Excessive speeding is one of the most common driving offences for motorists in the UK; 42% of offences declared on insurance applications fall under this category according to MoneySuperMarket’s internal data. However, compared to the average driving speeds of other countries, the UK’s average long-distance driving speed of 86.1km/h sits outside the top 30 ‘fastest’ driving countries, in 32nd position.

To find out which countries are home to the fastest drivers, MoneySuperMarket analysed data from the Google Routes API to calculate average driving speeds in different countries around the world for long-distance routes and inner-city urban areas.

Credits: Supplied Image;

Long-Distance Driving Speed

According to MoneySuperMarket’s analysis, the United States has the highest average long-distance driving speed at 109.5 kilometres per hour. With the highest speed limits in the USA generally at around 113km/h on rural interstates (though the toll-only Texas State Highway 130 has the highest limit in the country at 136km/h), the analysis shows that it’s possible to drive close to the 113km/h or 70mph limit on most of the roads in America. The fastest state, according to the research, is Wyoming, with an average long-distance driving speed of 115.6km/h.

Canada ranks in second place with an average long-distance driving speed of 107.9km/h. Oman places third, with an average speed of 104.7km/h, while Croatia comes in fourth with an average speed of 102.9km/h over long distances.

Fastest Average Long-Distance Driving Speeds

Rank

Country

Long-Distance Average Speed (km per hour)

1

United States

109.5

2

Canada

107.9

3

Oman

104.7

4

Croatia

102.9

5

France

101.5

6

Hungary

101.2

7

China

98.8

8

Spain

98.4

9

Iraq

97.6

10

Italy

97.5


Slowest Country For Long-Distance Driving

MoneySuperMarket also looked at the countries with the slowest average driving speeds over long distances, with Mauritania taking the top spot thanks to an average speed of 22.9km/h. Malta follows closely in second, with Andorra ranking in third at a slightly quicker 29.4km/h.

The Countries With The Slowest Average Long-Distance Driving Speeds

Rank

State

Long-Distance Average Speed (km/h)

1

Mauritania

22.9

2

Malta

23.0

3

Andorra

29.4

4

The Gambia

30.8

5

Sri Lanka

35.5

6

Haiti

35.5

7

Liechtenstein

35.8

8

Saint Lucia

37.1

9

San Marino

37.1

10

Bhutan

37.6


The countries with the slowest average long-range driving speeds do not typically lend themselves well to high-speed long-distance driving; for the case of countries like The Gambia and Haiti, poor road conditions, such as potholes, as well as older vehicles and more agricultural traffic, are likely to increase congestion and make travelling slower. In the likes of Malta, Liechtenstein and San Marino, many ‘long-distance’ routes will still be very urban, with the historic roads in these areas often trickier to navigate, resulting in lower average driving speeds.

Fastest Average Urban Driving Speeds

When it comes to urban driving, Estonia is the country that tops the charts for the highest average driving speed, at 46.6km/h, closely followed by Brunei with an average of 46.3km/h. Many of the countries in the top 10 for fastest urban average driving speeds have a lower density of cars on the road, resulting in less congestion and allowing drivers to reach greater speeds – though no countries’ average driving speed breaks above 50km/h.

Fastest Average Urban Driving Speeds Around The World

Rank

Country

Urban Average Speed (km/h)

1

Estonia

46.6

2

Brunei

46.3

3

Equatorial Guinea

44.9

4

Central African Republic

42.1

5

Venezuela

41.8

6

Kuwait

40.9

7

San Marino

39.5

8

New Caledonia

39.4

9

Slovakia

38.6

10

Luxembourg

38.5


At 28.6km/h the UK sits in the joint 90th spot of the world’s fastest average urban driving speeds, in the bottom 49% of countries, while the United States sits outside the top 100 with an average of 26.6km/h. With 20mph speed limits present in many urban areas in the UK, alongside pedestrianisation schemes and traffic calming measures, as well as congestion from a high density of vehicles, the restrictions and characteristics of UK urban roads likely play a role in reducing average speeds.

With countries such as France, Germany and Italy also ranking among the slowest urban drivers, the results highlight the impact that congestion has on average driving speed in towns and cities - which though frustrating for drivers, does help to reduce average driving speed, making these areas safer for drivers and other road users.

Alicia Hempsted, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket says: “Driving behaviours vary widely across the globe, and our latest research highlights just how much average speeds differ from country to country. However, it's important to remember that speed can directly impact your insurance costs—especially if it leads to a driving conviction.

“Insurers in the UK take speeding offences seriously and drivers are required to declare any speeding offences, both in the UK and abroad, when applying for an insurance policy. The aim of a speed limit is to keep everyone on the roads safe. Observing the speed limit not only makes your journey safer, it helps avoid convictions that result in fines and points on your driving licence, which will hlep to keep insurance premiums down. MoneySuperMarket data shows that drivers who have a speeding conviction for exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road or exceeding the speed limit on a motorway can expect to pay an average of £211 more for their car insurance than drivers who don't have a conviction for speeding.”

For more information on the research, visit: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/slowest-and-fastest-countries/