Origin
Elgin, IL
Night in Elgin on Friday
Local time
11:03 PM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elgin, IL to Cuba, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
17 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Cuba, IL
Jo Kassis
Trip Overview
The drive from Elgin, IL to Cuba, IL covers 17 miles and takes about 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on New Sutton Road, West Northwest Highway, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.3 miles on New Sutton Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.66 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Elgin, IL
Full guide →Elgin is a city in Chicagoland known for its Victorian architecture and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.
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 26m. Total distance: 17 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m 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 26m drive with frequent turns across 17 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 18 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
New Sutton Road is the longest continuous segment at about 5.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Center Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 17 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: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Center Street
Turn left onto Center Street
Navigation decision point
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
7
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward IL 59
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 59
Toward IL 59
5
5.9 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
IL 59 / New Sutton Road
Turn left onto IL 59 / New Sutton Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
13.7 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
US 14 / West Northwest Highway
Turn left onto US 14 / West Northwest Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Elgin, IL to Cuba, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.
Chicago
2.2 mi in
|
~4m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| New Sutton Road | 5.3 mi | 8m |
| West Northwest Highway | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| Jane Addams Memorial Tollway | 2.7 mi | 2m |
| Dundee Avenue | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Dundee Road | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| South Hough Street | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| North Liberty Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Center Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
New Sutton Road
— 5.3 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Cuba, IL.
1
Start on East Chicago Street
34 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Chicago Street
2
Turn left onto Center Street
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Center Street
3
Continue on Dundee Avenue
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Dundee Avenue
4
Turn right onto IL 25
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Page Avenue
5
Turn straight onto IL 25
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
North Liberty Street
6
Continue on IL 25
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Dundee Avenue
7
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford, Chicago
8
Continue on this road
486 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
Toward I 90 West, I 90 East: Rockford, Chicago
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
10
Merge onto I 90
2.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
Exit 59
Toward IL 59
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn left onto IL 59
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
New Sutton Road
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on IL 59; IL 68
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Dundee Road
14
Continue on IL 59
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
New Sutton Road
15
Continue on South Hough Street
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
South Hough Street
16
Turn left onto US 14
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
West Northwest Highway
Use the left lane.
17
Turn right onto V49
34 ft
·
0 sec
·
North Kelsey Road
18
Arrive at destination
V49
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.66 one way
$5.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.92 | $5.84 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.27 | $6.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.75 | $7.51 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.19
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
(2.7 mi)
$0.19
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 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 | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.49 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.38 | $1.09 |
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
Cuba, IL
Night in Cuba on Friday
Local time
11:03 PM
CDT
Current temp
67°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
17 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
26m 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 Elgin, IL to Cuba, IL covers 17 miles and takes about 26m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are New Sutton Road, West Northwest Highway, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.5 miles from Elgin, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.66 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 17 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.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Elgin, IL to Cuba, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.
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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Cuba, IL
More trips to Cuba, IL
Explore more options from Elgin, IL or browse trips ending in Cuba, IL.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.