Origin
Van Nuys, CA
Late night in Van Nuys on Tuesday
Local time
4:45 AM
PDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Van Nuys, CA to Los Angeles, 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
25m
Distance
16.5 mi
27 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Van Nuys, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
Van Nuys to Los Angeles is 16.5 miles and takes about 25 minutes via Hollywood Freeway and Victory Boulevard, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, making it a quick urban transit. Expect a predominantly highway experience for most of the drive. This route is ideal for same-day trips, offering a straightforward connection between two points in the greater Los Angeles area. It’s a practical choice if you're looking for efficiency and don't need to make many stops.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Freeway | 13.1 mi | 17m |
| Victory Boulevard | 2.6 mi | 5m |
| North Spring Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Aliso Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Hollywood Freeway
— 13.1 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Van Nuys, CA and Los Angeles, CA.
1
Start on Victory Boulevard
2.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Victory Boulevard
2
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward CA 170 South: Los Angeles, Hollywood Freeway
3
Merge onto CA 170
13 mi
·
17 min
·
Hollywood Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Exit 2C
Toward Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on West Aliso Street
409 ft
·
18 sec
·
West Aliso Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn right onto North Spring Street
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
North Spring Street
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left onto West 1st Street
354 ft
·
12 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the left lane.
8
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 2.6 and 16.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
2.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward CA 170 South: Los Angeles, Hollywood Freeway
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward CA 170 South: Los Angeles, Hollywood Fre...
5
2.9 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
CA 170 / Hollywood Freeway
Merge onto CA 170 / Hollywood Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
16 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward Broadway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2C
Toward Broadway
7
16.2 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
North Spring Street
Turn right onto North Spring Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
16.4 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
West 1st Street
Turn left onto West 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.79 one way
$7.58 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.91 | $7.82 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.01 | $8.03 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.64 | $7.29 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5 | 0 | $1.73 | $0.79 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.44 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.31 | $1.06 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Los Angeles, CA
Late night in Los Angeles on Tuesday
Local time
4:45 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
19 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
25m 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 mostly highway, with 79% of the 16.5 miles on freeways. You'll experience a longest stretch of 13.1 miles on the Hollywood Freeway before transitioning to surface streets like Victory Boulevard and North Spring Street. Be prepared for urban merging and a high volume of exits as you navigate the freeway system and then enter city traffic. The shift from high-speed freeway to surface roads is a notable change in pace.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.1 mi on Hollywood Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Hollywood Freeway and Victory Boulevard. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles (CA 170 / Hollywood Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Van Nuys, CA
Full guide →Van Nuys is a prominent neighborhood in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, a part of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. Although there are few tourist attractions here, Van Nuys serves as a civic and commercial center for the Valley.
Arriving in Los Angeles, CA
Full guide →“Tinseltown” · Founded 1781
Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have quipped, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles," a quote that has since been repeated both by those who love and hate L.A. The "City of Angels" is home to people who hail from all parts of the globe and an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade. However, it's most famous for being a major center of the world's television, motion picture, and music industry, which forms the base of the city's status and lures visitors for its show business history and celebrity culture. Visitors are also drawn to Los Angeles for its Mediterranean climate and numerous beaches, which gave birth to California's famed surf culture.
Top landmarks
- • Hollywood Walk of Fame — more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks...
- • Hollywood Sign — sign reading "HOLLYWOOD" located in Los Angeles, California, United States
- • Getty Center — campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust in Los Angeles
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 25m. Total distance: 16.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.1 miles on Hollywood Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 2.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles (CA 170 / Hollywood Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 16 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 Los Angeles, 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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