Best, Worst Driving States Ranked

Oregon tops the list as the most driver-friendly state in the nation followed by Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Texas, according to a new report from WalletHub.

Hawaii leads the way as the worst place to drive, followed Alaska, Washington, California, and New Hampshire.

To determine the best and worst states to drive in, WalletHub used 30 key metrics, including economic factors such as average gas prices as well as situational and safety factors such as traffic congestion, road quality, and car theft rates.

Rush-hour traffic congestion is the worst in California — it's five times worse than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest rush-hour traffic congestion. Other states that rank in the top five for highest percentage of rush-hour traffic congestion include Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts.

However, despite the impact traffic congestion can have on aggressive driving behavior, California and Massachusetts scored well in the overall safety category — ranking fifth and fourth in the nation. The three states that captured the top safety rankings include Rhode Island followed by New York and Connecticut.

Vermont boasts the lowest car theft rate, and Alaska has the highest — in fact, 19 times more thefts. After Vermont, Maine ranks second for lowest care theft rate, followed by New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Oregon also rank among the top five states for highest vehicle theft rates.

Read the full report here.