Toronto to London, Ontario is about 171 km (106 mi) by road from Toronto Pearson to downtown London, roughly 127 minutes on a clear Highway 401 and closer to three hours in weekday traffic or winter weather. You can make the trip by chauffeured private car, by VIA Rail from Union Station, by a shared shuttle, or by driving yourself. Elly8.net's fixed fare from Pearson to downtown London starts at US$395 in a Business Sedan and is the same in the other direction.
The right choice depends on where you start, how much luggage you have and what you will do in London. For one traveller with a carry-on starting downtown, the train is good value. For a family arriving on an overseas flight, a team with equipment, or a business visitor with meetings on both ends of the day, a private car priced per vehicle is the simplest door-to-door option, and on a two-hour trip it is also the most comfortable.
What is the best way to get from Toronto to London, Ontario?
For a solo traveller starting near Union Station with light bags, VIA Rail is cheapest, at about 2 hours 35 minutes on average. For families, groups and flight arrivals at Pearson, a chauffeured car from US$395 per vehicle is simplest. A shared shuttle suits one or two flexible travellers. Driving yourself suits a long stay needing a car.
Rides in London, Ontario are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Toronto and the GTA run on the Elly8 fleet and chauffeurs. Either way, one booking covers the trip, with one confirmation and one desk to call.
See London, Ontario prices and reserve
The options side by side
| Option | Time | What decides the cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauffeured private car | about 127 min clear road from Pearson, door to door | one fixed price per vehicle | families, groups, flight arrivals, business days |
| VIA Rail, Union to London | about 2 h 35 min average, 185 km | rail fare per person | solo travellers starting downtown |
| Shared shuttle | the drive plus other passengers' stops | seat price per person | one or two travellers, flexible timing |
| Driving yourself or a rental | about 127 min clear road from Pearson, plus traffic | fuel, rental, parking | long stays with local driving |
The chauffeured car. One vehicle and one price for the whole party, on your timetable, with a rest stop on request. From Pearson, the chauffeur meets you inside arrivals at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 with a name board after baggage and customs, and the flight is tracked, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing.
VIA Rail. VIA Rail lists an average journey of about 2 hours 35 minutes over 185 km between London and Toronto, with fares per person that vary by day and departure time. Trains arrive at the London station at 205 York Street, downtown. From Pearson, add the UP Express to Union first; an adult one-way UP fare is C$12.35.
The shared shuttle. A shared-ride service sells a seat rather than a vehicle. Where one runs on your route at your time, it costs less than a private car for one or two people. Check the operator's timetable and luggage allowance, and expect stops for other passengers.
Driving yourself. Highway 401 west all the way, through Mississauga, Milton, Cambridge and Woodstock, then into London on one of the city's 401 exits. Simple, and sensible if you need a car every day in London. The honest trade-off is two hours of 401 after a long flight. See chauffeur vs renting a car.
What the chauffeured trip costs
| London, Ontario fare | Business Sedan | Business SUV / Van | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson to downtown London | US$395 | US$515 | US$635 | US$695 | US$1,030 |
| Pearson round trip | US$755 | US$980 | US$1,210 | US$1,325 | US$1,960 |
| By the hour in London, 3-hour minimum | US$110 | US$140 | US$165 | US$180 | US$220 |
| Full-day chauffeur in London | US$810 | US$1,035 | US$1,215 | US$1,325 | US$1,620 |
Every price is fixed, all-in and per vehicle, including the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost; the 401 route has no tolls. A start in downtown Toronto or a finish outside downtown London is priced exactly in the web booker.
Per-vehicle pricing changes the arithmetic on a long trip. As arithmetic for comparison only, a Business SUV at US$515 shared by five colleagues is US$103 each, and an Executive Sprinter at US$1,030 for twelve is about US$86 each, door to door with luggage. For a single traveller, the train costs less, and we say so.
The drive, leg by leg
| Leg | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Pearson or downtown Toronto to Mississauga and the 401 | the slowest stretch at rush hour; avoid leaving westbound between about 3:30 and 7 p.m. on weekdays |
| Mississauga to Milton | heavy commuter and truck traffic; the main source of delays |
| Milton to Cambridge | over the Niagara Escarpment; winter squalls can slow this stretch |
| Cambridge to Woodstock | usually steady; the halfway point for a short rest stop |
| Woodstock to London | open highway into the city; London's 401 exits lead to the south and west ends first |
Your departure time decides the trip. Leaving Pearson late morning, early afternoon or after about 7:30 p.m. usually gets close to the clear-road time. A 4 p.m. landing on a Friday is the slowest version of this drive. The fixed fare does not change, but your arrival time does, so tell us if you have a dinner or a meeting to make.
The return to Pearson is the same road east. For a departure from London, we work back from your flight: the clear-road 127 minutes, 30 to 60 minutes more at weekday peaks or in snow, and your airline's check-in time. For a morning flight that means a very early start, which is when a booked car is most valuable. The local side of that trip is covered in our London, Ontario taxi vs Uber vs private car guide.
Stops and detours worth making
On a two-hour drive, a private car can turn the transfer into part of the trip.
Cambridge and Langdon Hall. About a third of the way, Langdon Hall in Cambridge is a country house hotel with a restaurant and spa, minutes off the 401, which describes itself as an hour from Toronto, London and Hamilton. A natural lunch stop for a couple or a client.
Kitchener-Waterloo. For visitors with business at the universities or the tech district, a stop in Kitchener-Waterloo breaks the trip. Our Toronto to Kitchener comparison covers that shorter run.
Stratford. The Stratford Festival is about 60 km from London. Theatre visitors sometimes travel from Toronto via Stratford for a matinee and continue to London for the night, or book a London-based evening to Stratford with the car waiting through the show. The detour leaves the 401 for country roads, so it adds time; tell us when you book and the booker prices the multi-stop route exactly. A chauffeur also means nobody has to drive back after a long performance, which is the part of a theatre night most people would rather skip.
London when you get there
Most Toronto to London travellers are going to one of a handful of places. Western University and the Ivey Business School are north of downtown, and the chauffeur needs the building name. RBC Place London, at 300 York Street, is the convention centre, a short walk from the VIA station. Canada Life Place at 99 Dundas Street hosts London Knights games and the Broadway in London series. And London's hospitals bring visiting clinicians and families; we carry ambulatory passengers only and are not a medical transport service.
Once in London, an hourly chauffeur from US$110 an hour links campus, hospital and downtown meetings, and YXU, the city's own airport, is about 16 minutes from downtown with fixed fares from US$95. Our London, Ontario limo service guide has the neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood detail.
Three trips that work well by private car
The overseas family. Two adults, two children, five cases, landing at Pearson at 8 p.m. A Business SUV at US$515 with six bags of space and child seats fitted before pickup, on request. The train would mean the UP Express, a change at Union, VIA and a taxi at the end.
The academic visit. A visiting speaker lands at Pearson at noon, lectures at Western at 4 p.m. and flies out the next evening. The Pearson round trip from US$755 in a sedan covers both legs at a fixed price, and the chauffeur goes to the faculty building rather than the station.
The team. A sports team of eleven with kit bags, Pearson to a London hotel. An Executive Sprinter at US$1,030 takes 12 people and 12 bags in one vehicle. See group transportation and Sprinter van with driver.
A London day trip from Toronto
Some travellers do not stay overnight: a morning meeting at a London company, a graduation at Western, a family visit, a hospital appointment for a relative. A same-day return from Toronto means about four and a half hours of driving on a clear road, more with traffic, plus the time in London. There are three sensible ways to book it.
One car for the whole day. The chauffeur drives you out, waits or runs local errands, and drives you back. For a trip that starts and ends in Toronto, the Toronto full-day chauffeur starts at US$810 in a Business Sedan, and the Toronto limo service page lists every class. It is the easiest option when the London part of the day has several stops.
A car one way, the train the other. Ride out in the morning, when a car door to door saves time and you can work, and take VIA back from York Street in the evening. This suits a solo traveller with light luggage and a flexible finish time.
Two one-way bookings. If the London part of the day is long and you do not need the car in between, two separate transfers can cost less than holding one car all day. The web booker prices both legs exactly.
Comfort on a two-hour ride
On a 15-minute city transfer the class of car barely matters. On two hours of 401 it does. A business traveller who plans to work on the way should consider a First Class Sedan, from US$695 from Pearson, for the quieter cabin and space. A family with children should choose space over class: a Business SUV with 6 bags of room means the children are not sitting under a suitcase. Child seats are available on request; give each child's age and weight. A short rest stop around the halfway point near Woodstock is included on request, and the chauffeur will suggest one if the children need it.
When the train, a shuttle or your own car is better
For one person, light luggage, a downtown Toronto start and a downtown London finish, VIA Rail is cheaper and comfortable, and the station is central. For a week in London with daily drives to small towns, your own car or a rental makes sense, and you can still book a car for the airport legs. A private car wins for groups, families, heavy luggage, late flights and business days with appointments at both ends. The general case is in chauffeur vs a shared airport shuttle.
Companies that send staff between Toronto and London regularly open a corporate account for monthly invoicing; see corporate car service.
Booking
- Enter pickup and drop-off: Pearson with your flight number, or a Toronto address, and your London destination.
- Choose the vehicle: sedan for 3 people and 2 bags, SUV for 6 and 6, Executive Sprinter for 12 and 12.
- Reserve now or use the web booker. Confirmation arrives by email.
Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. We book the car only; hotels and flights can be arranged through BookingWorldwide.net.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Toronto to London, Ontario?
From Pearson to downtown London, about 127 minutes on a clear road over roughly 171 km (106 mi). Weekday afternoons and winter weather can push it toward three hours. VIA Rail lists an average of about 2 hours 35 minutes between Toronto and London.
How much is a private car from Toronto to London?
A fixed Business Sedan from Pearson to downtown London is US$395, a Business SUV US$515 and an Executive Sprinter US$1,030, per vehicle and all-in. The fare is the same from London to Pearson. Downtown Toronto starts are priced in the web booker.
Is the train or a car better from Toronto to London?
The train is better value for one traveller with light bags starting near Union Station. A car is better for families, groups, heavy luggage, Pearson arrivals and business days with meetings in London.
Can we stop on the way?
Yes. A rest stop is included on request, and a longer stop such as lunch in Cambridge or a visit in Kitchener-Waterloo can be added; the booker prices multi-stop trips exactly.
Do you go from London to Pearson for early flights?
Yes. We work back from your flight time and the airline's check-in time and suggest a pickup with margin for the 401. Early-morning pickups are routine.
What is the cancellation policy?
Free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or a no-show, refunded to the original card. See the cancellation policy.
