Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Bakersfield to Irvine
Right now (5:03 pm PDT): about 179 minutes via I-5 South, usually 163 at this time.
Only 36% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 162 | 178 | 166 | 153 | 154 | 152 | 154 | 154 | 164 | 173 | 178 | 170 | 161 | 148 | 145 | 143 | 138 |
| Tue | 184 | 198 | 188 | 165 | 157 | 156 | 155 | 157 | 170 | 182 | 190 | 176 | 165 | 151 | 146 | 141 | 138 |
| Wed | 163 | 182 | 176 | 170 | 158 | 157 | 155 | 160 | 169 | 175 | 181 | 174 | 163 | 151 | 146 | 140 | 138 |
| Thu | 173 | 195 | 182 | 163 | 161 | 157 | 161 | 159 | 176 | 181 | 185 | 183 | 166 | 149 | 147 | 143 | 138 |
| Fri | 158 | 170 | 166 | 158 | 159 | 160 | 165 | 178 | 184 | 182 | 180 | 180 | 162 | 152 | 149 | 142 | 139 |
| Sat | 140 | 142 | 145 | 151 | 157 | 161 | 165 | 168 | 166 | 166 | 160 | 158 | 151 | 149 | 146 | 137 | 136 |
| Sun | 137 | 137 | 138 | 141 | 144 | 150 | 153 | 155 | 157 | 155 | 155 | 151 | 154 | 154 | 150 | 140 | 136 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 153-mile drive from Bakersfield to Irvine (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 138 minutes and up to 198 minutes, when leaving around 6 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 168 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (168 minutes).
About 132 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 21 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Bakersfield to central Irvine along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.
Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.
Questions
What is the best time to drive from Bakersfield to Irvine?
On weekdays, leave after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 138 minutes then, versus up to 198 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Bakersfield to Irvine?
The 153-mile drive usually takes 138 to 198 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 168 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Bakersfield to Irvine?
Leaving around 6 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 198 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 South in Los Angeles (64 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (17 miles) · SR-99 South in Bakersfield (13 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (4 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (3 miles)
Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Bakersfield to Los Angeles · Bakersfield to Santa Clarita · Bakersfield to Valencia