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Trip from Irvine, CA to Downey, CA

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

Drive Time

41m

Distance

33.5 mi

54 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$8

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
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.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Orange County, California, United States

Irvine, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States

Downey, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Irvine, CA to Downey, CA covers 33.5 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 Santa Ana Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Costa Mesa Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18 miles on Santa Ana Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.70 one way before food or hotel costs.

About the Cities

Starting in Irvine, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1971

Irvine is a city of 308,000 people (2020) in Orange County, California. Irvine is one of the newest and largest cities in Orange County, and it is still growing. The city is a perfectly planned suburbia. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971.

Top landmarks

  • • Pretend City Children's Museum — children's Museum in California, U.S.

Arriving in Downey, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1873

Top landmarks

  • • Columbia Memorial Space Center — science Museum in Downey, California

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 41m. Total distance: 33.5 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 (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 41m highway drive covering 33.5 miles, with most of the trip on Santa Ana Freeway and San Diego Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 18 miles on Santa Ana Freeway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Santa Ana Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 18 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and San Diego Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 17 decision points packed into just 33.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 17 key points

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

6
1.4 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the exit toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 4 Toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road
8
6.3 mi into trip | ~7m in

Take the exit toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 9A Toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway
7
6.5 mi into trip | ~7m in

Keep slight right at fork toward CA 55 North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward CA 55 North
7
10.6 mi into trip | ~12m in

Take the exit toward I 5 North: Santa Ana

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 10B Toward I 5 North: Santa Ana
8
29.3 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 121 Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway

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 Irvine, CA to Downey, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Imperial Highway along the way.

Imperial Highway

29.3 mi in | ~34m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 18 mi 20m
San Diego Freeway 5.6 mi 6m
Costa Mesa Freeway 3.6 mi 4m
Firestone Boulevard 2.9 mi 4m
Imperial Highway 0.6 mi 1m
Adoree Street 0.5 mi <1m
Jeffrey Road 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 18 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Irvine, CA and Downey, CA.

1

Start on I 405

1.4 mi · 1 min · San Diego Freeway
2

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 21 sec
Exit 4 Toward University Drive, Jeffrey Road
3

Turn left onto Jeffrey Road

0.2 mi · 22 sec · Jeffrey Road
Use the left lane.
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 18 sec
Toward I 405 North: Los Angeles Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Merge onto I 405

4.2 mi · 4 min · San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Exit 9A Toward CA 55 South, CA 55 North: Freeway Use the slight right lane.
7

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 35 sec
Toward CA 55 North Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto CA 55

3.2 mi · 3 min · Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto CA 55

0.4 mi · 28 sec · Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 46 sec
Exit 10B Toward I 5 North: Santa Ana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Merge onto I 5

0.5 mi · 36 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

1.7 mi · 1 min · Santa Ana Freeway
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

9.4 mi · 10 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
14

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

6.3 mi · 7 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Exit 121 Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Continue on Adoree Street

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Adoree Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
17

Turn left onto Imperial Highway

0.6 mi · 1 min · Imperial Highway
Use the straight / left lanes.
18

Turn slight right onto Firestone Boulevard

2.9 mi · 4 min · Firestone Boulevard
Use the right lane.
19

Turn right

41 ft · 3 sec
20

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.70 one way

$15.40 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $7.93 $15.87
premium $6.18 $8.15 $16.29
diesel $5.61 $7.40 $14.79

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10 0 $3.52 $1.61
Efficient EV 8.4 0 $2.93 $1.34
EV Truck/SUV 13.4 0 $4.69 $2.14

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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 17, 2026

Origin

Irvine, CA

Late night in Irvine on Saturday

Local time

4:49 AM

PDT

Current temp

56°F

Partly Cloudy

SE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 8:46PM PDT until April 17 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 8:09PM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Destination

Downey, CA

Late night in Downey on Saturday

Local time

4:49 AM

PDT

Current temp

72°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

16 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

41m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Irvine, CA to Downey, CA covers 33.5 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Santa Ana Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Costa Mesa Freeway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 16.8 miles from Irvine, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.70 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 17 decision points packed into just 33.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

On the drive from Irvine, CA to Downey, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Imperial Highway 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.

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