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These 10 US cities have the worst traffic

Spoiler alert: Los Angeles isn't the worst.
Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Kennedy Expressway is clogged with cars as rush-hour commuters and Thanksgiving holiday travelers try to make their way through the city on November 21, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

Los Angeles, we get it already! You’ve got the worst traffic.

The biggest problem with this humble brag is that it assumes soul-sucking gridlock is the lone measure of automotive misery.

Well hear this, Angelenos: There’s a lot more to it than that, and we motorists in cities across the nation suffer, too — ironically perhaps nowhere more so than the Motor City itself, Detroit.

According to a new study by WalletHub, The D gets an F when it comes to driving desirability.

WalletHub’s report named 2018’s best and worst cities to drive in based on 29 key metrics across four categories:

  • Cost of ownership and maintenance
  • Traffic and infrastructure, including weather
  • Safety, including accident and fatality rates, seatbelt use, car theft and traffic laws
  • And access to vehicles and maintenance, including gas prices

So, where else is driving a drag? Rounding out the top 10 worst places to drive in are:

  1. Detroit
  2. San Francisco
  3. Oakland
  4. Philadelphia
  5. Seattle
  6. Boston
  7. New York
  8. Newark, N.J.
  9. Los Angeles
  10. Chicago

Other notable cities on the list of places to avoid if you love to drive include:

  • Washington, D.C. at No. 11
  • Cleveland at No. 16
  • New Orleans at No. 22
  • Buffalo, N.Y., at No. 24
  • Denver at No. 26
  • Minneapolis at No. 31
  • St. Louis, at No. 34
  • Louisville at No. 39
  • Portland, Ore., at No. 41
  • And Sacramento, Calif., at No. 48

On the other end of the driver-satisfaction spectrum, the top three best places to drive in are Raleigh, N.C., Corpus Christi, Texas, and Orlando, Fla.

Now, these rankings mean little when you’re inching your way home on the highway after a long day at the office, stranded in the snow or paying through the nose for gas — which is why everyone tends to think their city is the worst to drive in.

But, hey, take heart in at least this: Not being special for having a crummy commute … will drive those L.A. people nuts.

Before You Leave, Check This Out