Unfortunately, for most Americans, driving is a part of their daily lives. This means that car ownership is a must. Whether commuting to work or day care or to the grocery store, cars are a must in the vast majority of the country which is certainly not crowded with pedestrian-friendly streets and public transport.
So while many drive to their cars every day, the reality of driving and driving a piece of large machinery comes with a lot of headaches, including high cost of owning and maintaining a car, plus spending hours in buffer -to-buffer traffic, and the real danger of operating heavy machinery on a daily basis. Drive through school zones and commute through pedestrian-hostile streets are a life factor in the United States. And as much as it may stink for people who prefer to take a train to work or walk to school with their children, the reality is that cars are a necessity of life. Living in a city that is easy to drive into is a completely different question. This is why WalletHub has ranked all 50 states based on how good (or bad) they are at driving in.
To determine the rankings, WalletHub each state is judged on the basis of four categories: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance, with each state being given an overall score based on the categories. You can see the complete rankings and the methodology for the rankings here.
According to WalletHub’s methodology, if you drive, you’re best off in the Midwest or South, which dominated at the top of the list. Iowa won the top spot thanks to the low cost of ownership and not much traffic, which barely beat Oklahoma and Kansas, which were equally high in those two categories. North Carolina and Texas rounded out the top five, as both finished in the top 10 for vehicle access and maintenance.
Five best rice states
- Iowa (62.04)
- Oklahoma (61.65)
- Kansas (61.51)
- North Carolina (61.27)
- Texas (60.57)
Hawaii ended up dead last on the rankings as it has the second highest cost of ownership and maintenance and has a ton of traffic. Rhode Island topped the second lowest spot on the list, with a bottom five score in three of the four categories (but the seventh best score for safety). Delaware and California were tied for the third lowest score, with the Golden State avoiding the lowest spot thanks to the best access to vehicles and maintenance across the country. Maryland, which has the worst traffic and infrastructure in the United States, took last place.
Five worst riding states
- Hawaii (41.02)
- Rhode Island (47.41)
- Delaware (48.00)
- California (48.00)
- Maryland (48.54)
You can check the entire list here to see where all 50 states ended up in the rankings.