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Sometimes, it's not obvious for motorists to know what the speed limit is if there are no signs on the road in the United Kingdom.
The information in this section explains when you should not be going faster than thirty (30) miles per hour and when to obey the national speed limits.
You must not drive or ride faster than the maximum allowed speed limit for a given type of road and vehicle.
Often, the local council will use road signs to set a maximum speed limit in certain areas, such as:
Important: Starting on the 17th of September 2023, unless road traffic signage shows something different, an upper limit of thirty (30) miles per hour (48 km/h) applies to all single and dual carriageways with street lights in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and twenty (20) miles per hour (32 km/h) in Wales.
| Built-up areas mph (km/h) | Built-up areas in Wales | Single carriageways mph (km/h) | Dual carriageways mph (km/h) | Motorways mph (km/h) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans and dual-purpose vehicles | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 60 (96) | 70 (112) | 70 (112) |
| Cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans and dual-purpose vehicles when towing caravans or trailers | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 60 (96) |
| Motorhomes or motor caravans (not more than 3.05 tonnes maximum unladen weight) | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 60 (96) | 70 (112) | 70 (112) |
| Motorhomes or motor caravans (more than 3.05 tonnes maximum unladen weight) | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 70 (112) |
| Buses, coaches and minibuses (not more than 12 metres overall length) | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 70 (112) |
| Buses, coaches and minibuses (more than 12 metres overall length) | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 60 (96) |
| Goods vehicles (not more than 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 70 (112) 60 (96) if articulated or towing a trailer |
| Goods vehicles (more than 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) in England and Wales | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) | 60 (96) |
| Goods vehicles (more than 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) in Scotland | 30 (48) | 20 (32) | 40 (64) | 50 (80) | 60 (96) |
Important: Another section contains information about speeding penalties and how much you would need to pay if you get caught by a speed camera.
In most cases, driving a van means you need to comply with a lower speed limit than those for cars. Furthermore, you need to follow the same maximums that apply for goods vehicles of the same weight.
Note: Vehicles weighing less than two (2) tonnes laden (loaded) weight may qualify as car-derived vans and dual purpose vehicles.
A motorhome or motor caravan will be classified as a goods vehicle if it:
The purpose of limiting how fast a vehicle can go is to reduce road traffic accidents. Thus, the types of vehicles that must have a speed limiter fitted include:
Restricting fuel supply to an engine curtails the maximum speed reachable by a vehicle. In most cases, doing so means it will be incapable of reaching the speed limit.