Washington is one of the worst states to drive in, report finds. Here’s why

With the cost of vehicles and gas among the highest in the nation, Washington is the third worst state in the nation to drive in, trailing California and Hawaii, according to a new report.

Personal finance company WalletHub released the report, titled “2021’s Best and Worst States to Drive in,” Tuesday.

The report compared 50 states with four key dimensions: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance, according to the release. WalletHub used 31 metrics to evaluate those dimensions, including the average cost of gas, rush-hour traffic, traffic fatality rate, car theft rate, repair shops per capita, etc.

Washington ranked 48th in cost of vehicle ownership and maintenance, 48th in gas prices, 35th for traffic and infrastructure, and 13th in safety and 14th in access to vehicles and maintenance.

WalletHub previously identified Seattle as one of the worst cities for driving in 2020, McClatchy News previously reported. Seattle ranked 91 out of 100 cities — meaning only nine U.S. cities ranked worse when it comes to overall driving conditions, according to WalletHub.

The company used the same factors to evaluate the city’s ranking.

California was 49th for driving and Hawaii came in dead last, the 2021 report showed.

Texas is the best state to drive in, according to the report.

This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Washington is one of the worst states to drive in, report finds. Here’s why."