Dublin motorists lose 158 hours per year in traffic jams

If you could put a price on how much valuable time you lose sitting in traffic, Dublin motorists would be €6,351 worse off, a new study by European car parts marketplace Ovoko has found.

According to the study, drivers in the Irish capital spend 158 hours per year stuck in rush hour traffic, the most in Europe.

About the study

The study analysed TomTom data for 25 capital cities across Europe, and estimated the financial equivalent of each driver’s lost time based on the hourly cost of labour in 2023, sourced from Eurostat.

In second place, behind Dublin, was Paris, where motorists spend 120 hours per year stuck in traffic, with the associated labour cost weighing in at the equivalent of €5,064 a year.

In third was Belgian capital Brussels, where drivers are stuck in traffic for some 104 hours per year, amounting to €4,898.40 lost to traffic jams.

Other cities in the top five include Luxembourg (79 hours, €4,258) and Rome (107 hours, €3,188).

While Dublin ranks highest in terms of the number of hours lost in rush hour traffic per year, Bucharest (150 hours) and Athens (112 hours) also rank highly, although the associated labour cost isn’t as great.

Motorists in Bratislava (Slovakia), Madrid (Spain) and Ljubljana (Slovenia) spend the least time in traffic, according to the study, averaging 51 hours at rush hour throughout 2023.

‘Shocking’ findings

“It is quite shocking, really, that Dublin ranked so highly, since it is one of the least populated capital cities in the EU,” commented Vytas Palovis, VP of growth at Ovoko.

“Unlike other European capital cities, traffic in Paris has a more dignified explanation for those who have not visited it yet. They say there is always a protest somewhere in Paris, but alternative routes are often very limited, so if you are planning a visit there, allow more than enough time for travelling by car, especially at rush hour.”

Drivers losing the most money to traffic jams across Europe (2023)

#	Capital City	Country	Hours Lost in Rush Hour Traffic per Driver (2023)	Money Lost in Rush Hour Traffic per Driver (€)
1	Dublin	Ireland	158	6,351.60
2	Paris	France	120	5,064.00
3	Brussels	Belgium	104	4,898.40
4	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	79	4,258.10
5	Rome	Italy	107	3,188.60
6	Oslo	Norway	54	2,802.60
7	Copenhagen	Denmark	58	2,789.80
8	Reykjavik	Iceland	54	2,683.80
9	Berlin	Germany	64	2,643.20
10	Vienna	Austria	64	2,617.60
11	Amsterdam	Netherlands	55	2,381.50
12	Helsinki	Finland	62	2,300.20
13	Stockholm	Sweden	57	2,217.30
14	Athens	Greece	112	1,758.40
15	Bucharest	Romania	150	1,650.00
16	Warsaw	Poland	96	1,392.00
17	Tallinn	Estonia	72	1,317.60
18	Ljubljana	Slovenia	51	1,300.50
19	Madrid	Spain	51	1,254.60
20	Riga	Latvia	90	1,215.00
21	Vilnius	Lithuania	81	1,190.70
22	Lisbon	Portugal	65	1,105.00
23	Budapest	Hungary	85	1,088.00
24	Bratislava	Slovakia	51	877.20
25	Sofia	Bulgaria	90	837.00