Origin
Imperial Beach, CA
Late night in Imperial Beach on Friday
Local time
5:05 AM
PDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
12m
Distance
6.3 mi
10 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 11m
★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 14m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 13m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 14m
8 PM
0h 11m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Imperial Beach, CA
Saidamir Mukhitdinov
Chula Vista, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA covers 6.3 miles and takes about 12m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Palm Avenue, I 5, I 5 North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.45 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 12m. Total distance: 6.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
12m 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 12m drive with frequent turns across 6.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Palm Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA is easy. At 12m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Avenue | — | — |
| I 5 | — | — |
| I 5 North | — | — |
| John J | — | — |
| H Street | — | — |
| Broadway | — | — |
| F Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Palm Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Imperial Beach, CA and Chula Vista, CA.
1
Start on Palm Avenue
374 ft
·
16 sec
·
Palm Avenue
2
Continue on Palm Avenue
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Palm Avenue
3
Take the exit straight toward I 5: San Diego
384 ft
·
9 sec
·
I 5: San Diego
4
Keep slight left to continue on I 5 North: San Diego
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
I 5 North: San Diego
5
Merge slight left onto John J. Montgomery Freeway
2.6 mi
·
2 min
·
John J. Montgomery Freeway
6
Take the exit slight right toward H Street
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
H Street
7
Turn right onto H Street
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
H Street
8
Turn left onto Broadway
0.5 mi
·
51 sec
·
Broadway
9
Turn right onto F Street
0.5 mi
·
53 sec
·
F Street
10
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.45 one way
$2.90 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $1.49 | $2.98 |
| premium | $6.18 | $1.53 | $3.06 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.39 | $2.78 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 1.9 | 0 | $0.66 | $0.30 |
| Efficient EV | 1.6 | 0 | $0.55 | $0.25 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.5 | 0 | $0.88 | $0.40 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Chula Vista, CA
Late night in Chula Vista on Friday
Local time
5:05 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°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
8 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
12m 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 Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA covers 6.3 miles and takes about 12m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Palm Avenue, I 5, I 5 North. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.2 miles from Imperial Beach, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.45 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.
The drive from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA is easy. At 12m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Imperial Beach, CA to Chula Vista, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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