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Amsterdam's Traffic Congestion Remains at 45.7 Percent in 2025

TomTom figures show drivers spent 97 hours idling in traffic last year, with the worst day hitting 74 percent congestion on August 28.

By Amsterdam News Desk · Published 19 July 2026

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This article was written by AI from the linked sources and was not reviewed by a journalist before publishing. The Daily Amsterdam is part of The Daily Network and follows our reasonable editorial care.

Amsterdam's Traffic Congestion Remains at 45.7 Percent in 2025
Photo by Vinicius A. Nascimento on Pexels

Amsterdam recorded an average congestion level of 45.7 percent across 2025, unchanged from the year before, according to the TomTom Traffic Index. The data covers the full road network in both the central city and larger metro area.

Residents face these conditions while the city manages high visitor numbers and limited road space. The latest numbers arrive as local authorities continue to balance cycling infrastructure growth with pressure from through traffic on highways that cross the metro area.

Rush hour delays added nearly four extra days of lost time

Drivers lost 97 hours to traffic during rush periods in 2025, an increase of three hours and fifty minutes from 2024. Morning rush hour averaged 27 minutes and 47 seconds to cover 10 kilometres at 62.9 percent congestion and 21.6 km/h. Evening rush hour proved slower still, taking 32 minutes and 15 seconds at 78.4 percent congestion and 18.6 km/h.

Highway sections showed an average speed of 64.5 km/h, while the share of trips on highways sat at 13.4 percent. The single worst day occurred on August 28, when congestion reached 74 percent and speeds at 5 pm dropped enough that drivers covered just 3.2 km in 15 minutes.

Monthly and weekly patterns point to consistent pressure

Congestion fluctuated between 39 and 52 percent across the months, with the highest readings in late summer and early autumn. Travel times for a 10 km trip stayed above 26 minutes on most weekdays, rising further between 4 pm and 6 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.

Weekend travel eased noticeably after 8 pm, with speeds climbing above 25 km/h, yet early evening hours on Saturdays still matched weekday congestion levels. The TomTom data draws from more than 3.65 trillion kilometres of anonymous trips across the entire network.

Drivers planning routes can check real-time updates before peak hours, particularly on Thursdays in August when conditions peaked. Adjusting departure times by even 30 minutes often cuts time spent in the slowest stretches around the city centre and ring roads.

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