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Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Bell, CA

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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

36m

Distance

26.1 mi

42 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 33m ★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 35m

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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county seat and city of Orange County, California, United States

Santa Ana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Bell, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are looking for a quick transition between Santa Ana and Bell, you can expect a manageable 26.1-mile journey that typically takes about 36 minutes. This straightforward trip stays within the Pacific Coast region, making it an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stops. Budgeting approximately $6 for fuel is sufficient for the transit, allowing you to keep your travel costs low. Because the route is short and direct, it offers plenty of flexibility for your schedule. You will primarily navigate via the Santa Ana Freeway, Florence Avenue, and North Broadway to reach your destination. It is a practical, no-nonsense drive that gets you from point A to point B efficiently.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 17.2 mi 19m
Florence Avenue 6.2 mi 10m
North Broadway 1.5 mi 2m
Atlantic Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
West Santa Clara Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
West 1st Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 17.2 mi, about 19m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Santa Ana, CA and Bell, CA.

1

Start on West 1st Street

0.1 mi · 15 sec · West 1st Street
2

Turn right onto North Broadway

1.5 mi · 2 min · North Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
3

Turn right onto West Santa Clara Avenue

0.1 mi · 14 sec · West Santa Clara Avenue
4

Continue on this road

0.3 mi · 26 sec · this road
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles Use the left / straight / right lanes.
5

Merge onto I 5

8.9 mi · 10 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

8.3 mi · 9 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 32 sec
Exit 123 Toward Florence Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Turn left onto Florence Avenue

4.9 mi · 8 min · Florence Avenue
Use the straight lane.
9

Continue on Florence Avenue

1.3 mi · 2 min · Florence Avenue
10

Turn right onto Atlantic Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Atlantic Avenue
Use the right lane.
11

Arrive at destination

Atlantic Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 25.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Broadway

Turn right onto North Broadway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
5
2 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Merge onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
11 mi into trip | ~14m in | I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
19.2 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward Florence Avenue

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 123 Toward Florence Avenue
5
25.6 mi into trip | ~35m in | Atlantic Avenue

Turn right onto Atlantic Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.00 one way

$12.00 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $6.18 $12.36
premium $6.18 $6.35 $12.69
diesel $5.61 $5.76 $11.53

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

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

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.8 0 $2.74 $1.25
Efficient EV 6.5 0 $2.28 $1.04
EV Truck/SUV 10.4 0 $3.65 $1.67

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 17, 2026

Origin

Santa Ana, CA

Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday

Local time

2:36 AM

PDT

Current temp

53°F

Mostly Clear

SE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 3:02AM MST until April 17 at 1:00PM MST by NWS Phoenix AZ

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 2:56AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Destination

Bell, CA

Late night in Bell on Tuesday

Local time

2:36 AM

PDT

Current temp

56°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

3 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

36m 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 highway-focused experience, as about 66% of your drive will be spent on major roads. The most significant portion of your time behind the wheel involves a 17.2-mile stretch on the Santa Ana Freeway, which serves as the backbone of this route. As you transition off the freeway, you will navigate local streets like Florence Avenue and North Broadway to complete your arrival in Bell. While the interstate segments offer a faster pace, the later stages of the drive shift into more conventional urban road environments. You should anticipate a mix of steady freeway speeds followed by the typical stop-and-go patterns associated with local city roads.

66% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.2 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and Florence Avenue. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North Broadway.

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 8 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Santa Ana, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1869

Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.

Top landmarks

  • • Yost Theater — historic movie theater and hotel building in Santa Ana, California, later used b...
  • • Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 — fire station in Santa Ana, United States of America
  • • Rankin's — historic building in Santa Ana, California, United States

Arriving in Bell, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1913

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 36m. Total distance: 26.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (66%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 17.2 miles on Santa Ana 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 Bell, 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 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): 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 Bell, 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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