Origin
Newport, RI
Late night in Newport on Tuesday
Local time
4:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
--
Unavailable
Trip from Newport, RI to Exeter, RI
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
25m
Distance
16.5 mi
26 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Fair
3 stations
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.
Newport, RI
Wikimedia Commons
Exeter, RI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Newport, RI to Exeter, RI is 16.5 miles and takes about 25 minutes via RI 138, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within Rhode Island, moving you from the coastal Northeast to a more inland part of the state. The drive is primarily on well-maintained state roads and a brief section of highway, making it a straightforward and quick connection. It's an easy addition to a larger trip or a simple relocation for a day, offering a smooth transition without demanding much time or attention.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| RI 138 | 8.8 mi | 12m |
| Col Rodman Highway | 3.1 mi | 3m |
| Ten Rod Road | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| Farewell Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| RI 4 | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Tower Hill Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| JT Connell Highway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Court House Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
RI 138
— 8.8 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Newport, RI and Exeter, RI.
1
Start on Court House Street
198 ft
·
10 sec
·
Court House Street
2
Continue on Farewell Street
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
·
Farewell Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto RI 138A
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
·
Farewell Street
4
Continue on RI 138A
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
·
JT Connell Highway
5
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
6
Merge onto RI 138
8.8 mi
·
12 min
·
RI 138
Toward RI 138: Jamestown
7
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward US 1 North: Providence
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto US 1
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
Tower Hill Road
9
Turn straight onto RI 4
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Col Rodman Highway
Use the straight lane.
10
Take the exit onto RI 4
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
RI 4
Exit 3
Toward RI 2, RI 102: Exeter, Wickford
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn straight onto RI 2
137 ft
·
10 sec
·
Quaker Lane
12
Turn left onto RI 102
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Ten Rod Road
13
Continue on RI 2; RI 102
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Ten Rod Road
14
Turn right onto New Road
79 ft
·
2 sec
·
New Road
15
Arrive at destination
New Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 14.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
RI 138A / Farewell Street
At end of road, turn right onto RI 138A / Farewell Street
Navigation decision point
4
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
RI 138
Merge onto RI 138 toward RI 138: Jamestown
Merge point - match speed before joining
Toward RI 138: Jamestown
6
9.9 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward US 1 North: Providence
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 1 North: Providence
8
13.8 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
RI 4
Take the exit onto RI 4 toward RI 2, RI 102: Exeter, Wickford
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 3
Toward RI 2, RI 102: Exeter, Wickford
5
14.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
RI 102 / Ten Rod Road
Turn left onto RI 102 / Ten Rod Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.66 one way
$5.31 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $2.92 | $5.85 |
| premium | $4.86 | $3.16 | $6.32 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.64 | $7.29 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 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 | 0 | $1.73 | $0.79 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.44 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.31 | $1.06 |
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.
Destination
Exeter, RI
Late night in Exeter on Tuesday
Local time
4:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Patchy Fog then Patchy Drizzle
SE 5 mph
8% 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.
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?
This trip features a mixed drive profile, with 56% of it on highway. You'll experience stretches of faster travel, particularly on RI 138 and Col Rodman Highway, before transitioning to more local road conditions. The longest uninterrupted stretch measures 8.8 miles, giving you a solid period of consistent driving. Expect the road to feel like a blend of efficient transit and more community-oriented roadways as you progress towards Exeter.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.8 mi on RI 138.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near RI 138A / Farewell Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 16.5 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (RI 138A / Farewell Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (RI 138): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 9.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Newport, RI to Exeter, RI, road signs begin pointing toward Wickford along the way.
Wickford
13.8 mi in
|
~20m
|
via RI 4
About the Cities
Starting in Newport, RI
Full guide →Newport is a beautiful seaside city in Rhode Island that is famous for its genteel mansions and a rich history of yachting, golf, and tennis. With a population of only 25,000 (2020), this scenic resort town punches well above its weight and was known as the "Summer White House" throughout the 1950s and 60s.
Arriving in Exeter, RI
Full guide →Exeter is a small, spread-out town in southwestern Rhode Island. Exeter is noted by folklorists as the site of one of the best documented examples of vampire exhumation: the Mercy Brown Vampire Incident of 1892.
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: 16.5 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 (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.8 miles on RI 138. 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 Exeter, RI 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 0.4 miles (RI 138A / Farewell Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (RI 138): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 9.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Roger Williams National Memorial and Blackstone River Valley 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 Exeter, RI 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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