Waze released its second annual Driver Satisfaction Index, which analyzes the driving experience of millions of monthly active Waze users in 38 countries and 235 metros to create a single numeric score, from satisfying (10) to miserable (1). While Waze has more than 65 million monthly active users globally in 185 countries, the study focuses on countries and metros with more than 20,000+ monthly active users to ensure data accuracy and fair market comparisons.
Key driving factors:
- Traffic – Density and severity
- Quality – Road quality and infrastructure
- Road Safety – Density of accidents, road hazards and weather
- Driver Services – Access to gas stations and easy parking
- Socio Economic – Access to cars and impact of gas prices
- Wazeyness – Happiness and helpfulness of the Waze community (as measured by reports “thanked” by other drivers and driver moods selected within the app)
For the second consecutive year, the most satisfying place in the world to drive is the Netherlands, thanks to its smooth traffic conditions and solid road quality and infrastructure. Rounding out the top five are France, the United States, the Czech Republic, and Sweden.
And where is it tough to be a driver? El Salvador, the Philippines, Guatemala, Panama, and Indonesia are the least satisfying places to drive globally, largely due to intense traffic and low Wazeyness and socio-economic factors.
As for rankings by metro, France dominated with Valence taking the #1 spot for most satisfying driving experience, due to good-quality roads, low gas prices and traffic, and a helpful Waze community…Nine other French metros also snagged spots in the top ten while last year’s winner, Greensboro, NC, USA, fell to 5th this year.
On the other end of the spectrum, Cebu, Philippines, ranked as least satisfying, or the worst place in the world to be a driver. Following Cebu are Bogor, Indonesia; San Salvador, El Salvador; Denpasa, Indonesia; and Bandung, Indonesia.
Want more? Explore the world rankings on our interactive map at waze.com/driverindex.