The National Speed Limit on UK roads is 60mph on single carriageway roads and 70mph on dual carriageways. Some people get confused and think the national speed limit is 30mph. What the national speed limit means is the top speed that is allowed on any road in this country. 30mph is the normal speed limit in a built up area. A built up area is usually understood to be an area where street lights are less than 200 metres apart.
The speed limit in a built up area may be lower than 30mph - for instance near a school. If the limit is 20mph or less, then there should be signs to indicate this and there should be some form of traffic calming measures.
Speed limits for Trucks, Vans, HGV, LGC and Towing
The speed allowed in a national speed limit area mentioned above is for cars and other small vehicles. Consult the Highway Code for speed limits for larger vehicles and vehicles that are towing. The speed limit for vehicles that are towing on a dual carriageway or motorway is 60mph.
Some speed cameras can differentiate between different sized vehicles and will activate at a lower speed for larger vehicles.
Speed Limits in mph > Type of vehicle |
Built up area (street lit) |
Single Carriageways | Dual Carriageways | Motorways |
cars & motorcycles (including 'car derived' vans up to |
30 |
60 |
70 |
70 |
| cars towing caravans or trailers (including car derived vans and motorcycles) |
30 |
50 |
60 |
60 |
| buses and coaches (not exceeding 12 metres in overall length) |
30 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
| goods vehicles (not exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) |
30 |
50 |
60 |
70 *60 if articulated or towing a trailer |
| goods vehicles (exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight) |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
