Origin
Palatine, IL
Morning in Palatine on Friday
Local time
7:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
11m
Distance
6.7 mi
11 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 11m
★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 14m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 12m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 14m
8 PM
0h 11m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Palatine, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL covers 6.7 miles and takes about 11m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Northwest Highway, North Hicks Road, Lake Cook Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.05 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 11m. Total distance: 6.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
11m 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 11m drive with frequent turns across 6.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 9 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East Northwest Highway 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 Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL is easy. At 11m 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 Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Northwest Highway | — | — |
| North Hicks Road | — | — |
| Lake Cook Road | — | — |
| South Buffalo Grove Road | — | — |
| Aptakisic Road | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
East Northwest Highway
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Palatine, IL and Buffalo Grove, IL.
1
Start on East Palatine Road
72 ft
·
9 sec
·
East Palatine Road
2
Turn left onto East Northwest Highway
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
East Northwest Highway
3
Turn straight
223 ft
·
8 sec
4
Turn straight onto North Hicks Road
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
North Hicks Road
5
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
Lake Cook Road
6
Continue on Lake Cook Road
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Lake Cook Road
7
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
South Buffalo Grove Road
8
Turn left onto Aptakisic Road
102 ft
·
5 sec
·
Aptakisic Road
9
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.05 one way
$2.09 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.15 | $2.30 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.29 | $2.58 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.48 | $2.96 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2 | 0 | $0.70 | $0.32 |
| Efficient EV | 1.7 | 0 | $0.59 | $0.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Buffalo Grove, IL
Morning in Buffalo Grove on Friday
Local time
7:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°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
11m 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 Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL covers 6.7 miles and takes about 11m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East Northwest Highway, North Hicks Road, Lake Cook Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.4 miles from Palatine, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.05 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.
The drive from Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL is easy. At 11m 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 Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Palatine, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL 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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