Speed limits look simple until a learner crosses a border or sits in a different kind of vehicle. In Great Britain the limit depends on the road, the vehicle and, since 2023, the nation: Wales has a different default in built-up areas. Northern Ireland has its own limit for learners. This article sets out what GOV.UK and the Welsh Government say, so that a learner practising with an instructor or a supervisor knows what the limits are before the first lesson on an unfamiliar road.
Limits for learners in each nation
GOV.UK’s guide to learning to drive says that in England, Scotland and Wales the speed limits when driving with L plates are the same as after passing the test. In Northern Ireland, it says the speed limit is 45 miles per hour when learning to drive a car. A learner in Northern Ireland should therefore treat 45mph as a ceiling, whatever a road sign says; the site’s guide to learning to drive in Northern Ireland covers the wider system there. The rest of this article concerns Great Britain.
The default in built-up areas
GOV.UK says the national speed limits apply to all single and dual carriageways with street lights unless signs show otherwise: 30 miles per hour in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and 20 miles per hour in Wales. Its table applies the same built-up limit to cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans, motorhomes, buses, coaches, minibuses and goods vehicles. The page describes the speed limit as the absolute maximum, and says it does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed in all conditions.
Wales: a 20mph default with exceptions
The Welsh Government says it introduced a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads across Wales in September 2023. It describes restricted roads as usually in residential and built-up areas, often with street lights placed no more than 200 yards apart, which historically had a 30mph limit. Local authorities are responsible for county roads and Trunk Road Agents operate the strategic road network for the Welsh Government, and both were to identify roads that could stay at 30mph, using guidance issued by the Government. The Government says it provided new guidance to highway authorities in July 2024 to help them assess which roads the limit could return to 30mph.
Any change must be made through a traffic regulation order, a statutory process the Government says takes several months. A map on DataMapWales shows which roads remain at 30mph. For a learner, the key practical point is that road signs mark changes: because 20mph is now the default in Wales, the Welsh Government says there will not be repeater signs, which are the smaller signs that often appear on street lights. The Welsh Government’s page was last updated on 25 September 2024, so the current list of roads is best checked on the map.
Open roads: cars and car-derived vans
GOV.UK’s table gives the following limits for cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans and dual-purpose vehicles: 60mph on single carriageways, 70mph on dual carriageways and 70mph on motorways. When towing a caravan or trailer the limits fall to 50mph, 60mph and 60mph respectively. The page adds that most vans have a lower limit than cars and must follow the limits for goods vehicles of the same weight, while vehicles weighing no more than 2 tonnes laden may qualify as car-derived vans, and vehicles weighing no more than 2.04 tonnes unladen as dual-purpose vehicles, which share the limits of cars. This matters for a learner who moves from lessons to hiring a van.
The guide also notes that a learner car is subject to the ordinary limits, but a learner may only drive on motorways in England, Scotland or Wales if with an approved driving instructor in a car fitted with dual controls. The site’s guide to learner drivers on motorways explains that rule.
Locally set limits
GOV.UK says local councils can set their own limits in certain areas, which must be clearly signed. Its examples are a 20mph zone in a built-up area near a school, and a 50mph limit instead of 60mph on a stretch of road with sharp bends. The practical lesson for learners is to look for signs rather than rely on the road type; the site’s guide to what to expect in your first driving lesson covers what a first session involves.
Speed limiters
GOV.UK says a speed limiter must be fitted on vehicles with more than eight passenger seats, such as buses, minibuses, coaches and stretch limousines, and on goods vehicles with a maximum laden weight above 3.5 tonnes. It notes that a limiter may mean a vehicle cannot reach the speed limit. This is more relevant to those training for larger vehicles than to a learner in a car.
Common questions
Do learners have a lower speed limit in England? No. GOV.UK says the limits with L plates in England, Scotland and Wales are the same as after passing the test.
What is the limit on a street-lit road in Wales? The default is 20mph, unless signs show otherwise, according to GOV.UK and the Welsh Government.
The bottom line
In Great Britain, learners follow the same speed limits as qualified drivers: 30mph on street-lit roads in England and Scotland, 20mph in Wales unless signs show otherwise, and 60, 70 and 70mph on single carriageways, dual carriageways and motorways for cars. In Northern Ireland a learner car is limited to 45mph. Vehicle type, towing and local signed limits all change the figure, so reading signs matters more than assuming a road’s type. This is general information; signs and current legislation take priority.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “Speed limits”
- GOV.UK, “Driving lessons and learning to drive”
- Welsh Government, “Introducing default 20mph speed limits” (gov.wales)