Thames Ditton is a riverside village of about 9,400 people in the borough of Elmbridge, with a KT7 postcode, a station on the Hampton Court branch line and Hampton Court Palace just across the water. It is also unusually well placed for the airports: Heathrow is 9.4 miles from Thames Ditton station and Gatwick 25.9 miles, and both are under forty minutes away by road.
Clocktower Cars runs pre-booked taxis and minicabs from Thames Ditton — the village, Giggs Hill Green, Weston Green and Thames Ditton Island — to all five London airports and on local journeys, with the price agreed before you travel. Elmbridge is one of the seven authorities our drivers and vehicles are licensed by. Call 01372 747 747 or book online.
These figures were measured on 17 October 2026 from Thames Ditton station (KT7 0PA), using the route and drive-time estimate Google Maps gave at the time. Treat them as a guide rather than a guarantee: a 5am departure will usually beat them and a weekday rush hour will not.
| Airport | Distance | Typical drive | Main road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 9.4 miles | about 24 minutes | A308 |
| Gatwick | 25.9 miles | about 36 minutes | M25 and M23 |
| Luton | 50.0 miles | about 59 minutes | M25 |
| London City | 56.1 miles | about 1 hour 15 minutes | M25 |
| Stansted | 78.9 miles | about 1 hour 25 minutes | M25 |
The two airports you are most likely to use leave Thames Ditton in opposite directions and on very different roads. Heathrow is reached across Hampton Court Bridge and out along the A308 — short, but made of junctions and traffic lights, so the time swings more with the hour than the distance suggests. Gatwick is nearly three times as far and only twelve minutes longer, because almost all of it is the M25 and the M23. That is the reason we quote each journey rather than publishing a rate per mile: a mile on the A308 and a mile on the M23 cost different amounts of time.
Both are long journeys from KT7 and both normally go round the M25 rather than through central London. London City is 22.8 miles nearer than Stansted but only about ten minutes quicker, because the last part of the London City run is the slowest. For an early flight from either, allow for the M25 at the time you will actually be on it.
Thames Ditton sits between two racecourses — Sandown Park at Esher and Kempton Park at Sunbury — and a big meeting at either can load the local roads. If you are flying on a race day, mention it when you book and the office will allow for it.
Not every booking is an airport run. These local journeys were measured the same day, by the same method, from Thames Ditton station:
| From Thames Ditton station to | Distance | Typical drive | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Court Palace | 1.4 miles | about 3 minutes | A309 |
| Kingston upon Thames station | 3.4 miles | about 9 minutes | A309 and A308 |
| Heathrow | 9.4 miles | about 24 minutes | A308 |
Thames Ditton station is on the Hampton Court branch, with trains to Waterloo taking about 33 minutes; the faster services go from Surbiton. It is a good line into town and no help at all for the airports — none of the routes from Thames Ditton or Surbiton serves Heathrow or Gatwick directly. That is why most of the journeys we run from KT7 are airport transfers.
Clocktower Cars is a licensed private hire operator, not a hackney carriage firm. You cannot hail one of our cars in the village or find it on a rank; every journey is booked in advance through the office. The benefit is that the office sees the whole journey before it starts — address, airport, terminal, luggage, time — and agrees the price up front. 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 quote rather than publish a tariff. The full reasoning is on what decides the cost of a taxi; for a Thames Ditton journey it comes down to four things.
The A308 at 5am and at 5pm are not the same road, and neither is the M25 on a Friday afternoon in August. Night work, bank holidays and the Christmas period are priced differently because covering them costs differently.
Four people with four large cases need an estate, five or six need an MPV, and a group of eight with full luggage may need two cars. For larger parties see our page on eight-seater and large taxis to Heathrow.
On the way home the driver works to the actual landing time. An early arrival is met early, a delayed one is waited for, and you are not charged for a delay the airline caused.
A drop-off is a drive to the kerb; an arrivals pick-up involves parking, waiting and a walk to meet you. They are quoted as separate jobs, and you have both prices before you travel.
Heathrow charges £7 for every entry into a terminal drop-off zone, at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, around the clock; a second entry is charged again. Gatwick charges £10 for the first ten minutes, then £1 a minute up to twenty, with a £30 daily cap. Both are the airports’ charges, not ours. Blue Badge holders can claim a 100% discount at Heathrow if it is registered against the registration of the car carrying them, and are exempt at Gatwick — mention it when you book. Current Heathrow terms are on Heathrow’s drop-off charge page. Arrivals pick-ups do not use the drop-off zones.
The car is matched to the booking: a saloon for up to four travelling light, an estate for four with real suitcases, an MPV for five or six, an eight-seater for a group, and executive cars for business travel on request. Child seats are fitted when you give the children’s ages and weights at booking, and assistance dogs travel at no extra charge. We confirm the capacity of the vehicle rather than promising a particular make or model. 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. More on the pricing and payment methods page, and the full list of towns we collect from for Heathrow is on the Heathrow airport transfers page.
Heathrow is 9.4 miles from Thames Ditton station and the drive took about 24 minutes by the A308 when measured on 17 October 2026. Time varies more than distance on this route because it runs on local roads rather than a motorway.
Gatwick is 25.9 miles from Thames Ditton station and about 36 minutes by the M25 and M23 — nearly three times the distance to Heathrow for only about twelve more minutes.
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 a pick-up. Call 01372 747 747 or use the online booking form and you will have the figure before you commit.
Not directly. Thames Ditton station is on the Hampton Court branch line to Waterloo, and the faster trains from Surbiton also run towards Waterloo and the south-west. Neither serves Heathrow or Gatwick.
Yes. We run local journeys as well as airport transfers — station runs, Hampton Court, Kingston, Surbiton, Esher, school runs and Sandown Park race days — all pre-booked through the office.
Yes, on the same pre-booked basis as the rest of the village. Give the full address when you book, and for the island any access detail the driver will need.
Heathrow charges £7 for each entry into a drop-off zone and Gatwick charges £10 for the first ten minutes, then £1 a minute up to twenty, capped at £30 a day. Both are airport charges, not ours. Blue Badge holders can claim a discount at Heathrow and are exempt at Gatwick if it is registered against the car carrying them.
Yes, ramp-equipped vehicles are part of the fleet, but there are a limited number, so book ahead — especially for a morning flight. Tell the office the chair type and whether the passenger travels in the chair.
There is no card terminal in the vehicle. Pay by card when you book with the office, in cash to the driver, or on a monthly invoiced business account.
Tell us where in Thames Ditton 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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