Business Insurance

Average Cost of a Taxi Ride

The cost of a taxi ride can vary on a number of factors, such as your start/end point, the duration of the trip and the distance from A to B. Working out the cost for a trip you need to make can be tricky, so we've put together a guide to getting around by taxi in the UK.

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Average Cost of a Taxi Ride UK

The average cost of a taxi starts from around £3-£4. This is usually the ‘minimum charge’ for a cab, even if you only need to travel a couple of hundred yards. While it varies throughout the UK, taxis are likely to cost between £1.20 to £3 per mile (depending on location, day of the week, time of day, etc.).

The average cost of a taxi ride depends on a few factors, such as your starting point and destination (and the distance between them), the time of day and even the day of the week. In this article, we’ll dive into all of it and breakdown how much you can expect to pay for a cab.

How much does a Taxi cost—London

A 1-mile journey in the capital (6-12 minutes) is likely to cost you between £6-£10. 2 miles (10-20 minutes) is going to be around £9-£15, with longer journeys (more than 4 miles/15 minutes) starting from around £16. The popular Heathrow to Central London route will take between 30-60 minutes depending on traffic and your exact destination, probably setting you back between £50-£95.

While taxi companies in London are free to charge however they please (and sometimes feel like they do..) they are somewhat limited by the highly competitive nature of taxi work in the UK. There are a large number of taxi firms operating in the capital, so if you’re looking to save money make sure to book in advance and don’t be afraid to shop around and call a few local firms for quotes.

DistanceJourney TimeMonday-Friday [05:00 - 20:00]Monday to Friday [20:00 - 22:00], Saturday and Sunday [05:00 - 22:00]Every night [22:00 - 05:00], public holidays [all day]
1 miles6-13 minutes£6.00-£10.00£6.00-£10.00£7.00-£10.00
2 miles10-20 minutes£9.50-£15.00£10.00-£15.00£10.50-£15.00
4 miles15-30 minutes£16.00-£24.00£18.00-£24.00£18.00-£24.00
6 miles30-40 minutes£25.00-£31.00£31.00-£34.00£31.00-£34.00
Heathrow - Central London30 minutes-1 hour£50.00-£95.00£50.00-£95.00£50.00-£95.00

Keep in mind, a minimum fare of £3.20 will apply at all times across all taxi companies (TFL standard), even if you’re only trying to go down the road.

Extra taxi charges London

By law, all extra charges must be added to the meter at the beginning of your journey. There should be no additional charges for luggage, passenger numbers or bringing an assistance dog with you.

Christmas & New Year

You’ll be charged an additional £4.00 for any journeys between 8PM on 24 December and 6AM on 27 December, or between 8PM on 31 December and 6AM on 2 January.

Heathrow Airport

Taxis starting at Heathrow charge an extra £2.80.

Telephone and Online

You may be charged additionally for booking over the phone or online—up to a maximum of £2 per journey. Make sure to check the T&C’s of each company before booking, or speak to an advisor to make sure you understand what you’re paying for.

How much does a Taxi cost—Manchester

A 1-mile journey in Manchester is likely to cost you between £4-£5.50. At ~3 miles, costs are likely to be between £8.00-£10.50, and for ~5 miles it’s around £12-£16. Anything longer than that would probably start from £16 (daytime) or £21 (nighttime).

Manchester’s two fare types (daytime, nighttime) unsurprisingly depend on what time of day it is. Daytime fares apply between 06:00 and 22:00, with nighttime fares between 22:00 and 06:00 (as well as all day during public holidays/bank holidays). You’ll find additional charges (covered below the table in more detail) on Christmas/New Years, or for journeys starting/ending at Piccadilly Station or Manchester Airport.

DistanceDaytime [06:00 - 22:00]Nighttime [22:00 - 06:00]
1 mile£4.00£5.25
3 miles£8.00£10.50
5 miles£12.00£15.50
7 miles£15.50£21.00
9 miles£20.00£26.25
10 miles£22.00£29.00

Extra taxi charges Manchester

Christmas & New Years

You’ll be charged nighttime rate + an additional 50% between 20:00 on 24 December and 06:00 27 December and between 20:00 on 31 December and 06:00 on 2 January

Piccadilly Station & Manchester Airport

You’ll be charged an additional £0.60 for any journey starting/ending at the Piccadilly Station taxi rank. For Manchester Airport taxis, you’ll be charged £0.60 for any journey starting/ending at the Ground Transport interchange, £1.80 for drop off at a terminal and £1.60 to be picked up at any of the airport’s taxi ranks.

How much does a Taxi cost—Liverpool

A 1-mile journey in Liverpool is likely to cost you between £4-£5. For 3 miles, it’s likely to be around £5-£7, and for ~5 miles it’ll likely be between £8-£10.50. Anything past that, and you’re probably looking between £14 (Day Rate) or £19 (Night Rate)

A minimum charge of £2.60 will apply for all journeys on the ‘D (Day) Rate’ tariff, and a minimum charge of £3.25 will apply for all journeys on the ‘N (Night) Rate’ tariff. The D Rate applies from 06:00-23:00, with the N Rate covering the rest of the day, from 23:00-06:00. Additional charges may be applied for any tolls both to and from the destination, including Tunnels, Motorways, Bridges and Airports.

DistanceDay Rate [06:00 - 23:00]Night Rate [23:00 - 06:00]
1 mile£4.25£5.25
3 miles£7.40£9.25
5 miles£10.60£13.25
7 miles£13.80£17.25
9 miles£17.00£21.25

Extra taxi charges Liverpool

Sunday

An ‘S (Sunday) Rate’ is applied for journeys between 00:00 and 07:00 on Sunday morning. A 3-mile journey would likely cost you £9.75.

Christmas & New Years

An ‘X (Extra) Rate’ is applied for journeys between 18:00 on 24 December and 06:00 on 27 December, and after 18:00 on 31 December and 06:00 on 2 January. A 3-mile journey would likely cost you around £11.20.

How much is a Taxi ride?

In the UK, a 1-mile taxi ride is likely to cost you between £4-£10, with more expensive prices coming during night time, at weekends and in London. A 3-mile journey will probably be between £7-£16, with a 5-mile journey probably setting you back £10.50-£22.

FAQ’s

How much is a taxi from Alicante Airport to Benidorm

A taxi from Alicante Airport to Benidorm will usually cost around €70 and take around 40 minutes. You may find prices slightly more expensive depending on the time of day and the amount of luggage space you require.

How much for a taxi from JFK to Times Square

The journey from JFK to any location in Manhattan has a set charge of $52. You will also need to cover the cost of any bridge or tunnel tolls incurred (usually during peak hours) and an additional peak hour surcharge of $4.50 between 16:00-20:00 Monday to Friday.

How much is a taxi from Cancun to Tulum

A taxi from Cancun to Tulum is likely to set you back around $100-$120. This is quite expensive—unsurprising when you consider the round trip could take you well over an hour.

Many people online recommend you take the Riviera bus to Playa del Carmen, before hopping on another for the final stretch to Cancun. The 2 bus journeys are likely to set you back around $10 total.

How much is a taxi from Corfu Airport to Paleokastritsa

A taxi from Corfu Airport to Paleokastritsa will likely cost around €45-€50 and take around 25 minutes. Some online who made the trip recommended booking ahead of time in order to save money on the day.

How much is a taxi from Corfu Airport to Sidari

A taxi from Corfu Airport to Sidari is likely to cost roughly €70, taking somewhere around 40-50 minutes depending on traffic. You can (with a number of changes) use local bus services for around €5-€6, but this (all things considered) will probably take well over an hour and a half.

How much is a taxi from Fuerteventura Airport to Jandia

A taxi from Fuerteventura Airport to Jandia is likely to be around €90-€100. While expensive, the trip is well over 80km, so not surprising. Locals recommend the bus services (roughly €10) or, if you’re in a larger group, airport transfer buses/coaches (which work out around €15-€20 per person)

How much is a taxi from Kissimmee to Disney

The taxi from Kissimmee to Disney Florida will set you back around $40-$50 and take about 25 minutes. If you’re looking for an alternative, there is a direct bus from West Columbia Avenue And Cattleya Drive that arrives at Walt Disney World Transportation & Ticket Services that takes around 50 minutes.

How much is a taxi from Leicester to Loughborough

A taxi journey for the 11 miles between Leicester and Loughborough will probably set you back around £23-£33 and take around 15 minutes. Alternatives include an 8-minute train journey (£3-£13) or taking the bus (Skylink Derby/National Express, 30-40 minutes) for £3-£6.

How much is a taxi from Luton Airport to Watford

A taxi from London Luton Airport to Taxi will take around 25 minutes and set you back between £40-£50. You may find good discounts online or over the phone if you book a couple of days in advance, with some operators online advertising prices between £30-£35.

How much is a taxi from Liverpool to Chester

A cab from Liverpool City Centre to Chester is likely to cost around £30-£35 during the day and £40-£45 during the night. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, trains run every 20 minutes throughout the day, taking around 45 minutes and starting around £6-£10 off-peak.

How much is a taxi from Rio Airport to Copacabana

A cab from Rio de Janeiro Airport to Copacabana beach is likely to set you back between R$70- R$130. Most locals recommend using the regular yellow cabs outside the airport for the best prices, typically R$10-R$30 cheaper than booking with one of the many operators inside the airport.

However, operators inside the airport will accept card, so if you’re not carrying cash they can be a great option for getting from A to B.

How much is a taxi from Sofia to Borovets

A taxi from Sofia to Borovets will take around 1 hour 15 minutes and likely set you back between £25-35. If you’re looking to save, the bus is your best bet—costing between £3-6 and taking just over 2 hours.

How much is a taxi from Budapest Airport to City Centre

Your taxi from Budapest Airport into the City Centre is likely to cost you between €25-€30 and take around 35-45 minutes, depending on traffic.

How much is taxi from Pisa Airport to City Centre

The short 5-10 minute trip between Pisa Airport and the centre of Pisa will likely cost between €6-€8. You will be charged a €2.30 surcharge on Sundays/Public Holidays, and may also incur a fee of €0.60 per suitcase, depending on the operator.

How much is a taxi from Palma Airport to Palma Nova

The taxi from Palma Airport to Palma Nova will take around 15-25 minutes (depending on traffic) and cost between €30-€40. At night expect to pay around €34-€44.

How much is a taxi to Manchester Airport

Depending on how far away you are, a taxi to Manchester Airport will set you back between £8 (3 miles away) and £20 (9 miles away). If you’re travelling between 22:00 and 06:00, you can expect to pay just over 30% more than the average cost during the day.

On top of the cost of your trip, you’ll be charged a small surcharge depending on your final destination at the airport—£0.60 for drop off at the Ground Transport interchange or £1.80 for drop off at any terminal.

Luke Masters

Prior to NimbleFins, Luke studied economics at Brunel University and worked at FreshMinds, Investigo and BMW. His work in data analytics, pricing, strategy and business development helped him write business insurance content to support SMEs at NimbleFins. He now works at DataPOWA, a sports & entertainment data analytics company. Read more on LinkedIn.

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