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Trip from Auburn Hills, MI to Southfield, MI

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

32m

Distance

18.4 mi

30 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

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

Downtown Auburn Hills, MI, MI

Auburn Hills, MI

fish socks

city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States

Southfield, MI

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Auburn Hills, MI to Southfield, MI covers 18.4 miles and takes about 32m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Southfield Road, Woodward Avenue, I 75 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.1 miles on Southfield Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.88 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 32m. Total distance: 18.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

32m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 32m drive with frequent turns across 18.4 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Southfield Road is the longest continuous segment at about 5.1 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in near University Drive.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 18.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles (University Drive): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (BL I 75): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 16 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

7
2.6 mi into trip | ~5m in | University Drive

Turn sharp left onto University Drive

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
2.7 mi into trip | ~5m in

Take the ramp toward I 75 South: Detroit

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward I 75 South: Detroit
7
5.8 mi into trip | ~9m in | BL I 75

Take the exit onto BL I 75 toward I 75 Business

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 75 Toward I 75 Business
6
13.2 mi into trip | ~21m in | West Maple Road

Turn right onto West Maple Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
13.3 mi into trip | ~21m in | Southfield Road

Turn left onto Southfield Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Southfield Road 5.1 mi 10m
Woodward Avenue 4.7 mi 7m
I 75 2.8 mi 3m
I 75 BL 1.5 mi 2m
North Opdyke Road 1.4 mi 2m
South Lapeer Road 0.7 mi 1m
BL I 75 0.6 mi <1m
Shimmons Road 0.3 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Southfield Road — 5.1 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Auburn Hills, MI and Southfield, MI.

1

Start on Shimmons Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · Shimmons Road
2

Continue

280 ft · 16 sec
3

Turn right onto I 75 BL

0.2 mi · 24 sec · South Lapeer Road
4

Continue on I 75 BL

0.5 mi · 54 sec · South Lapeer Road
Use the left lane.
5

Turn slight left onto North Opdyke Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · North Opdyke Road
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
6

Turn sharp left onto University Drive

0.2 mi · 23 sec · University Drive
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 20 sec
Toward I 75 South: Detroit Use the right lane.
8

Merge onto I 75

2.8 mi · 3 min · I 75
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit onto BL I 75

0.6 mi · 41 sec · BL I 75
Exit 75 Toward I 75 Business Use the slight right lane.
10

Continue on I 75 BL

1.5 mi · 2 min · I 75 BL
11

Turn right onto I 75 BL; US 24 BUS

119 ft · 2 sec · Woodward Avenue
Use the right lane.
12

Turn slight left

410 ft · 17 sec
13

Turn slight left onto I 75 BL; US 24 BUS

4.7 mi · 7 min · Woodward Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
14

Turn right onto Oakland Avenue

0.1 mi · 29 sec · Oakland Avenue
15

Keep slight left at fork onto Oakland Avenue

240 ft · 12 sec · Oakland Avenue
16

Turn slight right onto Willits Street

0.1 mi · 27 sec · Willits Street
17

Keep slight left at fork onto North Chester Street

326 ft · 14 sec · North Chester Street
18

Turn right onto West Maple Road

0.1 mi · 24 sec · West Maple Road
Use the right lane.
19

Turn left onto Southfield Road

5.1 mi · 10 min · Southfield Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
20

Turn right onto West 10 Mile Road

192 ft · 4 sec · West 10 Mile Road
21

Arrive at destination

West 10 Mile Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.88 one way

$5.75 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.16 $6.32
premium $4.89 $3.54 $7.08
diesel $5.61 $4.06 $8.12

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 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 5.5 0 $1.93 $0.88
Efficient EV 4.6 0 $1.61 $0.74
EV Truck/SUV 7.4 0 $2.58 $1.18

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Auburn Hills, MI

Late night in Auburn Hills on Saturday

Local time

1:40 AM

EDT

Current temp

46°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Southfield, MI

Late night in Southfield on Saturday

Local time

1:40 AM

EDT

Current temp

68°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

22 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

32m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Auburn Hills, MI to Southfield, MI covers 18.4 miles and takes about 32m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Southfield Road, Woodward Avenue, I 75. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 9.2 miles from Auburn Hills, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.88 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 18.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.

The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles (University Drive): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (BL I 75): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Auburn Hills, MI to Southfield, MI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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