If you don’t want to use the underground to get into central London, you can choose to drive into the centre of the city instead. As long as you are comfortable with slow moving traffic and crowded roads, you will be absolutely fine. You just need to find the cheapest parking in central London!
Most Londoners choose to commute by tube, which means that although car parking comes at a premium in London, you are fairly likely to be able to find yourself a parking space. Remember, you’ll also have to consider the congestion charge if you travel in the charging zone between 7am-6pm Mon-Fri.
Hourly rates of parking spaces make finding the cheapest parking in central London no easy feat. But this guide will help you to pay less for your parking and save money when you visit central London.
Cheapest parking in central London
There are several different styles of car parking in London- there is on street parking, off street parking, and private car parks. Each type of parking is priced differently, and some is more expensive than others.
Is there free parking in London?
The answer is, yes! Sometimes you can park for free in central London when you use on-street parking spaces. There are some residential streets in outer London that have no parking restrictions at all. Check out the Find Free Parking website to help find somewhere to park without spending any money at all.
How much is a parking ticket in London?
You don’t want to undo all of your hard working finding the cheapest place to park in central London by getting a parking ticket. A parking ticket can cost between £80- £130. Definitely something to avoid!
Avoid getting a parking ticket when using on street parking by reading all signs carefully and checking the times in which you are able to park in the area.
How much does it cost to park in central London?
The price of parking in central London varies massively between areas. As you can expect, in popular areas such as Hyde Park or Soho, you might pay up to £4.90 per hour for a parking space. However, there are ways around this to bring the cost down.
| On Street Parking | Controlled Parking Zones throughout greater London | Free | Throughout Greater London |
| Barbican Car Park | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS | From £11 per day | Near Barbican Conservatory, Spitalfields and Shoreditch |
| Baynard House Car Park | Baynard House Car Park, Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4BQ | From £4.50 per visit | Near Blackfriars, close to St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Thames |
| London Wall Car Park | 23 London Wall, London, EC2V 5DY | From £4.50 per visit | Very close to St. Paul’s Cathedral and also near to Barbican. |
| Minories Car Park | 1 Shorter Street, London, E1 8LP | From £4.50 per visit | Very close to Tower of London, Tower Bridge, fairly close to Sky Garden and London Bridge |
| Smithfield Car Park | West Smithfield, London, EC1A 9DS | From £1.50 | Close to Smithfield Market, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Farringdon station |
| Tower Hill Car and Coach Park | 50 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6DT | From £4.50 per visit | Very close to Tower of London, Tower Bridge London Bridge, and St Dunstan in the East |
| NCP London Bloomsbury Car Park | London Bloomsbury Square Underground Car Park, Bloomsbury Square Gardens, London, WC1A 2RJ | From £6.95 per hour (or £32.95 for 4-24 hrs stay) | Next to The British Museum, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, Covent Garden |
| NCP London Soho Brewer Street | London Soho Brewer Street Brewer Street, Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 0LA | From £9.95 per hour (or £49.95 for 4-24 hrs stay) | Next to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, theatre district and soho. |
| YourParkingSpace Drive or garage | Privately owned parking throughout Greater London | From £5 per hour in central London | Use YourParkingSpace to find private drives and garages in central London |
| NCP London Richmond Station Park & Ride | Richmond Station, Drummond Place, Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 1DN | From £2.95 per hour (or £21.75 for 7-24 hrs stay) | Rail and tube station access into cental London, also close to Twickenham Stadium, Richmond Park, Kew Gardens |
1. On Street Parking In London
In London residents will often pay an annual fee to park their cars on the street outside their homes (not many Londoners have the luxury of a garage!) These zones are called Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs).
However, there are also certain times of the day, and times of the week where non-residents who do not hold a permit are allowed to park there. For free! In this case, CPZs are perhaps the cheapest parking in central London.
The downside of Controlled Parking Zones is that there are time restrictions- which change often. Usually, parking for non-residents is allowed for a few hours during the evening, with all day parking available on a Sunday.
Check in advance to see when non-residents are allowed to park in the CPZ nearest to your destination, and see if you can park for free! Use the appyway app and check out their kerbside maps to plan your journey.
Top tip: also remember to find the best value deal for your car insurance and lower renewal quotes.
Off Street Parking In London
Central London offers several different off street car parks. These car parks are all operated by the City Of London council. Their website has a comprehensive list of the off street parking car parks that operate in Central London.
They are good value, and you can often book your car parking in advance. You are usually charged by the hour, but some car parks also offer season tickets which you could use to make a saving if you regularly commute into central London by car.
2. Barbican Car Park
Located close to it’s namesake, Barbican Car Park offers parking from £11 per day. Pre-book your parking online. The car park is available 24hr per day, 7 days a week, and is always manned and has CCTV.
The car park also offers season passes, including a Group Season Pass which can be used on multiple vehicles.
3. Baynard House Car Park
Baynard House Car Park is located closeby to Blackfriars train station, which is close to lots of attractions such as The River Thames, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Blackfriars Bridge.
There are 159 spaces and 6 disabled bays. There are electric vehicle charging bays on level 4. Open 24/7, 365 days a year including bank holidays. Motorcycles are free in designated bays.
Both residential (available to City of London residents only) and commercial season tickets are available. Unfortunately there are no bookings, reservations or discounts.
4. London Wall Car Park
Located very close to St. Paul’s Cathedral and Barbican, this is a great spot for central London parking, with 187 spaces, 6 disabled bays, electric vehicle charging available.
Both residential (available to City of London residents only) and commercial season tickets are available. Unfortunately there are no bookings, reservations or discounts.
5. Minories Car Park
Minories Car Park is very centrally located, with Tower of London, Tower Bridge very close by, and Sky Garden and London Bridge and The Shard within walking distance.
The car park has 265 spaces, with 5 disabled bays, electric vehicle charging and 100 motorcycle spaces.
Both residential (available to City of London residents only) and commercial season tickets are available. Unfortunately there are no bookings, reservations or discounts.
6. Smithfield Car Park
Smithfield car park is conveniently located near to Smithfield Market, St Bartolomew’s Hospital, Farringdon Station and Chancery Lane. It is a large car park, with 581 spaces, 14 disabled bays, electric vehicle charging and space for 100 motorcycles. Reservations can be made through JustPark.
Both residential (available to City of London residents only) and commercial season tickets are available.
7. Tower Hill Car and Coach Park
In an excellent central London location, you’ll find Tower Hill Car and Coach Park. As the name suggests, this car park is in very close proximity to Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It is also close to London Bridge, Sky Garden and of course the River Thames.
The car park has 110 car spaces, 6 coach spaces, 30 motorcycle bays and 13 disabled bays. Both residential (available to City of London residents only) and commercial season tickets are available.
Private Car Parks
NCP (National Car Parks) is the biggest private car park operator in the UK, and they have over 100 car parks in central London. They offer a 24/7 service and offers discounted prices at the weekend on central London car parks when you pre-book.
NCP currently has cark parks in London which charge a maximum of £5 for up to 24 hours of parking- a real bargain compared to other parking options! Take a look at their website to view a map of their car parks in central London.
You could also use a website like Parkopedia to find out how many spaces a car park might have available, and the cost of parking there.
8. NCP London Bloomsbury Square
This car park is highly centrally located, next to The British Museum, Tottenham Court Road (Oxford Street) and within walking distance to Covent Garden, Soho, and the theatre district is also close by.
There are 450 spaces, with 5 disabled bays. If you pay via the ParkPass app you get a slightly discounted rate, and you can also pre-book your parking online ahead of your visit.
9. NCP London Soho Brewer Street
This car park is again very centrally and conveniently located, and the price does reflect this. The car park is right next to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and the theatre district and Soho.
There are only 20 spaces, with 2 disabled bays. If you pay via the ParkPass app you get a slightly discounted rate, and you can also pre-book your parking online ahead of your visit to guarantee a space.
Park In Someone’s Drive or Garage
Another private parking option is to park in someone’s drive or garage- with their permission! Many homeowners advertise their parking spaces on a website called YourParkingSpace. This can sometimes be even cheaper than using an NCP car park.
If you’re going to a concert or football match, this could be a great idea as the spaces advertised are likely to be in residential areas.
10. YourParkingSpace
Use YourParkingSpace app to find private parking spaces on residential property, such as on a drive or inside a garage. This can be particularly cost effective compared to privately owned car parks, especially if you are visiting London for a longer period of time, or you are staying in a London suburb.
Park and Ride London
Many of the cheapest car parks in London are located out of zone 1- at tube stations. They are usually cheaper than other private car park providers and you won’t pay that hefty £11.50 congestion charge. The journey into central London is likely to be quick- and you’ll also avoid that heavy central London traffic.
NCP also manage the tube station car parks on behalf of TFL (Transport For London). Again, you can search their website to find tube station car parks near to your destination. They are marked as ‘LUL’ on the website.
Most tube station car parks charge around £4–7 per day Mon–Fri, £2–£3 Sat and £1–2 Sun. Tube station car parks are usually quite secure compared to on street parking, and are likely to have CCTV.
11. NCP London Richmond Station
Richmond station is well connected to central London, with a rail station providing links directly to Waterloo, and a tube station for access all over Greater London.
The car park has 409 spaces, with 5 disabled bays. You can pre-book your parking space online, and pay using the ParkPass app for cheaper rates. If you’re going to an event at Twickenham Stadium, you can hop on the free RFU shuttle bus from outside Richmond station.
So in conclusion, if you are trying to find the cheapest parking in central London, you are best looking at free on-street parking spaces close to your location. After all- who doesn’t want to pay absolutely nothing to park their car?!
Alternatively, if you are able to get on the tube for a couple of stops, you might be best parking at a (non-zone 1) tube station and then getting the underground for the final leg of your journey. You’re likely to pay less AND you’ll avoid the congestion charge.