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Trip from Elgin, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

35m

Distance

24.5 mi

39 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 32m ★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m

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 Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois

Elgin, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Cook and Lake counties, Illinois, United States

Buffalo Grove, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Elgin to Buffalo Grove is 24.5 miles and takes about 35m via Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically Illinois, making it a convenient local excursion. Expect a drive that primarily utilizes surface roads once you leave the tollway. Given its brevity and modest fuel cost, this route is ideal for a quick trip with minimal planning, offering flexibility for when you depart and how you spend your time.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 10.7 mi 11m
I 290 6 mi 8m
Dundee Avenue 1.7 mi 3m
Lake Cook Road 1.2 mi 1m
North Arlington Heights Road 1 mi 2m
West Dundee Road 0.9 mi 2m
IL 53 0.3 mi <1m
North Liberty Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Jane Addams Memorial Tollway — 10.7 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Buffalo Grove, IL.

1

Start on East Chicago Street

34 ft · 8 sec · East Chicago Street
2

Turn left onto Center Street

0.2 mi · 24 sec · Center Street
3

Continue on Dundee Avenue

1.2 mi · 2 min · Dundee Avenue
4

Turn right onto IL 25

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Page Avenue
5

Turn straight onto IL 25

0.2 mi · 20 sec · North Liberty Street
6

Continue on IL 25

0.5 mi · 50 sec · Dundee Avenue
7

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 18 sec
Toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford, Chicago
8

Continue on this road

486 ft · 11 sec · this road
Toward I 90 West, I 90 East: Rockford, Chicago
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 49 sec
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
10

Merge onto I 90

11 mi · 11 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 68A-B Toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 19 sec
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
13

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 18 sec · this road
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
14

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 50 sec
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs Use the right lane.
15

Merge onto I 290; IL 53

6.0 mi · 8 min · I 290; IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Take the exit onto IL 53

0.3 mi · 44 sec · IL 53
Toward IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Turn right onto IL 68

0.9 mi · 2 min · West Dundee Road
18

Turn left onto North Arlington Heights Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · North Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
19

Turn right onto Lake Cook Road

1.2 mi · 1 min · Lake Cook Road
20

Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road

0.2 mi · 19 sec · South Buffalo Grove Road
21

Turn left onto Aptakisic Road

103 ft · 4 sec · Aptakisic Road
22

Arrive at destination

Aptakisic Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.8 — 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 | Center Street

Turn left onto Center Street

Navigation decision point

8
13.4 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 68A-B Toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs
6
13.9 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight left at fork toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
8
14.4 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight right at fork toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
7
20.8 mi into trip | ~27m in | IL 53

Take the exit onto IL 53 toward IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road

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 IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.74 one way

$7.48 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $4.12 $8.23
premium $4.81 $4.64 $9.27
diesel $5.40 $5.21 $10.42

Estimated Tolls: $0.75

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (10.7 mi) $0.75

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$1

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.57 $1.18
Efficient EV 6.1 0 $2.14 $0.98
EV Truck/SUV 9.8 0 $3.43 $1.57

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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 26, 2026

Origin

Elgin, IL

Late night in Elgin on Sunday

Local time

1:44 AM

CDT

Current temp

44°F

Partly Cloudy then Areas Of Fog

ENE 5 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:27PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:27PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Buffalo Grove, IL

Late night in Buffalo Grove on Sunday

Local time

1:44 AM

CDT

Current temp

42°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

2 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

35m 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 route has a highway share of 26%, meaning you'll spend most of your time on surface roads. The longest stretch on a highway is 10.7 miles on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. You'll transition from highway cruising to navigating local streets, likely noticing a change in traffic patterns and exit density as you move from the tollway to Dundee Avenue.

Only 26% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.7 mi on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Center Street.

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 16 decision points packed into just 24.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Elgin, IL and Buffalo Grove, IL, road signs point toward Chicago and Suburbs.

Chicago

2.2 mi in | ~4m

Suburbs

13.4 mi in | ~17m

About the Cities

Starting in Elgin, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1854

Elgin is a city in Chicagoland known for its Victorian architecture and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Top landmarks

  • • Elgin Tower Building — building in Illinois, United States
  • • Elgin Downtown Commercial District

Arriving in Buffalo Grove, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1958

Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

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 35m. Total distance: 24.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

35m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 10.7 miles on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.75 in tolls one way, starting with Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Buffalo Grove, IL 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 (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Buffalo Grove, IL 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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