Skip to main content
Trip.ovh Logo
Trip.ovh

Trip from San Jose, CA to San Leandro, CA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

41m

Distance

32.6 mi

52 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
city and county seat of Santa Clara County, California, United States

San Jose, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Alameda County, California, United States

San Leandro, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from San Jose, CA to San Leandro, CA covers 32.6 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 880, Nimitz Freeway, East 14th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.7 miles on I 880. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.49 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 32.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

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

Drive Character

This is a 41m highway drive covering 32.6 miles, with most of the trip on I 880 and Nimitz Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 14.7 miles on I 880.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 880 is the longest continuous segment at about 14.7 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 880 and Nimitz Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 32.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (I 880): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.3 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 8 key points

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

7
1.5 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 880 North: Oakland

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward I 880 North: Oakland
5
1.8 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 880

Merge onto I 880

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
10.3 mi into trip | ~13m in | I 880 / Nimitz Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 880 / Nimitz Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
22.9 mi into trip | ~27m in | I 880

Keep slight left at fork onto I 880

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane.
7
29.1 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward Hesperian Boulevard

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 30 Toward Hesperian Boulevard

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 880 14.7 mi 16m
Nimitz Freeway 12.6 mi 14m
East 14th Street 1.9 mi 3m
Hesperian Boulevard 1.4 mi 2m
Coleman Avenue 1.4 mi 2m
North Market Street <0.1 mi <1m
West Estudillo Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 880 — 14.7 mi, about 16m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between San Jose, CA and San Leandro, CA.

1

Start on North Market Street

196 ft · 8 sec · North Market Street
2

Continue on Coleman Avenue

1.4 mi · 2 min · Coleman Avenue
Use the straight lane.
3

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Toward I 880 North: Oakland Use the right lane.
4

Merge onto I 880

8.5 mi · 9 min · I 880
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight right at fork onto I 880

13 mi · 14 min · Nimitz Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight left at fork onto I 880

6.1 mi · 6 min · I 880
Use the slight left lane.
7

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Exit 30 Toward Hesperian Boulevard Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Turn right onto Hesperian Boulevard

1.4 mi · 2 min · Hesperian Boulevard
Use the right lane.
9

Turn left onto CA 185

1.9 mi · 3 min · East 14th Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
10

Turn left onto West Estudillo Avenue

61 ft · 2 sec · West Estudillo Avenue
Use the left lane.
11

Arrive at destination

West Estudillo Avenue

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.49 one way

$14.99 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $7.72 $15.44
premium $6.18 $7.93 $15.86
diesel $5.61 $7.20 $14.40

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.4 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 9.8 0 $3.42 $1.56
Efficient EV 8.2 0 $2.85 $1.30
EV Truck/SUV 13 0 $4.56 $2.09

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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

San Jose, CA

Late night in San Jose on Saturday

Local time

3:56 AM

PDT

Current temp

43°F

Clear

NW 7 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 3:02AM MST until April 17 at 1:00PM MST by NWS Phoenix AZ

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 2:56AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Destination

San Leandro, CA

Late night in San Leandro on Saturday

Local time

3:56 AM

PDT

Current temp

49°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

6 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

41m 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 San Jose, CA to San Leandro, CA covers 32.6 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 880, Nimitz Freeway, East 14th 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 16.3 miles from San Jose, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.49 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 short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 32.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (I 880): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.3 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from San Jose, CA to San Leandro, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Yes. Nearby national parks include San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. There are 5 parks within detour distance of this route.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From San Leandro, CA

Fontana, CA 406.5 mi · 7h 32m Los Angeles, CA 360.8 mi · 6h 40m Bakersfield, CA 262.7 mi · 4h 52m Fresno, CA 166 mi · 3h 15m

More from San Jose, CA

Eucalyptus Hills, CA 469.5 mi · 9h Chula Vista, CA 468.3 mi · 8h 58m Anza, CA 456.8 mi · 8h 48m Vista, CA 433.4 mi · 8h 15m San Clemente, CA 402.7 mi · 7h 39m Woodcrest, CA 398.5 mi · 7h 36m

More trips to San Leandro, CA

Fontana, CA 407.2 mi Irvine, CA 405.6 mi
Weekend drives from San Jose, CA Scenic drives in CA

Explore more options from San Jose, CA or browse trips ending in San Leandro, CA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.