Bankrate’s recently released “Best and Worst States for Drivers” rankings place Minnesota at number five spot.
The Bankrate rankings are intended to depict the “overall experience for motorists in each state.”
To do this, Bankrate came up with six categories that they evenly weighted: number of fatal crashes (per 100M miles driven), car thefts (per 100k people), repair costs (per job), gas prices, insurance premiums (five-year annual), and commute times (each way in minutes).
The information was provided from an assortment of public and private agencies including Highway Safety, CarMD, the US Department of Transportation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
After gathering the information for all fifty states and compiling the statistics into their ranking system, Bankrate noticed a few trends. “The best states for drivers have lots of wide-open spaces, whereas the worst states tend to be filled with people and cars – a bad combination for drivers’ wallets,” Bankrate senior analyst Chris Kahn wrote in an e-mailed report.
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Minnesota earned its place near the top of the list thanks to low commute times, low gas and repair costs, and safe drivers (and a low number of fatal crashes). The insurance premiums and car theft rate in Minnesota are higher than some of the other states on the list.
5. Minnesota
Minnesota, “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” is also “Land of Great Places to Drive.”
- Commute (each way in minutes) –> 22.5
- Insurance premium (5-year avg.)–> $782
- Gas prices (annual) –> $927
- Car repair costs (cost per job) –> $377
- Car thefts (per 100k people) –> 147.0
- Fatal crashes (per 100M mi. driven) –> 0.7
4. Wisconsin
Wisconsin has the trifecta of cheap car care with low repair, gas, and insurance prices. But high levels of car thefts and crashes cost it an even higher ranking.
- Commute –> 21.8
- Insurance premium –> $663
- Gas prices –> $1,034
- Car repair costs –> $359
- Car thefts –> 128.6
- Fatal crashes –> 99.2
3. Wyoming
Wyoming placed third on the list due to cheap car repairs, safe drivers, and low commute times. The state still suffers from high gas prices, but it has one of the lowest commute times in the country.
- Commute –> 15.9
- Insurance premium –> $796
- Gas prices –> $1,614
- Car repair costs –> $309
- Car thefts –> 99.2
- Fatal crashes –>0.9
2. Vermont
Vermont comes in second for best state for drivers. The state has few fatal crashes and an extremely low rate of car thefts. The repair costs wouldn’t break the budget either.
- Commute –> 22.8
- Insurance premium –> $722
- Gas prices –> $973
- Car repair costs –> $356
- Car thefts –> 53.3
- Fatal crashes –> 1.0
1. Idaho
Idaho, potato capital of America, and the state frequently referred to as “No, not Iowa – the other one,” is the best state for drivers in the United States. It features a low commute time, cheap insurance and gas prices, and has few car thefts. Idaho is the most perfect state in the union for drivers.
- Commute –> 19.5
- Insurance premium –> $656
- Gas prices –> $733
- Car repair costs –> $379
- Car thefts –> 95.3
- Fatal crashes –> 1.3
This feature originally appeared in Business Insider.
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