Car Park 5

5-minute walk beats the shuttle faff at Car Park 5

Car Park 5 sits a 5–10 minute walk from Birmingham Airport’s Terminal 1, so most people just roll their bags along the signed pedestrian route instead of waiting for a bus. It’s a long-stay car park with barrier entry and marked bays, so you drive in, park, and head straight toward the terminal on foot. If you’re loaded with luggage or kids, there is a shuttle option as backup.

The shuttle from Car Park 5 runs to the terminal in around 3 minutes, but you should factor in up to 15 minutes total once you include waiting and loading. For early flights, that timing matters more than the actual driving time. If you like big buffers, aim to park here at least 2.5 hours before a short-haul departure from Terminal 1 and more like 3 hours for long-haul, so you’re not clock-watching by security.

Pricing is on the higher side for an outdoor long-stay: drive-up daily rates are around £67.00. Prebooking online usually lands you a much lower per-day cost, especially if you’re leaving the car for 4 days or more. For very short trips of one night, that headline £67.00 makes on-airport alternatives or rail into BHX worth comparing. The trade-off here is price versus the time saved being on airport grounds.

Car Park 5 is clearly signposted on the airport ring road for Terminal 1, and you enter via automatic number plate recognition, so keep the registration exactly as on your booking. Bays are standard size, uncovered, and spread across several rows, so note the row marker or snap a photo before you walk off. The walking route is lit and signed back to Car Park 5, handy for late-night returns.

Final tip: if the weather looks rough, allow the full 15 minutes and plan on using the shuttle both ways rather than banking on a quick 5-minute walk with luggage.