diff --git a/tests/benchmarks/components/main.cpp b/tests/benchmarks/components/main.cpp
index bae733cbc6..990db92f66 100644
--- a/tests/benchmarks/components/main.cpp
+++ b/tests/benchmarks/components/main.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ void original_setup() {
 }
 
 void setup() {
+  // Run auto-generated initialization (App.pre_setup, area/device registration,
+  // looping_components_.init, etc.) so benchmarks that use App work correctly.
+  original_setup();
+
   // Log functions call global_logger->log_vprintf_() without a null check,
   // so we must set up a Logger before any test that triggers logging.
   static esphome::logger::Logger test_logger(0);
diff --git a/tests/benchmarks/core/bench_application_loop.cpp b/tests/benchmarks/core/bench_application_loop.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5acbe8beaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/benchmarks/core/bench_application_loop.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#include <benchmark/benchmark.h>
+
+#include "esphome/core/application.h"
+
+namespace esphome::benchmarks {
+
+// Benchmark Application::loop() with no registered components.
+// App is initialized by original_setup() in main.cpp (code-generated
+// pre_setup, area/device registration, looping_components_.init).
+// This measures the baseline overhead of the main loop: scheduler,
+// timing, before/after loop tasks, and yield_with_select_.
+static void ApplicationLoop_Empty(benchmark::State &state) {
+  for (auto _ : state) {
+    App.loop();
+  }
+}
+BENCHMARK(ApplicationLoop_Empty);
+
+}  // namespace esphome::benchmarks