Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song four stars out of five, saying that the lyrics "may be 'cheesy' to some, but it fits right where we'd expect a Rascal Flatts song to go."[4] Tara Seetharam gave the song a B+ grade, describing it as "a tasteful, vintage-Flatts track marked by an infectious rush of joy." She positively commented on the production, lyrics, and LeVox's vocals, stating that "the song gets everything right."[5] Ben Foster of "The 1-to-10 Country Music Review" gave it ten stars out of ten, saying, "this is the best that the boys' voices have sounded in years and their signature three-part harmonies are fully intact and sounding great."[6]
Chart performance
"Why Wait" debuted at No. 34 on the U.S. BillboardHot Country Songs chart for the week of August 14, 2010.[7] For the week of December 18, 2010, the song became the group's eleventh number one hit on the chart.