Speed LimitsRain Cuts France's 130 km/h Motorway Limit to 110 in 2026
130 km/h on a dry autoroute, 110 whenever it rains, 50 if visibility drops below 50 m. Probationary licence holders are capped at 110. Even 1-4 km/h over costs EUR 68.
France allows 130 km/h on the autoroute only when the road is dry. In rain the limit is 110 km/h, and with visibility under 50 metres it is 50 km/h on every road. Drivers on a probationary licence never go above 110.
Three limits on the same autoroute
The blue autoroute sign means 130, but the number changes with the sky. The rule in the Code de la route is not “slow down when it’s wet” as advice: par temps de pluie ou autres précipitations, the legal maximum itself becomes 110 km/h, and it is enforced by the same radar that would have tolerated 129 an hour earlier. Fog has its own rule, and it is severe: once visibility is under 50 m, the limit everywhere, autoroute included, is 50 km/h.
The other group caught out is new drivers. A driver on a permis probatoire is capped at 110 km/h on the autoroute, and at 100 on autoroute sections already signed below 130.
Limits by road, weather and licence
| Road | Dry | Rain or other precipitation | Probationary licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoroute | 130 km/h | 110 km/h | 110 km/h (100 where the section is signed below 130) |
| Dual carriageway with central reservation | 110 km/h | 100 km/h | 100 km/h |
| Road with at least two lanes in one direction | 90 km/h | 80 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Two-way road with no central separation | 80 km/h | 80 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Built-up area | 50 km/h | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
Visibility under 50 m: 50 km/h on every road type. The local road authority may raise the two-way-road limit from 80 to 90 km/h on roads it manages, and any authority may sign lower limits, so the sign in front of you always wins.
What speeding costs in France
The French scale starts at the first kilometre over. There is no fine-free margin written into the rules: under 5 km/h over is a fine without a point, and the points begin at 5.
| Over the limit | Fine | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 km/h (limit above 50) | EUR 68 | 0 |
| Under 5 km/h (limit 50 or below) | EUR 135 | 0 |
| 5-19 km/h (limit above 50) | EUR 68 | 1 |
| 5-19 km/h (limit 50 or below) | EUR 135 | 1 |
| 20-29 km/h | EUR 135 | 2 |
| 30-39 km/h | EUR 135 | 3, plus possible suspension of up to 3 years |
| 40-49 km/h | EUR 135 | 4, plus possible suspension of up to 3 years |
| 50 km/h or more | Criminal offence: up to EUR 3,750 and 3 months in prison | 6, and the car can be immobilised and impounded |
At 50 km/h over on an autoroute, that is anything from 180 km/h in the dry, or from 160 km/h in the rain. The same speed that is a EUR 135 ticket on a dry afternoon becomes a court case when it is raining.
Check exact speed limits for your route
Open Speed Limit MapRadar detectors are a separate offence
Carrying a radar detector, not just using one, is banned. The penalty is a fine of up to EUR 1,500, six points, and seizure of the device; if it is fitted to the car, the car can be seized too.
Sources
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Related Questions
130 km/h in dry weather. In rain or other precipitation it falls to 110 km/h, and when visibility is under 50 metres every road, the autoroute included, is limited to 50 km/h.
Yes. A driver on a probationary licence (permis probatoire) may not exceed 110 km/h on the autoroute, or 100 km/h on sections where the normal limit is below 130. On a dual carriageway the cap is 100, and on a road with two lanes in one direction it is 80.
On a road limited above 50 km/h, up to 19 km/h over is EUR 68 (with no point lost under 5 km/h over, one point from 5). 20 to 49 over is EUR 135 with 2 to 4 points. From 50 km/h over it becomes a criminal offence: up to EUR 3,750, three months in prison and six points.
No. Owning, carrying or using a radar detector carries a fine of up to EUR 1,500, six points and seizure of the device, and the car itself can be seized if the detector is fitted to it.