A typical medium-sized car burns between 0.8 and 1.89 litres of fuel per hour while idling in traffic, according to research by logistics company Detrack.
If you live in one of South Africa’s major metros, this means you unwittingly spend upwards of R699 a year on fuel that simply evaporates away in traffic.
As per the TomTom Traffic Index, the most congested cities in the country are Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Bloemfontein – in that order.
This was determined by looking at quasi-static factors such as street categories, street capacities, and speed limits, as well as dynamic factors such as traffic levels at certain times of the day and changes in traffic flow.
By doing the research, TomTom discovered that motorists in the cities spend a significant amount of their time in traffic, in fact, they waste between 41 and 49 hours per year sitting in rush hour.
Combine that with the high cost of running these vehicles, and we find that apart from the emotional toll traffic takes on drivers, it also costs them a pretty penny.
The table below breaks down the monetary cost of being stuck in traffic for an entire year based on the inland price of Petrol 95 as of November 2024 (R21.30/litre), depending on where in South Africa you live:
| City | Time lost per year in rush hour | Fuel burned per year in rush hour | Cost of fuel burned per year in rush hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pretoria, Gauteng | 49 hours | 39.2 to 92.61 litres | R835 to R1,973 |
| Cape Town, Western Cape | 49 hours | 39.2 to 92.61 litres | R835 to R1,973 |
| Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | 44 hours | 35.2 to 83.16 litres | R750 to R1,771 |
| Johannesburg, Gauteng | 43 hours | 34.4 to 81.27 litres | R733 to R1,731 |
| Bloemfontein, Free State | 41 hours | 32.8 to 77.49 litres | R699 to R1,651 |
Dodging traffic
It may not be possible to avoid traffic completely, especially if you call Joburg or Cape Town your home, but there are ways to reduce the time spent in these conditions.
For one, you can use real-time traffic apps like Google Maps or Waze, as well as listen to the news, to scout the route before you take off, and if congestion levels seem high, look for an alternative road.
If your plans allow for it, travel in off-peak hours when the roads are quieter.
You can also use public transport systems like the Gautrain where available to get from point A to point B and avoid the roads completely.
If you can’t dodge traffic, it’s best to adopt fuel-saving driving techniques that will reduce the amount of liquid gold burned.
Say you’re standing in one spot for a long time, turning off the engine will assist in reducing wastage.
Additionally, avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking in stop-and-go traffic as not only does it use more petrol, but it also puts unnecessary strain on the vehicle.
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