Speed limits in the Netherlands: how fast can you drive where? (theory B)

How fast are you allowed to drive? The CBR car theory exam asks this in many forms: a photo of a road, a sign, or a situation with a trailer. The answer depends on the type of road and on the signs. In this article we list the speed limits for a passenger car, based on the Dutch traffic rules, the Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens 1990 (RVV 1990). We give the Dutch terms in brackets because those are the words you will see in the exam.

The four basic limits for a car

• Inside a built-up area (bebouwde kom): 50 km/h (RVV art. 20). The built-up area starts at the blue place-name sign (sign H1).
• Outside built-up areas, on ordinary roads: 80 km/h (RVV art. 21).
• On an expressway (autoweg): 100 km/h (RVV art. 21). You recognise an autoweg by the blue sign with a white car (G3).
• On a motorway (autosnelweg): 130 km/h by law (RVV art. 21), but read on: during the day most motorways have a lower limit.

Motorways: usually 100 km/h during the day

According to the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), from 06:00 to 19:00 almost all motorways have a limit of 100 km/h. On some stretches you may drive 130 km/h during the day, and on some the limit is 80 km/h. From 19:00 to 06:00 many motorways allow 100, 120 or 130 km/h. The signs along the road always tell you which limit applies.

Watch the matrix signs above the lanes: a speed shown inside a red ring is a maximum speed (sign A3). If it shows a lower speed than the signs along the road, for example because of a traffic jam or an accident, you follow the matrix sign.

Home zones, trailers and advisory speeds

• Home zone (erf / woonerf): 15 km/h (RVV art. 45). You recognise an erf by sign G5.
• Car with a trailer or caravan with a maximum permitted mass of up to 3,500 kg: max 90 km/h, also on the motorway (RVV art. 22).
• Round sign with a red ring (A1) = maximum speed: you may not go faster. Blue square sign (A4) = advisory speed (adviessnelheid): advice, not an obligation.
• Signs override the default rule: if there is a 30 or 60 km/h sign, that limit applies until the end sign (A2).

A maximum is not a target

The speed limit is an upper limit. Under RVV art. 19 you must always be able to stop your car within the distance you can see ahead and that is clear. In fog, rain, ice or busy traffic you drive slower, even if the sign allows more.

Tip from The Bro School

For every speed question, first look at the surroundings: place-name sign, autoweg sign, motorway or home zone? Then look for a sign with a red ring. Those two steps almost always give you the answer. Since April 2025 the car theory exam has 50 questions in 30 minutes, and you need 44 correct to pass. Practise speed questions in our exam packages and read the explanation of every mistake after each exam.

Source: Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens 1990 (wetten.overheid.nl), art. 19, 20, 21, 22, 45 and annex 1; Rijksoverheid, maximum speed for cars on the motorway; CBR, topics in the theory exam