Drivers seeking affordable vehicles, safety and quality, free-flowing roadways in the U.S. have few options better than North Carolina, a recent study says.

Using data for road quality, gas prices, car theft rate, maintenance costs, rush-hour congestion, car dealerships and repair shops per capita, a report by WalletHub ranked the nation’s best and worst states for driving.

North Carolina was named the fifth-best state to drive in, boosted by a No. 3 ranking in one of the key categories — cost of vehicle ownership and maintenance.

The state ranked 21st – close to average – in share of rush-hour traffic congestion. North Carolina fared better in most other metrics, taking 8th in auto maintenance costs, 10th in dealerships per capita, 11th in repair shops per capita, 13th in car theft rate and road quality, and 14th in average gas prices.

Texas was the top-ranked state overall, led by its No. 2 ranking for access to vehicles and maintenance. Kansas (No. 2 in traffic and infrastructure), Nebraska (No. 1 in traffic and infrastructure) and Iowa rounded out the top four.

The five states ranked the worst to drive in were Hawaii, Washington, Maryland, California and Connecticut.

WalletHub is a personal finance website that also regularly releases surveys and research reports on various topics.