Origin
Santa Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday
Local time
3:42 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Inglewood, 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
47m
Distance
36.4 mi
59 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 44m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Inglewood, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Santa Ana, CA to Inglewood, CA is 36.4 miles and takes about 47m via Santa Ana Freeway and Century Freeway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive connects two points within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward journey primarily on major freeways. Given its relatively short distance and duration, it's an ideal route for a single-day trip, allowing plenty of time for your destination activities. You'll be navigating urban and suburban landscapes for the majority of this drive. Consider this an efficient way to get from one Southern California locale to another without significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 15.3 mi | 17m |
| Century Freeway | 13.9 mi | 16m |
| North Broadway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Imperial Highway | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| South La Brea Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Hawthorne Boulevard | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Adoree Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Hoxie Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 15.3 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Ana, CA and Inglewood, 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
6.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 121
Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on Adoree Street
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Adoree Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
9
Turn left onto Imperial Highway
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Imperial Highway
Use the straight / left lanes.
10
Turn left onto Hoxie Avenue
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Hoxie Avenue
Use the left lane.
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward I 105 West
12
Continue on I 105
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
·
Century Freeway
13
Keep slight right at fork onto I 105
14 mi
·
15 min
·
Century Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 3
Toward Hawthorne Boulevard, Prairie Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward Hawthorne Boulevard
16
Turn right onto Hawthorne Boulevard
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Hawthorne Boulevard
Use the left / right lanes.
17
Continue on South La Brea Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South La Brea Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Continue on South La Brea Avenue
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
South La Brea Avenue
19
Turn right onto East Manchester Boulevard
64 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Manchester Boulevard
20
Arrive at destination
East Manchester Boulevard
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.2 miles from Santa Ana, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 33.7 — 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.
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.
8
17.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
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 121
Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
6
19.4 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Hoxie Avenue
Turn left onto Hoxie Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
33.7 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Take the exit toward Hawthorne Boulevard, Prairie 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 3
Toward Hawthorne Boulevard, Prairie Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.37 one way
$16.73 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.62 | $17.24 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.85 | $17.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.04 | $16.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.9 | 0 | $3.82 | $1.75 |
| Efficient EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.18 | $1.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.6 | 0 | $5.10 | $2.33 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Inglewood, CA
Late night in Inglewood on Tuesday
Local time
3:42 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°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
12 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
47m 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 route is heavily focused on highway driving, with approximately 80% of the journey taking place on major freeways like the Santa Ana Freeway and Century Freeway. You'll experience a long, uninterrupted stretch of 15.3 miles on the Santa Ana Freeway, which provides a consistent, albeit highway-centric, driving pace. The character of the drive is largely defined by the efficiency of these main roads, facilitating smooth travel for most of the 36.4 miles. Expect a consistent flow of traffic typical of urban Southern California freeway conditions.
80% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.3 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and Century Freeway. 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
9/10
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 14 decision points packed into just 36.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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 Santa Ana, CA to Inglewood, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Imperial Highway along the way.
Imperial Highway
17.3 mi in
|
~21m
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 Inglewood, CA
Full guide →Founded 1888
Inglewood is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Sandwiched between South Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it is a somewhat impoverished area. Though there isn't much for a tourist to see other than sporting events, there are some excellent eats here and a number of chain motels taking advantage of the city's proximity to LAX. Inglewood is the location of the SoFi Stadium (football, World Cup, Olympics), Intuit Dome (basketball, Olympics) and Kia Forum (concerts).
Top landmarks
- • Kia Forum — multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, 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 47m. Total distance: 36.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (80%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15.3 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 Inglewood, 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 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. 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 Inglewood, 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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