SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego isn’t among the worst U.S. cities to drive in, but it’s not one of the best either, according to a new study.
WalletHub examined the 100 largest cities in the U.S. across 30 key indicators such as quality of roads, accident likelihood in the city, and average gas prices to determine their 2019 rankings.
Using those factors, WalletHub listed San Diego 66th overall (with a total score of 52.63), ahead of major cities such as Denver, Chicago, and San Jose.
However, San Diego was ranked dead last under the category “Cost of Ownership & Maintenance” -- a category that takes into account the cost of a new car, the average gas price, parking rates, maintenance costs, and other metrics.
America’s Finest City was 25th in “Traffic & Infrastructure”; 9th in “Safety”; and 9th in “Access to Vehicles & Maintenance.”
San Diego was in the top 5 for two interesting categories in the study: 4th when it comes to “Most Car Washes per Capita” and 2nd worst U.S. city when it comes to “Highest Parking Rates.”
The five best cities in the U.S. to drive in:
1. Raleigh, North Carolina
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Lincoln, Nebraska
4. Tampa, Florida
5. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
The five worst cities in the U.S. to drive in:
96: Newark, New Jersey
97. San Francisco, California
98. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
99. Oakland, California
100. Detroit, Michigan
Some other interesting notes from the study:
-- Los Angeles, known for its traffic issues, ranked 93rd overall
-- Drivers in Boston spent the most annual hours in traffic
-- Boston also had the fewest auto repair shops per capita
-- 5 California cities claimed the bottom of the list for highest average gas prices
-- The city with the lowest car theft rate is Gilbert, Arizona
