A taxi from Reading station to Stansted Airport costs £137 in a saloon car. It is a long cross-London run of about 84 miles, taking roughly an hour and a half when traffic is light, and the fare stays the same whatever time you travel.
Heathrow is under 30 miles from Reading, so if you are flying from Stansted it is usually for a particular airline or route. Those flights often leave early in the morning, which is where a booked car makes the most sense.
Fares from Reading to Stansted
| Car | Passengers / suitcases | Fare | Per person if full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 4 / 2 | £137 | £34 |
| Estate | 4 / 4 | £149 | £37 |
| Executive | 3 / 2 | £171 | £57 |
| MPV | 6 / 4 | £177 | £30 |
| 8-seater | 8 / 8 | £177 | £22 |
| Executive minivan | 8 / 8 | £220 | £28 |
Fixed one-way fares from Reading station, taken from our booking system in October 2026. Your own address in Reading, Wokingham or the surrounding villages can be priced exactly in the booking form at the top of this page. Stansted’s drop-off charge is included, and booking the return at the same time takes 5% off the total.
Planning an early departure
Say your flight leaves Stansted at 06:30 and your airline asks you to be there two hours before. You need to arrive by 04:30. With about 93 minutes of driving at that hour and half an hour in hand, a pickup at about 02:20 gets you there in time. The fare for a 02:20 pickup is exactly the same as for one at lunchtime.
The driver waits 5 minutes free at your door, so have your bags ready at the booked time.
Compared with the train
There is no direct rail link. You would travel into London, cross the city, and then take the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street. That works well for one person with a small bag in the middle of the day. Before the first trains, or with a family and checked luggage, the car is the practical choice. Four people in an estate pay about £37 each, door to door.
Coming back
On the way home your driver meets you inside the Stansted arrivals hall. We track your flight, so a late landing moves the pickup with it, and the first 60 minutes after you land are free. More detail is on our flight delays and waiting time page.
Fares from Stansted to other places, including London, Cambridge and Essex, are on our Stansted taxi prices page. For the wider service, see Stansted airport taxi. If Heathrow suits your trip, we also run Reading to Heathrow transfers.
Questions
How much is a taxi from Reading to Stansted?
£137 in a saloon from Reading station, £149 in an estate and £177 in an MPV or 8-seater.
How long does a taxi from Reading to Stansted take?
About 93 minutes in light traffic for the 84-mile journey. Allow more on weekdays.