odd, but okay

Dallas suburb proclaimed 8th best U.S. city to drive in, per report

Plano is a pleasant city to drive in, according to WalletHub.

David Downs/Visit Plano

Dallas roadways are no picnic, but in one neighboring town, it's easy street: A new report by WalletHub puts none other than Plano on its list of the top 10 best U.S. cities to drive in for 2025.

The annual report examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities to determine their "driver friendliness" using 30 relevant metrics across four key dimensions: Costs for vehicle ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and vehicle and maintenance accessibility.

Plano came in as the 8th most driver-friendly U.S. city with high marks on areas like road safety.

No. 1 on the list: the Gulf Coast city of Corpus Christi, which came in as the No. 1 best city to drive in nationwide. Other Texas cities that made the top 10 include Laredo (No. 5), Lubbock (No. 6), and Austin (No. 9).

According to WalletHub's findings, Plano's driver and road safety is the 15th best in the country. This category analyzed factors like traffic fatality rates per capita, the proportion of uninsured drivers, rate of car thefts and larceny, the strictness of DUI punishment, and other metrics.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about 87 percent of a household's daily travel is done in personal vehicles, underscoring just how dependent Americans are on their cars rather than public transportation methods like busses and trains.

"Drivers annually spend an average of more than 369 hours on the road," the report's author wrote. "That’s 15.4 days. Add the costs of wasted time and fuel due to traffic congestions, and our collective tab comes to about $771 per driver each year."

Dallas ranked as the 47th best U.S. city to drive in. That's a great improvement over last year when Dallas ranked 60th on the list. But it's not shocking that the city still ranks low on the list considering its continuous road projects, closures, and dangerous freeways. Driving in Dallas really isn't enjoyable.

Fort Worth beat Dallas handily, ranking as the 27th best city to drive in. Three more DFW cities that earned spots on the list include Arlington (No. 18), Garland (No.24), and Irving (No. 29). Garland also earned a small shout out in the report for having the 5th-most auto-repair shops per capita in the nation.

Poor Houston was No. 66, the lowest-ranked Texas city on the list for 2025.

WalletHub's top 10 best U.S. cities to drive in for 2025 are:

No. 1 – Corpus Christi, Texas
No. 2 – Greensboro, North Carolina
No. 3 – Boise, Idaho
No. 4 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 5 – Laredo, Texas
No. 6 – Lubbock, Texas
No. 7 – Birmingham, Alabama
No. 8 – Plano, Texas
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina

plano dallas wallethub reports traffic highways

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Buzzy Dak Prescott-backed sports bar expands in DFW and more top stories

Photo courtesy of Walk-On's

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Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week is full of exciting openings, from a Cowboys-backed sports bar to a chic French bakery. Plus, a big Frisco development signs on more big names. Read on for our most popular stories, then plan your weekend right here.

1. Dak Prescott-backed Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux kicks off in Wylie. The Louisiana sports bar chain that counts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as a partner continues to build its fan base in Dallas-Fort Worth. Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux opened a new location in Wylie on August 10.

2. French bakery-cafe Maman from New York makes chic Plano debut. A fast-growing New York bakery-cafe chain has expanded into a new North Texas city. Maman debuted a new location on August 7 at Legacy East in Plano.

3. Dallas restaurant group to open modern Mexican spot in Grapevine. A restaurant from Dallas that Grapevine residents have kept an eye on for over a year has finally set an opening date. Vidorra, a "modern Mexican" restaurant, is opening at 700 W. State Hwy. 114 on August 31.

Vidorra Vidorra’s will serve a lineup of tacos, sizzling entrees, and handcrafted margaritas. Photo courtesy of Vidorra

4. Frisco development Fields West adds more big-name shops and restaurants. The massive, forthcoming Fields West complex in north Frisco continues to fill out its shopping and dining lineup with new name-brand tenants.

5. The Melting Pot fondue restaurant dips into Allen for 3rd DFW location. The Melting Pot has debuted its newest location at 935 Watters Creek Blvd N. in Allen, marking the chain's 94th restaurant in North America and third in Dallas-Fort Worth.