The A9 speed limit for cars is 60 mph (96 km/h) on single carriageway sections and 70 mph (112 km/h) on dual carriageway sections. Vans, motorhomes, lorries and anything towing often have lower limits, and the dualling roadworks at Tomatin to Moy and Tay Crossing to Ballinluig are 40 mph (64 km/h). Average speed cameras cover much of the road between Dunblane and Inverness, so the limit is worth knowing before you set off.
| Vehicle | Single carriageway | Dual carriageway |
|---|---|---|
| Cars and motorcycles | 60 mph | 70 mph |
| Cars towing a caravan or trailer | 50 mph | 60 mph |
| Most vans (goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes laden) | 50 mph | 60 mph |
| Motorhomes up to 3.05 tonnes unladen | 60 mph | 70 mph |
| Motorhomes over 3.05 tonnes unladen | 50 mph | 60 mph |
| Buses, coaches and minibuses | 50 mph | 60 mph |
| HGVs over 7.5 tonnes, Perth to Inverness | 50 mph | 50 mph |
| HGVs over 7.5 tonnes, rest of the A9 | 40 mph | 50 mph |
What is the speed limit on the A9?
The speed limit on the A9 depends on the type of road you are on and the vehicle you are driving. For a car, that means 60 mph on a single carriageway and 70 mph on a dual carriageway, unless signs show a lower limit. The A9 keeps changing between the two, so watch for the signs at the end of each dual section.
What is the A9 speed limit for cars?
The A9 speed limit for cars is 60 mph on single carriageway and 70 mph on dual carriageway. Stretches with street lights can have a lower limit, and signs take priority. Your limit is 50 mph and 60 mph respectively if you are towing a caravan or trailer.
What is the A9 speed limit for vans?
The A9 speed limit for most vans is 50 mph on single carriageway and 60 mph on dual carriageway, because most vans follow the goods vehicle limits for their weight. Vehicles up to 2 tonnes laden may qualify as car-derived vans, and vehicles up to 2.04 tonnes unladen may qualify as dual-purpose vehicles. Those use the car limits, so check your vehicle's details rather than assuming.
What is the A9 speed limit for motorhomes?
The A9 speed limit for a motorhome depends on its unladen weight. Up to 3.05 tonnes unladen, the limit is 60 mph on single carriageway and 70 mph on dual carriageway. Over 3.05 tonnes, it is 50 mph and 60 mph. A motorhome used to carry goods for exhibition and sale can count as a goods vehicle, so GOV.UK has further detail if that applies to you.
What is the A9 speed limit for HGVs?
HGVs over 7.5 tonnes have a limit of 50 mph on the single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness, and 50 mph on dual carriageway. Elsewhere in Scotland, including the single carriageway A9 north of Inverness, GOV.UK gives 40 mph on single carriageways. The Perth to Inverness figure goes back to a pilot that started in October 2014, and the regulations behind it are still in force.
Is the HGV speed limit in Scotland changing?
Yes, the HGV limit in Scotland is set to change, and the planned date is 1 April 2027. Draft regulations laid before the Scottish Parliament would raise the limit for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes from 40 mph to 50 mph on single carriageways and from 50 mph to 60 mph on dual carriageways. They would also revoke the 2014 A9 rule, since the new national figure would match it.
When we checked, the draft had not been made into law, so the current limits apply until it is. Scottish ministers dropped the separate proposal to cut the national single carriageway limit from 60 mph to 50 mph, so the limit for cars stays as it is. Transport Scotland says the aim of the HGV change is to reduce the speed gap between lorries and other traffic, easing frustration and making journey times more reliable.
Are there average speed cameras on the A9?
Yes, there are average speed cameras on the A9, and they cover most of the road between Dunblane and Inverness. Transport Scotland says they were introduced in late 2014 and upgraded in 2022, and that the main purpose is to encourage people to keep to the limit rather than to detect large numbers of offenders. Coverage changes along the route:
- Dunblane to Perth: the entire stretch is covered by average speed cameras.
- Perth to Inverness: average speed cameras monitor the single carriageway sections, including the 2+1 stretches. The dual carriageway sections have a number of mobile sites.
- Inverness to Thurso: the North Safety Camera Unit has a number of mobile camera sites, monitored regularly.
Police Scotland also patrols the route in marked and unmarked vehicles. Transport Scotland publishes the coordinates of the A9 average speed camera sites on its road safety page. When the system went live it said the cameras operate 24 hours a day, so a quiet road at night is no different. For the detail of how the measurement works, read our guide to average speed cameras in the UK.
What are the A9 speed limits at the roadworks?
The A9 dualling roadworks have temporary limits of 40 mph at Tomatin to Moy and at Tay Crossing to Ballinluig. Both have temporary average speed systems, and Police Scotland lists them alongside the A82 at Glencoe. These limits protect the people building the road as much as the people driving it.
- Tomatin to Moy: a 40 mph temporary restriction enforced around the clock by average speed cameras since 1 July 2025. Police Scotland said it would stay until the dualled section is expected to finish in spring 2028.
- Tay Crossing to Ballinluig: a 40 mph limit near Dalguise, with temporary average speed cameras enforcing around the clock since September 2026.
Police Scotland's Eric Dunion said in September 2026 that reduced limits are "in place for the safety of all road users and for those working on A9 dualling project". Highway Code rule 288 is just as direct: you must not exceed any temporary maximum speed limit. Layouts also move as the work goes on, with both lanes realigned around new structures such as the bridge at Dalmagarry, so read the signs each time even on a road you know well.
Have average speed cameras made the A9 safer?
The early results were good, although the A9 remains a road that needs your full attention. In the first three months, Transport Scotland reported that speeding overall fell from around one driver in three to one in twenty. Excessive speeding, at 10 mph or more above the limit, fell by 97 per cent.
Transport Scotland's collision figures show how much the numbers move from one year to the next:
- Perth to Inverness, 2022: 8 fatal accidents, with 13 people killed.
- Perth to Inverness, 2023: 1 fatal accident, with 1 person killed.
- Perth to Inverness, 2024: 7 fatal accidents, with 7 people killed.
Across the trunked road from Dunblane to Scrabster, there were 10 fatal accidents in 2024. Police Scotland told the A9 Safety Group in April 2026 that there had been 5 fatal collisions on the A9 in 2025. Behind each number is a family, which is why speed is only one part of the work.
When will the A9 be fully dualled?
The A9 between Perth and Inverness is expected to be fully dualled in 2035, according to Transport Scotland. The programme covers 83 miles of single carriageway, split into 11 sections:
- Complete: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, and Kincraig to Dalraddy.
- Under construction: Tay Crossing to Ballinluig, and Tomatin to Moy.
- In preparation: the other seven sections. The A9 Safety Group heard in April 2026 that Dalraddy to Slochd is due to start procurement in early 2027.
Until then, you will keep moving between single and dual carriageway. Transport Scotland has added road markings, signs at the end of dual sections, and "two way traffic" signs and arrows reminding drivers to keep left at regular intervals.
How do you drive the A9 safely?
The safest way to drive the A9 is to treat each change of road layout as a fresh start. A few habits make a real difference on a long Highland run:
- Know where the dual sections end. The limit drops and traffic comes towards you again, often with a queue behind a lorry.
- Overtake only when it is safe. Highway Code rule 162 says to make sure the road is sufficiently clear ahead and that there is a suitable gap in front of the vehicle you plan to pass.
- Do not rely on following another car. Rule 163 warns there may only be enough room for one vehicle.
- Let others by. Rule 169 says not to hold up a long queue, and to pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.
- Keep your distance. Rule 126 advises at least a two-second gap on high-speed roads.
For the wider rules, see our guides to the national speed limit in the UK and to stopping distances in the Highway Code.
What does the A9 mean for your next drive?
Work out your limit before you leave, especially if you are towing, driving a van or in a large motorhome. Then settle in, hold a steady speed at or below the limit on the single carriageway sections, and give yourself time. The A9 is one of Scotland's great drives, and it is far better enjoyed without a hurried overtake.
Ghost is a lovely thing to have on a long road north. It runs next to Google Maps and warns you safely from the background, with a banner and a tone over your music, about 700 m ahead of known fixed speed cameras and average-speed zones. As you get closer it shows the exact distance clearly, and it alerts you again at 250 m, so you have time to check your speed. Mobile cameras and police checks are not part of what it does, so the signs still lead the way. It works on your phone, CarPlay, Android Auto and Apple Watch, and covers more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide.
