Origin
Wilmington, DE
Night in Wilmington on Friday
Local time
11:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wilmington, DE to Delaware City, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
15.8 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Wilmington, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Delaware City, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Wilmington, DE to Delaware City, DE covers 15.8 miles and takes about 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Dupont Highway, South Dupont Highway, River Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.4 miles on North Dupont Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.62 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 15.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 28m drive with frequent turns across 15.8 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Dupont Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 5.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.7 miles in near US 13 Business / South Market Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.8 miles you will encounter 6 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles (US 13 Business / South Market Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.4 miles (US 13; DE 9 Truck / South Dupont Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 10.2 miles (DE 9 Truck): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 13 Business / South Market Street
Turn left onto US 13 Business / South Market Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
7.4 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 13; DE 9 Truck / South Dupont Highway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 13; DE 9 Truck / South Dupont Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
3
10.2 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
DE 9 Truck
Take the exit onto DE 9 Truck
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
4
13.3 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
DE 9 / Wrangle Hill Road
Turn left onto DE 9 / Wrangle Hill Road
Navigation decision point
4
15.4 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
Clinton Street
Turn left onto Clinton Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Dupont Highway | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| South Dupont Highway | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| River Road | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| Wrangle Hill Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| South Market Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| Hamburg Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North King Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| 5th Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
North Dupont Highway
— 5.4 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wilmington, DE and Delaware City, DE.
1
Start on US 13 Business
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North King Street
2
Turn straight onto US 13 Business
381 ft
·
17 sec
·
Martin Luther King Boulevard
3
Turn left onto US 13 Business
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
South Market Street
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on US 13 Business
390 ft
·
7 sec
·
South Market Street
5
Continue on US 13 Business
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
North Dupont Highway
Use the straight lane.
6
Continue on US 13; US 40
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
North Dupont Highway
Use the straight lane.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto US 13; DE 9 Truck
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
South Dupont Highway
8
Take the exit onto DE 9 Truck
176 ft
·
7 sec
·
DE 9 Truck
9
Turn left onto DE 9 Truck
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Hamburg Road
10
Turn right onto DE 9
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
River Road
11
Turn left onto DE 9
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Wrangle Hill Road
12
Continue on DE 9
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
5th Street
13
Turn left onto Clinton Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Clinton Street
14
Arrive at destination
Clinton Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.62 one way
$5.24 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.87 | $5.74 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.06 | $6.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.49 | $6.98 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.38 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.21 | $1.01 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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
Delaware City, DE
Night in Delaware City on Friday
Local time
11:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
62°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
28m 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 Wilmington, DE to Delaware City, DE covers 15.8 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Dupont Highway, South Dupont Highway, River Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.9 miles from Wilmington, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.62 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.8 miles you will encounter 6 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles (US 13 Business / South Market Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.4 miles (US 13; DE 9 Truck / South Dupont Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 10.2 miles (DE 9 Truck): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
The route from Wilmington, DE to Delaware City, DE does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include First State National Historical Park.
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.
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