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Trip from Cerritos, CA to Santa Ana, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 25, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

22m

Distance

15.6 mi

25 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Cerritos, CA

Wikimedia Commons

county seat and city of Orange County, California, United States

Santa Ana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Cerritos to Santa Ana is 15.6 miles and takes about 22 minutes via Santa Ana Freeway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within California's Pacific Coast region, making it a straightforward transition between two nearby cities. The route is predominantly highway, so expect a quick and efficient trip. It’s a practical option if you need to get from one point to the other without much fuss or a lengthy time commitment.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 7.6 mi 8m
Artesia Freeway 2.3 mi 2m
North Broadway 1.3 mi 2m
South Street 1.2 mi 2m
Orangethorpe Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
North Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
West 5th Street 0.1 mi <1m
West 1st Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 7.6 mi, about 8m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cerritos, CA and Santa Ana, CA.

1

Start on this road

59 ft · 6 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto South Street

1.2 mi · 2 min · South Street
3

Continue on Orangethorpe Avenue

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Orangethorpe Avenue
4

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 50 sec
Toward CA 91 East
5

Merge onto CA 91

2.3 mi · 2 min · Artesia Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 53 sec
Exit 24 Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Use the slight right lane.
7

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 55 sec
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Freeway, Santa Ana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto I 5

7.4 mi · 8 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

0.2 mi · 16 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.8 mi · 57 sec
Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Turn straight onto North Broadway

1.3 mi · 2 min · North Broadway
Use the left lane.
13

Turn left onto West 5th Street

0.1 mi · 16 sec · West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
14

Turn right onto North Main Street

0.2 mi · 30 sec · North Main Street
Use the right lane.
15

Turn right onto West 1st Street

52 ft · 1 sec · West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
16

Arrive at destination

West 1st Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 4.4 and 13.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
4.4 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the exit toward I 5 South: Santa Ana

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 24 Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
8
4.8 mi into trip | ~7m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Freeway, Santa Ana

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Freeway, Santa Ana
6
12.6 mi into trip | ~17m in | I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
12.8 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana
8
13.6 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Main Street North, Broadway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Main Street North, Broadway

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.54 one way

$7.07 round trip

$5.76/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.96 $3.66 $7.32
premium $6.09 $3.74 $7.48
diesel $5.40 $3.32 $6.64

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.7 0 $1.64 $0.75
Efficient EV 3.9 0 $1.37 $0.62
EV Truck/SUV 6.2 0 $2.18 $1.00

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 25, 2026

Origin

Cerritos, CA

Afternoon in Cerritos on Saturday

Local time

4:46 PM

PDT

Current temp

53°F

Mostly Cloudy

SW 5 mph 7% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 24 at 9:04PM PDT until April 26 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS San Diego CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 24 at 6:10PM PDT until April 27 at 5:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Destination

Santa Ana, CA

Afternoon in Santa Ana on Saturday

Local time

4:46 PM

PDT

Current temp

57°F

Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers

SW 5 to 10 mph 16% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 24 at 9:04PM PDT until April 26 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS San Diego CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 24 at 6:10PM PDT until April 27 at 5:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

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

4 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

22m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

This drive is mostly highway, with 64% of the 15.6 miles on freeways. You'll experience a long stretch of 7.6 miles on the Santa Ana Freeway before transitioning to surface streets like North Broadway. Expect a consistent flow of traffic and numerous exits as you navigate through urban and suburban environments.

64% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.6 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and Artesia Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.4 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 13 decision points packed into just 15.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 4.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.6 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Cerritos, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Main Street North.

Broadway

12.8 mi in | ~17m

Main Street North

13.6 mi in | ~18m

About the Cities

Arriving in Santa Ana, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1869

Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.

Top landmarks

  • • Yost Theater — historic movie theater and hotel building in Santa Ana, California, later used b...
  • • Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 — fire station in Santa Ana, United States of America
  • • Rankin's — historic building in Santa Ana, California, United States

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 22m. Total distance: 15.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

22m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (64%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.6 miles on Santa Ana Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Santa Ana, 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 4.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.6 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): 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 Santa Ana, 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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