Folkestone Eurotunnel Taxi
The M20 ends at Junction 11a and becomes the Eurotunnel terminal, which is where plenty of people discover that LeShuttle carries cars, not walkers. If you are meeting a vehicle there, collecting someone off a crossing, or heading for Folkestone itself, Taxi On The Go runs fixed-fare private hire from Dartford, Gravesend, Bluewater and across Kent to the terminal on Ashford Road, CT18 8XX, at any hour.
Taxi On The Go drives to and from the Eurotunnel LeShuttle terminal at Folkestone (M20 Junction 11a, CT18 8XX) for a fixed price: from £80 from Dartford, £72 from Gravesend, £45 from Maidstone, £25 from Ashford and £150 from Heathrow. LeShuttle is vehicle-only, so we drop and collect at the passenger terminal building for people meeting a car, or continue to Folkestone Central and the Harbour Arm. To book, use the online form, send a WhatsApp, or phone 020 8888 9988.
Fares to the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal
Saloon guide prices, one way, to the LeShuttle passenger terminal building or anywhere in Folkestone, Sandgate or Hythe. The quote you accept is the amount charged – M20 roadworks do not change it.
| Pickup point | Saloon (from) | Time on the road |
|---|---|---|
| Ashford TN23–TN27 | £25 | 15–25 min |
| Maidstone ME14–ME16 | £45 | 35–50 min |
| Sevenoaks TN13 | £70 | 55–75 min |
| Gravesend DA11 / DA12 | £72 | 50–70 min |
| Swanley BR8 | £75 | 55–75 min |
| Bluewater / Greenhithe DA9 | £78 | 55–75 min |
| Dartford DA1 / DA2 | £80 | 55–80 min |
| Heathrow Airport all terminals | £150 | 1h45–2h30 |
| 6-seat MPV from Dartford | £100 | 55–80 min |
| 8-seat minibus from Dartford | £120 | 55–80 min |
Guide fares for a standard saloon unless stated; the exact price depends on postcode and vehicle. There is no charge for paying by card and no fee for booking. Waiting beyond the free allowance is agreed up front and billed per 15 minutes.
LeShuttle takes cars, not foot passengers – so what is a taxi for?
Eurotunnel's LeShuttle is a train for vehicles. You drive onto it at Folkestone and off at Coquelles; there is no ticket for a person on foot, and a taxi cannot drop you at check-in to walk aboard. The train for people is Eurostar, which runs from London St Pancras only – it does not call at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet at present. For Eurostar, our Dartford to St Pancras page is the one you want.
That still leaves several genuine reasons to book a car to the Folkestone terminal:
- Joining a vehicle – a friend or relative is driving to France and will meet you at the terminal. We drop you at the passenger terminal building, by the shops and the Flexiplus lounge entrance, where they can find you before check-in.
- Being collected off a crossing – someone has driven back from Coquelles and you are getting out at Folkestone rather than riding on to their home.
- Folkestone itself – Folkestone Central station, the Harbour Arm, the Leas, Sandgate and Hythe are all minutes from Junction 11a.
Two ways to reach Junction 11a from north Kent
The terminal sits at the very end of the M20, so it is reachable from two directions and we pick whichever is behaving on the day.
Via the A2, M2 and A249
From Dartford, Gravesend and Bluewater the driver takes the A2 to the M2, leaves at Junction 5 for the A249 over Detling Hill, joins the M20 at Junction 7 near Maidstone, and runs east past Ashford to Junction 11a. This is our default.
Via the M25 and M20 from Junction 1
From Swanley, Sevenoaks and Bexley it is shorter to join the M25 at Junction 3 and take the M20 from Junction 1 straight through to the end.
When Brock is on
When Channel freight queues, Operation Brock turns the M20 between Junctions 8 and 9 into a contraflow. The terminal is beyond Junction 9, so the M20 cannot be avoided entirely, but on Brock days we join as late as possible and add time to the quote rather than guess. From Dartford the run is 55 minutes at night and up to 80 by day; from Ashford, a quarter of an hour.
Dropping and collecting at the passenger terminal building
Once you leave the M20 at Junction 11a the road feeds you towards the check-in booths, and a car without a booking cannot go through them. Before the booths there is a signed turn for the passenger terminal building, with parking outside. That building holds the food outlets, shops and the Flexiplus lounge, and it is the sensible meeting point for anyone joining or leaving a vehicle.
Joining a car going out
Ask your driver to arrive 20 to 30 minutes before the vehicle's check-in slot. Wait inside the terminal building; the motorist parks, walks in and collects you.
Getting out of a car coming in
Vehicles arriving from Coquelles leave by the exit road. The motorist pulls into the terminal building car park, you get out, and our driver is waiting there.
If the crossing is delayed
Tell us the booked crossing time and we allow for the usual slippage. Extra waiting is agreed before the driver sets off.
Luggage
A saloon holds two large cases; an estate or MPV takes more, so say how much is coming over from the car.
Folkestone Central, the Harbour Arm, Sandgate and Hythe
Many bookings for this page are not about the tunnel at all. Folkestone has become a day-out and weekend-away town, and it sits just off the same junction.
- Folkestone Central station – high-speed trains to St Pancras and Southeastern to Ashford and Dover. Useful if a plan changes at the terminal.
- Folkestone Harbour Arm – restaurants, bars and the summer market on the old railway pier, a short walk from the Creative Quarter.
- The Leas – hotels along the clifftop and the lift down to the beach.
- Sandgate and Hythe – the seafront villages west of town, the Royal Military Canal and the light railway at Hythe.
For a group weekend the 8-seat minibus from Dartford is from £120 one way; a family with a pushchair gets an estate or MPV and free child seats. Combining the tunnel run with a Folkestone stop – dropping someone at the terminal, then carrying on to the Harbour Arm – is quoted as one journey.
Every driver holds a Kent private hire licence, has an enhanced DBS certificate and is insured for the work. Businesses can settle by monthly invoice.
How to book a taxi to Folkestone Eurotunnel
Send the crossing time
The vehicle's booked check-in or arrival, your pickup address and passenger count – via the booking form, WhatsApp, or 020 8888 9988.
One price back
A fixed fare for the car you need, plus a recommended departure time that allows for the M20.
Driver confirmed
Vehicle registration and driver's name sent by text before the journey.
Terminal building or town
Dropped at the passenger terminal building, Folkestone Central or your hotel. Card, cash or account.
Every booking includes
- Fixed price agreed before the car leaves
- Drop-off and pickup at the passenger terminal building, not the check-in lanes
- Route chosen on the day to dodge Operation Brock where possible
- Waiting charges agreed up front if a crossing runs late
- Estate, MPV or 8-seater for luggage transferred from the car
- Child seats provided at no cost when you ask
- No booking fee and no surcharge for paying by card
Folkestone Eurotunnel taxi – your questions
Can I take a taxi to the Eurotunnel and go through as a foot passenger?
No. LeShuttle only carries vehicles and their occupants, so nobody boards on foot. A taxi to the Folkestone terminal makes sense if you are joining someone's car, being dropped from one, or heading into Folkestone itself. For a train to France, Eurostar leaves from St Pancras.
How much is a taxi from Dartford to the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal?
From £80 for a saloon, one way, over roughly 50 miles. Allow 55 minutes overnight and up to 80 in daytime traffic. A 6-seat MPV is from £100 and the 8-seat minibus from £120. Gravesend is from £72 and Bluewater from £78.
Where should a taxi drop me to meet a car at the Eurotunnel terminal?
At the passenger terminal building, signed before the check-in booths at Junction 11a, with its own car park. It contains the shops, food outlets and the Flexiplus lounge, so the motorist can park, walk in and find you before you go through check-in together.
Does Eurostar stop at Ashford or Ebbsfleet so I can avoid Folkestone?
Not currently. Eurostar services run from London St Pancras only, with no calls at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet. If you need the passenger train rather than the car shuttle, we run fixed-fare cars from Dartford to St Pancras – see the separate page for prices.
Will Operation Brock delay my taxi to the Eurotunnel?
It can, because the terminal is at the far end of the M20 beyond the Brock contraflow between Junctions 8 and 9. On Brock days we join the M20 as late as possible via the M2 and A249 and build extra minutes into the recommended pickup time.
Can you collect me from the Eurotunnel terminal when a car arrives from France?
Yes. Give us the booked crossing time and the driver waits in the passenger terminal building car park, where the arriving motorist can pull in and let you out. We allow for the usual slippage and agree any extra waiting beforehand.
How much is Ashford to the Eurotunnel by taxi?
From £25 for a saloon – it is about 15 miles down the M20 from Junction 9 to Junction 11a, taking 15 to 25 minutes. Maidstone is from £45 and Sevenoaks from £70. We also run from Ashford International station and the Designer Outlet.
Do you go from Heathrow to Folkestone or the Eurotunnel?
Yes, from £150 for a saloon from any Heathrow terminal, roughly two hours via the M25 and M20. We monitor your flight, allow 45 minutes free after landing, and a driver holding a name board can be in arrivals if you ask.