The MoneySuperMarket Commuter Carpooling Index
Commuters who drive can face higher car insurance costs, as more time behind the wheel can increase the chances of being involved in a car accident. In fact, according to the latest Government figures1, around 25% of road collisions each year involve commuters driving to or from work.
With this in mind, our latest study looks at over 150 cities around the world to find where the highest levels of commuter congestion are, and where carpooling could have the most impact for commuters in terms of time saving.
Key Takeaways
Dundee tops list of the world's shortest average commute, just ahead of Plymouth
San Francisco drivers face the longest average commutes in the world
Los Angeles commuters could save over 19 minutes per journey by carpooling
Rotterdam tops the index as the city with the most to gain from carpooling
We analysed more than 150 cities around the world to create a new Commuter Carpooling Index. Our research explores average commuter distance, average rush hour speed, and potential time that could be saved through carpooling. The conclusion of our research reveals which cities would see the greatest benefit from drivers sharing their commute journeys.
How far do commuters travel every day?
By analysing the average distance commuters travel per city worldwide, we can reveal that the average driver travels 14 miles on a typical commute.
Which commuters are driving the longest distance worldwide?
The United States dominates some of the longest average car journeys worldwide, with its cities accounting for 50% of the top 20 longest distance commutes.
The narrow streets and winding hills of San Francisco could be the reason drivers face the longest overall car commute worldwide, with an average journey length of 38 miles - nearly three times the global average. Not too far behind is the traffic-heavy Los Angeles, followed in third place by Bern in Switzerland.
Top 5 cities with the longest average daily commute
San Francisco, United States (38 miles)
Los Angeles, United States (35 miles)
Bern, Switzerland (30 miles)
Zurich, Switzerland (24 miles)
Wellington, New Zealand (23 miles)
On the opposite end of the scale, it appears European drivers typically have much shorter average commutes than the other continents; 90% of the top twenty cities with the shortest commute distances are located in Europe.
Three of the cities with the shortest commuting distance are found in the UK; Dundee, Plymouth and Milton Keynes. Drivers in Dundee clock an average two miles on a typical commute, which is seven times shorter than the average commuter distance.
Top 5 cities with the shortest average daily commute
Dundee, United Kingdom (2 miles)
Plymouth, United Kingdom (4 miles)
Kyoto, Japan (5 miles)
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (6.37 miles)
Cancún, México (6.39 miles)
In second and third place, Plymouth and Kyoto round out the top three shortest journeys worldwide, with four miles and five miles, respectively.
The cities where traffic moves the quickest and slowest
Rush hours vary worldwide. While some cities slow down during peak times, others maintain steady traffic flow.
We calculated the average commuting speeds in global cities using rush-hour traffic data, based on the average miles per hour travelled over a 14-mile distance (14 miles being the average global commuting distance). This boundary assumes drivers are travelling into and out of the city, rather than making short, central urban trips. As a result, commuters are likely to be using highways, motorways or major A-roads for part of their journey. For example, many commuters travelling in and out of Cardiff may use stretches of the M4 or other major roads, which can increase the overall average commuting speed recorded.
It is important to note that the speed you can travel at during your commute, doesn’t necessarily correlate with a shorter journey time. For example, when analysing rush-hour data on the average speed travelled per city, we found that while U.S. drivers typically experience the longest commute times, they also achieve some of the highest commuting speeds on average during peak travel times, accounting for 80% of the top five speediest commuting cities.
Top 5 quickest cities during rush hour
Kansas City, United States, average commuting speed - 42.9 miles/hr
Cardiff, United Kingdom, average commuting speed - 42.6 miles/hr
New Orleans, United States, average commuting speed - 42 miles/hr
Dallas, United States, average commuting speed - 41 miles/hr
Orlando, United States, average commuting speed - 40.8 miles/hr
Cities in Asia and South America both recorded some of the slowest speeds during peak times, with Mumbai recording the slowest average speed of 15 miles/hour. Bogotá, Mexico City, Kyoto and Lima rounded out the top five slowest speeds worldwide.
Top 5 slowest cities during rush hour
Mumbai, India, average commuting speed - 15 miles/hr
Bogotá, Colombia, average commuting speed - 17 miles/hr
Mexico City, Mexico, average commuting speed - 19 miles/hr
Kyoto, Japan, average commuting speed - 20 miles/hr
Lima, Peru average, commuting speed - 20.1 miles/hr
These speeds reflect simulated 14-mile journeys in multiple directions from each city centre, including major roads and motorways, rather than driving solely through city centre roads.
Top 5 faster UK cities during rush hour
Cardiff, Wales, average commuting speed - 43 miles/hr
Stoke-on-Trent, England, average commuting speed - 36.2 miles/hr
Tamworth, England, average commuting speed - 36.1 miles/hr
Blackpool, England, average commuting speed -36 miles/hr
Aberdeen, Scotland, average, commuting speed - 35 miles/hr
On the opposite end of the scale, UK cities such as London (22 miles/hr) and Manchester (23 miles/hr) still rank among the slowest in Europe during rush hour, sitting alongside key cities such as Athens (21 miles/hr), Naples (22 miles/hr) and Nice (23 miles/hr).
These speeds reflect simulated 14-mile journeys in multiple directions from each city centre, including major roads and motorways, rather than driving solely through city centre roads.
Top 5 slowest UK cities during rush hour
London, England, average commuting speed - 22 miles/hr
Manchester, England, average commuting speed - 23 miles/hr
Plymouth, England, average commuting speed - 23.7 miles/hr
Birmingham, England, average commuting speed - 23.9 miles/hr
Brighton, England average, commuting speed - 24 miles/hr
These speeds reflect simulated 14-mile journeys in multiple directions from each city centre, including major roads and motorways, rather than driving solely through city centre roads.
With fuel prices and insurance costs front of mind for UK drivers, shared journeys could offer a solution to cut everyday driving costs.
How much time could carpooling save commuters?
We know that for millions of drivers worldwide, the potential to save time on the road is very alluring, but just how much time could your city benefit from carpooling?
To find out, we analysed traffic speeds across each city, measured at 04:00 in the morning (minimal traffic), 17:00 (maximum traffic) and 15:00 (high but not maximum traffic level). Across our city set, afternoon traffic was on average 83% of the maximum rush hour traffic, and so we used this as a benchmark for how much congestion could be potentially reduced at rush hour if more drivers carpooled.
This scenario-based analysis shows that if enough drivers carpooled to bring down rush hour traffic to the same levels seen at 15:00, then each city could shave around 8.2% off their commute time.
Based on these calculations, the cities set to reap the biggest benefits are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, Montreal and Rotterdam.
Our modelling suggests that Los Angeles, famed for its steep traffic, could see commuting become 30% more efficient thanks to carpooling, with its residents saving just over 19 minutes per journey.
Top 5 cities where carpooling could save the most time
Los Angeles, United States 19 minutes saved
San Francisco, United States 13 minutes saved
Tokyo, Japan 9 minutes saved
Montreal, Canada 7.15 minutes saved
Rotterdam, The Netherlands 7.10 minutes saved
Which countries are the most interested in carpooling worldwide?
Google search insights suggest a positive growing appetite for ‘Carpooling’, noting a 16% growth in global searches in the past year3. During the last 24 months, average monthly search traffic for ‘carpooling’ and ‘ridesharing’ hit 201,000 and 40,500, respectively4.
Using Google insights by country to uncover which cities show the most interest currently in carpooling, we found that The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, the United States and Mexico were among the keenest. In fact, carpooling appears so popular in The Netherlands that it scored nearly four times that of the United States, who also feature in the top five (at number 4).
Currently, Morocco ranks as the country least engaged with carpooling, followed by Turkey and Japan in second and third place. Interestingly, while Japan seems less keen on the idea of carpooling, the benefits speak for themselves, with Tokyo commuters potentially able to shave off as much as one-fifth of their journey time.
The carpooling benefit score
By ranking how much potential time could be saved in each city, alongside how interested cities are in carpool adoption, we created a carpooling benefit score. Totalled out of 100, the index ranked Rotterdam in The Netherlands as having the highest potential to impact change.
As well as being able to potentially shave more than 7 minutes off their average journey time according to our modelling, the Netherlands’ strong interest in carpooling initiatives were the reason they ranked so highly. Among some of the others featured in the top ten were Los Angeles (2nd place), Brussels (5th place), Montreal (6th place), and Tokyo (8th place).
“Carpooling could quietly transform the daily commute”, says Alicia Hempsted, Car Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket. “Fewer cars on the road has the potential to reduce congestion, road traffic collisions, and lower emissions, all of which are big positives for both drivers and insurers.
“While premiums are always based on individual risks, shared journeys and reduced mileage could become part of a wider conversation about safer and sustainable travel. Any future changes would depend on a range of individual and market-wide factors.
“With drivers under mounting pressure from rising costs and longer journeys, carpooling could be a simple change that delivers real everyday benefits. The MoneySuperMarket Carpooling Index shows that even small shifts in how we travel could help drivers save time, cut costs and reduce the stress of the daily commute.”
Methodology and sources:
2- San Francisco city mileage cited here, Dundee city mileage cited here
3 - ‘Carpooling’ worldwide Google searches analysed via Google Trends over the past year (correct as of 05.02.2026)
4 - ‘Carpooling’ and ‘Ride Sharing’ Google searches analysed via Google Keyword Planner over the last 24 months (correct as of 05.02.2026)
To assess how much cities could benefit from increased carpooling, we analysed commute distances, traffic congestion and public interest in shared travel.
Commute distance data For each city, average commute distance data was sourced from Numbeo, using the figure for “Average distance when primarily driving” where available. Where this was not available, Numbeo’s overall average commute distance for the city was used. If no city-level data was available, the relevant national average driving commute distance was applied as a proxy.
Traffic congestion data Average traffic congestion levels throughout the day were sourced from TomTom traffic reporting, which provides internationally comparable congestion data across major cities.
Journey speed analysis To understand how congestion impacts journey times, average driving speeds were modelled at key points during the day using Google’s Places API. For each city, journeys were simulated from the city centre, travelling 14 miles in multiple directions, including central urban trips, highways, motorways, and major A-roads - reflecting the overall average commute distance identified in the research.
Average expected driving speeds were recorded at:
04:00 – representing minimal traffic conditions
15:00 – representing moderate traffic (approximately 83% of peak congestion)
17:00 – representing peak congestion
These time points were selected to reflect typical off-peak, pre-peak and peak travel conditions.
Congestion impact and potential improvement The difference between off-peak, peak and moderate traffic speeds was used to estimate the extent to which congestion delays journeys in each city. This allowed us to model potential journey time improvements if traffic volumes were reduced from peak levels to those typically seen at around 83% of maximum congestion – a scenario consistent with increased carpooling or reduced single-occupancy car use.
Public interest in carpooling Public interest in carpooling was measured at a national level using Google Trends. Search interest in “carpooling” was analysed on its own and relative to general searches for “traffic”. These two measures were weighted equally and combined into a relative interest score out of 100.
Overall Carpooling Benefit Score Each city’s potential journey time improvement and relative public interest in carpooling were combined to create an overall Carpooling Benefit Score. This score reflects both how much travel times could realistically improve, and how likely people may be to engage with carpooling as a solution. Cities were then ranked based on this combined score.
Reviewer
Sara Newell
Commercial Director
Sara Newell is the Commercial Director for Motor & Home Insurance at MoneySuperMarket. With almost 20 years of experience in insurance, Sara has built a reputation as a results-driven leader who...
