Speed limits in Spain

Spain has different speed limits for every kind of road and vehicle.

Border sign displaying the general speed limits for cars and motorcycles

History of changes

There were no speed limits on Spanish motorways until a generic limit of 130 km/h was instated in 1973 in order to save fuel during the 1973 energy crisis. It was lowered to 100 km/h to prevent accidents,^[when?] but raised again in 1992 to 120 km/h. Proposals to raise the speed limit to 130 km/h have so far been rejected.

In 2011 from 7 March through 30 June, in order to save fuel due to the ongoing Arab Spring, the maximum speed limit in Spain was reduced from 120 km/h to 110 km/h.^[1]

On 29 January 2019, the speed limit was reduced from 100 km/h to 90 km/h on single-lane rural roads.^[2]

Standard motorway speed limit

On Motorways and autovías:

• 120 km/h for cars and motorbikes
• 100 km/h for buses and vans
• 90 km/h for trucks and vehicles with a trailer weighing 750 kg or less
• 80 km/h for vehicles with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg

Bicycles and mopeds are not allowed to access a motorway, although only bicycles (not mopeds) may ride on the shoulders of autovías.

Standard interurban rural roads speed limit

• 90 km/h for cars, buses and motorbikes
• 80 km/h for vans, trucks and vehicles with a trailer, or campers weighing more than 3,500 kg
• 45 km/h for bicycles and mopeds^{[2][failed verification]}

Specific speed limits

On all non-urban roads and motorways, school buses and vehicles containing contaminant, explosive or flammable materials must decrease their speed limit by 10 km/h.

On motorways, a minimum speed limit of 60 km/h is mandatory for all vehicles. Minimum speeds on other roads are one half of the generic speed limit for every vehicle. If a posted speed limit sign is below this value, the minimum speed is the posted limit minus 10 km/h.

No legal sanction is established for driving at a measured speed within 3 to 10 percent over the speed limit, depending on the specific error margin of the radar.^[3]

Built-up areas

Built-up areas:^[4]

• 50 km/h on urban roads with two lanes per direction
• 30 km/h on urban roads with one lane per direction
• 20 km/h on urban roads shared with pedestrians