UK Speed Limits: A Complete Guide To Safe Driving

Speed limits are a key part of the UK’s traffic rules. For some they are an important aspect in the quest for road safety, while others see them as an important source of frustration. No matter how you see it, speed limits are an important part of life, so we have collected all the information you need to drive within the speed limit in the UK, no matter what type of vehicle you are driving.
Current UK speed limits by vehicle type, road and country

UK speed limits for vans, motorbikes and cars weighing up to 2 tonnes fully laden:

• Motorway: 70mph
• Dual carriageway: 70mph
• Single carriageway: 60mph
• Restricted road: 30mph

UK speed limits for a car with a trailer:

• Motorway: 60mph
• Dual carriageway: 60mph
• Single carriageway: 50mph
• Restricted road: 30mph

UK speed limits for minibuses, coaches and buses up to 12 meters long and goods vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes:

• Motorway: 70mph
• Dual carriageway: 60mph
• Single carriageway: 50mph
• Restricted road: 30mph

UK speed limits for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes in England and Wales:

• Motorway: 60mph
• Dual carriageway: 60mph
• Single carriageway: 50mph
• Restricted road: 30mph

UK speed limits for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes in Scotland:

• Motorway: 60mph
• Dual carriageway: 50mph
• Single carriageway: 40mph
• Restricted road: 30mph

What are dual carriageways, motorways, and restricted roads?

Dual carriageways usually have a divider, and in rare cases they can have single lanes with two ways traffic.
A single carriageway is a standard road that doesn’t have a physical divider to separate oncoming traffic and can have anything from one lane with passing places to five lanes with a tidal flow for the center lane to cope with the flow of traffic.
A restricted road is another name for roads in built up areas and it can be hard to quickly decide what the speed limit is when using them for commute. A good thing to keep in mind is that if you see houses and street lights on the road, then drive in speed limit of 30 mph, unless stated otherwise.
Other speed limits

Here we have listed national speed limits, but local authorities can impose different limits if they feel the need. Generally this is to slow traffic on roads where the 60mph national speed limit would usually be applicable, even though there is also the ability to add 20 mph zones in urban areas.
These different speed limits are only ever decreased in increments of 10mph, and when they are 50mph or lower, there are no decreased limits for different classes of vehicle and the speed limit you see written is the one you must not surpass.

What is the UK drink and drive limit?

The last set of changes in regulation took place in 2015, when the limits for large HGVs on single and dual carriageways were raised to 50mph and 60mph respectively.
UK speeding penalties

Here is a list of speed limits and the type of penalty you can expect, depending on how much faster than the posted maximum you have gone:

Speed limit Fixed penalty or speed awareness course over: Court summons over:
20mph 24mph 35mph
30mph 35mph 50mph
40mph 46mph 66mph
50mph 57mph 76mph
60mph 68mph 86mph
70mph 79mph 96mph
If you get more than six penalty points within 24 months of passing your test, your licence will be canceled.