Wyoming Most Expensive State to Operate a Vehicle, Study Shows

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Wyoming is the most expensive state to operate a motor vehicle, according to a new study by Bankrate.

After gathering data on the cost of gas, insurance and repairs in all 50 states, researchers came up with an average cost to operate a vehicle for one year in each state. They found that the typical driver in Wyoming spends $2,705 on his or her car — almost $500 more than the national average of $2,223.

“At the top of the list is Wyoming, and if I had to guess, I’d say that’s probably going to surprise some people, but Wyoming is just such a very large state, and we found there that what pushed them to the top of the list is that residents in Wyoming are driving a lot more than the average U.S. driver,” says Bankrate analyst Stacy Jones.

On the other end of the spectrum is Iowa, where the typical driver spends an average of $1,942 each year, making it the cheapest state to operate a motor vehicle.

“What you’re going to see kind of in all regards, when you’re just comparing prices across the country, is that the Midwest tends to be more affordable when compared to other states. You know, we have Wisconsin, we have Iowa, we have Idaho there, so they’re just going to be a little bit cheaper. Really, it’s the insurance that tends to be a lot cheaper compared to other states, and the repair costs too,” Jones says.

She says there are things drivers can do to try to keep their costs down.

“The biggest thing that I think people should take away from this is just to look for ways that they can individually save some money. You can try to call up your insurance company. A lot of times, the easiest way to find out if you qualify for discounts — you’ve just got to make that phone call,” Jones says.  

“You want to keep up with your routine maintenance, and then you also just want to look for ways to be smart about how you’re driving. So maybe you need to combine all your errands into one trip, and figure out the best way to do it,” she adds.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio