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Trip from Dearborn, MI to Birmingham, MI

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

31m

Distance

18.1 mi

29 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

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 Wayne County, Michigan, USA

Dearborn, MI

Wikimedia Commons

city in Michigan, United States

Birmingham, MI

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Traveling between Dearborn and Birmingham, Michigan, is a straightforward 18.1-mile journey that typically takes about 31 minutes. Since the entire trip stays within the Midwest, you will find this an easy transition between two local hubs. It is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, meaning you won't need to worry about overnight accommodations. With a fuel budget of just $3, the trip is highly economical for any traveler. Navigating this path involves local arteries like Schaefer Road, Ford Road, and the North M 39 Service Drive rather than long stretches of interstate. It is a practical, no-fuss route that gets you where you need to go without the complexities of long-distance planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Southfield Freeway 8.5 mi 11m
Southfield Road 5.8 mi 11m
Ford Road 2 mi 3m
Schaefer Road 0.5 mi 1m
West Maple Road 0.4 mi 1m
North M 39 Service Drive <0.1 mi <1m
Michigan Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Woodward Avenue <0.1 mi —

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Southfield Freeway — 8.5 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Dearborn, MI and Birmingham, MI.

1

Start on US 12

79 ft · 6 sec · Michigan Avenue
2

Turn left onto Schaefer Road

0.5 mi · 1 min · Schaefer Road
Use the left lane.
3

Turn right onto M 153

521 ft · 11 sec · Ford Road
4

Continue on M 153

1.9 mi · 3 min · Ford Road
Use the left lane.
5

Turn slight right

0.4 mi · 1 min
6

Turn straight onto North M 39 Service Drive

351 ft · 7 sec · North M 39 Service Drive
7

Take the ramp

478 ft · 11 sec
Toward M 39 North
8

Merge onto M 39

8.5 mi · 11 min · Southfield Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 28 sec
Toward Southfield Road
10

Turn straight onto Southfield Road

5.8 mi · 11 min · Southfield Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto Southfield Road

192 ft · 8 sec · Southfield Road
Use the right lane.
12

Turn right onto West Maple Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · West Maple Road
13

Turn right onto M 1

42 ft · 0 sec · Woodward Avenue
14

Arrive at destination

M 1

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 17.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Schaefer Road

Turn left onto Schaefer Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | M 153 / Ford Road

Turn right onto M 153 / Ford Road

Navigation decision point

5
3 mi into trip | ~6m in | M 39 / Southfield Freeway

Merge onto M 39 / Southfield Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
11.5 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Southfield Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward Southfield Road
6
17.7 mi into trip | ~30m in | Southfield Road

Keep slight right at fork onto Southfield Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.83 one way

$5.66 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.11 $6.21
premium $4.89 $3.48 $6.97
diesel $5.61 $4.00 $7.99

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.4 0 $1.90 $0.87
Efficient EV 4.5 0 $1.58 $0.72
EV Truck/SUV 7.2 0 $2.53 $1.16

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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.

Forecast as of Apr 14, 2026

Origin

Dearborn, MI

Late night in Dearborn on Tuesday

Local time

5:08 AM

EDT

Current temp

81°F

Mostly Sunny

WSW 14 mph 4% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 14 at 4:07PM EDT until April 19 at 6:30PM EDT by NWS Gaylord MI

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 14 at 4:00PM EDT until April 17 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Gaylord MI

Destination

Birmingham, MI

Late night in Birmingham on Tuesday

Local time

5:08 AM

EDT

Current temp

65°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

31m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention behind the wheel. Because the highway share is 0%, you won't find yourself cruising at high speeds on an interstate; instead, you will be navigating surface streets and service drives. The route lacks any long, uninterrupted stretches, requiring you to remain engaged with frequent turns and local traffic patterns. As you move through the region, the road character remains consistent, characterized by urban and suburban street driving. This is strictly a local transit experience, so prepare for a drive that feels more like a city commute than a wide-open highway cruise.

47% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.5 mi on Southfield Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Schaefer Road.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 18.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Schaefer Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (M 153 / Ford Road): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (M 39 / Southfield Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. 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.

On the drive from Dearborn, MI to Birmingham, MI, road signs begin pointing toward M 39 North along the way.

M 39 North

2.9 mi in | ~6m

About the Cities

Starting in Dearborn, MI

Full guide →

Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the state of Michigan. This article also covers the adjacent community of Dearborn Heights.

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 31m. Total distance: 18.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

31m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (47%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 8.5 miles on Southfield 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 Birmingham, MI 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: near the start (Schaefer Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (M 153 / Ford Road): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (M 39 / Southfield Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Birmingham, MI 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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