Best Time to Drive from Simi Valley to Irvine

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 97 minutes via I-5 South and SR-118 East, usually 103 at this time.

Only 6% 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 81-mile drive from Simi Valley to Irvine (via I-5 South and SR-118 East) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 143 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 102 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (104 minutes).

About 76 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (7 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Simi Valley (3rd 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 Simi Valley to Irvine?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 143 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Simi Valley to Irvine?

The 81-mile drive usually takes 73 to 143 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 102 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Simi Valley to Irvine?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 143 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (31 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (24 miles) · SR-118 East in Los Angeles (21 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

Simi Valley to Irvine over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Irvine to Simi Valley (return trip) · Simi Valley to Los Angeles · Simi Valley to Santa Monica · Simi Valley to Pasadena · Simi Valley to Long Beach · Simi Valley to West Covina · Simi Valley to Burbank · Simi Valley to Glendale · Simi Valley to Santa Clarita · Simi Valley to Van Nuys · Simi Valley to Torrance · Simi Valley to LAX

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