This will be a debate that never goes away. Which state is better to drive in: Iowa or Illinois? As much as you want to have an opinion you think anyone cares about, we have facts and facts trump everything.

Facts from this new study not only show how much better of a state Iowa is to drive in than Illinois, it also shows just how great Iowa is to drive in, period.

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Why is Iowa such a better state to drive in than Illinois and most of the rest of the country? Is Illinois that bad to drive in? I mean, you know the answers to those questions but let's give you those facts.

Iowa Is Better To Drive In Than Illinois

Iowa was named as the 4th best state to drive in. How did the Hawkeye State do so well?

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WalletHub compared the 50 states across four key dimensions to determine which states were the best and worst to drive in. Those key dimensions include:

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

Considering Iowa has some of the lowest amount of car thefts, pretty good roads, and no rush-hour traffic, it makes calling Iowa the 4th best state to drive in pretty.

As much as I'm giving Illinois a hard time, the Land of Lincoln did better than most would think.

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Illinois is actually the 16th-best state to drive in!

Safety and vehicle maintenance is where Illinois performed well in this study. That's a little shocking with the amount of crappy cars I see driving around in Illinois and Chicago doesn't really scream safety.

Either way, Iowa > Illinois when it comes to driving in.

Best scenic drives in Iowa

It's time to hit the road—Stacker compiled a list of the best scenic drives in Iowa using data from Tripadvisor as of March 2024.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

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