Commercial vehicles outperform passenger cars in European urban efficiency study

New research from Geotab’s European Urban Freight Efficiency Index reveals that commercial vehicle fleets outperformed passenger vehicles in five out of seven European capitals analyzed. The study utilized a full year of connected-vehicle data from 2025 to assess traffic fluidity and operational waste, such as fuel consumed while idling during congestion.

Berlin achieved the highest overall city efficiency score at 61 out of 100, while Madrid ranked lowest at 25. Rome showed the most significant performance gap between vehicle types, with commercial vehicles scoring 63 compared to 37 for passenger cars—a 26-point advantage. Other cities where commercial fleets were more efficient included Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Paris.

London and Madrid were the exceptions to this trend, being the only two cities where passenger vehicles recorded higher efficiency scores than commercial fleets. The findings suggest that professional fleet management, including optimized routing, scheduling, and the use of dedicated time windows, can significantly mitigate the impact of urban congestion.