50 in town, 70 outside town, motorway up to 120 — and the exceptions you need to know.
Without signs, Sweden's base speed limits apply: • 50 km/h in built-up (urban) areas • 70 km/h outside built-up areas • 90 km/h on expressways (motortrafikled) • 110 or 120 km/h on motorways (signposted) Signs always override the base limit.
The Built-up area sign (blue with a house silhouette) automatically means 50 km/h, even if no 50 sign is visible. The End of built-up area sign releases the limit back to 70 unless another sign says otherwise.
30 zones are common around schools, kindergartens, and playgrounds. Stick to 30, police enforcement there is zero-tolerance.
The base limits are the maximum allowed speed, not the recommended speed. In slippery conditions, fog, darkness, or heavy traffic the adapted speed can be significantly lower. See the next lesson.