Best Time to Drive from Santa Monica to San Diego

Right now (6:06 pm PDT): about 158 minutes via I-5 South and I-405 South, usually 120 at this time.

Only 48% 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 Monica to San Diego (via I-5 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 118 minutes and up to 168 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 4:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 132 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10 am on Saturdays (141 minutes).

About 132 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.9 miles surface streets (2 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Santa Monica to downtown San Diego 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 Monica to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 4:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 118 minutes then, versus up to 168 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Monica to San Diego?

The 134-mile drive usually takes 118 to 168 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 132 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Monica to San Diego?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 168 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in San Diego (46 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (27 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles) · I-10 East in Los Angeles (3 miles)

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

More drives

San Diego to Santa Monica (return trip) · Santa Monica to Los Angeles · Santa Monica to Pasadena · Santa Monica to Long Beach · Santa Monica to West Covina · Santa Monica to Burbank · Santa Monica to Glendale · Santa Monica to Santa Clarita · Santa Monica to Van Nuys · Santa Monica to Torrance · Santa Monica to Culver City · Santa Monica to El Monte

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