Speed limits for pick-ups and tipper vans in Great Britain: how GOV.UK classes the vehicle

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It gives the published tables and definitions and says nothing about which class any particular pick-up, van or tipper falls into. Licence classes and trailer weights are on the guide to driving licences by country, and weight terms are on the guide to vehicle weights in the United Kingdom. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The idea behind the table

GOV.UK's speed limits page says a driver must not go faster than the limit for the type of road and the type of vehicle. It calls the limit the absolute maximum and says it does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed in all conditions. The same page says most vans have a lower limit than cars and must follow the limits for goods vehicles of the same weight.

The same page names two kinds of vehicle that share the car limits. Vehicles weighing no more than 2 tonnes laden may qualify as a car-derived van. Vehicles weighing no more than 2.04 tonnes unladen may qualify as a dual-purpose vehicle. The page sends readers to a separate GOV.UK page for the definitions.

Built-up areas

GOV.UK says the national limit on single and dual carriageways with street lights is 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) in Wales, unless signs show otherwise. In its built-up area table the same figure applies to every vehicle class listed: cars, car-derived vans, goods vehicles up to and over 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight, and all of them when towing. The Highway Code's Rule 124 words it the same way. Local councils can set their own limits, which GOV.UK says must be clearly signed, with a 20 mph zone near a school as its example.

Open roads, by class

The table follows GOV.UK's speed limits table for single carriageways, dual carriageways and motorways, in miles per hour with kilometres per hour in brackets. The class names are shortened here: "up to 7.5 t" means a maximum laden weight not more than 7.5 tonnes. Rule 124 of the Highway Code carries the same figures.

Class	Single	Dual	Motorway
Cars, car-derived vans, dual-purpose	60 (96)	70 (112)	70 (112)
Those, towing a trailer	50 (80)	60 (96)	60 (96)
Goods, up to 7.5 t	50 (80)	60 (96)	70 (112), or 60 (96) if articulated or towing
Goods, over 7.5 t, England and Wales	50 (80)	60 (96)	60 (96)
Goods, over 7.5 t, Scotland	40 (64)	50 (80)	60 (96)

The GOV.UK page on driving a van gives a shorter table for vans in particular. It lists a van at 30 mph in a built-up area, 50 mph on a single carriageway, 60 mph on a dual carriageway and 70 mph on a motorway. A car-type van is 30, 60, 70 and 70. A van with a trailer is 30, 50, 60 and 60.

What the Act says

The table is set in law by Schedule 6 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, headed speed limits for vehicles of certain classes. Rule 124 cites sections 81, 86 and 89 of the Act and Schedule 6 as its legal basis. The legislation.gov.uk page shows the Schedule with all changes known to be in force on or before October 9, 2026.

Definitions. Paragraph 2 of Part IV defines a car-derived van as a goods vehicle constructed or adapted as a derivative of a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 2 tonnes. It defines maximum laden weight by the gross weight set in construction and use requirements, or where none is set, the weight the vehicle is designed or adapted not to exceed in normal use on a road, laden.
Goods vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes. Item 5(1) in Part I covers a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 7.5 tonnes that is not articulated, not drawing a trailer and not a car-derived van. The Act gives 70 on a motorway, 60 on a dual carriageway and 50 on other roads.
Towing. Item 3 covers a car-derived van drawing one trailer, at 50 on other roads. Item 5(2)(a) covers a motor vehicle other than a car-derived van drawing one trailer where the combined maximum laden weight does not exceed 7.5 tonnes, at 60 on a motorway and 50 on other roads. A motor vehicle drawing more than one trailer has its own lower items.

Speed limiters and penalties

GOV.UK's speed limits page says a speed limiter must be fitted on goods vehicles with a maximum laden weight of more than 3.5 tonnes, and on vehicles with more than 8 passenger seats. It says a limiter may mean the vehicle cannot reach the speed limit. The driving a van page says speeding can bring a fine of up to GBP 1,000, or GBP 2,500 for motorway offences, and 3 to 6 penalty points.