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Short answer: it depends entirely on which of the six London airports you land at. A fixed-price taxi into the city costs from £40 at London City, from £65 at Heathrow, from £75 at Gatwick and Luton, from £85 at Stansted and from £95 at Southend. Metered black cabs run roughly 30 to 60 percent higher, and ride-hailing sits in between with surge pricing on top. Prices are per vehicle, not per passenger.
London is served by six airports spread across 40 miles of countryside and suburb, so “a taxi to the city” can mean a 20-minute run or a 100-minute one. The airport on your boarding pass matters far more than the vehicle you choose. Here is what each one costs in 2026.
First, which city centre do you mean?
Three destinations get called “the city” and they price differently:
- Central London: the West End, Mayfair, Soho, Victoria and Westminster. W1, SW1, WC2.
- The City of London: the financial district around Bank, Liverpool Street and St Paul’s. EC1 to EC4.
- Canary Wharf: further east again, and a different price from every airport.
The distinction is worth getting right because it can move the fare by £15 or more in either direction. From Heathrow in the west, the City is further and dearer. From Stansted or Luton in the north, the City is closer and cheaper than the West End.
Taxi fares from every London airport
| Airport | Miles to central London | Drive time | Black cab | Uber | Fixed price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London City | 9 | 30 to 50 min | £35 to £60 | £28 to £50 | £45 |
| Heathrow | 15 to 18 | 45 to 70 min | £75 to £130 | £55 to £90 | £65 |
| Gatwick | 28 | 60 to 90 min | £90 to £130 | £75 to £120 | £75 |
| Luton | 34 | 60 to 90 min | £100 to £150 | £75 to £120 | £75 |
| Stansted | 40 | 70 to 100 min | £110 to £160 | £85 to £135 | £85 |
| Southend | 42 | 75 to 105 min | £120 to £180 | £95 to £150 | £95 |
Every price covers the whole vehicle. Book direct for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or London City, or enter any postcode in the form above for an exact quote.
Fares to the City of London specifically
For EC postcodes, Liverpool Street, Bank, Moorgate, St Paul’s and the surrounding financial district:
| From | Miles to EC2 | Drive time | Fixed price from |
|---|---|---|---|
| London City Airport | 7 | 25 to 45 min | £40 |
| Heathrow | 21 | 55 to 80 min | £75 |
| Luton | 33 | 60 to 90 min | £80 |
| Stansted | 37 | 65 to 95 min | £80 |
| Gatwick | 31 | 65 to 100 min | £85 |
| Southend | 40 | 70 to 100 min | £90 |
London City Airport is the outlier in the best way. At seven miles from Bank it is the only London airport where a private car is cheap in absolute terms, which is precisely why business travellers use it.
Why fares from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton work differently
This is the part most price guides miss, and it costs people money.
London black cabs are licensed to operate within Greater London. A driver has to accept a fare inside that boundary, but Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend all sit outside it. Journeys to and from those airports are treated as private hirings, which means the driver can decline the job or negotiate a price with you at the kerb rather than simply running the meter.
In practice you are haggling, at an airport, after a flight, with no reference price. Most drivers will agree something in the £90 to £130 range from Gatwick, but you have no way of knowing whether that is fair until afterwards. If the meter does run instead, a long motorway journey with a traffic delay can climb past £150.
A pre-booked fixed fare removes the negotiation entirely. That is a bigger advantage at the outer airports than it is at Heathrow, where the meter at least gives you a regulated number.
The charges that get added on top
- Congestion Charge, £18 per day. Applies to journeys into the central zone during charging hours. Black cabs are exempt; private hire vehicles are not, so check whether it is in your quote.
- Airport drop-off charges. Roughly £7 at Heathrow, £6 at Gatwick and £10 for a short stop at Stansted, payable on the journey to the airport rather than from it.
- Terminal parking on arrivals. Charged whenever a driver parks and meets you inside the building.
- Night and weekend rates. Metered fares rise after 22:00 and at weekends. Ride-hailing surges at the same times for a different reason.
- Waiting time. If there is no free grace period, a slow bag belt is billed to you.
Our quotes are inclusive of all of the above. What you are told at booking is what you pay, which is the whole point of fixed-price airport transfers.
Cheap flight, expensive arrival
Budget fares into Stansted, Luton and Southend look attractive until the ground transport is added. Two people flying into Stansted instead of Heathrow to save £25 each on the ticket give most of it back on the transfer:
| Landing at | Fixed transfer to the City | Extra vs London City Airport | Extra travel time |
|---|---|---|---|
| London City | From £40 | Baseline | Baseline |
| Heathrow | From £75 | £35 | About 30 min |
| Stansted | From £80 | £40 | About 45 min |
| Gatwick | From £85 | £45 | About 45 min |
Worth checking before you book the flight, not after. If your trip involves two airports, cross-London runs such as Heathrow to Gatwick are fixed price as well.
Group size changes the answer completely
A taxi fare is per vehicle, so cost per head falls as the group grows. From Gatwick to the City, £85 is £85 for one person and about £11 each for eight in one van. No rail ticket does that.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Typical uplift on the saloon price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 4 | 2 medium, 2 hand | Base price |
| Estate | 4 | 3 large, 2 hand | Around 15 percent |
| People carrier | 5 | 4 large, 3 hand | Around 30 percent |
| 8 seater | 8 | 8 large, 4 hand | Around 70 percent |
Booking one 8 seater always beats booking two saloons. Check capacities on our fleet page before you choose, or call and describe what you are carrying.
Four ways to bring the price down
- Fix the price before you fly. It is the single biggest saving at the outer airports, where the alternative is negotiating at a rank.
- Give the exact postcode. The difference between W1 and EC2 is real money, and a vague destination gets priced cautiously.
- Book both legs together. Returns are cheaper arranged in one booking.
- Size the vehicle honestly. An upgrade at the kerb costs more than the right car booked in advance.
For a deeper breakdown of the Heathrow route specifically, see how much a taxi costs from Heathrow to London and is Uber or a taxi cheaper from Heathrow. If you are heading to a hotel, our airport to hotel guide covers the last mile.
Get an exact price for your journey
Ranges are useful for budgeting, but your postcode gives you the real number. Enter it above, or call us and we will quote in a minute. Flight tracking, meet and greet, terminal parking and an hour of free waiting are included at every airport.
Call 020 8150 6922 Get a fixed quote
Also available: station transfers, local and long-distance journeys and our full service range.
Frequently asked questions
Which London airport is cheapest for a taxi into the city?
London City Airport, by a wide margin. It sits about seven miles from Bank, so a fixed-price transfer starts from £40. Heathrow is next at £65 to central London, and the outer airports run from £75 to £95.
How much is a taxi from Heathrow to the City of London?
From £75 fixed for a saloon. It is about 21 miles and takes 55 to 80 minutes, longer than the run to the West End because you cross the whole of central London to reach EC postcodes.
Do black cabs go to Gatwick and Stansted?
They can, but they are not obliged to. Those airports fall outside Greater London, so the trip becomes a private hiring and the driver may decline it or negotiate a price rather than use the meter. A pre-booked fixed fare avoids that conversation.
Is the Congestion Charge included in the fare?
In our quotes, yes. It is £18 per day and applies to private hire vehicles entering the central zone during charging hours, so always check whether another operator has included it before comparing prices.
Is a taxi cheaper than the train from a London airport?
Per person, usually not. Per group, often yes, because the taxi price covers the vehicle. From two or three passengers upward the gap closes quickly, and trains stop at stations rather than at your address.
How much is a taxi to Canary Wharf?
Less than central London from London City Airport, and more from Heathrow and Gatwick, since Canary Wharf sits further east. Enter the postcode in the booking form for the exact figure rather than working from a central London price.
Do prices change at night or at weekends?
Metered fares do, and ride-hailing surges. Our fixed prices do not. A 3am arrival costs the same as a 3pm one, which is why late-night landings are where pre-booking saves the most.
How do I get an exact price rather than a range?
Enter your pickup airport and full destination postcode in the booking form above for an instant fixed quote, or call 020 8150 6922 with your flight number and passenger count.
