If you've ever yelled at traffic in Toronto, cursed construction in Montreal or questioned your life choices while crawling through downtown Ottawa, you're not alone. Driving in Canada can feel brutal — but when it comes to the worst traffic in Canada in 2025, a new ranking just revealed a surprising #1.
According to TomTom's 2025 Traffic Index published this week, Canada's most congested cities aren't necessarily the biggest ones.
The annual report looked at real-world driving data in cities across the globe and ranked them by average congestion, speeds and rush hour delays.
And this year's top spot in Canada? It's not Toronto. Or even Montreal.
TomTom's data is based on over 3.6 trillion kilometres driven around the world last year. The index compares how long it takes to drive during busy periods versus free-flow conditions, showing where the worst delays actually happen.
Thirteen Canadian cities made the ranking of 492 cities across the globe. At the bottom were Kitchener, Waterloo and Hamilton, all with congestion levels under a reasonable 30%.
Edmonton, Calgary and London all landed between 30 and 40%, while Ottawa and Winnipeg hovered just over that. But the five most congested cities? That's where things get interesting.
Here are the top five most congested cities in Canada in 2025:
Quebec City
Quebec City logged a 41.3% congestion level, with the average driver losing 69 hours to traffic over the year.
It had the highest average speed in the top five at 33 km/h, and nearly half of all trips took place on highways — but even that wasn't enough to keep it out of the top five.
Montreal
Montreal matched Quebec City's congestion rate at 41.3%, but had a slower average speed of 25.5 km/h and a higher total of 89 hours lost to rush-hour gridlock on average.
Traffic conditions worsened slightly compared to 2024, keeping Montreal firmly in the country's worst cities for driving — but surprisingly not in the top three, a surprising feat for the country's second-largest city whose unofficial symbol is an orange traffic cone.
Halifax
Halifax might not be the biggest city, but it's one of the slowest for driving. The East Coast city ranked third, with a 45% congestion level.
Rush hour here cost drivers 111 hours of their lives in 2025 — nearly as bad as Toronto, a city six times its size. Speeds during the morning commute dropped below 20 km/h, making it one of the slowest cities in the country when it comes to rush hour.
Toronto
Even though Toronto's congestion slightly improved since 2024, it still ranks second in Canada. The country's biggest city posted a 47.7% congestion level, with drivers losing 100 hours to traffic over the year.
Speeds dropped compared to 2024, especially on highways, where drivers slowed by over 4 km/h, bringing average rush-hour speeds to just 22.5 km/h overall.
Vancouver
Vancouver took the top spot for the second year in a row with a massive 56.5% congestion level — the worst in Canada by far. Vancouver drivers lost 112 hours sitting in traffic last year, and it's the only major Canadian city in the global top 50 for congestion.
On average, it took drivers nearly 30 minutes to go just 10 km during peak times. And in the evening rush, it was even worse — up to 35 minutes for the same distance. It doesn't help that there are no major highways travelling through the downtown core, forcing commuters to take slower local roads for their entire trip.
Globally, Vancouver ranked 45th, putting it ahead of even traffic-heavy places like London and New York.
What makes traffic this bad?
TomTom's index uses anonymized GPS data to factor in road design, speed limits, traffic lights, accidents, construction, weather and more to calculate congestion and commute times. Cities with slower roads or no highways — like Vancouver, where 0% of trips happen on highways — naturally see longer delays.
The ranking also shows how traffic is shifting. Peak hours are spreading out more than before, with congestion now hitting earlier in the afternoon and dragging on longer into the evening. Hybrid work has changed when — not just how — people drive.
Yes, it could be worse...
Even though traffic in some Canadian cities feels unbearable, it's still better than many global hotspots. Vancouver ranks 45th worldwide, but cities like Bangkok, Mumbai and Los Angeles are still worse. The average driver in Mexico City — the world's most congested city — lost a whopping 184 hours to traffic last year. So, yeah, things could be a lot messier.
Still, if you're driving in Vancouver, Toronto or Halifax, you might want to add a podcast — or three — to your commute.
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