A new study from personal finance website WalletHub has proclaimed Plano, Texas as the fourth best city in America to drive in.
The report, called “Best & Worst Cities to Drive in (2023),” aimed to compile a list of the most and least driver-friendly areas throughout the country by gathering and analyzing data from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Allstate Insurance Company and more.
To put together its rankings, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities based on four key categories related to driving: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, as well as access to vehicles and maintenance.
Within each category were a number of metrics that are indicative of a city’s drivability ranking. Among these several metrics include average gas prices, average commute times, quality of the roads, traffic fatality rates and car dealerships per capita, to name a few.
According to the study, Plano was able to achieve its prestigious title as the fourth best city to operate a motor vehicle in by placing above average in all four major categories.
The North Texas city ranked fourth for safety, 20th for ownership/maintenance costs, 29th for vehicular accessibility and 37th for traffic and infrastructure.
Delving even deeper into the metrics, Plano was found to have the sixth highest amount of gas stations per capita, to go along with having the 15th lowest average gas prices, meaning that Texans are able to go on long road trips without having to worry about finding a pump or burning a hole in their pockets when filling up.
You also don’t have to worry much about having your vehicle stolen in Plano, as the city reportedly has the 10th lowest car theft rate, according to WalletHub.
Placing as the absolute best city to drive in America was another Texas city, Corpus Christi. Joining the two Lone Star State areas in the top five were Raleigh, North Carolina (second); Boise, Idaho (third); and Scottsdale, Arizona (fifth).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, WalletHub says that the five least driver-friendly cities were Oakland, California (100th); San Francisco, California (99th); Detroit, Michigan (98th); Washington, D.C. (97th); and Los Angeles (the third California city in the bottom, placing 96th).
To view the study in full, visit the WalletHub website.
