Best Time to Drive from San Diego to LAX

Right now (10:35 pm PST): about 116 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North.

Only 43% 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 125-mile drive from San Diego to LAX (via I-5 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 114 minutes and up to 184 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 152 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (148 minutes).

About 117 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (12 to 44 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Diego (East Broadway) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 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 San Diego to LAX?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 114 minutes then, versus up to 184 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 125-mile drive usually takes 114 to 184 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 152 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Diego to LAX?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 184 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (50 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (19 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (17 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles)

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

San Diego to LAX over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

LAX to San Diego (return trip) · San Diego to Escondido · San Diego to Oceanside · San Diego to El Cajon · San Diego to Carlsbad · San Diego to Los Angeles · San Diego to Irvine · San Diego to Temecula · San Diego to Riverside · San Diego to Chula Vista · San Diego to La Jolla · San Diego to Anaheim

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