Europe Speed Limits 2026: 140 km/h Top, 124 km/h Average
Bulgaria and Poland allow 140 km/h, Greece now defaults to 30 in town and Dutch motorways drop to 100 by day. Urban, rural and motorway limits, 45 states.
Bulgaria and Poland top Europe at 140 km/h against a 124 km/h motorway average; Greece has moved its urban default to 30 km/h, and the Netherlands cuts motorways to 100 km/h between 06:00 and 19:00.
Three speed rules catch foreign drivers every year: the Netherlands drops motorways to 100 km/h between 06:00 and 19:00 (a nitrogen rule in force since 2020), Ireland cut every local road to 60 km/h in February 2025, and Greece now defaults to 30 km/h in town. Switzerland and Finland scale serious speeding fines to income, so the same offence costs a high earner far more.
Bulgaria and Poland sit at the top of the European motorway table at 140 km/h, Austria and most of the west at 130, and the average across the 40 countries here that have motorways works out at 124 km/h. The trap is rarely the ceiling. It is the exceptions: the Netherlands drops its motorways to 100 km/h between 06:00 and 19:00 under a nitrogen rule, Latvia takes cars down from 120 to 110 km/h every winter, Czechia runs a 150 km/h pilot on the D3 under variable signs only, and Poland’s own 150 km/h proposal is still not in force however often it is reported as law. In town the picture has shifted too: Greece now defaults to 30 km/h under its 2025 Road Traffic Code, Ireland cut every local road to 60 km/h in February 2025, and the United Kingdom’s 30 mph converts to 48. Switzerland and Finland scale serious speeding penalties to income, which is how one offence reaches five figures.
Key Findings
- 45 European countries are listed with their default limits for passenger cars; 40 of them have motorways
- Highest motorway limits: Bulgaria (140 km/h), Poland (140 km/h), then a large group at 130 km/h
- Lowest urban limits: Greece (30 km/h), Albania (40 km/h), United Kingdom (48 km/h)
- Averages across the table: 50 km/h urban, 124 km/h motorway
Speed Limits by Country
| Country | Urban (km/h) | Rural (km/h) | Motorway (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 40 | 80 | 130 |
| Andorra | 50 | 90 | N/A No motorways; highest road speed limit is 90 km/h |
| Austria | 50 | 100 | 130 |
| Belarus | 60 | 90 | 110 |
| Belgium | 50 | 70 70 km/h default in Flanders; 90 km/h in Wallonia; Brussels uses 30 km/h as its urban default | 120 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Bulgaria | 50 | 90 | 140 |
| Croatia | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Cyprus | 50 | 80 | 100 |
| Czechia | 50 | 90 | 130 130 km/h general limit; 150 km/h pilot on D3 motorway since October 2025 (variable speed signs, conditions permitting) |
| Denmark | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Estonia | 50 | 90 | 110 |
| Finland | 50 | 80 | 120 |
| France | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Germany | 50 | 100 | 130 No general speed limit on Autobahn; 130 km/h recommended |
| Greece | 30 30 km/h general limit in built-up areas under the Road Traffic Code (Law 5209/2025); higher limits only where signed | 90 | 130 |
| Hungary | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Iceland | 50 | 80 | N/A No motorways; highest speed limit is 90 km/h on ring road (gravel sections lower) |
| Ireland | 50 | 60 60 km/h on local roads since 7 February 2025 (Road Traffic Act 2004 s.6 as revised); 80 km/h on regional roads; 100 km/h on national roads | 120 |
| Italy | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Kosovo | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Latvia | 50 | 90 | 120 120 km/h on roads signed as motorways (Road Traffic Rules point 103.4); 110 km/h for cars from 1 December to 1 March |
| Lithuania | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Luxembourg | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Malta | 50 | 80 | N/A No motorways on the island |
| Moldova | 50 | 90 | 110 |
| Monaco | 50 | N/A | N/A No motorways; city-state with urban roads only |
| Montenegro | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Netherlands | 50 | 80 | 100 100 km/h on motorways between 06:00 and 19:00; 120 or 130 km/h where signed at night; a few signed sections have returned to 130 km/h around the clock since 2025 |
| North Macedonia | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Norway | 50 | 80 | 110 |
| Poland | 50 | 90 | 140 140 km/h general limit nationwide. A proposal to allow 150 km/h on selected three-lane motorway sections is still under review and not yet in force. |
| Portugal | 50 | 90 | 120 |
| Romania | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Russia | 60 | 90 | 110 |
| San Marino | 50 | 70 | N/A No motorways; small city-state |
| Serbia | 50 | 80 | 130 |
| Slovakia | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Slovenia | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| Spain | 50 | 90 | 120 |
| Sweden | 50 | 70 | 110 |
| Switzerland | 50 | 80 | 120 |
| Turkey | 50 | 90 | 130 (140 on build-operate-transfer toll motorways) |
| Ukraine | 50 | 90 | 130 |
| United Kingdom | 48 | 96 | 112 Speed limits in mph: 30 mph urban, 60 mph single carriageway, 70 mph motorway; Wales 20 mph default on restricted roads |
Regional Breakdown
Central Europe
- Austria: 50 / 100 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Czechia: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Hungary: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Poland: 50 / 90 / 140 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Slovakia: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Slovenia: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Eastern Europe
- Belarus: 60 / 90 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Moldova: 50 / 90 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Russia: 60 / 90 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Ukraine: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Northern Europe
- Denmark: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Estonia: 50 / 90 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Finland: 50 / 80 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Iceland: 50 / 80 / N/A km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Ireland: 50 / 60 / 120 km/h (urban/local road/motorway; regional roads 80, national roads 100)
- Latvia: 50 / 90 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway; 110 km/h for cars 1 December to 1 March)
- Lithuania: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Norway: 50 / 80 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Sweden: 50 / 70 / 110 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- United Kingdom: 48 / 96 / 112 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Southeast Europe
- Albania: 40 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Bulgaria: 50 / 90 / 140 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Croatia: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Kosovo: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Montenegro: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- North Macedonia: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Romania: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Serbia: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Southern Europe
- Andorra: 50 / 90 / N/A km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Cyprus: 50 / 80 / 100 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Greece: 30 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Italy: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Malta: 50 / 80 / N/A km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Portugal: 50 / 90 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- San Marino: 50 / 70 / N/A km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Spain: 50 / 90 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Western Asia
- Turkey: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway; 110 km/h on divided roads, 140 km/h on build-operate-transfer toll motorways)
Western Europe
- Belgium: 50 / 70 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway; 90 km/h rural in Wallonia)
- France: 50 / 80 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Germany: 50 / 100 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Luxembourg: 50 / 90 / 130 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Monaco: 50 / N/A / N/A km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Netherlands: 50 / 80 / 100 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
- Switzerland: 50 / 80 / 120 km/h (urban/rural/motorway)
Notable Exceptions
- Germany has no general speed limit on many Autobahn sections, though 130 km/h is the advisory limit and a large share of the network carries permanent limits.
- Greece is the only country in the table with a 30 km/h default in built-up areas, introduced by the 2025 Road Traffic Code; 50 km/h applies only where a sign says so.
- Ireland splits its rural network three ways: 60 km/h on local roads since February 2025, 80 km/h on regional roads, 100 km/h on national roads.
- Latvia signs 120 km/h on its motorway-class roads in summer and 110 km/h for cars from 1 December to 1 March.
- United Kingdom signs in miles per hour: 30 mph urban (48 km/h), 60 mph single carriageway (96 km/h), 70 mph motorway (112 km/h).
- Norway keeps motorway limits at 110 km/h, the lowest ceiling among the Nordic countries with motorways.
Penalties for Speeding in Europe
Always check the specific limits for trucks and caravans, which are typically 10-20 km/h lower than passenger car limits.
Related Tools & Guides
- World Speed Limit Map — interactive map of global limits
- Speeding Fine Calculator — estimate penalties by country
- Compare Driving Rules — side-by-side country comparison
- Speed Unit Converter — convert between km/h and mph
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Frequently Asked Questions
Poland and Bulgaria both set 140 km/h as the general motorway limit. Germany has no general limit on unrestricted Autobahn sections, and Czechia runs a 150 km/h pilot on the D3 under variable signs.
On unrestricted Autobahn sections there is no general limit, only an advisory 130 km/h. Permanent limits apply on a large share of the network, and temporary limits apply at roadworks and in bad weather.
50 km/h in most countries. Greece moved its default to 30 km/h under the 2025 Road Traffic Code, Brussels uses 30 km/h as its city default, and 30 zones are common in Paris and Spanish cities; Albania uses 40 km/h and the UK's 30 mph converts to 48 km/h.
The UK signs limits in miles per hour: 30 mph in built-up areas (96 km/h is the 60 mph single-carriageway limit converted, and 70 mph on motorways is 112 km/h). Wales uses a 20 mph default on restricted roads.
Yes. Speeding is one of the offences covered by the EU cross-border enforcement directive (2015/413), so member states exchange registration data and send the notice to your home address.
Switzerland and Finland scale serious speeding fines to income, which is how a single offence can reach five figures. Norway's fixed-rate fines are among the highest in Europe even without an income link.