Origin
Elgin, IL
Night in Elgin on Thursday
Local time
10:06 PM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elgin, IL to Kingston, IL
Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026
Drive Time
41m
Distance
26.5 mi
43 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Kingston, IL
Stéphane Tendon
Trip Overview
The drive from Elgin, IL to Kingston, IL covers 26.5 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on IL 72, U.S. Grant Memorial Highway, Illinois 72 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.9 miles on IL 72. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.14 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 26.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Elgin, IL to Kingston, IL covers 26.5 miles and takes about 41m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
IL 72 is the longest continuous segment at about 13.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Center Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 41m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Highland Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 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
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Highland Avenue
Turn left onto East Highland Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
3.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
Merge onto US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining
4
26.4 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
Main Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| IL 72 | 13.9 mi | 20m |
| U.S. Grant Memorial Highway | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| Illinois 72 | 2 mi | 3m |
| Larkin Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Oak Street | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| East Highland Avenue | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
IL 72
— 13.9 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Kingston, IL.
1
Start on East Chicago Street
34 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Chicago Street
2
Turn left onto Center Street
329 ft
·
12 sec
·
Center Street
3
Turn left onto East Highland Avenue
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
East Highland Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Continue on Larkin Avenue
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Larkin Avenue
5
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
1 min
6
Merge onto US 20
360 ft
·
5 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
7
Continue on US 20
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on US 20
3.5 mi
·
5 min
·
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
9
Continue on US 20
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Oak Street
10
Continue on US 20
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Oak Street
11
Continue on US 20
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
12
Continue on IL 72
14 mi
·
20 min
·
IL 72
13
Turn straight onto IL 72
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Illinois 72
14
Turn left onto Main Street
69 ft
·
3 sec
·
Main Street
15
Arrive at destination
Main Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.14 one way
$8.29 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.55 | $9.10 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.10 | $10.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.85 | $11.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.78 | $1.27 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.32 | $1.06 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.6 | 0 | $3.71 | $1.70 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Kingston, IL
Night in Kingston on Thursday
Local time
10:06 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°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
1 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
41m 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 Kingston, IL covers 26.5 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are IL 72, U.S. Grant Memorial Highway, Illinois 72. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.2 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 $4.14 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 straightforward 41m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Highland Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining.
The route from Elgin, IL to Kingston, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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