Speed limitPortugal
4. Speed limit
A speed limit is the maximum legal speed permitted on a road, lane or within a designated area. It may be established by general traffic law or indicated by fixed, variable or temporary traffic signs.
A speed limit is a maximum, not a target speed. Drivers must travel more slowly whenever traffic, visibility, weather, road conditions, vulnerable road users or the condition of the vehicle make the maximum permitted speed unsafe.
Wikimedia.org • FF Mira • CC BY-SA
Which general speed limits should car drivers know in Portugal?
For an ordinary passenger car without a trailer, the general maxima are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on ordinary rural roads, 100 km/h on roads reserved for cars and motorcycles and 120 km/h on motorways. Special areas and other vehicle categories have different rules. Follow the applicable signed restriction.
🔗 ansr.pt • ANSR official RST — corrected 2019 republication, sign descriptions and markings
Does a Portuguese residential coexistence area have the normal 50 km/h urban limit?
No. A legally designated zona de coexistência has a 20 km/h maximum, with additional protections for vulnerable users. It is a specific category; an ordinary residential street is not automatically such an area.
🔗 ansr.pt • ANSR official RST — corrected 2019 republication, sign descriptions and markings
May a car towing a trailer use Portugal’s ordinary car speed limits?
No. The Road Code gives towing combinations separate maxima by road category. Check the column for the actual vehicle and trailer combination rather than using the ordinary car motorway figure. Lower signed restrictions also apply.
🔗 ansr.pt • ANSR official RST — corrected 2019 republication, sign descriptions and markings

Traffic rules
Portugal