California drivers have it worse than motorists in other 49 states

Who has it worse than California motorists? No one, according to a new study released by Bankrate.com.

The New York based consumer financial services company evaluated factors that included commute time, annual insurance premiums, gas expenses, cost of car repairs, car thefts and auto fatalities.

Among all 50 states, California ranked at the bottom.

The study found that the average one-way commute time statewide was 28.9 minutes (the national average was 24.3 minutes). Other factors, compared with national averages, included $895 annually for insurance ($887), $1,260 a year for gasoline ($1,127), $435 for the average cost of a typical repair ($392), 436.8 car thefts per 100,000 people (199.6) and 0.9 fatalities per 100,000 miles driven (1.0).

Bankrate said motorists in Iowa are the most fortunate, with an annual insurance cost of $648, an average 19minute daily commute and only 139 car thefts per 100,000 people.

Bankrate noted that California did not lead all the categories, but its composite score put it at the bottom. For each state, Bankrate assigned a score of zero to 10 on each of the criteria, then added them up to create an overall score, with 60 the maximum. California’s score was 21; Iowa’s was 48.

For more information, see bankrate.com.