California law firm Javaheri & Yahoudai recently conducted a study that ranks which of the countries in the world are the best for car enthusiasts. Without giving too much away, the United States didn’t take the top spot, but it ranked high up there with countries that have some of the most beautiful driving roads in the world. Coming in at number four, the USA still makes it into the top five. So, what exactly makes America such a great place to drive, own a car, and be a gearhead? Let’s dig into this study and find out.
The Results: Within The Top Five
The firm’s study used six main criteria for scoring, allocating each country a rating out of ten. The six criteria are:
Highway speed limit in mph Gas prices Notable automotive events held in 2023 Insurance costs per year Maintenance costs Road quality score
Results were calculated based on the above scoring system, and the United States placed fourth among the top ten. Here is a summary of the findings:
Rank
Country
Score
1
Canada
10.00
2
Spain
8.7
3
Italy
7.0
4
USA
6.5
5
Australia
6.4
6
Belgium
6.2
7
France
6.1
8
Germany
5.9
9
New Zealand
5.0
10
Finland
4.1
The USA ranks just behind Italy with its 80 mph highway speed limits, and Spain, which has the best road quality score, at 5.7. Surprisingly, we’re several places ahead of Germany, in eighth. You’d think the Porsche 911 and the Autobahn alone would be enough to place them at least in the top five.
We’re not saying this is the definitive study on countries that are the best for enthusiasts, but it provides excellent insight into what car lovers value and how the States compares to other pro-car culture countries across the globe. Here’s are some of the reasons we think the USA scores so highly.
We’ve Got The Cheapest Gas In The World
Wikimedia Commons: Library Of Congress
According to the J&Y study, the USA have the cheapest gasoline in the world, at $1.01 per liter at the time this study was conducted. The average cost of gasoline in Europe is around twice that much, at $1.84 per liter in Spain, $2.03 in Germany, and a whopping $2.12 in Italy. We do a lot of complaining in America every time the number goes up at the pump, but in most of the world our gas prices are regarded as quite cheap, and that relatively low price facilitates long road trips and aimless weekend getaways.
The ability to fill your car with gas also means gearheads who spend time on the track, take part in automotive festivals, events, and breakfast runs, and those who love driving as part of their downtime can do so without having to be rationed by budgetary constraints. Basically: we have more fun in our cars here because we can afford to.
The average American spends between $150 and $200 on gas every month, depending on what car they drive. With the rise of hybrid vehicles and remote working, many people are seeing their gas costs decreasing. How much do you spend keeping your gas tank full?
We Can Drive 74 MPH On The Highway
In practice, most areas set the actual speed limit at 65 miles per hour, with some stretches going up to 80 mph, which this study ultimately averages out at a 74 mph national speed limit. But, there’s a single stretch of road in Texas where you can drive 85 mph. This is State Highway 130, between State Highway 45 and Interstate 10. You’ve got 41 miles here where you can crank up the Kraftwerk on your sound system, put the pedal to the metal, and pretend you’re on the Autobahn for about thirty seconds at a time.
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The Interstate
According to the J&Y study, Americans enjoy a road quality score of 5.1. This puts us 0.1 points ahead of Canada, at 5.0, and a half point ahead of Italy, at 4.4, but just over a half point behind Spain, at 5.7. Americans will be the first to tell you that we’ve got a lot of stretches of road that need work, but the Interstate system has been a way of life for Americans ever since its initial formation in 1956, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The history of the Interstate Highway System goes a bit too deep to really get into here, but this sprawling, fifteen-hundred mile system is the lifeblood of the American automotive community, ensuring that anyone with a set of wheels can get pretty much anywhere they care to go.
Car Events Every Weekend
One of the criteria for this study was notable automotive events. The USA is a hotspot for this. We’ve got the Chicago Auto Show in February, Hot August Nights in Reno every summer, the LA Auto Show in the fall. There’s also the New York and Detroit Auto Show. Without ever attending any of the big ones, you can find a small rally event or an auto show or a car meet or an auction, in walking distance, no matter where you live in the country and when your next day off work happens to be, from small town meetups to big city industry expos. In fact, given the slow decline of the Geneva International Motor Show, the US easily lay claims to the world’s greatest car show with Monterey Car Week. And that’s before you even consider the local car scene where automotive clubs meet up or do special runs and park-offs together.
We’ve said it before – Monterey Car Week is now the best auto show in the world – and the 2024 event was filled to the brim with incredible reveals, from ultra-luxury cars to brand-new hypercars. Were you there in person or did you catch it online? Which reveal blew you away? Was there something that disappointed you? Share your thoughts below!
Whatever You Want, You Can Get
One of the really fun things about being a gearhead in the US is the sheer variety of car culture we have here. If you’re into lowriders, you can head out to the west coast and see some of the lowest and slowest classics on the block. If you’ve always wanted to restore a mid-century Ford, the streets of Florida are lined with 50s and 60s model coupes and sedans. Go mudding in Mississippi, four-wheeling in Arizona, and off-roading in Colorado. The US has a very broad, all-encompassing automotive culture, so whatever you want, there’s a market for it, and there’s a community for it, whether that’s a premium electric pickup like the Rivian R1T, or a supercar dune buggy, like the Ariel Nomad.
Route 66 And Other Automotive History
The Interstate will get you where you’re going, but it’s the scenic routes, like Route 66, that make for the more memorable road trips. These stretches of highway are history lessons on wheels. Along Route 66 you’ll find a chain of charming small towns that echo a long-gone boom period, when the American highways first opened up and introduced us to our not-so-distant neighbors a state or two away. Where many countries have effectively been running the same highway system their first cars ran on, the sprawling, ever-evolving nature of America has created these unique stretches of road that express a greater character than you’ll find along the same old gas stations and copy-paste fast food joints along the Interstate. The USA is also home to many historic automotive sites, including museums, exhibitis, and raceways.
Permissive Ownership Laws
Every car guy or girl in America has had at least one pile of junk in their backyard or their driveway or their garage or parked on the street or stowed away at a friend’s house that we’re “definitely gonna return to its former glory one day.” We never get around to it. But we leave it sitting there, uninsured, for years on end, and nobody ever hassles us about it. You think they can do that in Japan, where you have to prove that you have your own parking space before you can even buy a car? In the US, we’re required to carry insurance if we want to go out on public roads, but you can do pretty much whatever you want with your own car, as long as it’s on your own property – and this is perfect for that long-running project car you’re working on. That’s not necessarily true all over the world.
Low(ish) Cost Of Ownership
According to the study from J&Y, Americans enjoy lower-than-average cost of ownership, overall. In Australia, for instance, basic maintenance costs an average of $6,400 a year. In France, the number can go up to an utterly ridiculous $10,500. In the US, we only spend around $1,100 keeping our cars running. On the other hand, insurance is a little pricier here than it is in many countries. A typical American will spend around $1,700 a year on insurance, where, say, an Australian might only spend $635. All in all, it evens out to a lower total cost of ownership than any other country in the top five, except for Spain, where maintenance and insurance combined comes in at just $1,520 a year.
No Modern Railway System (So We’d Better Be Car-Friendly)
This one is more of a “silver lining” sort of deal. The fact is, life is easier with a modern railway system – but the USA doesn’t really have one. We have Amtrak, which costs way more than simply taking a plane the same distance. Most Americans would agree that we need a modern railway system like they have in Japan, Hong Kong, or Europe, but that’s not happening anytime soon, and until it does, you need to be a car lover just to live in America at all. Hey, we always look on the bright side of life.
It’s A Short Drive To Canada!
Canada actually ranks first on J&Y Legal’s list of best countries for auto enthusiasts with a 10.0 overall score to the United States’ 6.5. Canada’s 5.0 road quality score, 74 mph highway speed limit, and $1.43-per-liter gas prices all make the Great White North the best place in the world to be a gearhead. As their downstairs neighbors, we’re never more than a day’s drive away from a visit if we want to see where they film Rust Valley Restorers. We just have to make a mental note not to mix up km/h and mph if we want to stay out of trouble with the Mounties. And if that combustion car ban goes through, you can drive right back down where you came from.
Sources:
Javaheri & Yahoudai
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Publish date : 2024-08-31 13:00:00
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