Speed limits by country

Overview

The following tables show various jurisdictions' default speed limits (where applicable) that apply to different types of vehicles travelling on three different types of road. Actual speed limits may range beyond these values. The enforcement tolerance is specified in km/h or percentage above the stated limit.

Germany is the only country where some motorways do not have a maximum speed limit. The 130 km/h is sign-posted as a general advisory speed limit for motorways in the entry of the country. Due to those Autobahns, Germany is considered a country without a general speed limit on its highways. The Isle of Man is the only jurisdiction without a general speed limit on rural two-lane roads.

The fastest speed limit posted in the countries with a numerical maximum speed limit is 160 km/h, found on two highways in the United Arab Emirates, including the E11 Road (Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Road), specifically the stretch from Ghuwaifat Border with Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi, and the E22 Road (Al Ain Road) between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Definitions

Numerous countries have a different general speed limit for urban roads than on remaining roads. Such differences exist since the beginning of the 20th century, in countries such as United Kingdom and France. This concept is formally defined as road within built-up area in various regulations, including the Vienna Convention, even if the UK has re-branded them as street lighted or restricted areas. More informally they are known as urban roads. In 2017, most of all IRTAD countries have a default speed limit in urban roads of 50 km/h, with various lower speeds, for instance, in the Netherlands, 70% of the urban roads are limited to 30 km/h.

Some countries, for instance the US, India or China, do not have a specific urban road maximum speed.

Different speed limits exist for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) but the limits for HGVs are country dependent: while most Eurasian and American countries might use the Vienna Convention's 3.5-tonne limit, other countries in North America, China, India, Australia or Ireland might use different weight limits.