A taxi from Chelmsford to Gatwick Airport costs £110.94 in a saloon to the South Terminal and £107.99 to the North Terminal with Airports Taxi UK, a fixed fare for a drive of about 62 miles and 1 hour 12 minutes. The price includes ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and the Gatwick drop-off charge, so the quote is what you pay.
Chelmsford to Gatwick is one of the longer cross-London airport runs from Essex, and it’s one the train makes surprisingly awkward. Most people flying from Gatwick out of Chelmsford, Great Baddow, Springfield or the villages around book an airport transfer to Gatwick rather than face a change in central London with suitcases. A pre-booked car goes round the M25 and over the Dartford Crossing, so you never go near the city centre.
Below you’ll find the full taxi to Gatwick cost for every vehicle, how long the drive takes at different times of day, when to book your pickup, and how a taxi compares with the train and coach.
Chelmsford to Gatwick Taxi Prices
These fares come straight from our live booking form. Each price is for the whole vehicle, not per person.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Large cases | Chelmsford → Gatwick South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 4 | 2 | £110.94 |
| Estate | 4 | 4 | £120.92 |
| Executive | 3 | 2 | £139.51 |
| MPV | 6 | 4 | £143.10 |
| 8 Seater | 8 | 8 | £143.10 |
| Executive Minivan | 8 | 8 | £180.28 |
To the North Terminal, the saloon fare is £107.99. Larger vehicles are priced on the same basis. Child seats are £10 per seat, added when you book.
Cost per person
| Group | Vehicle | Total | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 people | Saloon | £110.94 | £27.74 |
| 4 people | Estate | £120.92 | £30.23 |
| 6 people | MPV | £143.10 | £23.85 |
| 8 people | 8 Seater | £143.10 | £17.89 |
Book the return from Gatwick at the same time and you get 5% off the return leg, around £216.33 in a saloon for the round trip.
The Drive From Chelmsford to Gatwick
From Chelmsford, the driver usually takes the A12 south-west to the M25 at junction 28, then follows the motorway clockwise round the east of London, across the Dartford Crossing and down to junction 7 for the M23 spur into Gatwick. It’s about 62 miles and, with clear roads, takes roughly an hour and 15 minutes.
The Dartford Crossing and the stretch between junctions 2 and 5 are the main pinch points. On weekday mornings, and on Friday afternoons in the school holidays, those sections can add 30 to 45 minutes, which is why our pickup suggestions below build in extra time. The crossing charge is covered in the fare, so there’s nothing extra to pay on the day.
Planning Your Pickup Time
Airlines usually want you at the airport two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before long-haul. From Chelmsford, these pickup times leave a sensible margin:
| Flight from Gatwick | Suggested pickup in Chelmsford |
|---|---|
| 6:00am short-haul | 2:30am to 2:45am |
| 9:00am short-haul | 5:15am (Dartford traffic building) |
| 12:00pm long-haul | 7:15am |
| 5:00pm short-haul | 1:15pm to 1:30pm |
Night-time and early-morning pickups are routine for us. Book a day or two ahead for the summer holidays, when early slots fill up.
Taxi, Train or Coach?
There’s no direct train from Chelmsford to Gatwick. You’d take Greater Anglia into London Liverpool Street, cross London (usually by Underground or Elizabeth line to Farringdon), then catch a Thameslink train to Gatwick. Allow around an hour and 45 minutes to two hours with two changes. The coach is cheaper per person but slower still and runs to fixed times.
For one person with a backpack the train can work. For families, anyone with large cases, or an early flight before the first trains, a door-to-door transfer is usually the easier choice, and split four ways in a saloon the fare comes to about £27.74 each.
Chelmsford Pickups
We collect from anywhere in the city and its surroundings: city-centre flats, the newer estates at Beaulieu Park and Channels, homes in Writtle and Great Baddow, and offices around the station and Springfield. If your building has a gate code or a tricky entrance, add a note when you book. Your driver will wait up to 5 minutes free at your door, so it helps to be ready with your luggage by the front door at the pickup time.
Areas Around Chelmsford We Cover
The same fixed-fare service to Gatwick covers Great Baddow, Springfield, Writtle, Broomfield, Galleywood, Danbury, Boreham, Ingatestone and South Woodham Ferrers. Enter your exact address in the booking form to see the price from your door.
Arriving Back at Gatwick
For the journey home, give us your flight number. We track the flight and your driver meets you inside the arrivals hall, holding a name board if you’d like one. You get one hour of free waiting from the time the flight actually lands, so passport queues and baggage delays aren’t a worry. The drive back to Chelmsford usually takes 75 to 90 minutes, depending on the Dartford Crossing.
North or South Terminal?
Gatwick has two terminals, linked by a free shuttle train that takes about two minutes. Your airline decides which one you use; the flight number on your booking lets us check. If you’re not sure, the Gatwick postcodes are RH6 0NP for the South Terminal and RH6 0PJ for the North Terminal, and our Gatwick postcode guide explains which airlines use which.
Dropping Off and Collecting at Gatwick
If a friend or relative drives you instead, they’ll pay Gatwick’s £10 forecourt drop-off charge, and collecting you means the Gatwick short stay pick up car parks, charged by the time spent there. With an Airports Taxi UK booking, the drop-off charge is already in the fare and your driver handles the parking when they collect you. Our guide to picking someone up at Gatwick explains the options if you are collecting someone yourself.
Which Vehicle Do You Need?
- One to four people with light luggage: saloon at £110.94 (holds two large cases).
- Four people with a large case each: estate at £120.92.
- Families of five or six: MPV at £143.10, the usual choice for a 7 seater taxi to Gatwick Airport when you need the extra space.
- Groups of up to eight: 8 Seater at £143.10, a minibus to Gatwick Airport for eight passengers and eight cases.
- Business and special trips: the Executive car at £139.51, or the Executive Minivan at £180.28 for a luxury airport transfer to Gatwick for a group. If you’d prefer a chauffeur to Gatwick Airport with a premium car, see our Gatwick chauffeur service.
What’s Included
- A fixed fare including ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and the Gatwick drop-off charge.
- 5 minutes of free waiting at your door when we collect you.
- One hour of free waiting after landing on airport pickups, with flight tracking.
- Your driver meeting you inside the arrivals hall on the way home.
- Child seats at £10 per seat, and 5% off the return leg when you book both ways together.
Why Book With Airports Taxi UK?
We’ve built our service around long-distance taxi journeys to the London airports: fixed prices, drivers who know the M25 and the Dartford Crossing at every hour, flight tracking, and a real person on the phone if your plans change. It’s a long distance taxi service that doesn’t charge extra when the motorway is slow.
Related Gatwick Transfers
- Gatwick Airport taxi: all routes and fares
- Gatwick Airport postcode guide
- Picking someone up from Gatwick
- Coach, train or taxi to Gatwick?
- 7 seater taxi to Gatwick
- Gatwick chauffeur service
- Gatwick to Chelmsford taxi (return journey)
- Colchester to Gatwick taxi
Chelmsford to Gatwick Taxi FAQs
How much is a taxi from Chelmsford to Gatwick Airport?
£110.94 in a saloon to the South Terminal and £107.99 to the North Terminal, including ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and the drop-off charge.
How long does it take from Chelmsford to Gatwick?
About an hour and 15 minutes in clear traffic, longer when the Dartford Crossing is busy.
How far is Chelmsford from Gatwick?
About 62 miles via the A12, M25 and M23.
Is there a direct train from Chelmsford to Gatwick?
No. You change in London, usually at Liverpool Street and Farringdon, and it takes around two hours.
Do you charge extra for the Dartford Crossing?
No. It’s included in the fixed fare.
Can you pick up from Gatwick and take us home to Chelmsford?
Yes. Your driver meets you inside arrivals, with one hour of free waiting after landing.
Do you have a 7 seater for Chelmsford to Gatwick?
Yes. The MPV seats six with four cases, and the 8 Seater takes eight passengers and eight cases.
Book Your Chelmsford to Gatwick Taxi
Enter your pickup address, flight details and passengers in the booking form at the top of this page to see the fixed price for every vehicle and book in a couple of minutes.