Origin
McKinney, TX
Late night in McKinney on Friday
Local time
5:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from McKinney, TX to Richardson, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
20.2 mi
32 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
McKinney, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Richardson, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 20.2-mile drive from McKinney, TX to Richardson, TX is designed for a single day, taking approximately 25 minutes to complete. The route is heavily focused on highways, with 88% of the journey on major roads, making it a quick and efficient trip. You'll primarily navigate Central Expressway and its related streets, with a significant 16.7-mile stretch on Central Expressway itself. Given its short duration and highway-centric profile, this route is ideal for a quick commute or a brief excursion rather than requiring an overnight stay. The estimated fuel cost is around $3, making it an economical option for travel within the Great Plains region of Texas.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 25m. Total distance: 20.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (88%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
Expect a highway-focused drive for the majority of this trip, with 88% of the 20.2 miles utilizing major roadways. The personality of this route is largely defined by Central Expressway, where you'll experience an uninterrupted stretch of 16.7 miles. This means consistent speeds and a steady progression through the landscape. While primarily highway, the initial and final segments may involve navigating local streets like East Virginia Street and South Central Expressway, offering a slight change of pace before merging back onto the main thoroughfare. Overall, it's a drive that prioritizes directness over varied scenery.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Central Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 16.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Central Expressway and East Virginia Street. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East Virginia Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (East Virginia Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles (South Central Expressway): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Virginia Street
Turn left onto East Virginia Street
Navigation decision point
4
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
South Central Expressway
Turn left onto South Central Expressway
Navigation decision point
6
2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward US 75 South, TX 121 South
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward US 75 South, TX 121 South
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 75; TX 121 / Central Expressway
Merge onto US 75; TX 121 / Central Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
19 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward Belt Line Road, Main Street
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 24
Toward Belt Line Road, Main Street
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Central Expressway | 16.7 mi | 17m |
| East Virginia Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| South Central Expressway | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| North Central Expressway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| North Tennessee Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Central Expressway
— 16.7 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between McKinney, TX and Richardson, TX.
1
Start on North Tennessee Street
119 ft
·
12 sec
·
North Tennessee Street
2
Turn left onto East Virginia Street
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
East Virginia Street
3
Turn left onto South Central Expressway
0.6 mi
·
52 sec
·
South Central Expressway
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Toward US 75 South, TX 121 South
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto US 75; TX 121
17 mi
·
17 min
·
Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 24
Toward Belt Line Road, Main Street
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn straight onto North Central Expressway
0.5 mi
·
47 sec
·
North Central Expressway
8
Turn left onto West Main Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West Main Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
9
Turn right
99 ft
·
7 sec
10
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.05 one way
$6.10 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.34 | $6.68 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.61 | $7.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.46 | $8.92 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.43
Central Expressway
(17.7 mi)
$1.43
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.12 | $0.97 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.83 | $1.29 |
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.
Destination
Richardson, TX
Late night in Richardson on Friday
Local time
5:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°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
2 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
25m 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 McKinney, TX to Richardson, TX covers 20.2 miles and takes about 25m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Central Expressway, East Virginia Street, South Central Expressway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.1 miles from McKinney, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.05 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 straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (East Virginia Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles (South Central Expressway): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from McKinney, TX to Richardson, TX 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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