Best US Cities to Drive In from WalletHub

With gas prices falling over the past few months but remaining higher than they were last summer, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst Cities to Drive in.

To determine the most driver-friendly places in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 29 key metrics. The data set ranges from average gas prices to annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter to auto-repair shops per capita.

Best vs. Worst
• Greensboro, North Carolina, residents spend the fewest annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter, 4, which is 25.5 times fewer than in Los Angeles, the city where residents spend the most at 102.

• Gilbert, Arizona, has the fewest car thefts (per 1,000 residents), 0.49, which is 33.1 times fewer than in Oakland, California, the city with the most at 16.23.

• Oklahoma City has the lowest average gas price, $2.58 per gallon, which is 1.5 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $3.85 per gallon.

• Riverside, California, has the lowest average parking rate, $1.43 per two hours, which is 19.2 times lower than in Buffalo, New York, the city with the highest at $27.44 per two hours.

Most Americans rely on cars to get around. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, “87 percent of daily trips take place in personal vehicles.” And even with growing access to public transportation in U.S. cities, most people still choose to travel by car, mainly for reasons such as “comfort and reliability.”

In truth, however, driving is often a major hassle and expense. Drivers annually spend an average of more than 290 hours on the road. For a full-time worker, that’s the equivalent of a seven-week vacation. Add the costs of wasted time and fuel due to traffic congestions, and our collective tab comes to about $124 billion annually, or $1,700 per household.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, America’s highways and bridges are underfunded, with an $836 billion backlog of repairs needed. The World Economic forum ranks U.S. roads at 10th in quality out of 137 economically developed nations. It’s clear there’s room for improvement.

But some cities are better for those behind the wheel. To determine those places, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 29 key indicators of driver-friendliness. Our data set ranges from average gas prices to annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter to auto-repair shops per capita. Read on for our findings, tips and insight from a panel of experts, and a full description of our methodology.

Best & Worst Cities to Drive in