BMW drivers have highest DUI rate in largest U.S. cities: study
Study was based on "tens of millions" of insurance quotes from 2024 for the 50 largest cities in the United States, according to LendingTree. These were publicly-available quotes from insurer filings, which Lending Tree emphasizes are generic examples for comparative purposes. Rates for actual customers can vary depending on their circumstances.
LendingTree calculated the DUI rate per 1,000 drivers in major cities, and found it to be the highest for BMW drivers, at 3.09. Ram drivers were pretty close to the German automaker, at 3.00, followed by Acura drivers (2.69) and Audi and Volvo drivers (both 2.42).
At other times other end of the spectrum, Mercury drivers had the lowest estimated DUI rate, at 0.86 cases per 1,000 drivers. However, given that the Mercury brand has been defunct for about 15 years, the results may be skewed by the likely smaller number of Mercurys on the road compared to other brands.
Land Rover and Lincoln-two brands that are still around-had the next-lowest DUI rate, with both estimated at 1.16 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
The study also broke down DUI rates by city. Omaha, Nebraska, had the highest rate at 4.48 DUIs per 1,000 drivers. That's more than twice the average of 1.90 for all 50 cities studied. Most of the other cities in the top five were in California, including San Jose (3.68), Sacramento (3.55), and Fresno (3.31). Virginia Beach, Virginia, was fourth, with 3.46 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
Chicago had the lowest DUI rate, at 0.45 per 1,000 drivers. Other cities with low DUI rates were Tulsa, Oklahoma, (0.65), Miami, Memphis, Tennessee, and Philadelphia, which all had a rate of 0.66 DUI cases per 1,000 drivers.
However, El Paso, Texas, had the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving a drunk driver. More than half (60.8%) of fatal crashes during the period studied involved a drunk driver, compared to a national average of 37.6%.
El Paso was followed by Omaha (60.6%), Portland, Oregon, (54.7%), Fort Worth (51.9%), and Houston (49.3%). Milwaukee had the lowest percentage, at 22.9%, along with Miami (23.9%), and Tampa (24.5%).
LendingTree also looked at DUI rates by age group, and found that younger drivers in the 50 largest U.S. cities tended to have higher rates than older ones. Breaking the results down by generation, the numbers declined as age increased.
Gen Z drivers (defined as those aged 18 to 27 in 2024) in the 50 largest U.S. cities had a DUI rate of 2.62 per 1,000 drivers. Millennials (those aged 28 to 43 in 2024) had a DUI rate of 2.40 rate per 1,000 drivers. Rates took a big dip with Gen X (1.40), the Baby Boomers (0.76), and the Silent Generation (0.21).
LendingTree noted that older people tend to be more risk-averse, but a comparison with average miles driven by generation might also be helpful here, as it likely varies depending on age.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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