Best Time to Drive from Mission Viejo to San Diego

Right now (8:05 pm PDT): about 65 minutes via I-5 South, usually 65 at this time.

Only 70% 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 74-mile drive from Mission Viejo to San Diego (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 95 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 72 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (90 minutes).

About 72 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.6 miles surface streets (about 2 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Mission Viejo to downtown San Diego 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 Mission Viejo to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 95 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Mission Viejo to San Diego?

The 74-mile drive usually takes 64 to 95 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 72 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Mission Viejo to San Diego?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 95 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in San Diego (47 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (22 miles) · I-805 South in San Diego (3 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Diego to Mission Viejo (return trip) · Mission Viejo to Los Angeles · Mission Viejo to Santa Monica · Mission Viejo to Pasadena · Mission Viejo to Long Beach · Mission Viejo to West Covina · Mission Viejo to Burbank · Mission Viejo to Glendale · Mission Viejo to Van Nuys · Mission Viejo to Torrance · Mission Viejo to LAX · Mission Viejo to Hollywood

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