Are you travelling abroad? Check the limits and plan your route with Autopay
Are you travelling abroad by car? Crossing the border doesn’t just mean a different motorway toll sticker or different toll gates – it also means different speed limits. The 140 km/h you’re used to on Polish motorways will result in a fine in Switzerland, and in the Netherlands during the day – a rather hefty one at that.
You can sort out your road tolls inthe Autopay app – You can use it to buy e-vignettes for several European countries and pay for journeys on selected Polish motorways without having to stop at the toll gates. You’ll have to keep an eye on your speed yourself, though.
We’re looking at the speed limits in popular European countries and how Poland compares.
Speed limits in Poland
In Poland, a passenger car may travel at a maximum speed of 140 km/h – on a motorway. On a dual-carriageway expressway, the speed limit is 120 km/h, and on a single-carriageway expressway, it is 100 km/h. The same speed limit, i.e. 100 km/h, applies on ordinary dual-carriageway roads with at least two lanes in each direction. On other roads outside built-up areas, the maximum speed is 90 km/h.
In built-up areas, a 50 km/h speed limit applies 24 hours a day from 1 June 2021. Previously, the speed limit at night was 60 km/h. In residential areas, the speed limit is 20 km/h.
What are the speed limits in Europe?
In built-up areas, Europe is consistent – the speed limit is 50 km/h almost everywhere. The biggest differences can be seen on motorways. Below are the speed limits for passenger cars in the countries Poles visit most frequently (based on the website Your Europe and national legislation).
140 km/h on the motorway – Poland and Bulgaria. In both countries, the speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h, and 90 km/h outside built-up areas.
130 km/h on the motorway – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Lithuania and Denmark. On motorways, the speed limit is 130 km/h in Slovakia and Austria, 120 km/h in Lithuania, and 110 km/h in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and France. Outside built-up areas, the speed limit is 100 km/h in Austria, 80 km/h in France and Denmark, and 90 km/h in the other countries in this group.
120 km/h on the motorway – Spain and Switzerland. In Spain, the speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h, and 90 km/h outside built-up areas. In Switzerland, the limits are 100 km/h and 80 km/h respectively.
110 km/h or less – Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. In Sweden, the speed limit on motorways is 110 km/h, and 70 km/h outside built-up areas. In Norway, the speed limit on motorways is 100–110 km/h, and 80 km/h outside built-up areas. In the Netherlands, the speed limit on motorways is 100 km/h during the day and up to 130 km/h at night; on expressways it is 100 km/h; and outside built-up areas it is 80 km/h.
Germany – no general speed limit on the motorway. The recommended speed limit on motorways and expressways is 130 km/h, whilst outside built-up areas the limit is 100 km/h.
All figures are given in km/h. Speed limits may vary on sections marked with road signs.
Exceptions worth bearing in mind
Germany is the only country in the EU without a general speed limit on motorways. The recommended speed is 130 km/h, and speed limits indicated by road signs apply on many sections anyway. In the Czech Republic, a 150 km/h limit has been trialled on a 47 km stretch of the D3 motorway since October 2025, when weather and traffic allow.
Some countries set speed limits depending on the weather conditions. In France, when it’s raining, the speed limit on motorways is 110 km/h instead of 130 km/h. The same applies in Italy. In Lithuania, from November to March, the speed limit on motorways drops to 110 km/h. French departments may also reinstate a 90 km/h limit on their roads, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the road signs there.
In Spanish towns, the limit on streets with one lane in each direction is 30 km/h. In the Netherlands, the 100 km/h speed limit on motorways applies between 6.00 and 19.00. Young drivers are also often subject to lower speed limits, for example in Italy and Lithuania.
How does Poland fare against this backdrop?
Poland is among the European leaders when it comes to motorways. Apart from us, only Bulgaria has a 140 km/h speed limit, whilst higher limits apply only on German sections with no speed limits and on a test section of the Czech D3 motorway. In most countries in the region – the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary – the speed limit is 130 km/h. In Spain and Switzerland it is 120 km/h, whilst in the Netherlands it is just 100 km/h during the day.
The situation is similar on expressways: our 120 km/h is higher than the 110 km/h speed limit in the Czech Republic, Hungary or Italy. On ordinary roads and in towns, there is hardly any difference – 90 and 50 km/h are the European standard. The limits are lower in countries such as France, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, whilst in Germany and Austria the speed limit outside built-up areas is 100 km/h.
In practice, this means one thing: once you’ve left Poland, you almost always have to slow down.
A fine issued abroad will be sent to you
Speeding abroad doesn’t end at the border. EU countries exchange vehicle data, so a notice to pay a speed camera fine may arrive by post in Poland. New EU Directive 2024/3237 extends these rules to cover further offences, including dangerous overtaking and failure to form an emergency corridor.
The penalties can be severe. In Germany, if you exceed the speed limit by 31–40 km/h in a built-up area, you’ll be fined 260 euros and have your driving licence suspended for a month (List of fines, in German). In Austria, if you exceed the speed limit by a very large margin – by 80 km/h in a built-up area or 90 km/h outside one – your car may be impounded (StVO § 99b, in German). In Switzerland, even a minor breach results in a fine, whilst extreme cases can lead to a prison sentence.
By way of comparison, in Poland, if you exceed the speed limit by 31–40 km/h, you’ll pay 800 PLN and receive 9 penalty points (Schedule of fines, Journal of Laws 2021, item 2484, PDF in Polish). In the event of a repeat offence within two years, the amount is at least doubled.
Summary
Poland has some of the highest speed limits on motorways and expressways in Europe. It is therefore worth checking the rules in your destination country and in any transit countries before setting off – and bearing in mind that road signs always take precedence over general speed limits.
This will help you plan your route the Autopay app. You can buy e-vignettes there for Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Hungary, and you’ll pay automatically for journeys on the AmberOne A1 motorway and the Poznań–Konin section of the A2 and the Katowice–Kraków section of the A4, without having to stop at toll gates. This means you can focus on the road – and your odometer – whilst travelling. Have a safe journey!