather than publishing a fare list, because the price depends on the hour, the vehicle your luggage needs, the terminal, and whether it is a drop-off or an arrivals pick-up. Call 01372 747 747 or use the online booking form and you will have the price before you commit.
No. The District line, the Mildmay line and the South Western Railway services from Richmond run towards central London, Stratford, Waterloo, Reading and Windsor, and none of them serves Heathrow. By road it is about 22 minutes on the M4.
Yes. The office runs twenty-four hours a day and early departures are the most common airport booking we take. For a 7am flight a pick-up around 4:30am is usually right. Book the evening before at the latest, and earlier in school holidays.
No. We are a licensed private hire operator, so every journey has to be booked in advance through the office — that is the law in London. The black cabs on the station rank are a different service.
Heathrow charges £7 for each entry into a terminal drop-off zone, at all four terminals, around the clock. It is the airport’s charge rather than ours, and a second entry is charged again. Blue Badge holders can claim a 100% discount if it is registered against the registration of the car carrying them, so mention it when you book.
Yes. From Richmond station Gatwick is 43.9 miles and about 51 minutes, Luton 43.7 miles and about 55 minutes, Stansted 47.6 miles and about 1 hour 18 minutes, and London City 31.4 miles and about 1 hour 11 minutes. London City is the nearest of those four and the slowest to reach.
On a match day the A316 past Twickenham Stadium is the road to stay off, and a driver going to Heathrow will normally use the M4 instead. If you are going to the match, book a drop-off and agree a collection point away from the stadium so the car is not stuck in the crowd.
There is no card terminal in the vehicle. You can pay by card when you book with the office, in cash to the driver, or on a monthly invoiced business account.
Twenty-two minutes to Heathrow is one of the best airport runs in south-west London, as long as you are in a car that is already booked. Tell us where in Richmond you are, where you are going and when, and the office will give you the price before anything is agreed. Call 01372 747 747 at any hour, or book online and we will come straight back to you.
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