Castrol Magnatec
Stop-Start Index

What has changed with today’s driving?

More people live in cities than ever before, and these cities are supported by a vast network of roads. We rely on these very roads to take our kids to school, get to work, go for dinner, attend a game, pick up groceries, and finally return home. But with increasingly busy traffic, driving has now more stopping and starting than ever before. On every single trip we make, we encounter situations on the road that make us stop, wait, and start again. Research shows that even a normal driver makes an astonishing 360 stop-starts per week! That is as many as 18000 stop-starts per year, causing damaging engine wear.

What is Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index?

The Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index examined traffic conditions in 50 key cities and regions around the globe, including North America (New York), Australia (Sydney), Asia (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta) and Europe (London, Istanbul). The index will show how increasingly heavy traffic, stopping and starting so many times, and more accelerating is affecting journey times and driving conditions around the world, and how the severity differs in major markets.

The Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index illustrates the issue of stop-start driving in a way that all drivers can truly relate to, and show us why it is so important to have an engine oil specially designed to protect against stop-start wear.

How is Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index calculated?

The Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index uses data shared anonymously by millions of TomTom navigation users around the world. Drivers in many metropolitan areas around the globe have contributed trillions of anonymous GPS based measurements on an opt-in basis. With millions of TomTom GPS navigation devices already in use, and growing every day, the historical traffic information collected in this way gives valuable insight into the traffic situation on the road network throughout the day.

Using a specially devised algorithm, we are able to calculate the number of stops and starts encountered during a trip. By applying this calculation to thousands of users and journeys, we can accurately measure the stop-start average per kilometer within defined city limits. By simply multiplying this number by the average distance driven per a year, we get the final Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index.

About TomTom

TomTom is the only partner that Castrol has been working with to develop the Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index.

TomTom, leading provider of navigation and location-based products and services, offers the world’s most accurate real time traffic information through their portable navigation devices, in-dash infotainment systems, fleet management solutions, maps and real-time navigation services, including the award-winning product, TomTom Traffic. As a lead traffic specialist, TomTom publishes a global congestion report composed of regional reports for Europe, North America, Australia & New Zealand and South Africa.