Purple Parking Gatwick keeps costs low by running off-airport shuffle parking
This is an off-airport car park a short drive from London Gatwick (LGW), aimed at travellers who prioritise price over polish and are fine leaving keys for staff to move cars during busy periods. You park at their compound rather than near North or South Terminal, then take a transfer minibus to your terminal. It’s a trade: lower daily rates than most on-airport options in exchange for a bit more faff at each end of the trip.
Purple Parking Gatwick operates a park-and-ride setup for both North and South terminals, with a shuttle link instead of walking. Transfer times typically run around 10–15 minutes to each terminal once you’re on the bus, but you still need to allow buffer for check‑in, security, and traffic around the airport. If you usually aim to hit Gatwick 2 hours before a short‑haul flight, add at least 30 extra minutes when using this car park.
As an off-airport option, prices often undercut Gatwick’s own long-stay rates by a noticeable margin, especially on trips of 5–14 days. Daily pricing fluctuates with demand and season (summer holidays and half-terms spike hardest), so checking a couple of weeks ahead usually gives the best read on /parsingtext. Payment is pre-booked online, and longer stays generally bring the per-day price down.
The key handover is standard practice here: you leave your keys with staff so they can stack and shuffle cars while you’re away. That’s how they squeeze in more vehicles than a park-your-own bay system right next to the terminal ever could. If you’re picky about exactly where the car sits or hate anyone else driving it, this won’t be your favourite setup; if you care more about saving than control, it’s fine.
Practical tip: aim to arrive at Purple Parking Gatwick a full 45–60 minutes before the time you’d normally arrive at the terminal itself; that gives room for check‑in at the car park, a 10–15 minute shuttle, and a traffic hiccup on the airport loop.