Speed Limits by Country
The default speed limits for cars — built-up areas, open roads and motorways — in any country, shown in the local unit. Pick a destination before you drive abroad.
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Posted signs always override these defaults. Lower limits apply in rain, snow or fog, for newly-qualified drivers, and when towing or in heavier vehicles.
*No general limit on much of the Autobahn (130 km/h is advisory). Around 30% has posted limits, reduced in roadworks and bad weather. Towing is capped at 80, and vehicles must be capable of at least 60 km/h.
Defaults shown in Germany’s official unit (km/h). The UK and US use mph; everywhere else uses km/h (100 km/h ≈ 62 mph, 60 mph ≈ 97 km/h).
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What are typical speed limits abroad?
Across most of the world, built-up areas are around 50 km/h (30 mph in the UK), open rural roads 80–100 km/h, and motorways 120–130 km/h. The standouts: Germany’s autobahn has no general limit (130 km/h advisory), Poland and the UAE reach 140, and France lowers its limits in the rain. Pick a country above for its exact defaults.
Methodology: Figures are the national defaults for standard passenger cars, compiled from Wikipedia’s “Speed limits by country”, national transport authorities and 2026 driving guides, and cross-checked. They’re stored as ranges or notes wherever a single number would be misleading — the German autobahn’s lack of a general limit, the US and India varying by state, France’s wet-weather reductions — rather than inventing false precision. Because signs, vehicle type, weather and driver experience all change the real limit, the tool shows defaults in each country’s official unit and states plainly that posted signs override. This is general information, not legal advice. How we test & calculate.
Know the limit before you turn the key
Speed limits are one of the easiest things to get wrong when you drive in a new country — the numbers are different, the units sometimes change, and the limit on an empty-looking road is rarely signed because it’s simply the national default. This tool gives you those defaults for cars at a glance: what to expect in town, on open rural roads, and on the motorway, in the unit the country actually uses.
Defaults, not a substitute for the signs
Every figure here is a starting point. A posted sign always wins, cities are increasingly carving out 30 km/h and 20 mph zones, and several countries vary their limits by region — the US and India by state, Belgium between Flanders and Wallonia. Where a country doesn’t really have a single number, this tool says so rather than pretending: Germany’s autobahn shows no general limit with its 130 km/h advisory, and the US shows a range because interstates run from 65 up to 85 mph depending on the state.
Weather, vehicle and experience all matter
The default is for a standard car in good conditions. France automatically lowers its limits in the rain (130 to 110 on motorways) and further in fog. Most countries set lower limits for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, buses and anything towing — often 10–20 km/h below the car limit — and many cap newly-qualified drivers lower too. If you’re in a motorhome, towing a caravan, or driving a larger hire vehicle, check your category specifically.
Plan the rest of the drive
Heading abroad with a car? Pair this with which side of the road they drive on and what documents you need in our driving-abroad checker, estimate the petrol with the fuel cost calculator, and make sure you’ve got the local emergency numbers saved before you set off.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — they’re the national defaults for standard cars, and a posted sign always takes priority over them. Many countries also vary limits by region (the US and India differ by state, Belgium’s rural default differs between Flanders and Wallonia), and cities increasingly set their own 30 km/h or 20 mph zones. Treat the figures as what to expect, then follow the signs you actually see.