Origin
Azusa, CA
Late night in Azusa on Tuesday
Local time
3:39 AM
PDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Azusa, CA to Irvine, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
52m
Distance
42.8 mi
69 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 56m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 50m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Azusa, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Irvine, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 42.8-mile drive from Azusa, CA to Irvine, CA is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 52 minutes. You'll primarily navigate using the Orange Freeway, Foothill Freeway, and Costa Mesa Freeway, with 88% of the journey on highways. The estimated fuel cost for this route is around $10, making it an economical option. This Pacific Coast to Pacific Coast connection offers a practical way to travel within Southern California, designed for efficiency rather than extensive sightseeing. It's a route that prioritizes getting you to your destination with minimal fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Orange Freeway | 23.7 mi | 27m |
| Foothill Freeway | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| Costa Mesa Freeway | 3.7 mi | 4m |
| San Diego Freeway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| Santa Ana Freeway | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| Pomona Freeway | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| San Gabriel Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Azusa Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Orange Freeway
— 23.7 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Azusa, CA and Irvine, CA.
1
Start on CA 39
286 ft
·
11 sec
·
North Azusa Avenue
2
Turn left
282 ft
·
23 sec
3
Turn right
152 ft
·
16 sec
4
At end of road, turn left onto CA 39
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
San Gabriel Avenue
5
Continue on CA 39
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
Azusa Avenue
6
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 210 East: San Bernardino
7
Merge onto I 210
3.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Foothill Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 210
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
·
Foothill Freeway
9
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 44A
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Use the slight right lane.
10
Continue on CA 57
7.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto CA 60; CA 57
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Pomona Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
405 ft
·
5 sec
·
Orange Freeway
Toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana, Brea Canyon Road
Use the slight right lane.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 57
0.8 mi
·
56 sec
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
14 mi
·
16 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight left at fork
1.1 mi
·
1 min
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight lane.
17
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
12 sec
Toward I 5 South
19
Merge onto I 5
0.8 mi
·
54 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
20
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
0.8 mi
·
52 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
21
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 103
Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23
Merge onto CA 55
3.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
24
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 6B
Toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Toward I 405 South
26
Merge onto I 405
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
27
Arrive at destination
I 405
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 42.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.4 miles from Azusa, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 235 decision points cluster between mile 5.5 and 39.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 44A
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
8
14.8 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
CA 57 / Orange Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57 / Orange Freeway toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana, Brea Canyon Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana,...
8
31.3 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
7
35.3 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 103
Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach
7
39.4 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 6B
Toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.84 one way
$19.67 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $10.14 | $20.27 |
| premium | $6.18 | $10.41 | $20.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.45 | $18.90 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 15 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.49 | $2.05 |
| Efficient EV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.74 | $1.71 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 17.1 | 0 | $5.99 | $2.74 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Irvine, CA
Late night in Irvine on Tuesday
Local time
3:39 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
16 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
52m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a highway-focused drive for the majority of this trip, with 88% of the 42.8 miles spent on freeways. The Orange Freeway will host your longest uninterrupted stretch, a continuous 23.7-mile segment. While largely a high-speed experience, the transition between these main roads will define the character of your drive. This route is built for forward momentum, offering a consistent driving pace for most of the 52-minute duration.
88% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.7 mi on Orange Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Orange Freeway and Foothill Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5.5 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 23 decision points packed into just 42.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Azusa, CA
Full guide →Founded 1887
Arriving in Irvine, CA
Full guide →Founded 1971
Irvine is a city of 308,000 people (2020) in Orange County, California. Irvine is one of the newest and largest cities in Orange County, and it is still growing. The city is a perfectly planned suburbia. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971.
Top landmarks
- • Pretend City Children's Museum — children's Museum in California, U.S.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 42.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
52m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 23.7 miles on Orange Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Irvine, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Irvine, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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