Guest Columnist
Diana Polk
8 of 11 Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers in 2026
Summer is a popular time for teens to get driver’s licenses and teen auto accidents cost us around $40.7 billion per year, so the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers in 2026, as well as expert commentary, to identify where teens can enjoy this rite of passage while remaining as safe as possible.
WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 23 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of teen driver fatalities to the average cost of car repairs to the presence of impaired-driving laws.
Teenage Driving in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- Overall Rank: 12th
- 16th – Teen Driver Fatalities per 100,000 Teens
- 20th – Teen DUIs per 100,000 Teens
- 48th – Avg. Cost of Car Repairs
- 1st – Presence of Distracted-Driving/Texting-While-Driving Laws
- 42nd – Premium Increase After Adding Teen Driver to Parent’s Policy
- 14th – Provision of Teen Driver’s Graduated Licensing Program Laws
- 8th – Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita
- 1st – Presence of Occupant-Protection Laws
- 46th – Quality of Roads
- 23rd – Presence of Impaired-Driving Laws