America can’t seem to put the brakes on the rising cost of car repairs.

According to CarMD.com, the average cost to repair a vehicle based on a check-engine light issue in 2012 was $367.84, up 10% from 2011.

And where do drivers have to cough up the most cash to keep their cars purring like a kitten? That would be New Jersey, with an average bill of $392.99. CarMD says Hurricane Sandy is a major reason why, since car owners had to bring in their vehicles for flood damage and then return for other issues that were never taken care of before that. Due to the number of car problems suffered around the state, owners were smacked with big jumps in labor and parts costs.

While New Jersey dealt with soaring car repair prices, the same cannot be said for motorists in Vermont, which was the cheapest state for car repairs in 2012, with average price tag of $269.72.

CarMD created its rankings by studying over 161,000 car repairs last year on vehicles made between 1996 and 2012.

Here’s a look at the five most and least expensive states for car repairs last year:

Most Expensive

1. New Jersey - $392.99
2. Washington, DC - $391.62
3. California - $390.37
4. North Carolina - $389.91
5. Maryland - $387.78

Least Expensive

1. Vermont - $269.72
2.
West Virginia - $310.49
3.
South Dakota - $311.88
4.
Delaware - $313.62
5.
Iowa - $314.77

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