Whether you love to drive or dread every time you have to get behind the wheel, most Americans rely on cars to get around. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that 87% of our daily trips happen in our cars and drivers spend an average of almost 370 hours on the road every year. And it turns out, where you live can make a difference in how you feel about driving.
- WalletHub has just come out with their picks for 2024’s Best and Worst Cities to Drive In.
- They rated 100 of the biggest U.S. cities on 30 indicators of driver-friendliness in the main areas of cost of ownership & maintenance, traffic & infrastructure, safety and access to vehicles & maintenance.
- They looked at everything from gas prices to the cost of a new car to annual hours of traffic delays and the number of uninsured drivers.
- Based on all of that, the best city to drive in is Raleigh, North Carolina, which comes in second for cost of ownership and maintenance.
- When it comes to traffic and infrastructure, Scottsdale, Arizona, is the best, while the top city for safety is Boise, Idaho, and Miami, Florida, is number one for access to vehicles and maintenance.
- The worst city to drive in is Oakland, California, which lands at the bottom for cost of ownership & maintenance and in the bottom 10 for safety.
- New York City, 94th overall, is the worst for traffic and infrastructure.
The top 10 Best Cities to Drive In
(check out the complete list here)
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Boise, Idaho
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Orlando, Florida
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Wichita, Kansas
- Tampa, Florida
- Plano, Texas
The 10 Worst Cities to Drive In
- Oakland, California
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- San Francisco, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Detroit, Michigan
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
- Washington, D.C.
- Seattle, Washington
- San Jose, California
Source: WalletHub