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The numbers are tallied; the results are in. Tesla owners are officially the worst drivers of 2024. That means Ram drivers–perennial winners of “worst driver” awards–have fallen to number two. Is this because a ton of Ram drivers tossed their Cummins for a Cybertruck? Perhaps. But whatever the reason, Ram fans have something to celebrate.

The LendingTree’s insurance quote branch commissioned this study on the worst drivers in the U.S.A. It sorted through every insurance inquiry in 2024, and broke those down by 30 automotive brands. It found Tesla drivers had 36.94 incidents per 1,000 drivers. These include accidents, DUIs, and speeding citations. That’s up from 31.13 in 2023, meaning Ram’s first-place 2023 finish became a second-place in 2024.

Car brands with the worst drivers in 2024

So how many of Tesla’s “incidents” were accidents? LendingTree found that rate was 26.67 per 1,000 drivers. Here are the top 10 places for “worst drivers.”

  1. Tesla
  2. Ram
  3. Subaru
  4. Audi
  5. Mazda
  6. Volkswagen
  7. BMW
  8. Honda
  9. Infiniti
  10. Toyota

BMW has the unfortunate distinction of having the second-highest DUI rate. That’s 2.57 DUIs in 2024 per 1,000 drivers. First-place went to Pontiac, with 3.11 DUIs/1,000. Tesla came in third with 2.23/1,000. Ram stayed out of the top five.

Car brands with the safest drivers in 2024

So which car brands have the best drivers? According to LendingTree, top three for 2024 went to Mercury, Pontiac, and Cadillac. Here’s the top 11.

  1. Mercury
  2. Pontiac
  3. Cadillac
  4. Chrysler
  5. Lincoln
  6. Buick
  7. Dodge
  8. GMC
  9. Mitsubishi
  10. (tied for 10th) Chevrolet
  11. (tied for 10th) Ford

What’s intriguing here is that many of the brands with the safest drivers are luxury brands. But Tesla, which has been trying other position itself as a luxury brand, ended up on the other list. LendingTree points out that while other brands offer slower entry-level vehicles, the slowest Tesla Model 3 still rockets to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, while other trims are faster. It speculated that speed was a factor in driving incidents.

I’ll add that the NHTSA has challenged Tesla over “full self driving” software, arguing that the design and marketing of its driver aids may lull drivers into a false sense of security and cause crashes. So does Tesla truly have the worst drivers? We’ll have to wait for its software to meet the NHTSA’s latest standards and see if these numbers improve.

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari is a MotorBiscuit Staff Writer who brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts. Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.