Origin
Santa Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday
Local time
5:04 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Malibu, 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
1h 27m
Distance
64 mi
103 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$15
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 20m
★
6 AM
1h 27m
8 AM
1h 41m
10 AM
1h 32m
12 PM
1h 30m
3 PM
1h 32m
5 PM
1h 40m
8 PM
1h 23m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Malibu, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Santa Ana to Malibu is 64 miles and takes about 1 hour 27 minutes via Santa Ana Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway, with a fuel budget near $15 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip takes you from the inland areas of Orange County to the iconic coastline of Los Angeles County. It's a straightforward drive that offers a transition from freeway speeds to a more scenic coastal highway experience. Given its relatively short distance and manageable duration, it's ideal for a single-day excursion, allowing ample time for exploration upon arrival.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 26.9 mi | 31m |
| Pacific Coast Highway | 17.5 mi | 30m |
| Santa Monica Freeway | 16.2 mi | 19m |
| North Broadway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Pomona Freeway | 0.9 mi | <1m |
| Golden State Freeway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Santa Clara Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 26.9 mi, about 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Ana, CA and Malibu, 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
18 mi
·
20 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
0.2 mi
·
15 sec
·
Golden State Freeway
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward I 10 West: Santa Monica
Use the slight right lane.
9
Merge onto CA 60
0.9 mi
·
56 sec
·
Pomona Freeway
10
Merge onto I 10
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Santa Monica Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
13 mi
·
15 min
·
Santa Monica Freeway
Toward Hoover Street, Vermont Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on CA 1
17 mi
·
30 min
·
Pacific Coast Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Arrive at destination
CA 1
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
32 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 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 32 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 33.3 — 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.
6
29.2 mi into trip
|
~35m in
Take the exit toward I 10 West: Santa Monica
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 10 West: Santa Monica
8
33.3 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
I 10 / Santa Monica Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10 / Santa Monica Freeway toward Hoover Street, Vermont Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Hoover Street, Vermont Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$14.71 one way
$29.42 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
22 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $15.16 | $30.32 |
| premium | $6.18 | $15.56 | $31.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $14.13 | $28.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$15
Estimated CO2 emission: 22.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 19.2 | 0 | $6.72 | $3.07 |
| Efficient EV | 16 | 0 | $5.60 | $2.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 25.6 | 0 | $8.96 | $4.10 |
Gas CO2
22 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (68% 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
Malibu, CA
Late night in Malibu on Tuesday
Local time
5:04 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
1h 27m 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 predominantly highway-focused, with 69% of the drive on freeways. You'll spend a significant portion of the journey on the Santa Ana Freeway, including a continuous stretch of 26.9 miles. As you progress, the character of the drive shifts, transitioning from the efficiency of the freeway to the more leisurely pace of the Pacific Coast Highway. This change in road type offers a varied driving experience as you approach your coastal destination.
69% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 26.9 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 Pacific Coast Highway. 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
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 64 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.1 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 Malibu, CA
Full guide →Top landmarks
- • Adamson House — single-family detached home in Malibu, California
- • Point Dume — promontory on the coast of Malibu, California, United States
- • Malibu Pier — pier in Malibu, 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 1h 27m. Total distance: 64 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (69%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 26.9 miles on Santa Ana Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Malibu, 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 — 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 Malibu, 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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