New data released by TomTom revealed that traffic congestion nearly doubles journey times during the evening rush hour in major cities worldwide.

The company released its annual traffic index highlighting the impact of traffic congestion in more than 200 cities globally.

According to TomTom, the average commuter spent an additional 100h a year travelling during the evening rush hour alone last year.

Congestion levels may be doubled in nearly every city, which has the highest overall levels of congestion during the evening rush hour, making it the most congested time of the day.

"Road authorities and local governments can use TomTom’s traffic data to better manage traffic flow during the rush hour."

In Istanbul, commuters experience the worst traffic congestion overall and the average 30min drive will take over an hour during evening rush hour.

This leads to an additional 125h wasted stuck in traffic every year.

A 30min commute in Los Angeles during evenings is expected to take 54min due to congestion, which means an extra 92min annually.

TomTom Traffic vice-president Ralf-Peter Schaefer said: "TomTom’s mission is to reduce traffic congestion for everyone.

"Road authorities and local governments can use TomTom’s traffic data to better manage traffic flow during the rush hour."

Tom Tom gives drivers the required real-time traffic information and smart routing to avoid congested roads and get there faster. The company has expanded its traffic index to 218 cities in 36 countries in 2015.