Average driving speeds around the world

Written by Alicia Hempsted

Updated: 12 May 2025

In this guide / article

Whether it’s the introduction of a smart motorway or a debate over a newly imposed driving limit, speed is a frequent topic of discussion when it comes to driving safely. Excessive speeding is one of the most common driving offences in the UK, and one that can significantly impact your car insurance premium, as it indicates to insurers that you may be at a higher risk of an accident.

Most UK insurers require you to disclose if you have been caught speeding abroad. But driving limits (and attitudes to those limits) vary significantly from country to country, with factors like road infrastructure quality and government policy as well as safety concerns and cultural norms having an impact. This got us thinking - although every country has its own approach to speed limits, where in the world, on average, drives the fastest and the slowest?

Using data from the Google Routes API we plotted both long-distance and urban routes across multiple days and times to calculate the average driving speeds around the world. Our analysis has revealed how urban and long-distance driving speeds differ around the world, and that real life driving speeds don't always match up with speed limits.

Average long-distance driving speeds around the world

Based on average driving speeds between three of the most populated cities in each country, the United States is revealed to have the highest average driving speed at 68.1 miles per hour over long distances. With the highest speed limits in the country generally at around 70mph on rural interstates (though the toll-only Texas State Highway 130 has the highest limit in the country at 85mph), it’s clearly possible to drive close to this limit on most of the roads in the USA.

Canada follows in second, with an average speed of 67.1mph, while Oman follows in third with an average of 65.1mph. Croatia places in fourth with an average driving speed of 64.0mph despite their higher speed limits of 80mph on motorways. Croatia doubled fines for speeding from around €65 to €130 in 2021, which may have encouraged drivers there to reduce their speeds.

French drivers rank in fifth place with an average speed of 63.1mph over longer driving distances. However, for motorways the country has a variable speed limit in place, which can fluctuate from around 80mph down to 68mph in wet weather, so drivers would be driving at around this speed on average on a rainy day.

Despite being famed for their ‘speed limit free’ stretches of Autobahn, Germans rank in 16th position overall, driving at an average 58.4mph. According to government data, although many sections of the Autobahn have no restrictions on speed, the average Autobahn driving speed sits at around 93mph. German drivers put a strong emphasis on following the rules of the road with proper lane discipline and proper signalling, generally prioritising safe and ‘correct’ driving over speed.

At the other end of the scale, countries such as Malta and Mauritania sit with the lowest average long range driving speeds at just over 14mph, with Andorra, The Gambia and Sri Lanka also ranking at the bottom of the table. However, when looking at the geography of these countries and their road networks, the main blocker to higher speeds is likely to be less prevalence of motorway networks. Similarly, many of the slower-driving nations have a smaller land mass which means people aren’t driving long distances.

Average urban driving speeds around the world

Rank	Country	Average speed (mph)
1	Estonia	29.0
2	Brunei	28.8
3	Equatorial Guinea	27.9
4	Central African Republic	26.2
5	Venezuela	26.0
6	Kuwait	25.4
7	San Marino	24.5
8	New Caledonia	24.5
9	Slovakia	24.0
10	Luxembourg	23.9
11	Iceland	23.7
12	Faroe Islands	23.6
13	Guinea-Bissau	23.6
14	South Africa	23.5
15	Papua New Guinea	23.3
16	Sweden	23.2
17	Namibia	23.1
18	Samoa	22.7
19	Singapore	22.7
20	Oman	22.6

As well as finding and comparing the average driving speeds over long distances, our study also analysed urban driving speeds, which paints a rather different global picture. Though San Marino ranks among the slowest countries for long distance driving, it ranks among the top 10 for speed when it comes to urban driving with an average of 24.5mph.

However, Estonia takes the top spot at an average 29.0mph, closely followed by Brunei in second at 28.8mph. Many of the countries in the top 10 have a lower density of cars and wide roads in urban areas that help to reduce congestion.

At 17.8mph the UK sits in the 92nd spot of world’s fastest average urban driving speeds. The United States sits outside the top 100 with an average of 16.5mph. With countries such as France, Germany and Italy also ranking among the slowest urban drivers, the results highlight how congestion affects driving speeds in towns and cities.

Average driving speeds around the UK

Looking specifically at regions in the UK, drivers in the South West can travel at the highest average speed over long distances, at around 61.0mph. Though the region can see significant levels of traffic during the school holiday season and bank holidays, as a whole, the region is less densely populated with fewer urban areas than other parts of the UK, which will allow for higher average speeds when travelling long distances. With rural roads featuring fewer junctions and traffic lights, and less competition between drivers for space on the road, drivers are less likely to experience congestion outside of peak seasons.

Similar could be said for Northern Ireland which places in second - with an extensive road network and a lower population density than many other parts of the UK, those travelling long distances are more likely to have a smooth-flowing journey, increasing their average speed.

The East Midlands ranks as the slowest region, with average long-distance speeds of 33.9mph. This region acts as a corridor between the north and south, with roads often more congested as a result, particularly around Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.

UK regions with the highest urban driving speeds

Rank	Region	Average speed (mph)
1	North East	24.1
2	South East	22.5
3	South West	22.0
4	East of England	20.4
5	West Midlands	18.7
6	Northern Ireland	17.7
7	Wales	16.9
8	East Midlands	16.3
9	Yorkshire and the Humber	15.7
10	North West	15.4
11	Scotland	14.9
12	Greater London	13.7

Unsurprisingly, Greater London ranks slowest when it comes to urban driving speeds, with drivers achieving just 13.7mph on average, because of congestion, and more complex infrastructure in the form of crossings and traffic lights.

Scotland and the North West also make it into the bottom three for average urban driving speeds - this could be due in part to their being more narrow, historic roads, and rush-hour traffic that slows drivers down. Meanwhile, the North East ranks as the region with the fastest average urban driving speed in the UK, at an average 24.1mph. According to data from TomTom, Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough saw the lowest levels of congestion of UK cities in 2024, which may be why driving in these areas could be up to 10mph faster than in the slowest regions.

Wales ranks 7^th in the table of fastest urban driving regions, with an average urban speed of 16.9mph. This could be due to the Welsh government's introduction of a blanket 20mph speed limits on “restricted roads” in September 2023.

Average driving speeds in the USA

At US state-level, many of the less densely populated states rank among the fastest for long distance driving due to lower congestion and it being possible to maintain higher speeds for long distances. Wyoming takes the top spot with drivers able to travel at around 71.8mph on average on long drives, followed by New Mexico in second (71.0mph average) and Idaho (70.5mph average) in third.

New Hampshire, Vermont and Maryland rank in the bottom three, all with long distance average driving speeds below 55mph - around 20mph lower than those achieved in the fastest states. With the Appalachian Mountains stretching through all three of these states, it’s likely that the winding terrain results in slower driving speeds during longer stints, while inclement weather may also impact on average driving speeds.

States with the highest urban driving speeds

Rank	Region	Average speed (mph)
1	Alaska	30.3
2	Alabama	30.1
3	Nebraska	29.7
4	Arkansas	28.0
5	Missouri	27.8
6	Rhode Island	27.8
7	Delaware	27.6
8	Florida	27.4
9	New Hampshire	27.2
10	Vermont	27.2

For urban driving, Alaska comes out as the fastest state, with average driving speeds in cities of around 30mph. Despite the states’ rugged terrain, the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks are sparsely populated with much lower traffic compared to other cities in the country. When paired with wide roads, this leads to minimal congestion, enabling drivers to efficiently navigate these urban areas. Alabama, Nebraska, Arkansas and Missouri complete the top five, with the mid-sized cities in these regions likely to handle traffic much more efficiently than larger equivalents in other states.

At the slowest end of urban driving, Massachusetts ranks top with drivers unable to reach even 20mph on average in cities. Boston is often ranked as one of the worst US cities for congestion, which may well be skewing the data in this instance. New York also ranks among the slowest, alongside Ohio, Colorado, Michigan and Maryland - all states which feature high density cities with significant congestion while poor weather conditions and outdated infrastructure may also contribute to difficult driving.

States with the lowest urban driving speeds

Rank	Region	Average speed (mph)
1	Massachusetts	19.6
2	Maryland	20.6
3	Michigan	20.9
4	Colorado	21.2
5	Ohio	21.4
6	New York	21.5
7	Indiana	21.6
8	Nevada	21.6
9	Oregon	21.6
10	Connecticut	21.9

To improve your driving abroad, and avoid speeding fines that could hike up your car insurance premiums, be sure to check the speed limits in the local regions you are driving in Wikipedia’s List of Speed Limits By Country.

Methodology

Using population data from SimpleMaps, we selected each country’s three most populated cities in different regions. Routes connecting city centres were plotted via the Google Routes API with traffic awareness enabled (but without optimisation) and tested at six times on both Mondays and Saturdays. The average speed across these journeys was used to calculate long-distance travel speed.

Urban speeds were measured by routing through the city centre—from a point 5 km outside to 5 km beyond it—in two directions (SW–NE and SE–NW). Where direct access wasn’t possible, the nearest road was used and distances adjusted. As with long-distance tests, speeds were averaged across multiple time slots on both days.

Regional and state-level tests followed the same process but used two cities at least 50 km apart.

Data correct as of April 2025.