2023 Update: The outdoor LAX Economy Lot E is no longer available, it is now an indoor parking elsewhere. We have yet to update this post to reflect the new location.
I was in search of the Cheapest Long Term Parking at LAX Airport 2 months ago as we needed to park at LAX for a total of 22 days. The LAX parking lot had to be cheap yet safe but at the same time conveniently located so the shuttle to the airport won’t take long. This guide will help you with different long term parking options at LAX as well as websites to use so you can compare LAX parking rates.
How much is Long Term Parking at LAX?
Parking in front of LAX Airport can cost you $40/day. You can lower the cost of long term parking at LAX by parking nearby with rates ranging from $12 to $30. Your options include private parking lots, LAX Hotels, or Economy Lot E. This will come with a free shuttle service, just make sure to factor the wait time to your travel time.
How to avoid parking at LAX?
You can also avoid the big cost of parking at LAX by having a friend or family drop you off or pick you up upon your return. But sure, this will definitely inconvenience them. Another option is to ride an Uber if you are in or near LA.
We live 2 hours away and we don’t want to hassle other people so we looked into other options including renting a car and dropping it off at the airport. We were traveling with 2 kids though and needed the car seat/booster in the car so this option was immediately squashed. In the end, factoring the long term parking cost to our vacation became the best option.
3 Options for Long Term Parking at LAX Airport:
1. LAX Economy Lot E
For cheap long term parking at LAX, we settled for LAX Economy Lot E with its flat fee rate of $12 per day. We flew out in the summer and it was more expensive anywhere else or if somewhere else was cheaper, it was farther and the reviews were not good at all.
This parking lot is managed by LAX so I felt that I can trust the lot to keep our car safe versus private parking lots (Option 2) where you have to leave your car key and they move your car around, double park it, to fit every car that goes in. At Economy Lot E, you parked it yourself and bring your car key with you.
Economy Lot E replaced Economy Lot C (in case you’re familiar with that lot). It is outdoor parking with a capacity of 2000 parking spots. Since it is outdoor, our car got pretty dusty when we got back. But it’s fine, we had to drive 2 more hours after arrival so it will really get dirty anyway.
The parking lot is located 2 miles from Los Angeles Airport so convenience wise, it may take some time to get to and from the airport using the free economy lot E shuttle service.
You would be able to check if any of the Economy Lot E shuttles are near you by checking its real-time status. We were able to ride the shuttle in 10 minutes and the ride to the airport didn’t take long as it was a Sunday. When we got back, almost close to midnight on a Sunday, it took about 15 minutes to ride the shuttle as we missed the previous shuttle by a minute. Make sure to bookmark the website on your phone so you can easily access it when you get back.
The downside of parking at LAX Economy Lot E is you won’t be able to reserve a spot. During the summer break, it can be tricky but we found our luck even with only 22 spots available that day. Have a backup plan during the summer months especially on weekends and check the real-time parking lot capacity status before arriving near LAX. If the online real-time status is not working, you can call them at 3108934676. Again, also bookmarked the website to your phone.
Below shows the status of the parking lot on July 22nd. When we parked, there were 22 available and we didn’t have a hard time finding one of those 22 spots.
As of writing, August 27, there were over 700 parking spots available. Summer break is over!
Around Economy Lot E, you can find various Shuttle Stops that will take you to the airport. When we rode it, it wasn’t packed. Again, we traveled on a Sunday. Expect it to be otherwise during Fridays and Saturdays.
If you are traveling with plenty of big luggage (month-long worth of clothes), the kids, you have car seats, I would suggest initially parking at the LAX terminal parking lot (for a minimal fee), checking in your luggage at your airplane counter then driving your car to Economy Lot E and riding the shuttle back to the airport free of any pieces of luggage. This is what we did and we didn’t have to worry about how we were going to fit the luggage on the shuttle especially if there are a lot of passengers. We just had to arrive at the airport earlier than we usually do.
When we got back from our trip, the kids and I waited at the LAX curbside while the hubby rode the shuttle to get the car and get us. If you don’t want to wait for the shuttle, another option is to get a bigger Uber to take everyone and everything back to Economy Lot E.
The designated shuttle pick-up and drop-off area can be located on the arrival level at the Blue Shuttle Zone of each terminal. Look for the LAX Shuttle sign (below) once you get out of the airport or remember where you were initially dropped off.
LAX Economy Lot E address: 5455 W 111th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045
2. Parking Lots near LAX
For the most convenient long term parking at LAX, I would suggest parking at any of the parking lots near LAX. It will cost you more or less $20 per day plus tax but the good thing about them is you would be able to reserve ahead of time. Some of them also offer the option of doing valet and airport valet where they drop you off at the airport before parking your car at their parking garage.
You have a lot of Long Term parking options near LAX like Joe’s Airport Parking, Park N’ Fly, The Parking Spot, etc.
You can reserve with the closest parking lot to LAX airport so you can get to the airport in no time – provided that their free shuttle service is reliable. If you’re parking short term at LAX (like 2-3 days) or the company is paying or you simply have the money to pay more, then go the closest one versus parking at Economy Lot E (Option 1) which is not that close.
You can reserve a parking spot by directly contacting any of these LAX parking companies or booking through a 3rd party website like CheapAirportParking.org. I’ve never personally used them but when I called Economy Lot E, they suggested that I check that website since I was shocked by the fact that I can’t reserve a parking spot through them.
I’ve seen $4.95 LAX parking rates online being advertised for LAX parking but the truth is – I found no $4.95 parking. I called a few of them and here are their rates (not sure if it is lower during leaner months, we flew in July):
- QuickPark – $21.95/day
- The Parking Spot (Century)- $23/day for open-air parking, $27/day for covered parking, and $28/day for valet parking
- The Parking Spot (Sepulveda) – $23/day (rooftop parking)
- Park ‘N Fly – $23/day for open-air, $28/day for covered parking
When parking at any of these parking lots near LAX, research whether their free shuttle service is pretty reliable and comes to pick you up in no time or not. Check whether they double park your car or move it around, as you risk getting your car hit by another car. Check the reviews, not everyone’s experience is the same. The closer and the better service comes with a price but also comes with a peace of mind while you’re traveling.
3. LAX Hotel Parking
LAX hotel parking is another option to consider when looking for long term parking near LAX. You have two options – to park and stay for a night or just to use their parking lot service. You will be able to use their hotel shuttle to get to the airport and back. Call the hotel to check how often their shuttle service operates and if it is available 24 hours.
Option A: LAX Hotel Parking with Hotel Stay
As an example, if you stay for a night at Hilton near LAX with 22 days of parking, it will cost you a total of $458. One hotel website I checked gave the option of booking one night before your flight or the night when you get back.
Parking at an LAX hotel is great for those who wish to be in the vicinity of the airport a day before departure or for those who wish to do an overnight stay after a long international flight before driving back home.
Option B: LAX Hotel Parking Only (No Hotel Stay)
From my research, I found parking at some of the LAX hotels to be cheaper than parking at regular parking lots near LAX (option 2). I cannot vouch for how well their free service shuttle is (especially if they are located further from LAX) but if you’re early enough, it should work.
I found a 3rd party website (Way.com) where you can book just LAX hotel parking and found the rates to be cheaper than that of option 2 (which is booking with parking lots/garages). Initially, I wasn’t sure if it was a legit website so I called the hotels it listed to check if they know about it and some of them do.
Fairfield Inn by Marriott near LAX knew about the website but said I can also book directly through them. Their parking rate was cheaper than option 2 so they were my second option in terms of long term parking in case Economy Lot E was full the day we were flying out.
Please note that Way.com will show you a cheaper rate but once you put in the dates, the rate will actually be higher but I found them to still be cheaper than parking at parking garages near LAX.
Websites to check LAX Long Term Parking Rates:
There are a number of websites where you can check and compare rates for parking long term at LAX but these three are widely used by most. They feature parking lots or garages near LAX as well as LAX hotel parking lots:
Note: we are NOT affiliated with the last 2 parking websites but have seen people used them based on reviews and have used them for comparing rates as well.
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