Ilagan is linked by a national highway called Maharlika Highway (designated as Asian Highway 26, AH26 by Asian Highway Network). Ilagan's longest bridge is the Malalam Bridge in barangay Malalam going north, which was inaugurated on December 8, 1995.

Ilagan is the only place in the Cagayan Valley Region that considers jeepneys as one of the primary means of public transportation within its vicinity and neighboring municipalities. There are 432 Jeepneys used as the major public transportation in Ilagan with corresponding routes from Centro-Calamagui-Alibagu-Upi junction-Guibang vice versa, Centro-Calamagui-Bliss Village-Salindingan vice versa, Centro-San Antonio region vice versa, Centro-Bintacan vice versa, and neighboring towns Ilagan-Gamu-Burgos-Roxas vice versa, plus 4,000 tricycle units and few bus companies. Each company operates a fleet of air conditioned buses with daily trips to Manila from their respective terminals. Several bus companies also use the Ilagan route from Tuguegarao City and Northern Isabela to Manila, Dagupan, Baguio and other destinations.

Victory Liner and GV Florida Transport have terminals within the city that offers daily trips to Kamias, Quezon City and Sampaloc, Manila. The Local Government Unit (LGU) inaugurated the Ilagan City Central Transport Terminal beside the Northstar Mall in Alibagu on November 28, 2011.

The city will soon adapt the Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT) which was developed by the DOST as an alternative mode of transport for front-liners, community outreach activities, among others. Each coach of the HERT can accommodate 220 passengers.

On May 4, 2022, the city government launched eleven units of taxis as LTFRB issued 90-day provisional authority. The transport service will ply across Cagayan Valley and it is the first in the region. Additionally, the city launched 58 public utility vehicles that will service the city as part of its modernization program.

LGU TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS