Origin
Malvern, IA
Night in Malvern on Friday
Local time
9:36 PM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
31 mi
50 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Malvern, IA
Yusuf Çelik
Council Bluffs, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA covers 31 miles and takes about 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on County Highway L63, Downtown, South Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.85 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 31 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 34m drive with frequent turns across 31 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
County Highway L63 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 Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA is easy. At 34m 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 Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| County Highway L63 | — | — |
| Downtown | — | — |
| South Expressway | — | — |
| South 6th Street | — | — |
| Willow Avenue | — | — |
| South 8th Street | — | — |
| West Broadway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
County Highway L63
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Malvern, IA and Council Bluffs, IA.
1
Start on Main Street
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
2
Continue on County Highway L63
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
County Highway L63
3
Turn left
12 mi
·
18 min
4
Take the ramp slight right
14 mi
·
16 min
5
Take the exit slight right toward Downtown
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
Downtown
6
Turn left onto South Expressway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
South Expressway
7
Continue on South 6th Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
South 6th Street
8
Turn left onto Willow Avenue
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Willow Avenue
9
At the end of the road, turn right onto South 8th Street
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
South 8th Street
10
Turn left onto West Broadway
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
West Broadway
11
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.85 one way
$9.69 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.32 | $10.64 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.97 | $11.93 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.84 | $13.69 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.25 | $1.49 |
| Efficient EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.71 | $1.24 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.4 | 0 | $4.34 | $1.98 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Council Bluffs, IA
Night in Council Bluffs on Friday
Local time
9:36 PM
CDT
Current temp
55°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
3 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
34m 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 Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA covers 31 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are County Highway L63, Downtown, South Expressway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.5 miles from Malvern, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.85 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 Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA is easy. At 34m 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 Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Malvern, IA to Council Bluffs, IA 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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