Speed limits in Poland: built-up, expressway and motorway limits
Short answer: Poland's limits for cars: 50 km/h built-up (day and night), 90 outside, 100 on single-carriageway expressways, 120 on dual ones, 140 on motorways.
Speed limits in Poland depend on the type of road, the type of vehicle and whether you are inside a built-up area. Many foreign drivers are caught out by the limits for dual carriageways and single-carriageway expressways. This guide follows article 20 of the Road Traffic Act as published on the CANARD (GITD) legal page and quoted by Police units, and the GDDKiA roads agency page on motorway and expressway limits, as checked on 17 October 2026.
Limits for cars, motorcycles and vans up to 3.5 t
The rule applies to passenger cars, motorcycles and trucks with a permissible gross weight up to 3.5 tonnes. According to article 20 as quoted on the CANARD legal page:
- Built-up area: 50 km/h.
- Residential zone (strefa zamieszkania): 20 km/h.
- Motorway: 140 km/h.
- Dual-carriageway expressway: 120 km/h.
- Single-carriageway expressway: 100 km/h.
- Dual carriageway road with at least two lanes in each direction: 100 km/h.
- Other roads outside built-up areas: 90 km/h.
GDDKiA gives the same figures for motorways and expressways: up to 140 km/h on a motorway, 120 km/h on a dual-carriageway expressway and 100 km/h on a single-carriageway expressway.
Built-up areas: 50 km/h day and night
The speed limit in a built-up area is 50 km/h at all hours. Some Police pages still show the older rule of 50 km/h from 5:00 to 23:00 and 60 km/h at night. That was changed on 1 June 2021, according to GDDKiA, which says the limit was made the same day and night. The current article 20 text on the CANARD page has a single 50 km/h figure.
A built-up area starts at the D-42 sign and ends at the D-43 sign, as a Police page on speed explains. The same Police page says a B-33 speed limit sign under the D-42 sign applies up to the D-43 sign. If a B-33 sign inside a built-up area gives more than 50 km/h, the higher limit applies only to cars, motorcycles and trucks up to 3.5 t, not to vehicles with trailers, in which case 50 km/h applies all day.
* Photos: a weight and speed limit sign at Mokre-Kolonia and expressway S8, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Other vehicles and combinations
For a vehicle combination (for example a car with a trailer) or a vehicle not listed above, article 20 gives:
- 80 km/h on a motorway, expressway or dual carriageway road with at least two lanes in each direction.
- 70 km/h on other roads outside built-up areas.
A bus that meets the extra technical conditions may drive at 100 km/h on a motorway and expressway.
Some other limits listed in article 20:
- Farm tractor (with or without trailer): 30 km/h.
- Motorcycle, quadricycle or moped carrying a child up to 7 years old: 40 km/h.
- Electric scooter and personal transport device: 20 km/h.
Distance on motorways and expressways
GDDKiA says that on a motorway or expressway, the driver must keep a minimum distance behind the vehicle in front in the same lane, not less than half the speed in metres. For example, 50 m at 100 km/h, 60 m at 120 km/h and 70 m at 140 km/h. This does not apply during an overtaking manoeuvre. In tunnels longer than 500 m outside built-up areas, the minimum distance is 50 m for vehicles up to 3.5 t and buses, and 80 m for other vehicles and combinations.
Speed is not only a number
Article 19, which the Police quote, requires you to drive at a speed that lets you control the vehicle, taking into account the terrain, road condition and visibility, vehicle load, weather and traffic. So the posted maximum is not always a safe speed.
Cameras
Stationary cameras, mobile cameras and section-speed systems record speeding. A letter from CANARD asks the owner to say who was driving.
What this guide does not cover
We did not look up fine amounts or penalty points for each speed band in a current official table. The sources we used also do not list rules for foreign-registered vehicles. Road signs override the general limits, so always follow the signs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the speed limit in a built-up area at night in Poland?
50 km/h, the same as in the day. The older 60 km/h night limit was removed on 1 June 2021, according to GDDKiA, although some old Police pages still show it.
What is the limit on a motorway?
140 km/h for cars, motorcycles and trucks up to 3.5 t. A vehicle with a trailer is limited to 80 km/h.
How fast can I drive on a regular road outside town?
90 km/h on single-carriageway roads, and 100 km/h on a dual carriageway road with at least two lanes in each direction, for cars, motorcycles and vans up to 3.5 t.
