Ever get the feeling that your wallet is being gouged whenever you park at Sydney Airport? You're not wrong: Sydney Airport Corporation raked in $76 million of revenue from its airport carparks and other ground transport in just six months, from January to the end of June 2019.

However, many independent car parks clustered around the airport offer significantly better value, and in most cases include a free shuttle service to and from the airport.

Executive Traveller surveyed the parking option at and around Sydney Airport, and here's what we found.

All pricing listed is correct as at December 2019, but as car park operators frequently adjust pricing, you'd be wise to confirm the cost of any reservation before you book. Executive Traveller receives no commission or other form of payment or compensation from any of the parking operators listed and linked here.

Finding the cheapest carpark at Sydney Airport

To find the cheapest carpark near Sydney Airport, select the number of days you'll need to park your car for:

Cheapest Sydney Airport parking for 1 day

1) Official SYD Domestic 'Blu Emu' carpark – $30 for 3-24 hours.

Where: Ross Smith Avenue, Mascot.

Ross Smith Avenue, Mascot. Booking: Booking required for $30 price ($34 drive-up). Come any time, 24 hours a day.

Booking required for $30 price ($34 drive-up). Come any time, 24 hours a day. Transfer: Free shuttle bus every 10-15 minutes, drop off/pickup at Sydney Domestic Terminal 2 & 3.

Free shuttle bus every 10-15 minutes, drop off/pickup at Sydney Domestic Terminal 2 & 3. Notes: Blu Emu is only at the domestic terminal. The free T-Bus can instead be used for transfers to the international terminal. This carpark counts overnight stays under 24 hours as one day.

2) Park on King – $26 for one calendar day

Where: 338 King St, Mascot.

338 King St, Mascot. Booking: Recommended to guarantee a spot.

Recommended to guarantee a spot. Transfer: Free shuttle bus on demand.

Free shuttle bus on demand. Notes: Closer to Domestic (5 min) than International (10 min). Price is for outdoor parking.

In comparison...

Cheapest Sydney Airport parking for 2-7 days

1) Sydney AirPark – $50 (2 days) to $120 (7 days)

Where: 4 Mt Olympus Blvd, Wolli Creek.

4 Mt Olympus Blvd, Wolli Creek. Booking: Highly recommended to guarantee a spot.

Highly recommended to guarantee a spot. Transfer: Free shuttle bus on demand.

Free shuttle bus on demand. Notes: 5 minutes to International, 10 minutes to Domestic. Indoor parking.

2) Mascot Valet – $51 (2 days) to $131 (7 days)

Where: 235 O’Riordan St, Mascot.

235 O’Riordan St, Mascot. Booking: Recommended to guarantee a spot.

Recommended to guarantee a spot. Transfer: Free shuttle bus on demand.

Free shuttle bus on demand. Notes: Closer to Domestic (5 min) than International (10 min). Outdoor parking.

In comparison...

Cheapest Sydney Airport parking for 8-14 days

1) Sydney AirPark – $130 (8 days) to $182 (14 days)

2) Park & Fly – $146 (8 days) to $218 (14 days)

Where: 1002 Botany Rd, Mascot.

1002 Botany Rd, Mascot. Booking: Highly recommended to guarantee a spot.

Highly recommended to guarantee a spot. Transfer: Free shuttle bus on demand.

Free shuttle bus on demand. Notes: Closer to Domestic. Price is for outdoor parking.

In comparison...

Cheapest Sydney Airport parking for 15-22 days

1) Sydney AirPark – $190 (15 days) to $246 (22 days)

2) Park & Fly – $230 (15 days) to $314 (22 days)

In comparison...

Tips on parking near Sydney Airport

Here are some useful tips and background info to help you make an informed choice when it comes to parking at or near Sydney Airport.

Pre-pay your on-site airport parking

If parking on-site at the airport is a must for your next hop from Sydney, do yourself a favour and book your parking on the Sydney Airport website. One benefit is that rates are charged in 24-hour blocks rather than calendar days, and the carparks are accessible 24/7.

Stays are usually significantly cheaper than the drive-up rates, particularly if it's more than a few days. The 'Blu Emu' carpark near the Domestic Terminal has the best rates of all Sydney Airport carparks, with the downside of not being walking distance to the terminals.

However, that carpark also currently has a strange quirk where online rates are often more expensive, even if marginally, than drive-up rates for stays of 3 to 8 days. Here is a selection of rates for parking at Sydney Airport, as of November 2019:

P3 Domestic Blue Emu Domestic P7 International Drive-up Online* Drive-up Online* Drive-up Online* 1 day $51 $48 $34 $30 $62 $59 7 days $357 $180 $141 $142 $434 $208 14 days $714 $264 $253 $227 $868 $302 30 days $1,530 $316 $509 $365 $1,860 $477

Note that Sydney Airport's online parking rates are dynamic and you may get different quotes to the table above. The drive-up rates are fixed-price, though.

Using off-site third-party car parks

When parking off-site, companies have different price structures for different lengths of time.

As you've seen earlier in this article, all of the third-party companies mentioned (Sydney AirPark, Park & Fly, Mascot Valet and Park on King) make the top-two ranking in different categories.

All of them highly encourage bookings to reserve a spot and require full payment in advance. However, drive-ups aren't forbidden; there's just a chance of being turned away.

Mascot Valet, Park & Fly and Park on King all offer additional services for your car. Car-washing and detailing is available from $29, while the latter two can also do car servicing.

Choosing the right car park for you

Ultimately, choosing the right car park will depend on how much you value price, location and services offered.

Sydney AirPark has the most competitive parking rates for anything more than two days, plus all parking is indoors. It's also a rare option that is closer to the International Terminal than Domestic, being based in Wolli Creek.

However, AirPark has an older-style booking form that requires manual confirmation, which might rule them out for last-minute trips unless you call. There's no car servicing as well.

If you want your car fixed up and washed, then Park & Fly or Park on King is the right choice for you. Both have a frequent-traveller-friendly loyalty program, where you can earn up to $1 back from every $10 spent, being a rebate of up to 10%. Mascot Valet also has a comprehensive list of car detailing services as well.

Sydney Airport's own official carparks shouldn't be discounted either. The sheer convenience of being able to walk to the terminal is tempting, except the Blu Emu carpark which is a 15-minute shuttle away. Prices are slightly higher than third-party carparks, but not ridiculously so if you book online and in advance.