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How to Make Google Maps Choose the Fastest Route

Turn off Google Maps’ fuel-efficient route preference to prioritize the fastest estimated driving route, then compare arrival times and route constraints before starting.
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To prioritize the fastest estimated driving route in Google Maps, turn off Prefer fuel-efficient routes. In the mobile app, tap your profile picture or initial, then go to Settings > Navigation > Route options and switch the setting off. Google says Maps will then stop factoring fuel or energy efficiency into its route recommendations and offer the fastest route according to its current estimates.

Turn off fuel-efficient routing

  1. Open the Google Maps app and tap your profile picture or initial.

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  2. Tap Settings, then Navigation.

  3. Scroll to Route options.

  4. Turn off Prefer fuel-efficient routes.

You can also change the preference after getting directions: open the route’s menu or options, change the setting, and tap Done. The precise wording and availability can vary by region, device, and app version. Google Maps Help documents the setting for Android and iOS.

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What “fastest” means in Maps

With fuel-efficient routing off, Maps does not include fuel or energy efficiency in its route recommendations. “Fastest” means the quickest option Maps estimates among the routes it offers at that moment—not a guarantee of the actual quickest arrival. Before starting, compare the alternatives’ estimated arrival times and choose the one that suits your trip.

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Google says that when fuel-efficient routing is on, Maps considers efficiency alongside real-time traffic, route simplicity, and road conditions. It may show both the fastest route and a more efficient alternative. When the efficient route has roughly the same arrival time as the fastest one, Maps may recommend it; otherwise, it can show relative efficiency savings for comparison. Google Maps Help explains how to enable or disable eco-friendly routes, while its efficiency explanation describes the recommendation approach.

Why Maps may suggest a longer-looking route

Fuel-efficient routing is still enabled

Check Prefer fuel-efficient routes first. If it is on and arrival time matters more than efficiency, turn it off using the steps above.

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Route preferences are shaping the options

Look for preferences such as avoiding tolls or highways. These can affect which routes Maps offers. Google’s route-options documentation describes avoidance settings as preferences that bias a route, not absolute bans: a route may still use an avoided feature if it is the only practical choice or the alternative would make the trip substantially longer. That documentation covers Google Maps Platform’s routing API, so it should not be read as a complete description of every control in the consumer app. Google Maps Platform: Route modifiers.

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Traffic or an incident changed the estimate

Maps combines traffic predictions with live traffic information. Google says it can reroute around anticipated gridlock using nearby road-condition and incident information. Recheck the displayed time before departure and follow updated navigation prompts; the route that looked quicker when you first checked may no longer be quicker. Google’s explanation of how Maps uses traffic and routing information.

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How to compare routes before you start

When Maps offers more than one route, compare the details that matter for this trip:

  • Estimated arrival time: Use this to compare the current fastest estimates.

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  • Tolls and route constraints: Check whether a quicker option uses toll roads, highways, or another road you prefer to avoid.

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  • Fuel or energy efficiency: If saving fuel matters too, compare the efficient alternative with the fastest estimate rather than assuming one route is best for every priority.

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What the fuel-efficient option accounts for

Google says its fuel- and energy-efficiency estimates draw on insights from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and data from the European Environment Agency. Factors include average vehicle fuel or energy consumption in the region, hill steepness, stop-and-start traffic patterns, and road types. The feature is available only in select countries or regions. For electric vehicles, an energy-efficient route does not include charging stops, so plan charging separately on longer trips. Google Maps Help: How Maps calculates fuel-efficient routes.

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