Origin
South Pasadena, CA
Afternoon in South Pasadena on Saturday
Local time
12:17 PM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South Pasadena, CA to Irvine, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
58m
Distance
45.3 mi
73 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 54m
★
6 AM
0h 59m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 8m
8 PM
0h 56m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Pasadena, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Irvine, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from South Pasadena, CA to Irvine, CA covers 45.3 miles and takes about 58m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Huntington Drive, Fremont Avenue, West Valley Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. At current regular gas prices, budget about $10.41 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Huntington Drive | — | — |
| Fremont Avenue | — | — |
| West Valley Boulevard | — | — |
| Long Beach Freeway | — | — |
| I 5 South | — | — |
| Santa Ana Freeway | — | — |
| Broadway | — | — |
| CA 55 South | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Huntington Drive
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South Pasadena, CA and Irvine, CA.
1
Start on Fair Oaks Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Fair Oaks Avenue
2
Turn slight right
440 ft
·
18 sec
3
Turn straight onto Huntington Drive
289 ft
·
13 sec
·
Huntington Drive
4
Turn left onto Fremont Avenue
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Fremont Avenue
5
Turn right onto West Valley Boulevard
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Valley Boulevard
6
Turn left onto Long Beach Freeway
4.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Long Beach Freeway
7
Take the exit slight left toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
I 5 South: Santa Ana
8
Merge slight right onto Santa Ana Freeway
23 mi
·
27 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
9
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
10
Take the exit slight right toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana
0.8 mi
·
57 sec
·
Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana
11
Keep slight left
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
12
Keep slight left to continue on I 5 South
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
·
I 5 South
13
Merge slight left onto Santa Ana Freeway
0.8 mi
·
54 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
14
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
0.8 mi
·
52 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
15
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
16
Take the exit slight right toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach
0.4 mi
·
28 sec
·
CA 55 South: Newport Beach
17
Merge slight left onto Costa Mesa Freeway
3.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Costa Mesa Freeway
18
Take the exit slight right toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
0.6 mi
·
39 sec
·
I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
19
Keep slight left to continue on I 405 South
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
·
I 405 South
20
Merge slight left onto San Diego Freeway
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
San Diego Freeway
21
Arrive at your destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
23 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 22.6 miles from South Pasadena, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$10.41 one way
$20.82 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $10.73 | $21.46 |
| premium | $6.18 | $11.02 | $22.03 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 15.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.76 | $2.17 |
| Efficient EV | 11.3 | 0 | $3.96 | $1.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.1 | 0 | $6.34 | $2.90 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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
Irvine, CA
Afternoon in Irvine on Saturday
Local time
12:17 PM
PDT
Current temp
71°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
1 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
58m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
45.3 mi in 58m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: Huntington Drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
1/10
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 South Pasadena, CA to Irvine, CA is easy. At 58m 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 South Pasadena, CA to Irvine, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
About the Cities
Starting in South Pasadena, CA
Full guide →South Pasadena is a small city in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California.
Arriving in Irvine, CA
Full guide →Founded 1971
Irvine is a city of 308,000 people (2020) in Orange County, California. Irvine is one of the newest and largest cities in Orange County, and it is still growing. The city is a perfectly planned suburbia. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971.
Top landmarks
- • Pretend City Children's Museum — children's Museum in California, U.S.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 58m. Total distance: 45.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
58m 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
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from South Pasadena, CA to Irvine, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Irvine, CA before heading back.
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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