Best Time to Drive from Thousand Oaks to Irvine

Right now (10:18 am PDT): about 92 minutes via US-101 South and I-5 South, usually 88 at this time.

Only 3% 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.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Thousand Oaks to Irvine by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	76	85	95	88	83	86	87	95	93	121	149	141	133	111	92	78	72
Tue	73	93	104	92	84	85	89	90	94	124	152	144	135	116	99	81	72
Wed	72	91	106	94	85	84	85	87	95	110	129	140	137	112	96	85	72
Thu	73	93	104	94	85	88	91	95	94	135	161	162	147	118	99	87	74
Fri	72	84	97	91	88	87	89	103	117	155	160	159	149	124	98	84	74
Sat	71	73	75	80	82	86	94	94	107	108	112	100	97	89	86	84	73
Sun	72	71	71	73	77	80	85	87	89	93	101	99	98	90	87	84	74

About this drive

On weekdays the 79-mile drive from Thousand Oaks to Irvine (via US-101 South and I-5 South) usually takes as little as 72 minutes and up to 169 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 101 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (112 minutes).

About 74 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks to Irvine?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 72 minutes then, versus up to 169 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Thousand Oaks to Irvine?

The 79-mile drive usually takes 72 to 169 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 101 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Thousand Oaks to Irvine?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 169 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Los Angeles (41 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (24 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (9 miles)

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

More drives

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

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	76	85	95	88	83	86	87	95	93	121	149	141	133	111	92	78	72
Tue	73	93	104	92	84	85	89	90	94	124	152	144	135	116	99	81	72
Wed	72	91	106	94	85	84	85	87	95	110	129	140	137	112	96	85	72
Thu	73	93	104	94	85	88	91	95	94	135	161	162	147	118	99	87	74
Fri	72	84	97	91	88	87	89	103	117	155	160	159	149	124	98	84	74
Sat	71	73	75	80	82	86	94	94	107	108	112	100	97	89	86	84	73
Sun	72	71	71	73	77	80	85	87	89	93	101	99	98	90	87	84	74

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	76	85	95	88	83	86	87	95	93	121	149	141	133	111	92	78	72
Tue	73	93	104	92	84	85	89	90	94	124	152	144	135	116	99	81	72
Wed	72	91	106	94	85	84	85	87	95	110	129	140	137	112	96	85	72
Thu	73	93	104	94	85	88	91	95	94	135	161	162	147	118	99	87	74
Fri	72	84	97	91	88	87	89	103	117	155	160	159	149	124	98	84	74
Sat	71	73	75	80	82	86	94	94	107	108	112	100	97	89	86	84	73
Sun	72	71	71	73	77	80	85	87	89	93	101	99	98	90	87	84	74

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	76	85	95	88	83	86	87	95	93	121	149	141	133	111	92	78	72
Tue	73	93	104	92	84	85	89	90	94	124	152	144	135	116	99	81	72
Wed	72	91	106	94	85	84	85	87	95	110	129	140	137	112	96	85	72
Thu	73	93	104	94	85	88	91	95	94	135	161	162	147	118	99	87	74
Fri	72	84	97	91	88	87	89	103	117	155	160	159	149	124	98	84	74
Sat	71	73	75	80	82	86	94	94	107	108	112	100	97	89	86	84	73
Sun	72	71	71	73	77	80	85	87	89	93	101	99	98	90	87	84	74