France’s general speed limits for cars are 130 km/h on motorways, 110 km/h on dual carriageways, 80 km/h on other roads outside built-up areas and 50 km/h in built-up areas. Limits are lower in rain. Automated enforcement is widespread: the national road safety observatory, ONISR, counted 2,708 fixed speed cameras at the end of 2025.
| Road type | Cars |
|---|---|
| Motorway | 130 km/h (110 km/h in rain) |
| Dual carriageway with central reservation | 110 km/h (100 km/h in rain) |
| Other roads outside built-up areas | 80 km/h (90 km/h on signed sections) |
| Built-up area | 50 km/h |
| Any road, visibility under 50 metres | 50 km/h |
What are the speed limits in France?
The Code de la route sets the limits in the table above, and signs can set a lower limit on any stretch of road.
- Rain or other precipitation: 110 km/h on 130 km/h motorways, 100 km/h on other motorway sections and on dual carriageways, and 80 km/h on other roads.
- Visibility under 50 metres: 50 km/h on every road, motorways included.
- Drivers on a probationary licence: 110 km/h on 130 km/h motorways, 100 km/h on other motorway sections and on dual carriageways, and 80 km/h on other roads.
- 90 km/h roads: this limit applies on sections with at least two lanes in the same direction, on those lanes only, and on roads where the local authority has raised the limit.
- Towns: mayors can set a lower limit for all or part of a built-up area.
What kinds of speed cameras does France use?
France uses fixed, average-speed, worksite and vehicle-mounted speed cameras. ONISR’s 2025 report, published in September 2026, gives these figures:
- Fixed speed cameras: 2,708 at 31 December 2025, of which 14% are on motorways, 80% on national or departmental roads and 6% on local roads.
- Autonomous worksite cameras: 474.
- Red-light and level-crossing cameras: 703.
- Radar cars: 90, of which 15 are driven by police or gendarmes and 75 by operators on set routes in 86 departments.
The government also publishes an interactive map of camera sites at radars.securite-routiere.gouv.fr. It listed 68 average-speed sites when we checked on 30 October 2026.
Are speed camera apps legal in France?
France prohibits devices and products that warn drivers of the location of speed cameras, so warnings are limited to danger zones. Article R413-15 of the Code de la route bans holding, carrying or using radar detectors, and its paragraph V applies the same rules to devices or products intended to warn or inform of the location of enforcement equipment (text checked on 30 October 2026). The Conseil d’État held on 6 March 2013, in decision No 355815, that this covers holding, carrying and using products with that specific function, not the act of informing as such. Under a protocol of 28 July 2011 between the Interior Ministry and the driver-assistance industry association, members agreed not to indicate camera locations and to signal dangerous sections instead, which may or may not contain a camera: at least 4 km on motorways, 2 km outside built-up areas and 300 metres in built-up areas, according to the Conseil constitutionnel’s 2021 commentary.
What did the EU Court of Justice decide in Case C-190/24?
On 16 June 2026 the Grand Chamber ruled, in Joined Cases C-188/24 and C-190/24, that Directive 2000/31 does not stop a Member State from providing for measures that prohibit providers established in other Member States from rebroadcasting information on certain roadside inspections on grounds of public policy, security or safety, subject to the conditions in Article 3(4) of that directive and without prejudice to Article 3(5). The Court also held that an operator that uses an algorithm to decide, in its own interest or that of its service, under what conditions, how and in what order user information is broadcast exercises control over it and cannot rely on the hosting provision in Article 14(1).
The French rule at issue is Article L130-11 of the Code de la route, not Article R413-15. It lets the authorities order navigation services to hide user messages around certain checks, such as alcohol and drug tests, for a limited time and area. Speed checks are outside it, according to the Conseil constitutionnel’s commentary. The Court said the rule appears proportionate, subject to verification by the Conseil d’État, which must decide the case. We found no such decision as of 30 October 2026.
What should visiting drivers know about France?
Speeds are in km/h, and the French road safety agency’s booklet for visiting drivers says that holding, carrying or using a device that warns of speed camera locations is prohibited. The booklet also notes that the maximum speed is signed each time it changes. Check your equipment before you cross the border. Our guides to Italy and Spain cover the routes south.
