Origin
Lawndale, CA
Afternoon in Lawndale on Friday
Local time
3:01 PM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
34.1 mi
55 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lawndale, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA covers 34.1 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Hawthorne Boulevard, Manhattan Beach Boulevard, I 405 South for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.84 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 34.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m 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 38m drive with frequent turns across 34.1 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.
Hawthorne Boulevard 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 Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA is easy. At 38m 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 Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne Boulevard | — | — |
| Manhattan Beach Boulevard | — | — |
| I 405 South | — | — |
| San Diego Freeway | — | — |
| Garden Grove Freeway | — | — |
| I 5 South | — | — |
| Broadway | — | — |
| Main Street North | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Hawthorne Boulevard
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lawndale, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
1
Start on Manhattan Beach Boulevard
164 ft
·
5 sec
·
Manhattan Beach Boulevard
2
Turn right
174 ft
·
15 sec
3
Turn right onto Hawthorne Boulevard
66 ft
·
3 sec
·
Hawthorne Boulevard
4
Turn left onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard
157 ft
·
13 sec
·
Manhattan Beach Boulevard
5
Turn left onto Hawthorne Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
Hawthorne Boulevard
6
Take the ramp right toward I 405 South: Long Beach
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
I 405 South: Long Beach
7
Merge slight left onto San Diego Freeway
18 mi
·
21 min
·
San Diego Freeway
8
Keep slight right to continue on San Diego Freeway
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
San Diego Freeway
9
Keep slight right to continue on Garden Grove Freeway
9.8 mi
·
11 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
10
Take the exit slight right toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
0.3 mi
·
20 sec
·
I 5 South: Santa Ana
11
Keep slight right to continue on I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
0.3 mi
·
18 sec
·
I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
12
Keep slight right to continue on Broadway, Main Street
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
·
Broadway, Main Street
13
Keep slight right to continue on Main Street North, Broadway
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
·
Main Street North, Broadway
14
Turn straight onto North Broadway
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
15
Turn left onto West 5th Street
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
West 5th Street
16
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
North Main Street
17
Turn right onto West 1st Street
52 ft
·
1 sec
·
West 1st Street
18
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.84 one way
$15.68 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.08 | $16.15 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.29 | $16.59 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.53 | $15.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.9 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 | 10.2 | 0 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.98 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.77 | $2.18 |
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.
Destination
Santa Ana, CA
Afternoon in Santa Ana on Friday
Local time
3:01 PM
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
4 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
38m 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 Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA covers 34.1 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Hawthorne Boulevard, Manhattan Beach Boulevard, I 405 South. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 17 miles from Lawndale, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.84 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 Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA is easy. At 38m 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 Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Lawndale, CA to Santa Ana, CA 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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