I’ve built this comparison around the OOH formats I actually want a client to consider when we are deciding where a budget should go. The question is not simply which format is cheapest. It is what the format can do for the campaign.
A billboard gives you a fixed location. A bus campaign gives you route repetition. Rail puts you into commuter journeys. The London Underground adds huge frequency and dwell. Airports create a premium attention environment. Taxi advertising can put a message both outside and inside the vehicle. AdVans and mobile billboards are different again because you can take the media to the audience.
The seven channels at a glance
| Channel | Core role | Typical entry benchmark | Best strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboards | Fixed roadside OOH | From £325 regional 48-sheet | Broad reach and landmark presence |
| Bus + bus stops | Moving + fixed local OOH | From £60 bus rear / £300 shelter | Local saturation and repetition |
| Rail | Station + train OOH | From £75 traincard | Commuter frequency |
| London Underground | Tube station + train OOH | From £10 TCP / £300 4-sheet | London frequency and dwell |
| Airport | Terminal OOH | From £500 regional 6-sheet | Premium audience and long dwell |
| Taxi | Exterior + interior OOH | From £25 digital cab screen | City visibility + captive audience |
| AdVans / mobile billboards | Route-led mobile OOH | From £595 regional / £695 London per day | Take the campaign to a defined audience |
The proper head-to-head comparison
This is the table I would use when comparing channels at planning stage. It deliberately puts AdVans alongside the established OOH channels rather than treating mobile billboards as an add-on.
| Measure | Billboards | Bus / stops | Rail | London Underground | Airport | Taxi | AdVans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary environment | Roadside | Roads + stops | Stations + trains | Stations + Tube trains | Terminals | Roads + vehicle interior | Roads / route |
| Fixed or mobile | Fixed | Both | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed | Mobile fleet | Mobile |
| Audience logic | Site + traffic | Route + postcode | Station + corridor | Station + line + zone | Airport + terminal | City + fleet | Route + audience location |
| Frequency | Site-dependent | High on routes | High for commuters | Very high | Moderate to high | High in city | Route-dependent |
| Dwell | Low roadside | Low outside / higher at stops | High | High | Very high | High inside | Low to moderate while moving |
| Geographic precision | Site | High | High | Very high | Airport catchment | City / zone | Very high |
| Creative flexibility | Static / digital | Static / digital | Static / digital | Static / digital | Static / digital | Static / digital / livery | Static / digital / XL |
| Best use | Mass awareness | Local dominance | Commuter reach | London campaigns | Premium attention | Urban response | Audience-led targeting |
| Main advantage | Scale | Repetition | Frequency | Frequency + dwell | Attention | Two audiences | The route moves with the brief |
The important difference : AdVans are not simply a cheaper alternative to a billboard. They are a different planning tool. With a fixed site, the audience comes to the media. With an AdVan, the media can be routed around the audience. That is especially useful for business districts, agency clusters, retail areas, events, transport hubs, competitor locations and tightly defined postcodes.
What the current 2026 pricing says
The figures below are the published planning benchmarks used in the current Loud! OOH channel guides. They are not promises that every site or campaign will trade at exactly these rates. For the complete rate card, see the 2026 pricing page.
| Channel | Format / activity | Published starting point | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboards | Regional 48-sheet | £325 | Static media benchmark; location and availability matter |
| Billboards | Regional 6-sheet | £300 | Street-level alternative to larger roadside sites |
| Bus | Bus rear | £60 | Low-cost moving OOH entry point |
| Bus stops | 6-sheet shelter | £300 | Useful for local targeting and dwell |
| Rail | Traincard | £75 | Lower-entry train format with longer passenger dwell |
| Rail | Station 4/6-sheet | £250 | Station-led commuter visibility |
| London Underground | Tube car panel | £10 | Line-based starting benchmark |
| London Underground | 4-sheet platform poster | £300 | Outer-zone starting benchmark |
| London Underground | Digital 6-sheet | £400 | Outer-zone starting benchmark |
| London Underground | 16-sheet cross-track | £1,000 | Outer-zone starting benchmark |
| London Underground | 48-sheet cross-track | £1,500 | Station-dependent starting benchmark |
| London Underground | Digiwall / digital gateway | £12,000 | Premium digital environment |
| Airport | Regional 6-sheet | £500 | Premium terminal environment |
| Airport | Regional digital 6-sheet | £295 per week | Flexible digital terminal activity |
| Taxi | Digital cab screen | £25 per unit / 4 weeks | Captive passenger format |
| Taxi | Superside | £175–£275 / cab / 4 weeks | Exterior city presence |
| Taxi | Full livery | From £850 / cab | High-impact mobile presence |
| AdVan | Digital mobile billboard | £595 regional / £695 London per day | 8-hour operating day and planned route |
| AdVan | 3-day mobile billboard | £1,595 regional / £1,895 London | Short campaign burst |
| AdVan | 5-day mobile billboard | £2,495 regional / £2,995 London | Sustained presence |
| Electric AdVan | Electric Digital AdVan | From £1,500 / day | Premium electric mobile format |
AdVan source: Loud! OOH AdVan & Mobile Billboard Advertising Costs UK 2026, supplied for this update. The source states that final pricing can vary with vehicle type, geography, availability, operating hours, mileage, route requirements, duration and specialist production.
AdVans vs the other channels
This is where I would make the decision in a real campaign.
| If the brief is... | I would start with... | Why | Then consider... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach as many people as possible | Billboards | Broad roadside coverage and landmark visibility | Bus |
| Own a local area | Bus + bus stops | Routes create repetition and shelters add fixed local presence | Billboards / AdVans |
| Reach commuters repeatedly | Rail | Station and train environments create frequency | London Underground |
| Make a London audience notice you | London Underground | High-frequency environment with strong dwell | Taxi / AdVans |
| Reach a very specific business audience | AdVans | Route can be built around offices, agency clusters and business districts | Tube / rail |
| Target an event | AdVans | Route can follow the audience before, during and after the event | Taxi / rail |
| Create premium attention | Airport | Long terminal dwell and concentrated travel audience | London Underground |
| Combine exterior visibility with captive messaging | Taxi | Vehicle is seen in the city and can carry an interior message | Bus |
| Make the media plan move with the audience | AdVans | Geography and timing can be changed around the brief | Taxi |
I would never start an AdVan campaign by asking where the vehicle can go. I would start by asking where the audience is. The route should follow the brief, not the other way around.
Channel profiles
What each channel actually does in a campaign - and when I would reach for it.
Billboards are still the straightforward choice for broad awareness. The strength is consistency: the site stays where it is and the audience repeatedly passes it. They are particularly useful when a brand needs a recognisable physical landmark in a town, city or region. See the full billboard advertising guide.
Bus advertising is strongest when repetition and geography matter. Rears give moving visibility, supersides increase physical presence, and shelters give you fixed, eye-level exposure with natural waiting time. A strong bus plan can make a brand feel like it owns a neighbourhood. See the full bus advertising guide.
Rail is a frequency channel. The strongest planning is about the stations, corridors and audiences that matter rather than simply buying the largest station available. Traincards add longer dwell inside the carriage, while digital formats introduce scheduling flexibility.
The Underground is different from roadside OOH because passengers are often stationary or travelling long enough to absorb more information. It is particularly strong for London launches, commuter campaigns, brand credibility and repeated exposure. Lower-entry Tube car panels and outer-zone posters make it possible to build targeted campaigns without automatically going straight to flagship takeovers. See the London Underground advertising guide.
Airport advertising trades on dwell and context. The audience is concentrated in a premium environment and can spend significant time around the advertising. It makes most sense when the target audience travels or when the campaign benefits from a more premium setting. See the full airport advertising guide.
Taxi advertising gives you two environments in one campaign: the exterior audience moving through the city and the passenger inside the vehicle. Screens and interiors are particularly useful when a campaign has a response mechanic or more detailed message. See the full taxi advertising guide.
AdVans are the most route-led option in this comparison. The Standard and Electric formats are 20sqm, while the XL is 35sqm. I would use them when there is a clear reason for the vehicle to be somewhere: agency offices, business districts, retail areas, events, transport hubs, competitor locations or a specific postcode. See the full AdVan & mobile billboard guide.
Billboards
Bus and bus stops
Rail
London Underground
Airport
TAXI
AdVans / mobile billboards
The big difference is control over geography and timing. A fixed billboard is tied to its site. An AdVan can change its route around the audience. That makes it particularly interesting for B2B, challenger brands, launches, retail and events.
Budget thinking
The right answer changes as the budget increases. I would rather create real presence in one or two environments than spread a modest budget across seven channels and make every channel look small.
| Indicative budget | What I would consider | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Under £1,000 | Billboard, bus rear, rail traincard, Tube entry formats or one-day AdVan | Several channels have genuine low-entry options |
| £1,500–£3,000 | Focused AdVan burst, bus/shelter combination, selected Tube activity or local billboard plan | Enough budget to create concentrated presence |
| £3,000–£10,000 | Two-channel regional plan or sustained AdVan / bus / rail activity | Frequency and depth become more important |
| £10,000–£25,000 | London Underground, coordinated AdVan activity, rail + roadside or bus + taxi | The campaign can build genuine scale in a defined geography |
| £25,000+ | Multi-channel London / regional campaign | Use channels for different jobs rather than simply adding formats |
A useful way to think about the mix: Reach + frequency + relevance. Billboards and bus can provide reach. Rail and the Underground can add frequency. Taxi can add an interior response environment. AdVans can add relevance by physically taking the campaign into the places where the audience is concentrated. Airports can add premium attention.
What I would avoid
- Choosing the format before defining the audience.
- Comparing only the cheapest unit price.
- Buying the biggest site, station or airport simply because it looks impressive on a media plan.
- Spreading a modest budget so thinly that no channel gets enough repetition.
- Treating an AdVan as a gimmick rather than planning the route as part of the media.
- Assuming one AdVan gives blanket city coverage.
- Using the same creative approach for a Tube panel, roadside billboard and moving vehicle.
- Ignoring production, posting, installation, operating requirements and lead times when calculating the real campaign cost.
The final answer
If you want broad, fixed visibility, start with billboards. If you want to own a neighbourhood, look at bus and bus stops. If commuters are the audience, rail is a natural fit. If the audience is in London and frequency matters, the Underground becomes very compelling. If the environment and dwell are part of the brand proposition, look at airports. If you want exterior visibility plus a captive passenger audience, taxi is worth serious consideration.
If you have a very specific audience, location, event, business district or timing requirement, I would put AdVans firmly on the shortlist. The advantage is not simply that the billboard moves. It is that the media plan can move with the audience.
That is the point of this comparison. There is no universal best OOH format. There is a best format for the job the campaign actually needs to do.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AdVan better than a billboard?
Is AdVan advertising expensive?
The supplied 2026 Loud! OOH guide publishes Digital AdVan activity from £595 per regional operating day and £695 in London. Three-day campaigns start from £1,595 regionally and £1,895 in London, while five-day campaigns start from £2,495 and £2,995 respectively.
What are the AdVan sizes?
The three core formats are Standard 20sqm, Electric 20sqm and XL 35sqm. The format should follow the campaign rather than the other way around.
Which is better for B2B, AdVan or London Underground?
It depends on how concentrated the audience is. If the target businesses are clustered in specific districts, an AdVan can route directly around those locations. If the campaign needs repeated exposure across London’s wider commuter audience, the Underground may be stronger.
Which OOH channel is cheapest?
At entry level, several channels are accessible. Bus rears, rail traincards, Tube car panels and regional billboards all have low published starting points, while Digital AdVan activity starts from £595 regionally. The correct comparison is cost against the audience and job, not price alone.
Can AdVans target competitors?
Yes. The supplied AdVan guide identifies competitor locations as one possible route-planning use case. The route still needs a genuine audience rationale. Driving past a competitor once is a stunt. Building a repeatable route around the relevant audience is media planning.
Sources and pricing convention
This comparison is designed to sit above the individual Loud! OOH channel guides and direct readers into the deeper pricing and format pages.
Sources referenced in this article
- Loud! OOH Insights: Billboard Advertising Costs UK
- Loud! OOH Insights: Bus & Bus Stop Advertising UK
- Loud! OOH Insights: Rail Advertising UK
- Loud! OOH Insights: London Underground Advertising
- Loud! OOH Insights: Airport Advertising Costs UK
- Loud! OOH Insights: Taxi Advertising UK
- Loud! OOH Insights: AdVan & Mobile Billboard Advertising Costs UK 2026 (AdVan figures in this revision are taken from this supplied document; published rates are indicative 2026 media costs, excluding VAT unless stated, and production and specialist requirements may be additional)
- Loud! OOH: UK OOH Pricing Page
Pricing convention : media costs only unless specifically stated. Rates can change with location, station tier, availability, seasonality, campaign duration, operating requirements and package structure. Always confirm the live buying rate before publication or booking.
At Loud! OOH we plan and buy OOH campaigns for SMEs and challenger brands across the UK. We publish our pricing openly and do not mark up media costs. See our 2026 rate card or contact hello@loudooh.co.uk / 020 4514 9147.
Loud! OOH · Updated September 2026
