Fixed-fare taxis from Bristol to London Gatwick. Saloon £191.72, 8 vehicle sizes, and a straight answer on the Bristol Clean Air Zone charge.
Between Bristol and London Gatwick Airport is 129.4 miles (208.3 km) by road — the longest corridor we publish, and one where the train, National Express and FlixBus all cost less per person than we do, at every group size from one traveller to eight, without a single crossover. The drive takes 137 to 180 minutes depending on the hour. Our fixed-fare saloon runs at £191.72, both directions, quoted before you travel rather than metered during it.
So this page opens with that honest comparison rather than with our fare table — and it explains the two charges nobody else mentions: the daily Clean Air Zone charge that sits on half the pickup addresses in Bristol, and the drop-off charge at the airport forecourt. We're Stansted Airport Taxi (QMH Technologies Ltd), a TfL-licensed private hire operator.
Direct Answer
Bristol to Gatwick is 129.4 miles (~137–180 minutes by road). A fixed-fare taxi is £191.72 for a saloon, both directions, up to £303.24 for an Executive MPV — all worked out from one rate card at 129.4 miles. On this long corridor the train (from £25.90 advance), National Express (from £20.40) and FlixBus (from £10.00) all cost less per person at every group size; the car buys one vehicle, no changes, a departure time you choose and a driver watching your flight. If your Bristol pickup is inside the Clean Air Zone, a £9/day charge applies; Gatwick's forecourt drop-off is £10. Get a quote or call +44 20 3617 7825.
This is the section that decides whether the rest of this page is worth reading, and it opens with the part that doesn't flatter us. Three published alternatives run this Bristol to Gatwick corridor, and every single one costs less per person than our fixed fare — at every group size we carry, from one traveller to eight.
What the alternatives cost, line by line. The advance rail single was £25.90 when this page was written, tied to one named train. National Express publishes a lead-in fare of £20.40 (plus a £1.50 booking fee, waived with a free account). FlixBus publishes a lead-in of £10.00. At 8 passengers those figures multiply out to £207.20, £163.20 and £80.00 respectively — against £249.24 in our largest vehicle. So even filling the eight-seater, all three come in below us.
Where the gap narrows. The gap does close as the group grows, because a ticket price multiplies and a fixed fare doesn't. Against the advance rail single, it falls from £165.82 at one passenger to £42.04 at eight — narrowing every step. Against National Express, from £171.32 to £86.04. Against FlixBus, from £181.72 to £169.24. It closes, and it doesn't cross.
What the fixed fare buys instead. On a corridor this long the fixed fare isn't the cheapest way to travel, and we won't pretend otherwise. What it buys is a different kind of journey:
Now the fare table — after the argument rather than before it. Every figure is worked out from one rate card at 129.4 miles, of which 124.4 are charged by the mile. The same figure applies in both directions, Bristol to Gatwick or Gatwick to Bristol, class for class, no return premium. Prices last updated August 2026.
| Vehicle | Capacity | Fixed fare* | Per head (at capacity) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon (Toyota Prius / VW Passat) | 4 passengers, 3 cases | £191.72 | £47.93 |
| Estate (VW Passat Estate) | 5 passengers, 4 cases | £199.14 | £39.83 |
| MPV5 | 5 passengers | £210.89 | £42.18 |
| MPV6 | 6 passengers, 5 bags | £221.10 | £36.85 |
| MPV7 | 7 passengers | £240.27 | £34.32 |
| MPV8 (Mercedes Vito) | 8 passengers | £249.24 | £31.16 |
| Executive (Mercedes E-Class) | 3–4 passengers | £259.92 | £64.98 |
| Executive MPV (Mercedes V-Class) | 6 passengers | £303.24 | £50.54 |
* Fares are indicative, calculated on distance by vehicle class, and confirmed at booking via our fare calculator. Your final fixed price is locked in your booking confirmation — no surge, no airport surcharge, no late-night premium, no card fees.
Per-head arithmetic. Filling an MPV8 works out at £31.16 per person at capacity — the lowest per-head figure on the table, and the number a group is actually looking for on a corridor this long.
A note on the distance we plan on. Published road figures for this journey range from 129.15 to 142.0 miles across five operator sources, and one page publishes 'approximately 120 to 130 miles' instead of a single number. On a saloon rate that spread is worth £16.71, and £28.60 once the range publisher is counted. We adopt 129.4 miles from a routing engine — rather than an operator that has a fare to sell — and every figure on this page is computed from it.
What the fare covers. The driver, the vehicle, help with luggage at both ends, flight tracking on returns (we track British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Emirates, Air France, KLM and Star Alliance carriers via IATA feeds), and meet-and-greet inside Arrivals with a name-board. The fare is the same figure whichever terminal you're heading to — North or South.
What can be added. For a departure that enters the airport forecourt, the £10 drop-off charge appears on your booking confirmation. If the pickup address sits inside the Bristol Clean Air Zone, that charge sits at the Bristol end — explained in full below. Your booking confirmation states which of those apply and whether they sit inside your quoted fare.
This is the section every other Bristol to Gatwick page walks past. Bristol runs a small Class D Clean Air Zone across the city centre, introduced in November 2022, charging every kind of car £9.00 a day to enter it.
What the zone charges, and who it charges. The council lists Taxi at £9.00 a day — the same figure it charges a private car, a van or a light goods vehicle. Bristol grants no exemption to a taxi, a hackney carriage or a private hire vehicle. The council publishes four exemption categories on its own exemptions page (National CAZ exemptions, two Specialist Vehicle classes, and Hospital Patient and Visitor), and not one of them is a licensing category.
What decides the charge is the engine, not the licence. Charges do not apply to Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles (roughly 2006 onwards), nor to Euro 6 diesel vehicles (roughly end of 2015 onwards); a battery electric vehicle is compliant automatically. Three sources read on the same day agree — the council's charge page, its exemptions page, and an independent motoring guide — so this is settled rather than contested. None of the seven comparable pages we read for this corridor mentions any of it.
Why a taxi is not exempt here. If you've read about a black-cab Congestion Charge exemption in London, or a hackney-carriage exemption elsewhere, that doesn't apply in Bristol. The council's charge page and exemptions page both make the same point: the licensing status of the vehicle is not relevant to the charge — what is relevant is the emissions standard.
The zone boundary, and what sits on each side. There are five named road entrances to the zone: Bridge Valley Road at the northern point (connecting to Clifton Down), the Clanage Road roundabout with the Winterstoke and Ashton Gate underpasses (southern), East Street and Bedminster Bridge (south-western), Three Lamps junction (eastern), and Newfoundland Way (northern, connecting from the M32). The Portway and Hotwell Road are inside the zone; the M32 itself is outside it.
Of the ten places named, four sit inside the zone and six outside it — so whether the charge arises at all is decided by the pickup postcode and nothing else.
The hours, and why they matter. The zone runs 24 hours a day, midnight to midnight, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There's no evening relief and no Sunday relief, so a half-past-four departure for a first flight sits inside the charging window exactly as a Tuesday lunchtime does. Only one charge is made for entering the zone in any twenty-four-hour period. The payment window is six days before travel or six days after; the penalty for missing it is £120 plus the charge, reduced to £60 within 14 days.
What we need at booking. Give us a postcode, not a district name. On this corridor that isn't a preference — it's the thing that decides whether the daily charge lands on the journey at all. We work from BS1 to BS16, and from BS20, BS30, BS31 and BS34 in the outer ring. The pickup point is agreed on your booking confirmation, so there's no surprise about the exact address.
This is the majority journey — most of the searches on this route run from Bristol to Gatwick rather than the other way.
What time to leave Bristol. Work back from the check-in time rather than the flight time. The road needs 137 minutes when it's clear and up to 180 when it isn't, and almost all of that variation sits on the M4 approach to the M25 and on the orbital itself. For a 10:00 flight with an 08:30 check-in, plan a Bristol pickup around 05:00 in the worst case and around 06:00 in the best. Give us the check-in time at booking and we'll work it back from there.
North Terminal or South Terminal. London Gatwick has two terminals, both named rather than numbered — any numbered terminal reference belongs to a different airport. Give us the terminal from your flight details at booking; it changes where the driver goes at the end of the journey, and your boarding pass or confirmation email states which one you need.
The drop-off charge, and the alternative. The airport charges £10.00 for the first 10 minutes at the terminal forecourt, then £1.00 for each further minute up to a 30-minute maximum. The Long Stay car park, however, is free for 120 minutes, which suits anyone who'd rather walk a few minutes than pay at the kerb. Which option we use is stated in your booking confirmation, and it's the same figure either way — the drop-off appears as a line item so you can see what's inside the price.
Coming home from Gatwick to Bristol is the second half of the journeys we run, and it carries the anxiety — so let's answer the worry rather than describe a process.
Your flight is watched from its scheduled departure. A delayed landing is met late, not missed; there's no charge for waiting when a flight lands late, and the pickup time moves with the aircraft rather than the schedule. Give us the flight number at booking — that's all we need.
Where the driver waits. At both North Terminal and South Terminal, our driver meets you inside Arrivals with a name-board. The first 45 to 60 minutes of waiting after landing are free — enough to clear immigration and collect luggage. If you land at the other terminal by mistake, the shuttle between them is free and takes a couple of minutes; and if a bag is delayed at reclaim, tell us — the driver stays and you don't pay for it.
The fare coming back is the same figure as the fare out — class for class, direction for direction. A saloon home is £191.72 the same as a saloon out, and the eight-seater is £249.24 both ways. One competitor page on this corridor charges more for the return leg than the outward one on identical vehicles; we don't, and it's worth saying so plainly. Then one Gatwick to Bristol drive home — 129.4 miles, roughly 137 to 180 minutes — with the cases in the boot.
Open with the fare, because it's the honest thing to lead with: an advance single was £25.90 when this page was written.
There is no direct train. Every rail journey between Bristol Temple Meads and Gatwick Airport needed between one and three changes — typically via Reading, though other combinations exist. The operators involved are CrossCountry, Great Western Railway and the Elizabeth line, so a single through ticket usually spans two or three carriers.
Times as a range. 164 minutes at the quickest, and about 181 on average — against 137 to 180 by road. Frequency: two sources read on the same day disagree, one publishing 13 services a day, the other a weekly count that works out at roughly 30 — so we give the range and don't name either as the answer.
The catch nobody mentions. That advance ticket is tied to one named train. If your flight moves, the ticket doesn't move with it; and on a journey with up to three changes, a missed connection can end the ticket as well. So the £25.90 headline buys a fare that works if everything runs to plan, and works less well if it doesn't. We publish no rail mileage on this page, because the figure a retailer prints for it is a straight-line distance with a rail label on it, not a route any actual train takes.
Two coach operators run this corridor, and they answer different questions.
A lead-in fare is the figure at the bottom of a range and moves with demand — so a reader who books late and pays more won't feel misled by this page. Both leave from Bristol Bus and Coach Station on Marlborough Street, which is the detail that decides whether the coach suits a particular passenger: a suitcase and a small child have to reach Marlborough Street first, and there's a bus station at the far end too. Timing honestly — about 195 minutes at the quickest against 137 to 180 by road, so the coach runs about 58 minutes longer than a clear road at its slowest. The first-and-last figures (00:55 and 19:50) rule the coach in or out for a five-in-the-morning flight or a midnight landing.
Four roads, one Bristol to Gatwick journey.
Out of Bristol on the M32, the spur that connects the city centre to the motorway network. Then the long middle: the M4 runs 189 miles in total from Pont Abraham in Carmarthenshire to the Chiswick Flyover in west London, and this journey uses its eastern half before meeting the M25 at junction 4B, the Thorney Interchange. Then the point that matters to anyone worrying about London charges: we join the M25 and leave it again at junction 7 without entering the city. Finally the M23 runs 17 miles from Hooley in Surrey to Pease Pottage in West Sussex, and we leave at junction 9 for the airport.
Where the time goes. The range from 137 to 180 minutes sits almost entirely on the M4 approach to the M25, and on the M25 itself. The M32 is short; the M23 is short. So we book the pickup for the busy stretch of the middle, not for the ends — and your fare doesn't move with the traffic, which is the whole reason we agree it before you travel.
A reader who knows the London charging rules will assume they touch this journey. They don't.
What can arise: the Bristol Clean Air Zone at the pickup end, if your address sits inside the zone (see above), and the airport drop-off charge at the far end, if the car enters the terminal forecourt. Your booking confirmation states which of those apply.
Vehicle choice up front means the party and the cases actually fit — and on this corridor the pickup postcode matters more than usual, because it decides the Clean Air Zone charge.
A saloon carries 3 cases and 4 people — but not always both at once, so an estate at £199.14 is often the better answer for four adults with four cases. An MPV6 fits 5 large bags with 6 passengers; an MPV8 carries eight with luggage at £249.24 (£31.16 per head at capacity).
Tell us at booking. Oversized and awkward items change the vehicle rather than the price — we size the car to the load so nothing is left on the pavement.
Child seats are free on any booking, and we fit them ourselves. Tell us the ages at booking, ideally 24 hours ahead so the right seat travels out with the car — rear-facing infant, forward-facing toddler and booster cushions are all available.
The first coach leaves at 00:55 and the first train not long after, so a 05:00 departure from Bristol is a real decision. Our dispatch runs 24 hours a day and the time of day doesn't move the fare. Two things go wrong most often: an address given as a district name instead of a postcode (and here the postcode decides the Clean Air Zone charge), and a flight number left off the booking. Both are easy fixes at booking.
The essentials at a glance — for fast reference and voice search.
Q: How much is a taxi from Bristol to Gatwick Airport?
A: A saloon for up to four people is £191.72, agreed before you travel and the same figure in both directions. Larger vehicles run up to £303.24 for an Executive MPV. Every figure is worked out from the same rate card over 129.4 miles, so the price you're quoted is the price you pay. The Bristol Clean Air Zone or airport drop-off may also apply — your booking confirmation states which.
Q: How far is Bristol from Gatwick Airport by road?
A: We plan on 129.4 miles (208.3 km) from a routing-engine figure. Published operator figures range from 129.15 to 142.0 miles, so it's worth knowing which distance a quote is based on — at the saloon mile rate that spread is worth around £16.71.
Q: How long does the drive take?
A: About 137 minutes when the roads are clear, and up to 180 when they aren't. Almost all of that variation sits on the M4 approach to the M25, and on the M25 itself, rather than at either end. Your fare doesn't change with the traffic.
Q: Is the train less expensive than a taxi on this route?
A: On price alone, yes — at every group size we carry. An advance single was £25.90 when this page was written, so even 8 tickets come to £207.20 against £249.24 in our largest vehicle. However, the ticket doesn't give you a direct service (every journey needs one to three changes), an average of 181 minutes door-to-door, or any flexibility if your flight moves.
Q: At what group size does a taxi work out below the coach?
A: It doesn't, and we'd rather say so here than have you find out afterwards. At 8 passengers a £20.40 lead-in fare comes to £163.20 and a £10.00 lead-in comes to £80.00 — against £249.24 in our largest vehicle. The gap narrows with every passenger you add, but on a journey this long it never closes. What the fixed fare gives you is one vehicle, no changes and a departure time you choose.
Q: Does a taxi pay the Bristol Clean Air Zone charge?
A: Yes. Bristol charges a taxi £9.00 a day, the same figure it charges a private car, and grants no exemption to a hackney carriage or a private hire vehicle. The council publishes four exemption categories, and none is a licensing category — what decides the charge is the engine rather than the licence.
Q: Does the Bristol charge apply at night or on a Sunday?
A: Yes. The zone runs 24 hours a day, midnight to midnight, seven days a week, 365 days a year — no evening relief and no Sunday relief. An early-morning departure sits inside the charging window exactly as a weekday lunchtime does. Only one charge is made for entering the zone in any twenty-four-hour period.
Q: Is Bristol Temple Meads inside the Clean Air Zone?
A: No — the station sits just outside it, which makes it one of the simplest pickup points in the city. Filton, Kingswood, Bradley Stoke, Keynsham and Portishead are outside as well. The city centre, Clifton, Hotwells and Bedminster are inside — so give us a postcode rather than a district name and we'll confirm the pickup point on your booking.
Q: Will I pay a London charge on the way to Gatwick?
A: No. The road route joins the M25 and leaves it again without entering London, so neither the Congestion Charge nor the emissions charge applies. There's no crossing toll either. The charges that can arise are the Bristol one at the pickup end and the airport drop-off charge at the far end.
Q: How much does it cost to drop off at Gatwick, and which terminal do I give?
A: The airport charges £10.00 for the first 10 minutes at the forecourt, then £1.00 per further minute up to 30 minutes; the Long Stay car park is free for 120 minutes. Gatwick has a North Terminal and a South Terminal — named, not numbered — so give us the terminal from your flight details. If you end up at the other one, the free shuttle takes a couple of minutes.
Fixed fare from £191.72 saloon to £303.24 Executive MPV. Both directions — Bristol to Gatwick or Gatwick to Bristol, same price. Both terminals — North and South. Meet-and-greet on arrivals. 24-hour dispatch. TfL-licensed.
Fares are indicative, calculated on distance by vehicle class, and confirmed at booking via our fare calculator. Your final fixed price is locked in your booking confirmation. The Bristol Clean Air Zone charge (£9/day, if your pickup is inside the zone) and the Gatwick drop-off charge (£10 forecourt) appear as line items where they apply.
👉 Call +44 20 3617 7825, WhatsApp, or book online. See also our Worthing to Heathrow and Salisbury to Heathrow route guides.
Author: Stansted Airport Taxi Route Team · Last reviewed 4 August 2026 · Prices last updated August 2026.
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