Origin
Elsmere, DE
Morning in Elsmere on Friday
Local time
9:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elsmere, DE to Newark, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
9.3 mi
15 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 18m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elsmere, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Newark, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 9.3-mile drive from Elsmere, DE to Newark, DE is a quick 19-minute journey, making it ideal for a single-day trip. With a minimal fuel cost of around $2, it’s an economical option for getting between these two Northeast region locations. You'll primarily navigate local roads, including Kirkwood Highway, Capitol Trail, and East Main Street, with no highway driving involved. The route's short distance and local character suggest it's more about the destination or using it as a connector rather than a destination in itself. Plan for a straightforward trip with minimal time commitment.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 9.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this short 9.3-mile trip. With 0% highway share, you'll be on surface streets for the entire duration. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 5.9 miles along Kirkwood Highway. This suggests a route that involves frequent intersections and potentially navigating through populated areas. The drive is unlikely to offer long, sweeping vistas but rather a more grounded, in-town experience as you make your way through Delaware.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Kirkwood Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 5.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
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 19m 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: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Linden Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (DE 2 / Robert Kirkwood Highway): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Linden Avenue
Turn right onto Linden Avenue
Navigation decision point
3
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
DE 2 / Robert Kirkwood Highway
Turn left onto DE 2 / Robert Kirkwood Highway
Navigation decision point
4
9.3 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Highway | 5.9 mi | 10m |
| Capitol Trail | 2.6 mi | 5m |
| East Main Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Robert Kirkwood Highway | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Linden Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Kirkwood Highway
— 5.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elsmere, DE and Newark, DE.
1
Start on DE 2
108 ft
·
4 sec
·
Robert Kirkwood Highway
2
Turn right
285 ft
·
21 sec
3
Turn right onto Linden Avenue
144 ft
·
8 sec
·
Linden Avenue
4
Turn left onto DE 2
105 ft
·
9 sec
·
Robert Kirkwood Highway
5
Continue on DE 2
5.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Kirkwood Highway
6
Continue on DE 2
384 ft
·
7 sec
·
Capitol Trail
7
Continue on DE 2
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Kirkwood Highway
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on DE 2
2.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Capitol Trail
9
Turn straight
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
10
Turn straight onto DE 273
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Main Street
11
Turn right
260 ft
·
18 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.54 one way
$3.08 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $1.69 | $3.38 |
| premium | $4.93 | $1.80 | $3.61 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.05 | $4.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.8 | 0 | $0.98 | $0.45 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.81 | $0.37 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.60 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Newark, DE
Morning in Newark on Friday
Local time
9:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°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
19m 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 Elsmere, DE to Newark, DE covers 9.3 miles and takes about 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Kirkwood Highway, Capitol Trail, East Main Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.7 miles from Elsmere, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.54 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 19m 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: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Linden Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (DE 2 / Robert Kirkwood Highway): Navigation decision point.
The route from Elsmere, DE to Newark, DE 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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