Speed limits in Switzerland: where 50, 80, 100 and 120 apply

The four general limits

VRV Article 4a sets four general maximum speeds. They apply under favourable road, traffic and visibility conditions, subject to a different posted limit and the limits of the vehicle. In this lesson, expressway means the Swiss road type Autostrasse; it should not be confused with a motorway (Autobahn).

Three lower-speed regimes are especially relevant around homes, shops and town centres:

Every limit is a maximum, not a recommended speed. Rain, fog, darkness, poor grip or dense traffic may require you to drive much more slowly. SVG Article 32(1) requires adjustment to the actual circumstances, even if you are below the signposted limit.

Where does the general 50 km/h limit begin?

On the normal signed approach, the general built-up-area limit starts at general maximum speed 50 km/h (2.30.1). The sign is placed where dense development begins on either side of the road. The general 50 then applies throughout the densely built-up area until the end sign (2.53.1), placed where neither side remains densely developed (SSV Article 22(3); VRV Article 4a(2)).

The blue town-entry sign (4.27) identifies the place. It does not itself impose a speed limit. A town-name sign and a speed-limit sign can stand together, but their legal functions remain different. Look for the actual speed sign rather than assuming that every place-name board means 50.

There is also an exception to the expectation that every entrance has a sign. On insignificant minor roads, such as an agricultural access road or a forest track, the beginning and end signs may be omitted. If you enter the densely built-up area that way, the general 50 still applies. “There was no round sign on my route” is therefore not always a valid reason to continue at 80.

A posted section limit or “50 general”: how long does it apply?

A maximum-speed sign (2.30) can set a section-specific limit, such as 60 on a rural road, 30 by a school or 100 on a motorway section. The separate general 50 sign (2.30.1) identifies the built-up-area regime and has a wider scope.

Keep these rules distinct:

• Ending or replacing a posted limit: the relevant end sign ends the restriction; a newly applicable speed sign changes the maximum for the following section.
• The junction rule: under SSV Article 16(2), a section limit imposed by sign 2.30 applies at most to the end of the next junction. To continue beyond it, the sign is repeated. A driveway or car-park access is not automatically a qualifying road junction.
• The general built-up-area regime: the general 50 applies throughout the densely built-up area. It does not disappear at every junction. A zone limit also has its own zone-wide scope until the corresponding end sign.

After a genuine junction without continuation of a section restriction, identify the otherwise applicable general, zone and vehicle limits. Do not use the junction rule to ignore a general 50 or a 30 km/h zone. The regulatory-sign guide shows the relevant speed signs.

Vehicle-specific limits, including trailers

VRV Article 5 also limits certain vehicles and combinations. A road allowing a higher speed does not override the vehicle's lower maximum. The following is a practical overview; approved technical restrictions can be lower still:

A trailer does not always mean a motorway maximum of 80. Since 2021, VRV Article 5(2)(c) permits up to 100 km/h on motorways and expressways for the eligible light-vehicle combination described above. Check the trailer's authorised total weight and the technical suitability of the whole combination, including tyres. Do not infer eligibility just because you are towing a small trailer.

Eligible coaches and heavy motorhomes also have a 100 km/h motorway/expressway rule under Article 5(2), excluding articulated buses and buses used in licensed public scheduled services with authorised standing places. The road limit, vehicle limit and conditions all apply together: a 120 sign never authorises exceeding a lower vehicle limit.

Sources: VRV Article 5(2) and (3) and ASTRA’s explanation of the trailer rule.

Is there a minimum motorway speed?

The claim that you must always drive at least 80 km/h on a motorway is incorrect. The general admission rule concerns motor vehicles that can reach and are permitted to reach at least 80 km/h (VRV Article 35(1)), with specified exceptions for certain authorised and road-service vehicles. It does not require you to maintain 80 in a queue, fog or another situation where that would be unsafe.

You must not drive so slowly without a compelling reason that you impede a steady traffic flow (VRV Article 4(5)). That duty is also subject to safe driving: unsuitable visibility or conditions can provide a real reason to slow.

A round blue minimum-speed sign (2.31) can impose a specific requirement where displayed. Read its scope and the actual circumstances instead of assuming either that every motorway has an 80 minimum or that no minimum-speed signs exist.

Speeding: measurement deductions and penalties

The enforceable speed is the measured speed after the applicable measurement deduction, not simply the dashboard reading. For standard radar measurements up to 100 km/h, the deduction is 5 km/h; for laser measurements up to 100 km/h, it is 3 km/h. Higher speeds and other measurement methods have different deductions. These are measurement safeguards, not permission to exceed the limit.

These fixed penalties are listed in OBV Annex 1 item 303 and apply only where the simplified procedure is available. Above those ranges, ordinary proceedings apply. The penalty depends on the offence and circumstances; procedural costs and separate licence measures, such as a warning or withdrawal, may follow. It is not accurate to describe every higher penalty as one automatic income-based fine.

SVG Article 90(4) defines particularly excessive speeding by the applicable speed limit: at least 40 km/h over a limit of 30 or less; at least 50 over a limit of 50 or less; at least 60 over a limit of 80 or less; and at least 80 over a limit above 80. The statutory offence and its consequences require assessment under Article 90; do not promise one automatic sentence.

In a built-up 30 km/h zone, 16 km/h over the limit after deduction is already outside the fixed-penalty table, while 40 over reaches the particularly-excessive-speed threshold. The traffic fines calculator helps explain the categories for a measurement; the authority decides the actual case.

Sources: OBV Annex 1, item 303, Basel-Landschaft Police on measurement deductions, and SVG Article 90.