New surprising study reveals how stressful driving is in Budapest compared to other cities

DiscoverCars.com has conducted new research into which cities cause drivers the most stress, asking drivers in a group of different European cities to track their heart rates on a 30 minute drive. The 3 most stressful cities to drive in were: Oslo (Norway), Lisbon (Portugal) and Milan (Italy). The 3 least stressful cities according to the research were: Krakow (Poland), Barcelona (Spain) and Prague (Czech Republic). 

DiscoverCars.com has put together a new piece of research to find where Europe’s most stressed drivers are, measuring the heart rates of drivers in different cities across the continent. The research is supported by practising medical doctor Dr Adedeji Saheed, who provided insights into the drivers’ heart rates.

Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com, comments: 

“We were interested to find out which cities are causing drivers the most stress, and would like to say thank you to all the drivers for taking part in our research. You can see from their heart rates speeding up and slowing down that a normal half-hour drive through the city you live in or are visiting can be anything from fairly relaxing to a very stressful experience. Of course, this will depend on a number of factors, both related to the city itself and more to do with the day you’re already having. It could be traffic on the roads, the condition of the roads themselves, the behaviour of other drivers or something else that’s personal to you, such as an upcoming deadline at work.

“Our research revealed that the least stressful city to drive in is Krakow in Poland and the most stressful is Oslo in Norway. While all cities are prone to crowded roads at times, anecdotally, some cities are much busier than others.

“We also provided an idea for a road trip to a quiet nature spot or small town for each of the cities – from Oslo, we suggested that drivers take a trip to the Bygdoy Peninsula. Getting there only takes about half an hour, and once there, you can take a stroll on the beach, or head to the Kongeskogen, the King’s Forest, to enjoy the walking trails.”

DiscoverCars.com created the ranking by first creating an average of each driver’s lowest driving and resting heart rate, and highest driving and resting heart rate. Then, subtracting the average low rate from the average high rate provides a number DiscoverCars.com used as a ‘Stress Rating’.

Oslo, Norway ranked as the most stressful city to drive in, with a Stress Rating of 37.5. Dr Adedeji Saheed’s insight into this driver’s heart rate was that their resting heart rate hit 99 bpm at times, which is on the higher end of the normal range, and could be indicative of stress, anxiety, a medical condition or recent caffeine intake. Oslo is known to have some narrow roads which can make navigating the city difficult or slow – could this have influenced the driver’s level of stress?

In second place is Lisbon, Portugal with a Stress Rating of 36, only just behind Oslo. This driver’s heart rate while at rest reached 122 bpm, which is above the range that is expected. Lisbon is well known for having some narrow and twisty roads which could cause drivers here stress.

Milan, Italy has a Stress Rating of 30. This driver’s heart rates were within the normal range but their highest heart rate was 99 bpm while driving –  is over 20 bpm faster than their slowest heart rate while driving. This would suggest that something may have happened during their journey to stress them out.