Guides/Theory test
Speed Limits in Ireland: Every Limit, Updated for 2026
Updated 31 August 2026 · 6 min read
Ireland cut the speed limit on most rural local roads in February 2025, from 80 km/h down to 60. That single change covers roughly 83,000 km of the 102,000 km road network, so if you learned the limits before then, the number you have in your head is wrong for the majority of roads in the country.
Here is what is actually in force in 2026, road type by road type. Two other reductions were legislated at the same time and get reported as though they already happened. They have not commenced, and this guide says so where it matters.
| Road type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 120 km/h | Unchanged. Variable limits apply on the M50 and in the Port Tunnel |
| National road (primary and secondary) | 100 km/h | A cut to 80 on secondary roads is law but not commenced |
| Regional road (R numbers) | 80 km/h | Unchanged |
| Local road (L numbers), outside towns | 60 km/h | Cut from 80 on 7 February 2025 |
| Built-up area | 50 km/h | Unchanged as a default; many streets are posted lower |
| Posted special limit | 20 to 120 km/h | A sign always beats the default |
Default limit versus posted limit
Every public road in Ireland has a limit even where there is no sign. That is the default limit, and it comes from the road classification: local, regional, national, motorway or built-up area. You are expected to know which kind of road you are on.
Where a council has posted a different number, the sign wins. Those posted limits are called special speed limits, and the council can only choose from a fixed menu: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100 or 120 km/h. So you will never meet a legitimate 70 km/h sign in the Republic.
The rural sign that looks like a national speed limit sign
A white disc with black diagonal bars and a "Go Mall / SLOW" plate underneath is the Rural Speed Limit sign. Drivers coming from the UK read it as "national speed limit applies". In Ireland it is more specific than that: it means 60 km/h, and it is only allowed on narrow local roads.
Its meaning changed with the February 2025 reform. Before then the same sign meant "use your judgement, never above 80". Now it means 60. The sign face did not change, only what it stands for, which is exactly the kind of detail the theory test likes.
Trucks, buses and towing have their own limits
These limits follow the vehicle, not the road, and they apply everywhere in the country regardless of what the roadside sign says. They matter for the truck and bus theory tests, where they come up directly.
| Vehicle | Motorway | Dual carriageway | Other roads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods vehicle over 3,500 kg | 90 km/h | 80 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Coach or bus, seated passengers only | 100 km/h | 100 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Bus carrying standing passengers | 65 km/h | 65 km/h | 65 km/h |
| Any vehicle towing a trailer or caravan | 80 km/h | 80 km/h | 80 km/h |
What has not changed, despite the headlines
Two further reductions were written into the Road Traffic Act 2024 and are still waiting on a commencement order. National secondary roads are supposed to drop from 100 km/h to 80. A 30 km/h default for built-up areas was drafted, then dropped in favour of councils posting 30 street by street, with a deadline of March 2027.
So in 2026 a national secondary road is still 100 km/h, and an unsigned built-up street is still 50. Plenty of blog posts say otherwise. If your theory test asks, answer with what is in force.
Learner drivers
Ireland has no special speed limit for learners, unlike some countries. A learner permit holder obeys exactly the same numbers as everyone else. What learners cannot do is drive on a motorway or tow a trailer, and because they cannot tow, the 80 km/h towing limit never applies to them.
Crossing into Northern Ireland
The border does not announce itself, but the units change. The Republic uses km/h and the sign says km/h under the number. Northern Ireland uses mph. A "50" sign means 50 km/h on one side and 50 mph, about 80 km/h, on the other. The signs look near enough identical.
Speed limit questions come up in every category
They are in the legal matters section of the car test and the technical section for trucks and buses. Practise the real questions free.
Practise theory test questionsFrequently asked questions
+What is the speed limit on rural roads in Ireland?
On rural local roads, the ones with L numbers, the default is 60 km/h. It dropped from 80 km/h on 7 February 2025. Regional roads, the R numbers, are still 80 km/h.
+What is the national speed limit in Ireland?
There is no single national limit. The default depends on the road: 120 km/h on motorways, 100 on national roads, 80 on regional roads, 60 on rural local roads and 50 in built-up areas.
+Is the speed limit on national secondary roads 80 km/h now?
Not yet. The reduction from 100 km/h to 80 km/h was legislated in the Road Traffic Act 2024 but has not been commenced, so national secondary roads remain 100 km/h in 2026.
+What does the white sign with black diagonal lines mean in Ireland?
It is the Rural Speed Limit sign and it means 60 km/h. It is used on narrow local roads instead of a 60 sign, always with a "Go Mall / SLOW" plate. It is not the same as the UK national speed limit sign.
+What is the speed limit for trucks in Ireland?
A goods vehicle over 3,500 kg is limited to 90 km/h on a motorway and 80 km/h everywhere else. Where the road limit is lower, such as 60 km/h on a rural local road, the road limit applies.
+Can you drive 10 km/h over the speed limit in Ireland?
No. There is no legal tolerance. Enforcement cameras and Garda checkpoints may apply a small margin in practice, but the limit is the limit and exceeding it is an offence.
+Are speed limits in Ireland in km/h or mph?
Kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland, and the sign carries "km/h" under the number. Northern Ireland uses mph.