Origin
Torrance, CA
Late night in Torrance on Tuesday
Local time
3:20 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Torrance, CA to Santa Ana, 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
42m
Distance
32.6 mi
52 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Torrance, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Torrance, CA to Santa Ana, CA is 32.6 miles and takes about 42 minutes via the San Diego Freeway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, connecting two coastal communities. Given the brief travel time and predominantly highway profile, this route is ideal for a quick day trip or a simple transfer between nearby locations. You'll primarily be on major freeways, making it a straightforward drive with minimal navigational complexity.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 15.4 mi | 17m |
| Garden Grove Freeway | 10.1 mi | 11m |
| Torrance Boulevard | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| North Broadway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| South Main Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Figueroa Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Del Amo Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
San Diego Freeway
— 15.4 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Torrance, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
1
Start on Opal Street
206 ft
·
15 sec
·
Opal Street
2
Turn left onto Maple Avenue
300 ft
·
13 sec
·
Maple Avenue
3
Turn right onto Torrance Boulevard
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
Torrance Boulevard
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto US 6 Hist
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
South Figueroa Street
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto West Del Amo Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
West Del Amo Boulevard
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto South Main Street
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
South Main Street
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
98 ft
·
3 sec
Toward I 405 South: San Diego
8
Turn right
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 405 South: San Diego
9
Merge onto I 405
13 mi
·
15 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 22
9.8 mi
·
11 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Exit 21
Toward CA 22 East: Garden Grove
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Take the exit onto CA 22
0.3 mi
·
20 sec
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Exit 14C
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
17 sec
Exit 14C; 105B
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
Toward Broadway, Main Street
Use the slight right lane.
15
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Turn straight onto North Broadway
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the left lane.
17
Turn left onto West 5th Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
18
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Main Street
Use the right lane.
19
Turn right onto West 1st Street
52 ft
·
1 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
20
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 185 decision points cluster between mile 19.8 and 30.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
19.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway toward CA 22 East: Garden Grove
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Exit 21
Toward CA 22 East: Garden Grove
7
29.6 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Take the exit onto CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 14C
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
10
29.9 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 14C; 105B
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Str...
8
30.2 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Broadway, Main Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Broadway, Main Street
8
30.7 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Main Street North, Broadway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.49 one way
$14.99 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $7.72 | $15.44 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.93 | $15.86 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.20 | $14.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.42 | $1.56 |
| Efficient EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.85 | $1.30 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13 | 0 | $4.56 | $2.09 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Santa Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday
Local time
3:20 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
42m 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 drive is 78% highway, meaning you'll spend most of your time on the San Diego Freeway and Garden Grove Freeway. The longest continuous stretch on a freeway is 15.4 miles on the San Diego Freeway. Expect plenty of merging and dense exits as you traverse this urban and suburban corridor. The final portion will likely involve transitioning to surface streets like Torrance Boulevard as you reach your destination.
78% 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: 15.4 mi on San Diego Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and Garden Grove Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 19.8 miles in near CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway.
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 18 decision points packed into just 32.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 19.8 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
Between Torrance, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Main Street North.
Broadway
29.9 mi in
|
~37m
Main Street North
30.7 mi in
|
~38m
About the Cities
Starting in Torrance, CA
Full guide →Torrance is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, in Southern California. Even though it is one of the larger suburbs of Los Angeles (147,000 residents in 2020), it is overlooked by the throngs of tourists that visit LA. Torrance is often called "Japan's 48th Prefecture" due to its large Japanese population, and large Korean and other immigrant populations give the city a very global feel. Visitors wanting a quieter Los Angeles experience will do well to visit Torrance.
Top landmarks
- • Western Museum of Flight — aviation museum in Torrance, California
- • Toyota USA Automobile Museum — automobile museum in Torrance, California
Arriving 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
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 42m. Total distance: 32.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (78%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15.4 miles on San Diego 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 Santa Ana, 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 19.8 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Santa Ana, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Santa Ana, CA
More trips to Santa Ana, CA
Explore more options from Torrance, CA or browse trips ending in Santa Ana, CA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.