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Trip from Los Angeles, CA to Cerritos, CA

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

27m

Distance

20.3 mi

33 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Excellent

2 DC fast

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 25m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m

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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Downtown los-angeles-ca

Los Angeles, CA

Stephen Leonardi

city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Cerritos, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Traveling from Los Angeles to Cerritos is a straightforward 20.3-mile journey that typically takes about 27 minutes. Because this is a short, highway-focused drive, you can easily complete it in a single day without needing an overnight stay. Expect to spend roughly $3 on fuel for the trip, making it a very economical commute within the Pacific Coast region. You will primarily utilize the Santa Ana Freeway and the San Gabriel River Freeway to navigate between these two points. Since both cities are located in the same region, you won't experience significant geographic shifts, but the direct routing ensures you spend most of your time on major arterial roads.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 27m. Total distance: 20.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

27m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

2 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: excellent.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

Expect a high-speed experience, as 84% of this 20.3-mile trip is comprised of highway driving. You will settle into a rhythm quickly, with your longest uninterrupted stretch covering 11.8 miles along the Santa Ana Freeway. The route transitions from the dense urban corridors of Los Angeles onto the San Gabriel River Freeway before concluding with a short connection via South Street. It is a utilitarian, interstate-heavy drive that prioritizes efficiency over scenic winding roads. Keep your focus sharp, as the transition between these major freeways requires steady maneuvering through typical regional traffic patterns.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 13 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 11.8 miles.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

308 ft 47 ft

Total Climb

52 ft

Total Descent

289 ft

Highest Point

308 ft

~1.5 mi in

Elevation Range

261 ft

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Main Street.

Driving Effort 9/10

High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a demanding drive. With 11 significant decision points across 20.3 miles, you will need to stay alert — especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (East Aliso Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

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

7
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Main Street

Turn left onto North Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | East Aliso Street

Turn right onto East Aliso Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
8
12.3 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward I 605 North, I 605 South: San Gabriel River Freeway

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 124 Toward I 605 North, I 605 South: San Gabriel Ri...
8
12.5 mi into trip | ~16m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 605 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Toward I 605 South
8
12.6 mi into trip | ~16m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 605 South: San Gabriel River Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 605 South: San Gabriel River Freeway

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 11.8 mi 14m
San Gabriel River Freeway 5.3 mi 6m
South Street 1.9 mi 3m
North Main Street 0.3 mi <1m
East Aliso Street <0.1 mi <1m
West 1st Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 11.8 mi, about 14m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Los Angeles, CA and Cerritos, CA.

1

Start on West 1st Street

69 ft · 9 sec · West 1st Street
2

Turn left onto North Main Street

0.3 mi · 34 sec · North Main Street
Use the left lane.
3

Turn right onto East Aliso Street

338 ft · 13 sec · East Aliso Street
Use the right lane.
4

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 19 sec
Toward US 101 South, I 10 East, I 5 South
5

Merge onto US 101

12 mi · 14 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 12 sec
Exit 124 Toward I 605 North, I 605 South: San Gabriel River Freeway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork

0.1 mi · 10 sec
Toward I 605 South Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 605 South: San Gabriel River Freeway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto I 605

5.3 mi · 6 min · San Gabriel River Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 33 sec
Exit 5B Toward South Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Turn left onto South Street

1.9 mi · 3 min · South Street
Use the left lane.
12

Turn right

59 ft · 4 sec
13

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 10.2 mi from Los Angeles, CA · 13m into the drive

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

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Downey, CA

10 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Downey, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 20.3 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Downey, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 10.2 miles from Los Angeles, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Cerritos, CA

The final approach into Cerritos, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Cerritos, CA.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.67 one way

$9.33 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $4.81 $9.62
premium $6.18 $4.94 $9.87
diesel $5.61 $4.48 $8.96

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

EV Charging Along Route

2 DC fast chargers · Coverage: excellent

ChargePoint Charging Station

La Mirada, California

ChargePoint

1 DCFC

Electrify America Charging Station

La Mirada, California

Electrify America

1 DCFC

ChargePoint: 1 Electrify America: 1

Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.1 0 $2.13 $0.97
Efficient EV 5.1 0 $1.78 $0.81
EV Truck/SUV 8.1 0 $2.84 $1.30

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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 16, 2026

Origin

Los Angeles, CA

Evening in Los Angeles on Thursday

Local time

6:16 PM

PDT

Current temp

73°F

Mostly Sunny

SW 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Lake Wind Advisory

Lake Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 16 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Destination

Cerritos, CA

Evening in Cerritos on Thursday

Local time

6:16 PM

PDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

27m 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 Los Angeles, CA to Cerritos, CA covers 20.3 miles and takes about 27m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Santa Ana Freeway, San Gabriel River Freeway, South Street. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.2 miles from Los Angeles, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.67 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 demanding drive. With 11 significant decision points across 20.3 miles, you will need to stay alert — especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (East Aliso Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from Los Angeles, CA to Cerritos, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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