Travel Time Calculator

Travel time calculator for road trips and driving time estimates

This travel time calculator is built for one job: estimating how long a road trip will take when you know the distance and you have a realistic idea of your average speed. People usually search for this when they are planning a departure time, deciding whether they can make a meeting, or sanity-checking a route that looks fine on a map but could be slower in reality.

The key input is average speed, not top speed. Real driving time is shaped by acceleration, traffic lights, toll plazas, merging, road works, and general flow. If you enter the posted speed limit as your average speed, your estimate will usually be too optimistic. Instead, pick the speed you actually expect to average across the whole trip, including slower sections.

For a more realistic total, you can optionally add traffic or slowdowns as a percentage increase in driving time, plus stops (how many you expect and how long each stop takes). This is useful for longer trips where a quick refuel and a short break can easily add 20 to 60 minutes without you noticing. If you enter a departure date and time, the calculator also estimates your arrival time based on the total trip duration.

Assumptions and how to use this calculator

• This tool estimates road-trip duration from distance and average speed. It does not calculate distance from addresses or map routes.
• Average speed should reflect real conditions across the full trip, not the highest speed you might reach on a clear stretch.
• Traffic and slowdowns are applied as a percentage added to driving time, not as a fixed extra delay.
• Stops are treated as fixed minutes: number of stops multiplied by minutes per stop. If you are unsure, start with 1 stop per 2 to 3 hours of driving.
• Arrival time is estimated using your device’s local time zone and does not account for time-zone crossings or border delays.

Common questions

What is the difference between average speed and speed limit?

Speed limit is a maximum under ideal conditions. Average speed is what you actually maintain across the entire trip. Even a mostly-highway route can average lower because of ramps, towns, traffic, and short slowdowns. If your route includes any urban segments, your average speed can drop sharply compared to the posted limit.

How do I pick a realistic average speed if I do not know the route well?

Use a conservative estimate based on the route type. For highways, many drivers end up averaging below the limit once everything is included. For mixed routes with towns and junctions, average speed tends to be much lower than you expect from looking at the distance alone. If you are unsure, lower your average speed and use the traffic percentage to reflect uncertainty.

Should I use the traffic percentage or stop time for delays?

Use traffic percentage for delays that slow you while moving (congestion, roadworks, weather, heavy flow). Use stop time for delays where you are not driving at all (refuel, bathroom, food, charging, picking someone up). If you are unsure where a delay belongs, ask a simple question: were the wheels turning?

Why does my estimate change a lot when I add a small traffic percentage?

Percentages scale with trip length. A 10% slowdown on a 30-minute drive is only 3 minutes. A 10% slowdown on a 6-hour drive is 36 minutes. This is why long trips often run late even when each delay feels small.

When will this calculator be wrong or not applicable?

This calculator is not designed for flights, public transport schedules, or travel where the speed is fixed by timetables. It also will not be accurate for trips with major uncertainty such as border crossings, heavy snow, severe construction zones, or multi-day driving with overnight breaks. In those cases, treat the result as a baseline and add a bigger buffer.