The UK has bucked the trend in the latest annual report which ranks urban congestion.
Inrix, the traffic analytics company, has published its 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard.
The data shows notable reductions in travel delays in the UK despite globally 62% of urban areas seeing increased congestion.
The UK recorded decreases in nearly half of the areas analyzed. Delays fell in 48% of UK urban areas, versus increases in 38%, with the remaining 14% unchanged.
London remained the UK’s most congested city in 2025, but conditions improved significantly. Drivers lost 91 hours to traffic, a 10% decrease from 2024. In Bristol there were 64 hours lost, Manchester (62 hours), Leeds (59 hours), and Birmingham (57 hours).
Cambridge and Rochester both entered the UK’s top 10 most congested cities in 2025, with traffic delays rising 15% year-over-year in each.
Across the country, UK drivers lost an average of 59 hours to congestion, costing £822 per driver and £11 billion nationwide in 2025.
