The UK experienced a significant increase in traffic congestion in 2024, with average congestion levels rising to 20.4%, a 9% year-on-year increase compared to 18.7% in 2023.
That’s according to the location technology specialist TomTom, which has released the 14th edition of its TomTom Traffic Index, comparing trends seen in 500 cities, across 62 countries throughout 2024.
This rise in congestion is mirrored by a decline in average driving speeds across the country: based on millions of miles driven around the country, the average speed dropped from 37.3 mph in 2023 to 36.7 mph in 2024.
For this new edition, TomTom analysed a representative sample covering 458 billion miles driven in 2024, captured anonymously from over 600 million in-car navigation systems. 35 cities are now covered in the 2025 TomTom Traffic Index (vs. 25 in 2023).
Travel times deteriorated in 34 out of 35 cities in the UK in 2024. London’s city centre remained the slowest city in the UK and in Europe to drive in, ranking 5th globally for travel time per mile. Drivers in the city took an average of 32:08 minutes to drive six miles, travelling at just 11.2mph (vs. 11.4mph in 2023). Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s city centre ranked second in the UK for slow travel time per mile (58th globally), with an average travel time of 26:27 minutes for a 6-mile journey and an average speed of 13.6mph. Meanwhile, Liverpool city centre was the third slowest with 24:22 minutes for a 6-mile trip, at 14.8mph (vs. 15.2mph in 2023).
Andy Marchant, Traffic Expert at TomTom says, “The UK’s gridlock reflects commuter numbers getting back to pre-pandemic levels, limited road capacity, and growing demand during peak hours. Problems have been further compounded by a lack of viable public transport alternatives to car travel. Issues may not be alleviated until reliable alternatives for commuters are offered.”
The report identified the worst dates for traffic congestion in each of the cities. The findings reveal that dynamic factors including infrastructure issues and poor weather, such as Storm Conall, impacted on last year’s congestion levels.
This follows a report from INRIX saying London is Europe’s most congested city.
Read the full TomTom report here.
(Picture – TomTom)
