Best Time to Drive from LAX to San Diego

Right now (7:20 pm PST): about 128 minutes via I-5 South and I-405 South, usually 118 at this time.

Only 42% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 124-mile drive from LAX to San Diego (via I-5 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 114 minutes and up to 220 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 149 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (146 minutes).

About 116 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 9 miles surface streets (12 to 19 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to downtown San Diego (East Broadway) 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 LAX to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 114 minutes then, versus up to 220 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from LAX to San Diego?

The 124-mile drive usually takes 114 to 220 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 149 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from LAX to San Diego?

Leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 220 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in San Diego (47 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (15 miles) · I-105 East in Los Angeles (1.1 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

LAX to San Diego over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

San Diego to LAX (return trip) · LAX to Los Angeles · LAX to Pasadena · LAX to Long Beach · LAX to West Covina · LAX to Burbank · LAX to Glendale · LAX to Santa Clarita · LAX to Van Nuys · LAX to El Monte · LAX to Downey · LAX to Whittier

Open the live traffic map →