CarGurus Studies Commuting Behavior and Patterns Across America

Staff Report

Monday, August 27th, 2018

According to the recent CarGurus Commuting Sentiment Survey, driving is the most popular means of commuting in the U.S. Out of 1,877 respondents, 72 percent note that they drive every day, and of those who drive the most popular reasons for doing so are convenience (34 percent) and speed (20 percent).

However, the survey also found that commuting via automobile can bring out the worst in people. 51 percent of drivers admit that their commute causes them to scream curse words they don't normally use and 42 percent confess that they have "flipped someone off." Moreover, commuters tend to blame other drivers for their frustrations: 53 percent of commuters say their top commuting annoyance is other people driving poorly.

Other survey findings include:

  • When asked which driving companion would most improve their commute, 41 percent said their partner or significant other.

  • When asked what they would do if they could get back their commuting time, the top three answers were sleep (51 percent), spend time with family (48 percent) and go to the gym (39 percent).

With back-to-school season approaching and the roads likely becoming more crowded, CarGurus has produced the "CarGurus Commuting Relief Kit." These digital assets are aimed to help ease commuting stress or simply help pass the time for any commuter on their frustrating drive:

  • An interactive "Top Cars For Your Commute" map with location-specific car recommendations based on a metro region's specific commuting conditions

  • A CarGurus-curated Spotify playlist, containing driving-themed songs

  • Advice on what to consider when buying a car for commuting

  • An infographic with more information about the CarGurus Commuting Sentiment Survey

"For those that regularly drive to and from work, commuting conditions should absolutely be a consideration when car shopping – they can make the difference between regret and enjoyment," said Matt Smith, Senior Editor at CarGurus. "Factors like commuting efficiency, mileage variation, hilliness and weather are all important. In our 'Top Cars For Your Commute' analysis, we took all these factors into account, then looked at vehicle efficiency, horsepower, comfort and even alternative-fuel options to come up with our top car recommendations for specific types of commutes."