Origin
Southfield, MI
Evening in Southfield on Friday
Local time
6:13 PM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
30.4 mi
49 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 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Southfield, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Brighton, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI covers 30.4 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Northwestern Highway, M 10 North, John C Lodge Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.75 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 30.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m 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 36m drive with frequent turns across 30.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Northwestern 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 Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI is easy. At 36m 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 Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Highway | — | — |
| M 10 North | — | — |
| John C Lodge Freeway | — | — |
| I 696 West | — | — |
| Walter P Reuther Freeway | — | — |
| US 23 South | — | — |
| I 96 West | — | — |
| Spencer Road | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Northwestern Highway
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Southfield, MI and Brighton, MI.
1
Start on West 10 Mile Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West 10 Mile Road
2
Turn right onto Northwestern Highway
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Northwestern Highway
3
Take the ramp slight left toward M 10 North
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
M 10 North
4
Merge slight left onto John C Lodge Freeway
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
John C Lodge Freeway
5
Take the exit slight left toward I 696 West: Lansing
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
I 696 West: Lansing
6
Merge slight left onto Walter P Reuther Freeway
8.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Walter P Reuther Freeway
7
Merge slight right
15 mi
·
16 min
8
Take the exit slight right toward US 23 South, US 23 North: Ann Arbor, Spencer Road, Flint
0.2 mi
·
12 sec
·
US 23 South, US 23 North: Ann Arbor, Spencer Road, Flint
9
Keep slight left to continue on US 23 South: Spencer Road, Brighton, Ann Arbor
0.6 mi
·
46 sec
·
US 23 South: Spencer Road, Brighton, Ann Arbor
10
Keep slight left to continue on I 96 West: Lansing, Brighton, Spencer Road
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
I 96 West: Lansing, Brighton, Spencer Road
11
Keep slight right to continue on Spencer Road, Brighton
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Spencer Road, Brighton
12
Turn right onto Spencer Road
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Spencer Road
13
Continue on Spencer Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Spencer Street
14
Turn right onto East Main Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East Main Street
15
Turn left onto East Grand River Avenue
49 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Grand River Avenue
16
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.75 one way
$9.51 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.22 | $10.44 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.85 | $11.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.71 | $13.42 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 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 | 9.1 | 0 | $3.19 | $1.46 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.26 | $1.95 |
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
Brighton, MI
Evening in Brighton on Friday
Local time
6:13 PM
EDT
Current temp
43°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
25 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
36m 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 Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI covers 30.4 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Northwestern Highway, M 10 North, John C Lodge Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.2 miles from Southfield, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.75 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 Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI is easy. At 36m 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 Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Southfield, MI to Brighton, MI 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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