Known for its diverse natural beauty and prestigious universities, North Carolina adds another attribute to its allure: ideal driving conditions. A recent WalletHub survey ranks the state at No. 6 on the 2024 Best & Worst States to Drive In.

Driving conditions were compared from all 50 states across 31 indicators of “positive commute” within these four key metrics:

1. Cost of Ownership & Maintenance
2. Traffic & Infrastructure
3. Safety
4. Access to Vehicles & Maintenance

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How North Carolina ranks in key categories

North Carolina ranked No. 6 overall, but what specific qualities led to the state achieving this top ranking? Here’s how North Carolina faired across seven distinct categories.

North Carolina ranked highest in the category of lowest auto maintenance cost, coming in at No. 5 behind Mississippi, South Dakota, Georgia and Missouri. States with the highest auto maintenance cost, according to WalletHub, include West Virginia, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Delaware.

With a similar ranking, North Carolina secured the 7th spot for the category of auto repair shops per capita. The state also ranked No. 10 in the category of car dealerships per capita.

The coastal state ranked No. 18 for both the car theft rate and road quality categories.

For average gas prices, North Carolina was 19th on the list.

Finally, North Carolina’s lowest ranking was in the category of share of rush hour traffic congestion, with a rank of 23.

States in the top ten

Curious which other states on WalletHub’s list have optimal driving conditions? Here’s the top ten states and how they rank:

1. Iowa
2. Georgia
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama
6. North Carolina
7. Ohio
8. Tennessee
9. Texas
10. North Dakota

Achieving the number one spot on the list, Iowa is the best state to drive in “due in part to the fact that it’s a rural state and has one of the lowest rush hour traffic congestion rates in the country,” WalletHub said. Iowa drivers also tend to have shorter commutes, lower gas prices, and low rates of vehicle theft.

States in the bottom ten

While WalletHub highlights the best states for driving, the personal finance company also highlights some of the worst. Here’s a list of states in the bottom ten:

• No. 40 Maryland
• No. 41 Montana
• No. 42 Vermont
• No. 43 Rhode Island
• No. 44 Nevada
• No. 45 Massachusetts
• No. 46 California
• No. 47 West Virginia
• No. 48 Delaware
• No. 49 Washington
• No. 50 Hawaii

More information about the metrics used and the methodology of the study can be found on the WalletHub webpage here.