Best Time to Drive from San Diego to Los Angeles

Right now (12:33 pm PDT): about 148 minutes via I-5 North, usually 134 at this time.

Only 47% 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 121-mile drive from San Diego to Los Angeles (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 109 minutes and up to 162 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 128 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (138 minutes).

About 114 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (9 to 20 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 Downtown LA (City Hall) (West 1st Street) 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 Los Angeles?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 109 minutes then, versus up to 162 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles?

The 121-mile drive usually takes 109 to 162 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 128 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Diego to Los Angeles?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 162 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Orange County (53 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (50 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (10 miles)

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

More drives

Los Angeles 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 Irvine · San Diego to Temecula · San Diego to LAX · San Diego to Riverside · San Diego to Chula Vista · San Diego to La Jolla · San Diego to Anaheim

Open the live traffic map →