South Dakota Is One of the Most Expensive Places to Drive in America

With gas prices skyrocketing recently, the cost of getting behind the wheel continues to escalate.

But there's a lot more to the financial impact of driving than just the fuel you put into it.

Insurance and repairs can really add up as well depending on where you live.

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Recently, 24/7 Wall St. calculated the most and least expensive states to drive in thanks to data from the Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and AAA.

What they found was that between insurance payments, fuel, maintenance and repairs, American motorists spend about $2,807 a year on average on their car, and that doesn't factor in car payments.

In South Dakota, we're well above that figure.

With an average annual car ownership cost of $3,035, the Mount Rushmore State is the 12th most expensive place to drive in America.

We're one of 13 states with an annual cost of more than $3,000.

The state ranks 12th in annual insurance costs ($1,575) and annual gasoline expenditure per licensed driver ($1,083).

When it comes to repairs, 24/7 Wall St. chose the average cost of a check-engine light for an apples-to-apples comparison among all 50 states. What they found was that South Dakota was a bargain for parts ($223 - 13th lowest) but not for labor ($154 - 9th highest).

MOST EXPENSIVE STATES TO DRIVE (average annual cost of car ownership)

1. Louisiana -  $4,123
2. Wyoming - $3,984
3. California - $3,798
4. Michigan - $3,471
5. Florida - $3,369
6. Missouri - $3,369
7. Texas - $3,193
8. Georgia - $3,161
9. Colorado - $3,139
10. Montana - $3,126

By comparison, the annual cost of car ownership in Maine, the most affordable state, is just $1,960, thanks to the lowest annual insurance costs ($858), the third-lowest gasoline expenditure per licensed driver ($745), and the fourth-lowest average labor cost of a check engine light repair ($138).