Driving: Marysville, WA to YVR for 1:55pm flight
 

I will be driving from Marysville, WA to YVR to board AF's YVR-CDG flight which leaves at 1:55pm. The rental car (one-way rental), will be returned at Budget's YVR location which is located across from the terminal entrance.

How early in the morning do I need to leave to have sufficient time to drive, wait at border crossing, return the car at the airport and check-in for the flight? Google map shows a 2-hour drive, but does not factor in the border crossing time. Since Marysville is north of Seattle, I assume I will be going against traffic on I-5 northbound in the morning? FYI this will be on a Friday in July.

Without Nexus, you want to budget a minimum of 2hrs at the border just in case...there is nothing wrong with arriving a couple extra hours early.

I would be on the road by 730-8am at the very latest.

On a Friday in July I'd definitely allow at least an hour to two hours at the border, just to play it safe.

You should also make an allowance for filling the tank before returning the car. I've dropped at Budget at YVR and sometimes they're not the sharpest pencils, if you get my meaning, so make an allowance for that, too.

Two hours plus border sounds a tad bit aggressive to me, so I'd probably give it 2h30m plus border, hence 4h30m to the airport, plus whatever check-in cushion you're comfortable with. So 7-7:30 out of Marysville seems about right. As stated, if everything clicks and you're at YVR super early, there are worse airports to hang out.

Since you are north of Seattle you won't encounter too much traffic going northbound, except at the border. Like others said, without Nexus you could be waiting quite a while. I'd say leave at 8am at the latest. When you get closer to the border you have 2 crossings to pick from. There is a highway sign which states the updated wait times for each.