Driving time calculator
How long will the drive take? Enter distance and average speed — get driving time and arrival time. For city-to-city routes we have real drive times from road data, not averages.
Quick answer: Driving time = distance ÷ average speed. 300 km at a 100 km/h average = 3 hours of pure driving. Realistic motorway averages: 90–110 km/h for cars, ~80 km/h for trucks — plus breaks every 2 hours.
Driving time table
| Distance | Car 100 km/h | Car 120 km/h | HGV 80 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 km | 1 h | 50 min | 1 h 15 min |
| 300 km | 3 h | 2 h 30 min | 3 h 45 min |
| 500 km | 5 h | 4 h 10 min | 6 h 15 min + break |
| 1,000 km | 10 h | 8 h 20 min | 2 driving days (EU rules) |
Realistic average speeds
| Mode | realistic average |
|---|---|
| Car, motorway long distance | 90–110 km/h |
| Car, rural roads | 60–70 km/h |
| Car, city traffic | 20–30 km/h |
| Truck (limited 80/89) | 75–80 km/h |
| Bicycle | 15–20 km/h |
| Walking | 4–5 km/h |
EU truck driving-time rules in brief
- Max. 4.5 h driving before a 45-minute break (splittable 15 + 30).
- Max. 9 h daily driving time (10 h twice a week).
- 500 km ≈ 7 h tour time including the break; 1,000 km is not legal in one day — plan 1.5–2 driving days.
Real driving times on popular routes
| Route | road km | pure driving time | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin → Hamburg | 290 | 2 h 59 min | 97 km/h |
| Berlin → Munich | 585 | 5 h 54 min | 99 km/h |
| Hamburg → Munich | 776 | 7 h 43 min | 101 km/h |
| Berlin → Paris | 1,053 | 10 h 45 min | 98 km/h |
Notice the pattern: long-distance averages settle around 90–100 km/h regardless of how fast the car is — roadworks and traffic eat the difference. Every route page shows the OSRM figure.
Common planning mistakes
- Treating nav time as arrival time — it excludes breaks, fuel stops and parking.
- Calculating with top speed instead of average — cruising at 150 still averages ~100–110 over a real trip.
- Underestimating city ends — the last 10 km into a big city often take 20–30 minutes.
- EVs: add ~30 minutes of fast charging per 300 km on long legs.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate driving time?
Driving time = distance ÷ average speed. 300 km at an average of 100 km/h takes 3 hours. Realistic long-distance averages are 90–110 km/h on motorways — before breaks.
How long does 500 km take by truck?
At the typical 80 km/h average, just over 6 hours 15 minutes of pure driving — plus the mandatory 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving time under EU rules, so about 7 hours in practice.
When should I leave to arrive on time?
Departure = desired arrival − driving time − buffer. A 10–15 % buffer covers normal traffic; around big cities at rush hour or on holiday weekends, plan 25 %.
How accurate is calculated driving time?
It's an idealised figure without traffic, lights or breaks. For city-to-city routes, our route pages use real OSRM road-network routing instead of a flat average — Berlin–Hamburg is 2 h 59 min for 290 km, a 97 km/h average no simple assumption would produce.
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