MA Ranks Among Worst States To Drive In: Report

MASSACHUSETTS — This likely comes as no surprise to anyone who drives regularly in the Bay State: Massachusetts is considered among the worst places in the U.S. to drive.

It ranked as the sixth-worst state to drive in, according to WalletHub. The study compared categories including cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance.

Overall, the only other states considered worse to drive in were Hawaii, Washington, Delaware, West Virginia, and California.

Massachusetts has the second-worst traffic and infrastructure in the country — only Maryland is worse. It doesn't do much better in the cost of ownership and maintenance, finishing fifth worst.

Massachusetts has the highest auto maintenance costs per capita, finishing only ahead of Delaware. To put it in perspective, it's twice as expensive to maintain a car in Delaware than it is in Mississippi, which has the lowest auto maintenance costs, WalletHub found.

However, Massachusetts did far better in safety, ranking fourth best, and access to vehicles and maintenance at eighth best.

The top five best states to drive in are Iowa, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

WalletHub noted that while everyone hates being stuck in traffic, it also has an adverse effect on finances.

“When people think about the costs associated with owning a vehicle, things like regular maintenance, insurance and gas typically come to mind," Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub analyst, said. "What many people don’t realize is that traffic congestion can also be extremely costly because of the amount of time it wastes, which is why the best states for driving tend to be sparsely populated. Factors like safety and the quality of roads are key, too.”

Traffic costs the average U.S. driver $869 annually. The average driver also spends an average of 51 hours in traffic every year, according to WalletHub.

Congestion is a major problem in U.S. cities, with eight of the world's top 25 worst cities for traffic being in the U.S.

Read the full study at WalletHub.

Massachusetts also has one of the "most-loathed" highways in the country, one recent report found.

See related: This MA Highway Named Among America's 'Most Loathed'