Australian motorists are losing the equivalent of almost two working weeks every year while sitting stuck in traffic, with new research revealing which cities have the worst congestion – and the results might surprise you.

According to new research from car insurance comparison service iSelect, Adelaide is our most congested city, with motorists losing an estimated 109 hours annually to delays. That’s equivalent to more than 14 working days or almost four and a half full days spent sitting in traffic each year.

Despite being considerably smaller than Sydney and Melbourne, Adelaide recorded an increase in congestion from 51.9 per cent in 2024 to 55.1 per cent in 2025, with a typical 10km journey now taking more than 30 minutes during the evening peak.

3

Melbourne ranked second, with drivers losing 103 hours annually, equivalent to more than 13 working days. Sydney followed in third place at 93 hours, although the NSW capital recorded the slowest average travel time for a 10km journey, at 18 minutes and 52 seconds. Brisbane and the Gold Coast rounded out the top five, with motorists losing 77 and 71 hours respectively.

At the other end of the scale, Darwin was Australia’s least congested city among those analysed, with drivers losing 38 hours annually. It and Brisbane were the only two cities to record an improvement in congestion compared with 2024.

Australia’s most congested cities in 2025:

  1. Adelaide: 109 (annual hours lost in traffic)
  2. Melbourne: 103
  3. Sydney: 93
  4. Brisbane: 77
  5. Gold Coast: 71
  6. Newcastle: 67
  7. Hobart: 67
  8. Perth: 62
  9. Canberra: 56
  10. Wollongong: 40

The research also identified a surprising trend in Australia’s worst traffic days, with Wednesday the most troublesome day of the week. Of the 11 cities analysed by iSelect, six recorded their worst congestion on a Wednesday, while 5pm was unsurprisingly the most common time for traffic to reach its peak.

The full iSelect research about traffic in Australian cities is available to view here.