'Like entering a bureaucratic purgatory.' Why this Nashville DMV location was ranked as one of the worst in the U.S.
While the DMV is often synonymous with packed waiting rooms, long lines and dreaded paperwork, some locations fare significantly worse than others, according to a recent study from Sudoku Bliss. The study examined reviews from over 100 DMV locations across 30 major U.S. cities to identify where wait times are longest and customer frustration is most palpable.
Two Tennessee cities were included among the top three worst DMV locations in the United States — Memphis (No. 2) and Nashville (No. 3). Per the study, negative reviews make up nearly 30% of all reviews at the Nashville DMV location on Hart Lane.
Also ranking prominently among the top five was Tennessee's neighbor to the east — North Carolina, particularly the city of Charlotte. The Queen City accounted for three of the five worst-performing DMV locations in the country.
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The Hart Lane location is rated a 2.6 on Google, with the majority of reviews citing long wait times, inefficiency and disorganization. Additionally, the same location was ranked as the second least improved location over the past year.
"Dante himself could not have imagined such torment," read one Google review. "Stepping into the Hart Lane Driver Services Center is like entering a bureaucratic purgatory, designed to test your patience and crush your spirit."
Charlotte, North Carolina (West Arrowood Road)
Memphis, Tennessee (Mullins Station Road)
Nashville, Tennessee (Hart Lane)
Charlotte, North Carolina ( Executive Circle)
Charlotte, North Carolina (Brookshire Boulervard)
Portland, Oregon (North Hayden Meadows Drives)
Denver, Colorado (South Monaco Street Parkway)
Austin, Texas (Ridgepoint Drive)
Denver, Colorado (Peoria Street)
Portland, Oregon (N.E. 181st Avenue)
In March 2025, the Sudoku Online team analyzed Google reviews from the top 10 DMV locations in the 30 most populous U.S. cities, excluding non-DMV sites and those with fewer than 150 reviews — resulting in 140 locations.
To assess negative customer experiences, especially related to long wait times, the team analyzed only reviews rated 3 stars or lower, then counted mentions of keywords like 'long,' 'slow,' 'wait,' 'bad,' 'horrible,' 'terrible,' 'delay,' 'crowded,' 'packed,' and 'inefficient.'
Each DMV's score was calculated by dividing the number of these negative reviews by its total review count, creating a ranking of the worst and best-performing locations. A city-wide DMV score out of 100 was then derived by averaging the rankings of all DMV locations within that city.
Trends over time were also examined using review timestamps and low-star ratings to highlight cities where DMV experiences are improving or declining. Only locations with at least 25 negative reviews in 2023 were included in the analysis.
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Nashville DMV location is ranked as one of the worst in the U.S.
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