Every day, millions of vehicles transport food, medicines, building materials and parcels through Europe’s major cities. However, the efficiency of these journeys depends heavily on the specific transport infrastructure and how predictable it is.
Freight efficiency in European cities
Geotab’s European City Freight Efficiency Index reveals significant differences in the efficiency of urban freight transport. Berlin tops the table with 61 out of 100 points. Madrid brings up the rear with just 25 points. There is an efficiency gap of 144 per cent between the two cities.
Why Berlin is a frontrunner in freight transport
Berlin stands out for its polycentric urban structure. As a result, traffic is spread across several main routes. At the same time, traffic jams are easier to manage and journey times remain stable.
Amsterdam also demonstrates that a well-coordinated infrastructure brings benefits. Optimised traffic light timing ensures that vehicles can keep moving continuously. This reduces idling time and fuel consumption.
Traffic flow, rather than traffic density, determines efficiency
The report makes it clear that traffic density alone is not the decisive factor. A steady flow of traffic is far more important. Slow-moving traffic can therefore be efficient if vehicles are able to travel without stopping frequently.
Rome confirms this finding. Despite high traffic density, idle times are comparatively low. London, on the other hand, demonstrates the opposite. Frequent braking and accelerating increase fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs.
Predictable logistics reduce costs and emissions
Alongside infrastructure, fleet management plays a key role. Companies benefit from precise scheduling, fixed delivery windows and intelligent routing. Unpredictable traffic conditions, on the other hand, lead to additional buffer times, missed delivery deadlines and rising operating costs. Connected vehicle data creates transparency and enables informed decision-making.
Edward Kulperger, Senior Vice President EMEA at Geotab, emphasises that it is not the volume of traffic that is decisive. Rather, it is its predictability that is key. Connected vehicle data helps fleets, cities and policy-makers to improve traffic flows in a targeted manner.
The methodology for assessing the freight efficiency of European cities
The index ranks seven European cities on a scale of 0 to 100 points. It is based on data from the whole of 2025.
The ranking is based on two factors:
- Traffic flow (75 per cent): levels of congestion, periods of free-flowing traffic and journey time variability.
- Cost of congestion (25 per cent): proportion of time spent idling as an indicator of inefficient traffic flows.
For the overall assessment, passenger cars and lorries are weighted at a ratio of 60 to 40. The data is sourced from the Geotab platform and is based on a sample of connected vehicles.
At a glance
- The rankings: Berlin tops the index with a score of 61, followed by Amsterdam (59), Dublin (49), Rome (48), Paris (37), London (29) and Madrid (25). An efficiency gap of 144 per cent separates Berlin, at the top of the table, from Madrid, in last place.
- The cost of idling: The connected vehicles in this study are estimated to have consumed 1.58 million litres of fuel whilst idling in 2025 — equivalent to around 2.6 million euros in idling losses over twelve months.
- Traffic congestion as a decisive factor: The differences in performance between the cities are predominantly determined by congestion management — not by vehicle behaviour. The difference in traffic flow between Berlin and Madrid is 3.8‑fold.
- Operational discipline pays off: In five out of seven cities, heavy goods vehicle fleets perform better than passenger car fleets — not because of different technologies, but thanks to structured route planning, scheduled delivery windows and freight-specific infrastructure. The data shows what operational discipline can achieve on a large scale.
Key findings of the report
In 2025, the vehicles examined consumed around 1.58 million litres of fuel whilst idling. This resulted in estimated idling costs of around 2.6 million euros.
Furthermore, the study shows that lorry fleets in five of the seven cities operate more efficiently than passenger cars. This is due to structured route planning, defined delivery windows and freight-specific infrastructure.
