New study says Washington ranks as one of the worst states in the country for drivers
Between Puget Sound and the mountain passes, driving in Washington offers some of the best views around. But according to a new national ranking, that’s just about the only good thing about hitting the road in the Evergreen State.
A study conducted by WalletHub, released last week, ranked Washington the second-worst state in the country for drivers. The annual ranking is nothing new for Washington – which came in ahead of only Hawai’i. Washington received the same spot in last year’s edition of the rankings and in the year before.
WA ranked among worst states for drivers
Washington’s low ranking was largely driven (pun intended) by the high cost of maintaining a car in the state. It ranked No. 48 in cost of car ownership and maintenance, a category that made up 30% of the total score. Nearly half of the score in that category was determined by gas prices, while insurance and maintenance costs factored in as well.
The rankings took three other categories into account as well, including traffic and driving infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance. Washington ranked No. 36 for traffic and infrastructure, No. 29 for safety and No. 13 for access to vehicles and maintenance.
The only state with a lower score than Washington was Hawai’i, while Montana and New Hampshire ranked just above the Evergreen State. On the other end of the list, Kansas, Idaho and Indiana made up the top three, respectively.
How the rankings were determined
WalletHub used three primary categories to come up with the rankings: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, and driver safety. Each of the three categories accounted for 30% of a state’s total score, while the last 10% was determined by access to vehicles and maintenance.
The traffic and infrastructure category in particular might not have given Washington a fair shot – nearly a third of it was determined by weather-related factors, including the number of days each year with rain. The rest of the category was determined by the percentage of urban highways that become congested during their busiest hours, average commute time, road and bridge quality and miles of road per capita.
The driver safety category was primarily determined by traffic violation rate, the share of drivers who don’t wear seat belts, car theft rate, road fatality rate and the likelihood of hitting an animal. Traffic fatalities in Washington have risen sharply in recent years, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, hitting a 33-year high in 2023.
The access category was determined by the number of dealerships, gas stations, repair shops, car washes and parking lots per capita in each state.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 12:56 PM.