Origin
Studio City, CA
Late night in Studio City on Friday
Local time
4:08 AM
PDT
Current temp
78°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Studio City, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18m
Distance
12.6 mi
20 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 17m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Studio City, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
The drive from Studio City, CA to Los Angeles, CA covers 12.6 miles and takes about 18m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Hollywood Freeway, Route 101, Ventura Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.3 miles on Hollywood Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.90 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 18m. Total distance: 12.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (91%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 18m highway drive covering 12.6 miles, with most of the trip on Hollywood Freeway and Route 101. The longest continuous stretch is about 10.3 miles on Hollywood Freeway.
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.
Hollywood Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 10.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Hollywood Freeway and Route 101. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 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 12.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 18m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (US 101 / Route 101): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Take the ramp toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
8
1.1 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 101 / Route 101
Keep slight right at fork onto US 101 / Route 101 toward US 101 South: Los Angeles, Tujunga Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles, Tujunga Avenu...
7
12 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward Broadway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2C
Toward Broadway
7
12.2 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
North Spring Street
Turn right onto North Spring Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
12.5 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
West 1st Street
Turn left onto West 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Freeway | 10.3 mi | 14m |
| Route 101 | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Ventura Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Laurel Canyon Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| North Spring Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Aliso Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Hollywood Freeway
— 10.3 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Studio City, CA and Los Angeles, CA.
1
Start on Laurel Canyon Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
54 sec
·
Laurel Canyon Boulevard
2
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
Use the right lane.
3
Merge onto US 101
0.5 mi
·
33 sec
·
Ventura Freeway
4
Keep slight right at fork onto US 101
0.6 mi
·
43 sec
·
Route 101
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles, Tujunga Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Merge onto US 101
10 mi
·
14 min
·
Hollywood Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Exit 2C
Toward Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on West Aliso Street
409 ft
·
18 sec
·
West Aliso Street
Use the straight lane.
8
Turn right onto North Spring Street
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
North Spring Street
Use the right lane.
9
Turn left onto West 1st Street
354 ft
·
12 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.90 one way
$5.79 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.98 | $5.97 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.06 | $6.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.78 | $5.56 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.32 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.10 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.76 | $0.81 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Los Angeles, CA
Late night in Los Angeles on Friday
Local time
4:08 AM
PDT
Current temp
73°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 10 mph
0% chance
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
5 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
18m 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 Studio City, CA to Los Angeles, CA covers 12.6 miles and takes about 18m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Hollywood Freeway, Route 101, Ventura Freeway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.3 miles from Studio City, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.90 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 12.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 18m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (US 101 / Route 101): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Studio City, CA to Los Angeles, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. 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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