Americans are in their cars a lot, and a majority experience some road rage from all that time behind the wheel, per AAA. WalletHub recently went on a search to find the best cities to drive around in – and the worst.
While many of the nation’s largest cities predictably ended up at the bottom of the 100-city list, several Texas towns were ranked in the top 10. Corpus Christi, Texas, landed at the very top.
According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics cited by WalletHub, “87% of daily trips take place in personal vehicles,” in the U.S. AAA estimates that U.S. drivers spend an average of more than 369 hours on the road and other research indicates that the collective tab for all that motoring is $771 per driver each year.
To determine the best and worst cities to drive in, WalletHub used 30 “key indicators” that included average gas prices, annual hours in traffic, congestion and access to auto repair shops. Corpus Christi stood out in many of the metric categories, especially concerning costs associated with driving.
“It’s the third-cheapest city for gas and tied for seventh-cheapest for purchasing a new vehicle,” said WalletHub. “It’s also the 11th-least expensive city when it comes to additional vehicle operating costs like lost time and fuel waste due to traffic congestion, or damage from poorly-maintained roads.”
Additionally, WalletHub touted Corpus Christi’s well-maintained bridges and the high quality of its roads. Those driving around town should experience the fourth-lowest average commute times and second-lowest hours spent in congested traffic per year, the personal finance website said.
Another metric that help put the South Texas city at the top of the list was safety. According to WalletHub, more adults wear seatbelts there than in any of the other cities they assessed at nearly 99%. Its accident likelihood was also 8% below the national average.
Laredo, Lubbock, Plano, and Austin were the other Texas towns that joined Corpus Christi in the top 10. Here’s the full top 10 list:
1. Corpus Christi, Texas
2. Greensboro, N.C.
3. Boise, Idaho
4. Scottsdale, Ariz.
5. Laredo, Texas
6. Lubbock, Texas
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Plano, Texas
9. Austin, Texas
10. Winston-Salem, N.C.
At the bottom of the list, you can find New York, N.Y., Los Angeles, Calif., and Chicago, Ill. Philadelphia, Pa., the sixth largest city anchored the list at 100. Here’s the bottom 10 list:
100. Philadelphia, Pa.
99. Oakland, Calif.
98. Washington D.C.
97. New York, N.Y.
96. Chicago, Ill.
95. San Francisco, Calif.
94. Detroit, Mich.
93. Los Angeles, Calif.
92. San Jose, Calif.
91. Baltimore, Md.