Well yes, and no…is it possible that New York is right smack dab in the middle when it comes to the best and worst states to drive in across the U.S.
You’d certainly get mixed responses if you asked random people about their thoughts about driving in New York, right? There are plenty of people (from out of state) who would automatically associate NY driving with NYC driving and take that angle, while there are others who would go to the other extreme and think about driving in some of the more rural areas and argue from that side.
A recent study took a look at a number of factors to give New York a score and official ranking, and you just might be surprised.
WalletHub’s Best & Worst Driving States
WalletHub took an in-depth look at the best states for drivers, and compiled the findings into an easy to digest format. An analysis of factors like traffic and congestion, road conditions, gas prices and so on, provided the structure for the rankings, and New York landed right in the middle of the pack.
With a total score of 57.52 points, ranking at number 24/50 (as compared to Vermont at number one with 63.08 points), New York didn’t fare too well in categories like cost and traffic, coming in 42 for cost of ownership and and maintenance, and 48th in traffic and infrastructure.
On the other hand, New York did fairly well with regard to access to vehicles and maintenance (fourth) and for safety (sixth). New York also ranks very well with the number of auto-repaid shops per capita, following only California and Pennsylvania.
In looking further into what makes Vermont the best state to drive in, the 2026 data indicates their decreasing number of deaths on the road, lowest prevalence of incidents due to phone use, well maintained roadways, and having the third-lowest car insurance rates and second-lowest when it comes to miscellaneous vehicle operating costs. See how other states ranked by looking at the full report here.
Do you agree with New York’s middle of the pack status?
See The 5 New York Cities & Towns With Worst Drivers!New York is known for so many great things. On the flip side, the state does have a reputation for having some tough places to drive. One would assume New York City is the worst, but the Big Apple does not even crack Lending Tree’s worst 5 cities to drive in New York based on incident rate per 1000 drivers. Lending Tree says “…incidents include speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, DUIs and other violations.” 2 of the top 5 worst cities are right here in the Capital Region!
Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff
12 Best “Small” Cities In New York State
WalletHub ranked the best “small cities in America. Below are the 12 highest rankings cities from across the Empire State.