Corpus Christi, Texas, as the best city in America for drivers<\/a> \u2014 and several other Lone Star cities weren\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl\")
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WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities using 30 factors across four categories: costs, traffic, safety and access to car services. The study looked at everything from gas prices and insurance rates to commute times, road quality, accident risks and how easy it is to find repair shops or gas stations. Each city earned a weighted score out of 100, revealing where it\u2019s smooth sailing \u2014 and where driving is a daily grind.<\/p>\n
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Corpus Christi Cruises to the Top<\/p>\n
With a total score of 66.81, Corpus Christi outdrove every other U.S. city in the study.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why it ranked so well:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Gas prices are among the lowest in the country, third overall.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0It has the lowest parking costs in the nation.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Drivers spend less time stuck in traffic, tying for second place nationally in lowest annual congestion hours.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0The city\u2019s bridges are the best maintained in the country, and road quality ranks a respectable 25th overall.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Nearly 99% of residents wear seatbelts, and accident rates are more than 8% below the national average.<\/p>\n
In short, for affordability, safety, and smooth sailing, Corpus Christi takes the crown.<\/p>\n
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Other Texas Cities Scoring High<\/p>\n
Texas dominated the rankings, with five cities landing in the top 20:<\/p>\n
City | Overall Rank | Total Score
Corpus Christi | 1 | 66.81
Laredo | 5 | 63.51
Lubbock | 6 | 63.12
Plano | 8 | 62.61
Austin | 9 | 62.54<\/p>\n
Even mid-tier Texas cities performed strongly:<\/p>\n
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Arlington (No. 18) and Garland (No. 24) scored well in accessibility and safety.
San Antonio (No. 25) benefited from low gas prices, fourth in the nation.
Fort Worth (No. 27) and Irving (No. 29) also made the top 30.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Houston (No. 66) and Dallas (No. 47) struggled more, largely due to congestion and high maintenance costs.<\/p>\n
Texas Wins on Affordability<\/p>\n
Texas drivers enjoy some of the lowest vehicle-related costs in America.<\/p>\n
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Gas prices: Laredo, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Lubbock all made the national top five.
\nAuto maintenance costs: Laredo tied for first nationwide.
\nAuto repair shops: Garland ranked 5th in the country for most repair shops per capita.<\/p>\n
Even with inflation pushing up prices elsewhere, Texas continues to offer a relatively affordable environment for drivers \u2014 something commuters and road trippers alike can appreciate.<\/p>\n
While Texans are enjoying smoother rides, much of the U.S. is still stuck in traffic. On average, American drivers spend 369 hours a year behind the wheel \u2014 that\u2019s more than 15 days annually \u2014 costing the average driver $771 each year in wasted time and fuel, WalletHub reports.<\/p>\n
And although U.S. road quality ranks just 17th in the world, cities like Corpus Christi and Lubbock show how investment in local infrastructure can pay off.<\/p>\n
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For Texans, driving isn\u2019t just a necessity \u2014 it\u2019s part of the culture. From the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle, the state\u2019s cities are proving that when it comes to affordability, infrastructure and safety, the Lone Star State leads the way.<\/p>\n
So next time you\u2019re cruising through Corpus Christi or rolling down I-35 through Laredo, remember \u2014 you\u2019re driving in some of the best conditions America has to offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas proves best for drivers, with Corpus Christi topping national list. miroslav_1\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto When it comes to hitting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[3505,155,157,156,3504],"class_list":{"0":"post-3020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-corpus-christi","8":"tag-auddevok","9":"tag-corpus-christi","10":"tag-corpus-christi-headlines","11":"tag-corpus-christi-news","12":"tag-txshare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}