Time is distance divided by speed. The useful part is everything around it: the calculator takes miles or kilometers, mph or km/h, adds the breaks you will take, and gives the time you arrive. It also works the other way round – the average speed from a distance and a time, or the distance from a speed and a time.
Example: 450 km at an average of 80 km/h is 5 hours 38 minutes of driving. With a 15-minute break every two hours (two breaks), the trip takes 6 hours 8 minutes; leaving at 08:00 you arrive at 14:08. In miles: 280 miles at 55 mph is 5 h 05 min of driving, 5 h 35 min with two breaks.
Driving time by distance and average speed
| Distance | 40 mph / 64 km/h | 50 mph / 80 km/h | 60 mph / 97 km/h | 70 mph / 113 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 mi / 80 km | 1 h 15 min | 1 h 00 min | 0 h 50 min | 0 h 43 min |
| 100 mi / 161 km | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 00 min | 1 h 40 min | 1 h 26 min |
| 200 mi / 322 km | 5 h 00 min | 4 h 00 min | 3 h 20 min | 2 h 51 min |
| 300 mi / 483 km | 7 h 30 min | 6 h 00 min | 5 h 00 min | 4 h 17 min |
| 500 mi / 805 km | 12 h 30 min | 10 h 00 min | 8 h 20 min | 7 h 09 min |
Without breaks. A few mph of average speed change long trips by hours: 500 miles at 50 instead of 60 mph is 1 h 40 min longer.
Breaks
- Car drivers: a stop of at least 15 minutes every two hours is the usual advice of road safety bodies. The calculator adds one break for every full two hours, but none at the end.
- Trucks and buses in the EU, UK and many other countries: after 4.5 hours of driving, a break of 45 minutes (it may be split into 15 + 30). Daily driving is limited to 9 hours, 10 hours twice a week. Choose this option to plan a professional trip; the calculator handles the breaks, not the daily limits.
- Drowsiness: no rule replaces stopping when you are tired. Coffee buys a short time; a short nap at a rest area works better.
Average speed and pace
| Distance and time | Average speed |
|---|---|
| 450 km in 5 h 15 min | 85.7 km/h (53.3 mph) |
| 280 mi in 4 h 40 min | 60.0 mph (96.6 km/h) |
| 100 km in 1 h 20 min | 75.0 km/h (46.6 mph) |
| 26.2 mi in 4 h 00 min (a marathon) | 6.55 mph (10.5 km/h) |
The same formula works for cycling, sailing (choose the speed in km/h and convert knots with the unit converter) or running, though for runners the running pace calculator speaks in minutes per mile.
Times you can type
Hours and minutes as 4:30, 4h30 or “4 h 30 min”; decimal hours as 4.5 or 4,5; minutes as “90 min”. For the departure: 08:00, 8:15, 8am or 7:30pm. An arrival after midnight shows “(next day)”.
Planning on the road with no data? Once zet4u is saved on your phone, the calculator works offline.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate travel time?
Divide the distance by your average speed: 280 miles at 55 mph is 5.09 hours, or 5 hours 5 minutes. Add your breaks. The calculator does both and, if you enter the time you leave, gives the arrival time.
What average speed should I use for a road trip?
Less than the speed limit. Traffic, towns, junctions and slowdowns pull the average down, so even on long highway trips most drivers average well below the limit. Time one trip you know well and use that average for trips on similar roads.
How often should I take a break when driving?
Road safety organizations generally advise a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours of driving, and stopping whenever you feel tired. Truck and bus drivers in the EU must by law take 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving (EU Regulation 561/2006).
How do I find my average speed?
Choose "Average speed" and enter the distance and the time it took, as hours and minutes (4:30) or decimal hours (4.5). 450 km in 5 hours 15 minutes is an average of 85.7 km/h (53.3 mph).
Sources
Last checked: