Best Time to Drive from Santa Barbara to Irvine

Right now (9:06 am PST): about 168 minutes via US-101 South and I-5 South, usually 154 at this time.

Only 24% 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 134-mile drive from Santa Barbara to Irvine (via US-101 South and I-5 South) usually takes as little as 136 minutes and up to 256 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 189 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Sundays (188 minutes).

About 106 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 28 miles surface streets (42 to 71 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Barbara (Anacapa Street) to central Irvine (Harvard Avenue) 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 Santa Barbara to Irvine?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 136 minutes then, versus up to 256 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Barbara to Irvine?

The 134-mile drive usually takes 136 to 256 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 189 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Barbara to Irvine?

Leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 256 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Los Angeles (58 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (24 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (9 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

Santa Barbara to Irvine over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Irvine to Santa Barbara (return trip) · Santa Barbara to LAX · Santa Barbara to Los Angeles · Santa Barbara to Santa Monica · Santa Barbara to Pasadena · Santa Barbara to Van Nuys · Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks · Santa Barbara to Oxnard · Santa Barbara to Ventura · Santa Barbara to Simi Valley · Santa Barbara to Porter Ranch · Santa Barbara to Torrance

Open the live traffic map →