The TomTom Traffic Index ranked Hull in seventh place among UK cities for congestion levels
A file photo of traffic and roadworks on the A63 Castle Street, Hull(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
Drivers in Hull faced worse congestion levels than London in 2025, according to a new traffic study. A combination of major road projects and smaller closures are likely to have contributed to lengthy delays for drivers across the city last year.
Whether due to the closure of Drypool Bridge or the ongoing work on the A63, 2025 was a year of disruption for many drivers in Hull. TomTom’s Traffic Index for 2025 somewhat backed this up, ranking Hull in seventh place in a list of the UK’s most congested cities.
On this list, Hull ranked as more congested than London, Birmingham, and Manchester. However, it remains sizably less congested than the UK’s worst, Belfast.
The index measures congestion as an increase in travel time due to excess traffic, in percentage terms. For example, if an area receives a congestion level of 20 per cent it means that, on average, journeys across that area’s road network took 20 per cent longer than if the traffic was free flowing.
In 2025, Hull scored an average congestion level of 52 per cent, a slight increase on the previous year. This makes Hull the 72nd most congested city in the world on the list of 492 locations. It ranks 28th in Europe out of 254.
The evening rush hour is typically worse for congestion than that in the morning with an average level of 99.5 per cent versus 86 per cent. During these periods, it takes an average of 46 minutes and 52 seconds to travel ten miles in the evening and 43 minutes and 53 seconds in the morning.
The index also states that Saturday, March 8, was Hull’s worst day to travel in 2025. This correlates with a full weekend closure of the A63 Castle Street from Friday, March 7 to Sunday, March 10.
The average congestion rate in London in 2025 was slightly below Hull, with the capital scoring 51.6 per cent.
However, London is the ‘slowest’ capital city in the world – and the second slowest city worldwide overall – with an average travelling speed of 10.3mph (Hull’s is 16.7mph) and drivers there lose 141 hours to rush hour traffic each year – far more than in Hull.
Hull ranks seventh in the UK cities where drivers lost the highest number of hours during rush hour traffic. Data shows drivers in the city lost 104 hours – over four days – on this metric.
Several high profile road schemes which are causing disruption, some of which are not council-led, should lead to lower congestion levels when completed, while also futureproofing the city’s roads for years to come. Hull City Council was approached for comment.
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