A taxi from Southampton to London Gatwick is about 72.6 miles from the city centre — 89 minutes on a clear road, up to 135 in the worst of the Sussex coastal traffic. Fixed fares from £117.88 in a saloon from the city, confirmed at booking, the same figure in both directions. Before anything else: Southampton is not one pickup point. The city centre, the cruise terminals at the port, and Southampton Airport at Eastleigh sit up to 8.5 miles apart, and the fare is calculated from whichever your booking names. That difference is worth up to £11.05 on a saloon before anything else is counted. The next section resolves which is which.
Three pickup points, three distances, three sets of fares — and the word Southampton covers all of them.
The default reading of Southampton — SO14 through SO19 and the suburbs running out to Bitterne, Portswood, Shirley, Highfield, Ocean Village, Woolston and Hedge End. The main fare table below is built on this distance.
The five terminals at the Port of Southampton sit 77.0 miles from Gatwick — 4.4 miles further than the city centre. That produces £5.72 more on a saloon at the same per-mile rate. Not a port surcharge — extra mileage at the same arithmetic. One planning distance covers all five terminals, since the variation between them is minutes rather than miles.
The closest of the three to the M3 — 68.5 miles and £112.55 for a saloon. The fare is lower because the distance is genuinely shorter. Chandler's Ford and SO53 postcodes north of Eastleigh price from this origin too.
Give us a postcode rather than a district name. It is what the fare is calculated from. For a cruise pickup, name the terminal and the ship. For the airport, say arrivals or departures.
Every operational fact on one surface — every figure sourced, every alternative mode included.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Road distance (city centre) | ~72.6 miles (116.8 km) |
| Road distance (cruise terminals) | ~77.0 miles |
| Road distance (Southampton Airport) | ~68.5 miles |
| Off-peak journey time | ~89 minutes |
| Peak journey time | Up to 135 minutes |
| Saloon fare (city centre) | £117.88 fixed |
| Saloon fare (cruise terminals) | £123.60 fixed |
| Saloon fare (Southampton Airport) | £112.55 fixed |
| Gatwick terminals | North Terminal · South Terminal — same fare |
| Train (advance single) | From £8.00 — cheaper at every group size |
| Coach (lead-in) | £12.00–£24.40 — cheaper for small groups |
| Operator licensing | TfL PHV Licensed |
| Available | 24/7 · 365 days |
Every fare covers the whole vehicle. The calculation is shown beside each row: £30.00 minimum covers the first 5 miles; every mile after that is charged at the class rate.
| Vehicle | Capacity | Fixed fare | Calculation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 4 passengers, 3 cases | £117.88 | £30.00 + 67.6 × £1.30 |
| Estate | 5 passengers, 4 cases | £122.46 | £31.20 + 67.6 × £1.35 |
| MPV 5 | 5 passengers | £129.67 | £33.00 + 67.6 × £1.43 |
| MPV 6 | 6 passengers, 5 bags | £135.90 | £34.50 + 67.6 × £1.50 |
| MPV 7 | 7 passengers | £147.69 | £37.50 + 67.6 × £1.63 |
| MPV 8 — Mercedes Vito | 8 passengers | £153.24 | £39.00 + 67.6 × £1.69 |
| Executive — Mercedes E-Class | 3 passengers, 2 cases | £157.68 | £36.00 + 67.6 × £1.80 |
| Executive MPV — Mercedes V-Class | 6 passengers, 5 cases | £183.96 | £42.00 + 67.6 × £2.10 |
| Vehicle | Fixed fare | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | £123.60 | £30.00 + 72.0 × £1.30 |
| Estate | £128.40 | £31.20 + 72.0 × £1.35 |
| MPV 5 | £135.96 | £33.00 + 72.0 × £1.43 |
| MPV 6 | £142.50 | £34.50 + 72.0 × £1.50 |
| MPV 7 | £154.86 | £37.50 + 72.0 × £1.63 |
| MPV 8 | £160.68 | £39.00 + 72.0 × £1.69 |
| Executive | £165.60 | £36.00 + 72.0 × £1.80 |
| Executive MPV | £193.20 | £42.00 + 72.0 × £2.10 |
| Vehicle | Fixed fare | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | £112.55 | £30.00 + 63.5 × £1.30 |
| Estate | £116.93 | £31.20 + 63.5 × £1.35 |
| MPV 5 | £123.81 | £33.00 + 63.5 × £1.43 |
| MPV 6 | £129.75 | £34.50 + 63.5 × £1.50 |
| MPV 7 | £141.01 | £37.50 + 63.5 × £1.63 |
| MPV 8 | £146.32 | £39.00 + 63.5 × £1.69 |
| Executive | £150.30 | £36.00 + 63.5 × £1.80 |
| Executive MPV | £175.35 | £42.00 + 63.5 × £2.10 |
This is one of the few long routes with two genuinely competitive road options. The driver picks between them on the day based on traffic — the fare does not change either way.
Coastal route
The coastal route runs east from Southampton on the M27, then the A27 through Fareham, Cosham, Havant, Chichester, Arundel, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea. From Shoreham the A24 north leads to Horsham, then the A264 east to the M23, joining at Junction 11 near Pease Pottage. Shorter in miles, slower per mile when the Sussex towns queue. Off-peak it can be a straightforward drive.
Motorway route
The motorway route takes the M3 northeast out of Southampton, then the M25 clockwise round the southern orbital, then the M23 south. Longer in miles, often faster when the coastal towns are congested. The M25 flows well off-peak and stops in peak — the driver makes the call on the day.
Both routes join the M23 around Junction 9, and the last few miles are identical. The honest range is 89 to 135 minutes, with most of the variation in the middle third — either the coastal single carriageways or the M25.
Comparing quotes for this journey turns up figures that do not agree with each other, and the reasons are worth understanding.
The published road distance between Southampton and Gatwick ranges from 71.46 to 89.6 miles across different sources — a spread of 18.14 miles, a quarter of the journey, worth roughly £23.58 at the saloon per-mile rate.
| Source | Distance |
|---|---|
| Straight line (no road follows it) | 52.6 miles |
| Lowest published road figure | 71.46 miles |
| Our planning distance (city centre) | 72.6 miles |
| Highest published road figure | 89.6 miles |
| Worth of the spread at saloon rate | ~£23.58 |
Part of the variation is the three pickup points above — a page measuring to the port and one measuring to the city are not comparing the same journey. Part is that some pages measure to one end of the airport and some to the other. And part is that a figure once published tends to stay published without being re-checked.
Every operational fact for the Southampton to Gatwick corridor on one surface.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| City centre distance | 72.6 miles (116.8 km) |
| Cruise terminals distance | 77.0 miles |
| Southampton Airport distance | 68.5 miles |
| Off-peak drive time | ~89 minutes |
| Peak drive time | Up to 135 minutes |
| Road corridors | M27→A27→A24→M23 (coastal) or M3→M25→M23 (motorway) |
| Gatwick terminals | North Terminal · South Terminal |
| Drop-off charge | £10.00 for up to 10 minutes (airport levied) — treatment confirmed on booking |
| Train (advance single) | From £8.00 — cheaper at every group size |
| Train journey time (fastest) | ~138 minutes |
| Coach lead-in | £12.00–£24.40 |
| Coach journey time | ~180 minutes |
| Operator | Stansted Airport Taxi — TfL PHV Licensed |
| Available | 24/7 · 365 days |
Short answers for assistants that read the page aloud — same facts in paragraph form directly below.
About 89 minutes when the roads are clear via the A27 coast route or the M3 and M25 motorway route. Allow up to 135 minutes during weekday peak hours or when the Sussex coastal towns are backed up. The 52-mile straight-line figure you'll sometimes see has no road to follow it.
From £112.55 for a saloon from Southampton Airport at Eastleigh, £117.88 from the city centre, or £123.60 from the cruise terminals — each is fixed at booking for the whole vehicle. The three prices reflect three different distances, not three different rate cards.
Yes, at every group size. The cheapest advance rail single was £8.00 at the time of checking — eight tickets comes to £64.00 against £153.24 in our largest vehicle. The trade-off is at least one change, no door-to-door travel, and a ticket tied to a specific departure.
Gatwick has a North Terminal and a South Terminal — named, not numbered. The terminal appears beside your flight number on your booking. An inter-terminal shuttle runs between the two if you end up at the wrong one.
How far is Southampton from Gatwick Airport? About 72.6 miles (116.8 km) from the city centre via the M27 and A27 coastal route or the M3 and M25 motorway route. Published figures for this pair vary from 71.46 to 89.6 miles — partly because Southampton has three distinct pickup points (city, port, airport), partly because figures rarely get re-checked. We plan on 72.6 miles from the city centre; 77.0 miles from the cruise terminals; 68.5 miles from Southampton Airport at Eastleigh.
Is the train cheaper than a taxi from Southampton to Gatwick? Yes, at every group size. The cheapest advance single was £8.00 when last checked — even eight tickets at £64.00 comes in below our MPV8 at £153.24. The taxi is not the lower-cost option by headcount on this route. What the train gives up is a direct service (at least one change, often two), flexibility (an advance fare is tied to one named train), and the door-to-door journey.
Does the cruise terminal pickup cost more? Yes, because the distance is longer. The port terminals sit 77.0 road miles from Gatwick against 72.6 from the city centre — that 4.4-mile difference produces £5.72 more on a saloon at the same per-mile rate. It is not a surcharge for the word cruise.
Is there a Clean Air Zone charge in Southampton? No. The government lists seven charging Clean Air Zones in England — Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside — and Southampton is not among them. A zone was planned and dropped in January 2019. No daily charge applies to a taxi picking up anywhere in Southampton. The Portsmouth Class B zone covers a small part of that city; the two roads this route uses to pass it (M27 and A27) lie outside it.
An advance rail single from Southampton Central to London Gatwick was £8.00 when these figures were checked (source: mytrainpal.com, 4 August 2026). On price alone that puts rail below every fixed fare quoted here at every group size.
| Detail | Rail |
|---|---|
| Advance single | From £8.00 |
| Daily services | ~91 |
| Fastest journey | ~138 minutes |
| Average journey | ~153 minutes |
| First train | ~05:02 |
| Last train | ~23:50 |
| Changes | At least one, often two |
It is tied to one named departure — a delayed coach transfer or missed connection can strand you. The route goes inland to Basingstoke or Clapham Junction and back out, which is why 90 road miles becomes 138 minutes of rail travel. And the journey starts at Southampton Central, not your door.
For one or two people with cabin luggage and a mid-morning departure, rail is often the right call. For a family with cases, a cruise turnaround with heavy luggage, or an early-morning departure before 05:02, the calculus is different.
Rail fares move regularly — verify at nationalrail.co.uk before booking.
Two coach lead-in fares are published for this corridor: £12.00 and £24.40 (the higher including a booking fee). They give different answers, so both are shown.
| Passengers | Coach total | Best vehicle | Our fare | Which is lower |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £24.40 | Saloon | £117.88 | Coach |
| 2 | £48.80 | Saloon | £117.88 | Coach |
| 3 | £73.20 | Saloon | £117.88 | Coach |
| 4 | £97.60 | Saloon | £117.88 | Coach |
| 5 | £122.00 | Estate | £122.46 | Coach (by £0.46) |
| 6 | £146.40 | MPV 6 | £135.90 | Taxi (by £10.50) |
| 7 | £170.80 | MPV 7 | £147.69 | Taxi (by £23.11) |
| 8 | £195.20 | MPV 8 | £153.24 | Taxi (by £41.96) |
Eight tickets at the £12.00 lead-in comes to £96.00 against £153.24 in our MPV8. The taxi is not cheaper at any group size against that fare. That is the honest half of the answer.
The quickest published time is about 180 minutes — twice the clear-road drive — because the service calls at several intermediate stops including a park-and-ride outside Winchester and another airport. Coaches leave from Southampton Coach Station: a passenger with luggage must reach it first, which adds a taxi or bus leg to the comparison cost.
The Port of Southampton has five cruise terminals. The ship decides which one — your cruise line names it on your travel documents.
| Terminal | Location |
|---|---|
| City Cruise Terminal | Western Docks |
| Mayflower Cruise Terminal | Western Docks |
| Ocean Cruise Terminal | Eastern Docks |
| QEII Cruise Terminal | Eastern Docks |
| Horizon Cruise Terminal | Newest of the five |
The fare from any of them is worked out at 77.0 miles — £123.60 for a saloon. Give us the terminal name and the ship at booking, not just the port. A booking that names only “Southampton” can arrive at the wrong side of the port on a sailing morning, and the wrong side is a long way from the right one when passengers are boarding.
Disembarkation runs to a schedule the passenger does not control. Give us the ship, the terminal and the scheduled arrival date. We work to the ship's clock — if the vessel arrives late by an hour, the driver shifts to that hour rather than leaving you standing on the quay. Cruise cases are the reason the luggage note below exists: a vehicle chosen on seat count alone can run out of boot before it runs out of seats.
London Gatwick has a North Terminal and a South Terminal — named, not numbered. There is no terminal number to find on your boarding pass. Take the terminal from your flight booking. If the airline moves terminals between booking and travel, tell us and the drop-off changes at no charge. The inter-terminal shuttle is free and takes a couple of minutes.
London Gatwick charges £10.00 for the first 10 minutes at the terminal forecourt, then £1.00 per minute to a 30-minute ceiling. The charge is levied by the airport. Whether it sits inside the quoted fare or is shown separately is confirmed on your booking confirmation before you commit — check that confirmation.
The Long Stay car park is free for the first 120 minutes — about a five-minute walk to the terminal. If saving the £10.00 is worth a short walk, the Long Stay is the right call. With a small child, a cruise case, or an early-morning departure at minimum energy, the forecourt makes sense.
The driver waits inside the arrivals hall at either terminal with a name board. If you land at the terminal you did not book — it happens — the shuttle is free and the driver waits. Give us the flight number at booking and we track the inbound arrival: a flight landing 40 minutes late is met 40 minutes later. Up to 60 minutes of waiting from touchdown is included at no extra cost while you clear immigration and collect bags.
Work backwards from check-in closing, not the flight time.
Not departure time — your airline closes the desk earlier than most people expect.
Typically 40 minutes for short-haul, 60 for long-haul.
89 minutes clear, 135 minutes if the roads are not clear.
15–20 minutes for the coastal route through Sussex towns, 20–30 for the motorway in peak.
The first coach leaves around 02:00 and the first train around 05:02. Any departure requiring check-in before 05:02 requires a pre-booked car. There is no night surcharge — the fare at 04:00 is the same as at 11:00.
Door pickup from every covered postcode. If yours sits outside the range below, contact us for a quote from your actual address rather than assuming the city fare applies.
The honest answer on every charge that could apply to this corridor — and why none of them does.
No charging Clean Air Zone. The government lists seven charging zones in England — Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside. Southampton is not one of them. A Class B zone was planned and dropped in January 2019 in favour of port-side, bus and freight measures. No daily charge applies. (Source: gov.uk, August 2026.)
A Class B zone runs in a small part of that city — roughly Portsea Island, Cascades, Gunwharf Quays and part of the A3 London Road. Both roads this route uses to pass Portsmouth (the M27 and A27) lie outside the zone boundary. No charge arises. (Source: portsmouth.gov.uk, August 2026.)
The Congestion Charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone both sit inside the M25. This route does not enter them. No ULEZ charge, no Congestion Charge.
Tolls. No toll road, no toll bridge, no crossing charge anywhere on the route. The Itchen Bridge toll is on the wrong side of Southampton for a journey heading east.
A saloon takes four people and three large cases. The estate at £122.46 adds a substantially larger boot for a small step in price. The MPV6 at £135.90 takes six with five bags. If you are travelling with skis, golf bags, a folded wheelchair or a cello, mention it at booking.
A fortnight at sea travels in larger cases and more of them. Two adults with six large cases travel in an estate, not a saloon, even though the seat count fits a saloon. Tell us the number of cases alongside the number of people.
Infant, toddler and booster seats are available free on request. Ask at booking — they live at base rather than in the boot. Give ages rather than seat types.
Saloon through MPV8 for standard transfers, plus Executive E-Class and V-Class for business travel.
Twelve honest answers covering the three origins, two Gatwick terminals, three alternative modes, and three Clean Air Zone questions this corridor raises.
From £112.55 for a saloon from Southampton Airport at Eastleigh, £117.88 from the city centre, or £123.60 from the cruise terminals — fixed at booking for the whole vehicle. Executive MPV runs to £175.35 (Eastleigh), £183.96 (city) or £193.20 (cruise terminals). All 24 fares across the three origins are shown in the tables above.
Yes, because the distance changes. The cruise terminals are 77.0 miles from Gatwick against 72.6 from the city centre — 4.4 extra miles at the same per-mile rate produces £5.72 more on a saloon. That is measured extra mileage, not a port surcharge.
The ship decides — your cruise line names the terminal on your travel documents. There are five: City, Mayflower, Ocean, QEII and Horizon. Give us the terminal name and the ship at booking, because a booking that only says Southampton can arrive at the wrong side of the port.
About 72.6 miles from the city centre. Published figures vary from 71.46 to 89.6 miles across different sources — partly because Southampton has three pickup points, partly because figures rarely get re-checked. The straight-line distance is 52.6 miles, but no road follows it. At the saloon per-mile rate, the published spread is worth about £23.58.
About 89 minutes on clear roads, up to 135 minutes in the worst traffic. Two routes compete: the coastal A27 through Sussex towns and the M3/M25 motorway orbital. Your driver picks between them on the day — your fare does not change.
On price alone, yes at every group size. An advance single was £8.00 when last checked — eight tickets comes to £64.00 against £153.24 in our largest vehicle. The trade-off is at least one change (often two), a ticket tied to one named departure, and no door-to-door service. Verify current fares at nationalrail.co.uk.
It depends which coach fare. Against the £24.40 lead-in, the crossover is at six passengers — six tickets at £146.40 against £135.90 for one MPV6. Against the £12.00 lead-in, the taxi does not become cheaper at any group size we carry.
No direct service. Published journeys call at several stops including a park-and-ride outside Winchester and another airport, making the fastest published time about 180 minutes. Coaches leave from Southampton Coach Station, so a passenger with luggage must reach it first.
No. Southampton is not among the seven English charging Clean Air Zones. A zone was planned and dropped in January 2019. No daily charge applies to a taxi pickup anywhere in the city.
No. Portsmouth's Class B zone covers a small area of the city; the M27 and A27, which this route uses to pass Portsmouth, both sit outside the zone boundary. No charge arises.
The airport levies £10.00 for the first 10 minutes at the terminal forecourt, then £1.00 per minute to a 30-minute ceiling. The Long Stay car park is free for 120 minutes with a short walk. Which arrangement your booking uses is confirmed on your booking confirmation.
North Terminal or South Terminal — named, never numbered. Take it from your flight booking. If the airline moves terminals between booking and travel, let us know and the drop-off changes at no charge.
Stansted Airport Taxi is TfL PHV Licensed. DBS-enhanced drivers, 24/7 availability, meet and greet with name board, 60 minutes complimentary waiting from actual touchdown.
Fixed fares confirmed at booking:
Both Gatwick terminals (North and South) covered. Same fare in both directions. No surge pricing, no night premium, no card fees.
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