10 Worst Cities to Drive In, According to New Studies

Driving? Not in these cities, you won’t!

Americans spend a great deal behind the wheel, according to the Federal Highway Administration. As explained by Jurek Grabowski, research director for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “the amount of time the average driver spends behind the wheel each year is equivalent to seven 40-hour weeks at the office.”

Given this amount of time spent driving, the ease with which you can go from one place to another by car can have a great impact on your daily life in the city. Sure, no place is free of bottlenecks, traffic jams and busy streets, but some cities are simply impossible to drive in.

Just how bad is for people in these cities to go around in their cars? According to a study by WalletHub which collected data from the 100 most populated cities in the United States, there are several cities where commuting is truly horrendous.

Based on criteria such as traffic and infrastructure, safety, ownership and maintenance, cost of repairs and time in traffic, here are 10 cities where going behind the wheel is an absolute nightmare. You might be surprised by some of the cities that have made it on the list!

Worst cities to drive in:

10. Stockton, California

Total score: 46.52

Driving in California is not for people lacking patience. Residents of Stockton, California don’t have it easier when it comes to commuting. In terms of traffic and infrastructure, Stockton ranks 50^th while for vehicle access and maintenance, it landed in the 84^th place. By adding the 90^th spot for cost of ownership into the equation, Stockton holds the 10^th spot on the list of worst cities to drive in.

9. Seattle, Washington

Total score: 44.52

Being the biggest city in Washington is certainly a decisive factor when it comes to traffic in Seattle. Add the rainy weather and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. According to data provided by the National Weather Service, Seattle is almost as rainy as Cleveland, Ohio, fighting for the title of “the city with the second most days with precipitation”.

It ranks 82^nd for car ownership and maintenance costs and 85^th for traffic and infrastructure. Not exactly the best place to be driving in, is it?

8. New York, New York

Total score: 42.23

New York is the city that never sleeps because its residents have nightmares caused by the horrible traffic conditions. If you have other options than driving in the Big Apple, we suggest you take them, as it is one of the most difficult cities to get around in your vehicle.

According to surveys, New Yorkers are among those who spend the most hours in traffic jams per year (along with three other cities), pay the highest parking costs (along with three other cities), and have the fewest car shops per capita. Start spreading the news!

7. Chicago, Illinois

Total score: 41.44

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and this only complicates matters when it comes to driving in the city. The Windy City is among the bottom five cities where people spend the most hours in traffic jams per year.

It also has landed the 2nd spot for the highest car maintenance costs and parking costs as well as second to last in terms of traffic and infrastructure.

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6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Total score: 41.29

Driving in Philadelphia is not one of the most pleasurable things out there. Nor the easiest, as Philly is one of the worst cities to drive in, based on recent surveys and reports. The City of Brotherly Love “joined” forces together with five other cities to make their drivers run for the hills rather than going around by vehicle.

Philadelphia has one of the highest parking rates among the cities on the list and tied with other cities for the most hours spent in traffic jams per commuter per year. The streets of Philadelphia are not that friendly after all!

5. Los Angeles, California

Total score: 40.68

According to a WalletHub study, Los Angeles sticks to its reputation for being an unfriendly place for drivers. It might be called the City of Angels, but there’s nothing angelic about being among the cities with the highest likelihood of an accident compared to the national average.

The most populous city in the state of California also displays the highest average gas prices in the United States and the fewest number of auto body shops per capita.

4. Washington, D.C.

Total score: 40.47

Washington D.C. might be the nation’s proud capital city but there’s nothing to be proud of when it comes to driving around by vehicle in this place. Similar to Los Angeles, it has one of the highest likelihoods of an accident compared to the national average, coming in the 93^rd position in the United States in terms of safety and 97^th position for traffic and infrastructure.

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3. Detroit, Michigan

Total score: 38.87

Detroit’s nickname might be Motor City but it has nothing to do with being a driver-friendly city. Detroit ranked somewhere in the middle group in terms of vehicle and maintenance; when it comes to traffic and infrastructure, the situation is slightly worse, as it ranked 89^th in this category and second to last in terms of safety.

For all these reasons, Detroit landed the third position on the list of worst cities to drive in. Curious to see what city “stole” the second place?

2. San Francisco, California

Total score: 38.15

The runner-up for the worst city to drive in is none other than San Francisco. It placed at the top of the list for the most expensive auto maintenance services, with the overall 97^th place nationwide. Frisco also ranked 93^rd for traffic and infrastructure and 99^th in terms of ownership and maintenance costs. Someone should tell San Francisco officials that second place on this list is not exactly a good thing.

1. Oakland, California

Total score: 38.14

Surprising or not, the award for the “worst city to drive in” nationwide goes to Oakland. Apart from landing the 96^th place for the highest likelihood of an accident compared to the national average, Oakland also has the highest car theft rate. In addition, it secured itself the last position in terms of ownership and maintenance costs.

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