While a lot of people love their cars, driving in them is another thing, especially if you live in an area that’s known for traffic. And it’s not just traffic that can ruin a perfectly good trip in the car, road hazards, gas prices and more can put a damper on your driving fun. Well, there’s no doubt drivers in some areas of the country experience these problems way more than others, and a new report reveals which folks have it the best, and the worst.
WalletHub just came out with their list of the best and worst states to drive in, judging the 50 states across 30 key indicators of a positive commute, including things like average gas prices, share of rush-hour traffic congestion, road quality and more.
With all that in mind, the overall best state for driving is Oregon, which scores a 61.56 out of 100, earning a high marks for traffic and infrastructure and safety, although neither are actually in the Top Ten. When it comes to traffic and infrastructure, Montanna tops the list, while Rhode Island ranks highest for safety, Iowa is tops for cost of ownership & maintenance and California is tops for access to vehicles and maintenance.
Top Ten Best Driving States
- Oregon
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Texas
- North Carolina
- Georgia
- Arkansas
- Nebraska
- Ohio
As for the worst driving state, that would be Hawaii, which scores just 38.45, coming in dead last when it comes to cost of ownership and maintenance, and in the bottom five for traffic and infrastructure.
Ten Worst Driving States
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Washington
- California
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Wyoming
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- ONE MORE THING! When it comes to rush hour, no surprise but California is the state with the worst traffic congestion, while Mississippi has the least. In fact, California’s rush hour is five times worse than that of Mississippi.
Click here to find out where all states rank