Origin
Newark, CA
Afternoon in Newark on Sunday
Local time
3:48 PM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Newark, CA to San Jose, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
18.6 mi
30 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Newark, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Connecting Newark to San Jose is a quick, 19.6-mile commute that typically takes about 26 minutes to complete. Because this journey is entirely within the Pacific Coast region of California, you won't need to worry about crossing regional boundaries or planning an overnight stay. It is designed as a straightforward one-day trip, making it an ideal excursion for those looking to travel between these two cities efficiently. You can expect to spend approximately $3 on fuel for the entire journey, keeping your travel costs quite low. This drive is best viewed as a practical link between the two locations rather than a destination-heavy vacation route.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nimitz Freeway | 15 mi | 17m |
| North 1st Street | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| Thornton Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| West Julian Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Nimitz Freeway
— 15 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Newark, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on this road
120 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto Thornton Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Thornton Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Toward I 880 South: San Jose
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Merge onto I 880
15 mi
·
17 min
·
Nimitz Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 4A
Toward Downtown, North First Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn left onto North 1st Street
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North 1st Street
Use the left / uturn lanes.
7
Turn right onto West Julian Street
494 ft
·
17 sec
·
West Julian Street
8
Turn left onto North Market Street
196 ft
·
6 sec
·
North Market Street
9
Arrive at destination
North Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 18.5 — 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
|
Thornton Avenue
Turn left onto Thornton Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward I 880 South: San Jose
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 880 South: San Jose
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Merge onto I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
16.7 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Downtown, North First Street
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 4A
Toward Downtown, North First Street
5
18.5 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
North Market Street
Turn left onto North Market Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.28 one way
$8.55 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.41 | $8.81 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.52 | $9.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.11 | $8.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.95 | $0.89 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.60 | $1.19 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
San Jose, CA
Afternoon in San Jose on Sunday
Local time
3:48 PM
PDT
Current temp
45°F
Partly Cloudy
SSE 3 mph
0% chance
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
23 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
25m 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 as you navigate your way out of Newark and toward San Jose. Your route relies on Thornton Avenue before transitioning onto I-880 South and the Nimitz Freeway, creating a mix of surface streets and major thoroughfares. Despite the reliance on these main roads, the highway share is effectively 0%, meaning you will be navigating local traffic patterns rather than open, high-speed stretches. The longest uninterrupted section is limited to the initial portion on Thornton Avenue, so remain alert for frequent turns. Behind the wheel, this trip feels more like a standard urban commute than an open-road adventure.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15 mi on Nimitz Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Nimitz Freeway and North 1st Street. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Thornton Avenue.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Thornton Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (I 880 / Nimitz 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.
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 Newark, CA to San Jose, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Downtown along the way.
Downtown
16.7 mi in
|
~20m
About the Cities
Starting in Newark, CA
Full guide →Newark is a small community in the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area region of California. It is an enclave of the larger city of Fremont.
Arriving in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Often called "the capital of Silicon Valley", San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, 3rd largest in California, and the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 997,000 residents as of 2024. It was named the 6th safest big city in the U.S. in 2015. This clean, sprawling metropolis has sports, beautiful vistas, and ethnic enclaves and bleeds into the greater Bay Area for travelers who want to take their time in Northern California.
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 25m. Total distance: 18.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15 miles on Nimitz Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 (Thornton Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Jose, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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