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Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Perris, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 8m

Distance

51.9 mi

83 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$12

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 16 min
4 AM
1h 3m ★
6 AM
1h 8m
8 AM
1h 19m
10 AM
1h 12m
12 PM
1h 11m
3 PM
1h 12m
5 PM
1h 18m
8 PM
1h 5m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

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

Santa Ana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Riverside County, Southern California, United States

Perris, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Santa Ana, CA to Perris, CA covers 51.9 miles and takes about 1h 8m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Riverside Freeway, Van Buren Boulevard, Costa Mesa Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 23.3 miles on Riverside Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $11.51 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Riverside Freeway 23.3 mi 26m
Van Buren Boulevard 11 mi 16m
Costa Mesa Freeway 6.8 mi 7m
Escondido Freeway 6.4 mi 7m
East 4th Street 1.1 mi 2m
West 1st Street 1 mi 2m
North D Street 0.5 mi 1m
Grand Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Riverside Freeway — 23.3 mi, about 26m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on West 1st Street

260 ft · 10 sec · West 1st Street
2

Continue on West 1st Street

1.0 mi · 2 min · West 1st Street
Use the left lane.
3

Turn left onto Grand Avenue

0.2 mi · 23 sec · Grand Avenue
4

Turn right onto East 4th Street

1.1 mi · 2 min · East 4th Street
Use the right lane.
5

Continue on Irvine Boulevard

406 ft · 13 sec · Irvine Boulevard
6

Turn left

0.3 mi · 23 sec
Toward CA 55 North Use the left lane.
7

Merge onto CA 55

1.4 mi · 1 min · Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 55

5.3 mi · 6 min · Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto CA 91

23 mi · 26 min · Riverside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 45 sec
Exit 58 Toward Van Buren Boulevard Use the slight right lane.
11

Turn left onto Indiana Avenue

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Indiana Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
12

Turn right onto Van Buren Boulevard

11 mi · 16 min · Van Buren Boulevard
Use the right lane.
13

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Toward I 215 South
14

Merge onto I 215

6.4 mi · 7 min · Escondido Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Exit 18 Toward D Street Use the slight right lane.
16

Continue on North D Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · North D Street
Use the straight lane.
17

Arrive at destination

South D Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Riverside County, California, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Corona, CA

26 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

Villa Park, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Corona, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 25.9 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 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.4 and 51 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
2.4 mi into trip | ~4m in

Turn left toward CA 55 North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward CA 55 North
6
4.1 mi into trip | ~6m in | CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
32.7 mi into trip | ~40m in

Take the exit toward Van Buren Boulevard

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 58 Toward Van Buren Boulevard
7
33 mi into trip | ~40m in | Indiana Avenue

Turn left onto Indiana Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / right lanes.
7
51 mi into trip | ~1h 6m in

Take the exit toward D Street

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 18 Toward D Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$11.51 one way

$23.01 round trip

$5.63/gal 25.4 MPG avg 18 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.81 $11.87 $23.75
premium $5.98 $12.23 $24.45
diesel $5.60 $11.44 $22.88

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$12

Estimated CO2 emission: 18.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 15.6 0 $5.45 $2.49
Efficient EV 13 0 $4.54 $2.08
EV Truck/SUV 20.8 0 $7.27 $3.32

Gas CO2

18 kg

EV CO2

6 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 Sep 1, 2026

Origin

Santa Ana, CA

Night in Santa Ana on Wednesday

Local time

11:10 PM

PDT

Current temp

65°F

Partly Cloudy

SW 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Lake Wind Advisory

Lake Wind Advisory issued August 31 at 1:21PM PDT until September 1 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Reno NV

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued August 31 at 11:42AM PDT until September 1 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Reno NV

Destination

Perris, CA

Night in Perris on Wednesday

Local time

11:10 PM

PDT

Current temp

60°F

Mostly Clear

S 0 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Lake Wind Advisory

Lake Wind Advisory issued August 31 at 1:21PM PDT until September 1 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Reno NV

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued August 31 at 11:42AM PDT until September 1 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Reno NV

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

5 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

1h 8m 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?

51.9 mi in 1h 8m, mostly highway — 23.3 mi of that is on Riverside Freeway.

70% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.3 mi on Riverside Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Riverside Freeway and Van Buren Boulevard. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.4 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 51.9 miles you will encounter 13 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 2.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles (CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 32.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Gently rolling terrain

1,649 ft 113 ft

Total Climb

1,536 ft

Total Descent

196 ft

Highest Point

1,649 ft

~40.7 mi in

Elevation Range

1,536 ft

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 Perris, CA

Full guide →

Perris is in Riverside County. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, Southern California Railway Museum, and its sunny dry climate.

Top landmarks

  • • Orange Empire Railway Museum — railroad museum in Perris, 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 1h 8m. Total distance: 51.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 8m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (70%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 23.3 miles on Riverside 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 Perris, 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 2.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles (CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 32.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Perris, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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