Best Time to Drive from Riverside to San Diego

Right now (6:47 am PDT): about 137 minutes via I-15 South and I-215 South, usually 139 at this time.

Only 53% 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 99-mile drive from Riverside to San Diego (via I-15 South and I-215 South) usually takes as little as 96 minutes and up to 143 minutes, when leaving around 6:30 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 110 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (131 minutes).

About 83 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 16 miles surface streets (23 to 49 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Riverside 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 Riverside to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 96 minutes then, versus up to 143 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 99-mile drive usually takes 96 to 143 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 110 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Riverside to San Diego?

Leaving around 6:30 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 143 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-215 South in Inland Empire (35 miles) · I-15 South in San Diego (29 miles) · SR-163 South in San Diego (9 miles) · I-15 South in Inland Empire (7 miles) · SR-91 East in Inland Empire (1.3 miles)

Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

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

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