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HOBOKEN, NJ – SEPTEMBER 7: Cars travel on the 14th Street viaduct as the sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on September 7, 2025, in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – If you’ve ever spent an hour inching down the FDR Drive or looping for a parking spot in Midtown, this probably won’t come as a surprise: New York City ranks near the very bottom for drivers nationwide, according to a new WalletHub report.
The city came in at No. 97 out of 100, just three spots above Philadelphia, which took the dubious honor of being the worst city in the U.S. to drive in.
What we know:
The WalletHub analysis looked at 100 of the largest U.S. cities and compared them across 30 factors: from average gas prices and annual hours spent in congestion to the number of auto-repair shops per capita. On nearly every measure, New York struggled.
The report found that the average American loses $771 a year in productivity due to time spent stuck in traffic, but that number is likely much higher for New Yorkers. WalletHub ranked the city 67th for congestion, 52nd for accident likelihood and 70th for car thefts.
The city also placed last in the nation (100th) for access to auto-repair shops and 96th for maintenance costs, a reflection of the high prices and limited options faced by drivers. Average gas prices ranked 61st, while parking rates and insurance costs remain among the most expensive in the country.
Why New York ranked so low New York’s score was dragged down by a few familiar frustrations:
- Traffic congestion: Some of the longest average commute times in the nation.
- Parking headaches: Limited space and sky-high rates across the boroughs.
- Costs of ownership: Insurance, maintenance and fuel prices far exceed the national average.
- Safety challenges: Dense intersections and frequent pedestrian conflicts add to risk factors.
Still, experts note that despite its low score for drivers, New York remains one of the most transit-accessible cities in the U.S., with millions relying on subways, buses, and bikes instead of personal cars.
RANKED: The best and the worst cities to drive in Top 10 worst cities to drive in
- Philadelphia, PA
- Oakland, CA
- Washington, DC
- New York, NY
- Chicago, IL
- San Francisco, CA
- Detroit, MI
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Baltimore, MD
Top 10 best cities to drive in
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Greensboro, NC
- Boise, ID
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Laredo, TX
- Lubbock, TX
- Birmingham, AL
- Plano, TX
- Austin, TX
- Winston-Salem, NC
The Source: Information in this story is from WalletHub’s 2025 Best & Worst Cities to Drive In report.