Origin
Irvine, CA
Late night in Irvine on Tuesday
Local time
3:17 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Irvine, CA to Orange, 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
20m
Distance
15.7 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 18m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Irvine, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Orange, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Irvine, CA to Orange, CA is 15.7 miles and takes about 20 minutes via Costa Mesa Freeway, San Diego Freeway, and Garden Grove Freeway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, making it a convenient local hop. It's primarily a highway route, so expect a straightforward commute rather than a scenic adventure. Given its brevity, it’s ideal for a quick trip without needing overnight stays.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa Freeway | 6.2 mi | 7m |
| San Diego Freeway | 5.6 mi | 6m |
| Garden Grove Freeway | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| South Glassell Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Jeffrey Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Plaza Square | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Costa Mesa Freeway
— 6.2 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Irvine, CA and Orange, CA.
1
Start on I 405
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
2
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 4
Toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road
3
Turn left onto Jeffrey Road
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
Jeffrey Road
Use the left lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 405 North: Los Angeles
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Merge onto I 405
4.2 mi
·
4 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
Exit 9A
Toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
35 sec
Toward CA 55 North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto CA 55
3.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 55
3.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 22
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Exit 13
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 16
Toward Glassell Street, Grand Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Turn right onto South Glassell Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Glassell Street
Use the straight lane.
13
Enter roundabout onto Plaza Square
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Plaza Square
14
Arrive at destination
Plaza Square
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 14.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the exit toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 4
Toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road
8
6.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the exit toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway
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 9A
Toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway
7
6.5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CA 55 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 55 North
9
13.2 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long Beach
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 13
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long B...
8
14.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Glassell Street, Grand Avenue
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.
Exit 16
Toward Glassell Street, Grand Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.61 one way
$7.22 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.72 | $7.44 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.82 | $7.64 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.47 | $6.93 |
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, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $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.
Destination
Orange, CA
Late night in Orange on Tuesday
Local time
3:17 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°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
17 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
20m 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?
This drive is 84% highway, so expect mostly freeway cruising. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 6.2 miles on the Costa Mesa Freeway. The transition to surface streets will happen as you near your destination in Orange, CA. Watch for frequent exits as you approach the city.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.2 mi on Costa Mesa Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Costa Mesa Freeway and San Diego Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 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 12 decision points packed into just 15.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 20m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: 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.
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 Irvine, CA to Orange, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Long Beach along the way.
Long Beach
13.2 mi in
|
~15m
|
via CA 22
About the Cities
Starting 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.
Arriving in Orange, CA
Full guide →Founded 1869
Orange is a city in Orange County in Southern California.
Top landmarks
- • St. John's Lutheran Church — Historic church in Orange, California
- • Old Towne Orange Historic District — historic district in Orange, California
- • Lewis Ainsworth House — United States historic place in Orange, 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 20m. Total distance: 15.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.2 miles on Costa Mesa 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 Orange, 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 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 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 Orange, 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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