Commercial fleets across Europe are losing millions of euros each year through unnecessary fuel consumption while vehicles remain stationary, according to new analysis from connected vehicle technology provider Geotab.
The research found that vehicles equipped with Geotab technology burned more than 1.58 million litres of fuel while idling in traffic across some of Europe’s largest cities during 2025. Based on average European fuel prices last year, this equated to an estimated €2.6 million in wasted fuel.
The findings were published as part of Geotab’s European Urban Freight Efficiency Index, which analysed 12 months of connected vehicle data from seven major European capitals: London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, Rome, Paris and Madrid. With fuel prices continuing to rise, the financial impact of idling is expected to become even greater, with Geotab noting that European diesel prices exceeded €2 per litre during the first half of 2026, driven in part by geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East. At those prices, the same amount of fuel wasted through idling would cost fleets approximately €3.6 million.
The study also found that congestion does not affect every city in the same way, with fuel efficiency depending not only on traffic levels but also on how vehicles move through urban areas. London ranked sixth out of seven cities in the overall index, with frequent stop-start traffic making it harder for vehicles to operate efficiently. Passenger vehicles in the capital recorded the highest fuel consumption among the cities analysed, using 15.60 litres per 100 kilometres, almost two and a half times the figure recorded in Paris.
The research showed that 13.6% of fuel used by passenger vehicles in London was consumed while stationary, while commercial trucks wasted 11.1% of their fuel through idling.
According to Geotab, the challenges faced by commercial operators in London are linked to factors including delivery restrictions, limited loading areas, bus lane rules and concentrated delivery periods, which can create additional delays for freight vehicles. By comparison, Berlin, which topped the overall index, recorded lower levels of truck idling, with stationary fuel consumption accounting for 8.5% compared with London's 11.1%. Amsterdam ranked second overall, with passenger vehicle idling accounting for 10.5% of fuel consumption.
Dublin placed third in the rankings but experienced a similar issue to London for passenger vehicles, with 12.9% of fuel burned while stationary. However, its commercial vehicles performed better, with trucks recording just 5.8% idle fuel waste. Rome and Madrid recorded the lowest truck idling rates in the study, both at 2.8%, as traffic in these cities was often slow-moving rather than completely stationary.
Paris showed a different pattern, with predictable journey times but the highest truck idling levels among the cities analysed. Geotab found commercial vehicles in the French capital wasted almost one in every five litres of fuel while stationary.
Edward Kulperger, senior vice president of EMEA at Geotab, said: “Congestion has traditionally been measured through the lens of time. How long journeys take, how busy roads become and how delays affect operations. What this analysis shows is that there is another layer of cost sitting beneath that discussion.
When vehicles are idling, fleets are effectively burning money. Our data shows it costs them millions: fuel consumed with engines running and wheels going nowhere. Every litre of that is also an emissions cost. Beyond the time lost, the burden of congestion is financial and environmental. The fleets navigating it best are those with the clearest picture of where those costs are falling.”