Best Time to Drive from Placentia to Santa Monica

Right now (6:50 pm PDT): about 52 minutes via I-5 North and I-10 West, usually 48 at this time.

Only 8% 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

Minutes from Placentia to Santa Monica by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	40	57	63	68	59	51	49	48	47	48	49	47	47	45	41	40	39
Tue	39	59	73	76	61	53	51	49	47	47	47	48	48	45	43	40	39
Wed	40	56	67	69	59	52	49	49	46	46	50	49	50	47	43	40	39
Thu	39	57	69	72	60	54	52	49	48	47	51	52	52	47	45	42	40
Fri	39	55	54	56	53	51	51	52	53	54	54	53	54	55	48	42	40
Sat	39	40	43	43	46	50	54	51	50	47	47	48	48	46	46	43	41
Sun	39	39	39	39	41	44	45	49	47	49	48	48	48	51	51	47	41

About this drive

On weekdays the 44-mile drive from Placentia to Santa Monica (via I-5 North and I-10 West) usually takes as little as 39 minutes and up to 81 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 49 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11 am on Saturdays (54 minutes).

About 43 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.2 miles surface streets (about 2 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Placentia to downtown Santa Monica 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 Placentia to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 39 minutes then, versus up to 81 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Placentia to Santa Monica?

The 44-mile drive usually takes 39 to 81 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 49 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Placentia to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 81 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 West in Los Angeles (15 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (10 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (10 miles) · SR-91 West in Orange County (6 miles) · SR-57 South in Orange County (1.9 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Monica to Placentia (return trip) · Placentia to Los Angeles · Placentia to Long Beach · Placentia to Riverside · Placentia to Santa Ana · Placentia to Irvine · Placentia to San Bernardino · Placentia to Huntington Beach · Placentia to Glendale · Placentia to Santa Clarita · Placentia to Garden Grove · Placentia to Rancho Cucamonga

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	40	57	63	68	59	51	49	48	47	48	49	47	47	45	41	40	39
Tue	39	59	73	76	61	53	51	49	47	47	47	48	48	45	43	40	39
Wed	40	56	67	69	59	52	49	49	46	46	50	49	50	47	43	40	39
Thu	39	57	69	72	60	54	52	49	48	47	51	52	52	47	45	42	40
Fri	39	55	54	56	53	51	51	52	53	54	54	53	54	55	48	42	40
Sat	39	40	43	43	46	50	54	51	50	47	47	48	48	46	46	43	41
Sun	39	39	39	39	41	44	45	49	47	49	48	48	48	51	51	47	41

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	40	57	63	68	59	51	49	48	47	48	49	47	47	45	41	40	39
Tue	39	59	73	76	61	53	51	49	47	47	47	48	48	45	43	40	39
Wed	40	56	67	69	59	52	49	49	46	46	50	49	50	47	43	40	39
Thu	39	57	69	72	60	54	52	49	48	47	51	52	52	47	45	42	40
Fri	39	55	54	56	53	51	51	52	53	54	54	53	54	55	48	42	40
Sat	39	40	43	43	46	50	54	51	50	47	47	48	48	46	46	43	41
Sun	39	39	39	39	41	44	45	49	47	49	48	48	48	51	51	47	41

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	40	57	63	68	59	51	49	48	47	48	49	47	47	45	41	40	39
Tue	39	59	73	76	61	53	51	49	47	47	47	48	48	45	43	40	39
Wed	40	56	67	69	59	52	49	49	46	46	50	49	50	47	43	40	39
Thu	39	57	69	72	60	54	52	49	48	47	51	52	52	47	45	42	40
Fri	39	55	54	56	53	51	51	52	53	54	54	53	54	55	48	42	40
Sat	39	40	43	43	46	50	54	51	50	47	47	48	48	46	46	43	41
Sun	39	39	39	39	41	44	45	49	47	49	48	48	48	51	51	47	41