Driving to Birmingham Airport: directions and the M42 approach

Birmingham Airport is one of the easier UK airports to drive to, because it sits in the centre of the motorway network and is signed clearly from a long way out. The approach is the same for almost everyone: leave the M42 at junction 6, join the A45 and follow the signs to the airport for the last couple of miles. The junction was rebuilt to handle the traffic for the airport, the NEC and the growing development around them, so trust the live signs over an old memory of the layout.

Where you pick up the M42 depends on your starting point. From the north-west, the M6 is the usual route, leaving at junction 4A onto the M42 towards Solihull, then off at junction 6. From the north-east, you are already on the M42 and simply come off at junction 6. From the east, the M6 feeds onto the A45, which runs straight to the airport. From the south-east, the M40 joins the M42 near Coventry. And from the south-west, the M5 and M42 bring you round to the same junction 6. Whichever way you approach, the A45 and the airport signs take over for the final stretch.

For the terminal and the airport's own car parks, set your sat-nav to B26 3QJ. That is the single code the airport gives for the terminal and its on-site parking, Car Parks 1 to 5, Premium Set Down and the Drop Off Car Park included. You do not need a separate postcode for each car park: aim for B26 3QJ, come off the M42 at junction 6, and follow the on-site signs to the specific car park you have booked. The sat-nav postcode guide sets this out in full, along with the codes that do differ.

Where a different postcode genuinely matters is off the airport itself. The independent car parks dotted around the area have their own postcodes, so for those use the one on your booking confirmation rather than B26 3QJ. And the NEC, Resorts World and Birmingham International station next door sit on B40 postcodes, not the airport's B26 3QJ, which is the classic sat-nav mix-up: a B40 code can steer you to a hotel or the station rather than the terminal. Decide before you set off whether you want the airport or the NEC side, and you avoid the loop back round.

If the car is staying, head for your booked car park. They range from Car Park 1, about a minute's walk from the check-in desks, to the cheaper long-stay sites a short walk or free shuttle further out, and booking ahead is far cheaper than turning up and paying the tariff on the entrance boards. The car-park chooser weighs walk time, cover and cost if you have not decided, and the whole estate runs on number-plate cameras, so there is no ticket to collect: enter the exact registration when you book and the barrier knows you.

If you are only setting someone down, you have a free option and a paid one. The Drop Off Car Park is free for the first 10 minutes, with a covered walk of a few minutes to the terminal, while Premium Set Down at the kerb charges £7 for the first 15 minutes, with Blue Badge holders getting 30 minutes free. Collecting an arrival works differently again, because landing times drift; the guide to picking someone up covers where to wait. One rule applies across the site: the approach roads are red routes where stopping is banned, even briefly, so use a proper set-down area rather than the kerb of the main road.

Electric drivers are covered. There are GRIDSERVE charging points in the Premium Set Down area, and drivers who charge there get a reduced parking tariff for the time they are plugged in, validated at the Customer Service cabin in the zone. It suits a top-up while you drop someone off or wait, rather than a fortnight's park-and-charge. Charging prices and the exact discount change from time to time, so check the current rate at the point or on the airport's electric-vehicle page before you count on a figure.

For a longer or cheaper charge, the NEC campus next door runs one of the country's larger public charging hubs, a few minutes' drive away, which can be the better bet if you have time before a flight or after landing. If you are leaving the car for the whole trip, some of the off-airport parking operators also offer charging as part of the stay; the parking guide and the cheap parking guide cover who does what.

The drive itself is short, about 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham, but the roads around the airport carry a lot of traffic and the real journey time is set by when you travel more than by the distance. The A45 and the M42 both slow at the morning and evening peaks, and a major event at the NEC or its arenas can add congestion at odd hours, so leave a margin if your flight falls in a rush-hour window or on a big show day. Checking live traffic before you set off is worth the minute it takes.

Two smaller things save trouble at the end. Have your car park booking to hand and know which number you are heading for, because the signs and the lane choices come quickly once you are off the A45. And if you are dropping someone rather than parking, agree they will be ready at the set-down area before you arrive, so you are not tempted to wait on a road where stopping is not allowed. If the drive looks more hassle than it is worth, the transport hub compares the train, the coach and a taxi against taking the car.