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GuideUpdated: 13 September 2026

Where Germany drives free: the east-west and north-south divide

The share of Autobahn without a speed limit is very unevenly spread. The east and north drive the freest, the west and south have more limits – here is the ranking of all 16 states.

The four freest territorial states all lie in the east. The leader is Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 90.6%; the lowest territorial state is Rhineland-Palatinate with 49.1%.

The east drives the freest

The four freest territorial states all lie in the east: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (90.6%), Saxony-Anhalt (78.5%), Thuringia (76.1%) and Saxony (75.5%). There a comparatively young, less heavily used network meets lower traffic density – a link that shows clearly in the figures.

The south: lots of Autobahn, a middling share

Bavaria has the longest motorway network in the country at 2,550.2 km and sits in the upper midfield with 68% unrestricted. Baden-Württemberg, despite being a strong car region, reaches only 59.9% – many conurbations, many limits. Details per state in the Bavaria profile and the Baden-Württemberg profile.

The west: a dense network, more limits

North Rhine-Westphalia still runs 63.3% free despite the densest network. The lowest territorial state is Rhineland-Palatinate: only 49.1% without a limit – it even has more fixed-limit than free kilometres.

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All 16 states compared

Sorted by the share without a speed limit. Every row leads to the detailed state profile with all categories.

Autobahn without a speed limit by federal state, sorted by share. As of 13 September 2026.
Federal state Autobahn total no speed limit Share
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania576.7 km522.7 km90.6 %
Saxony-Anhalt531.3 km416.9 km78.5 %
Thuringia521.5 km397.1 km76.1 %
Saxony574.4 km433.5 km75.5 %
Bavaria2,550.2 km1,733.9 km68 %
Schleswig-Holstein558.5 km375.1 km67.2 %
Hesse1,064.7 km699.9 km65.7 %
Brandenburg808.6 km514.3 km63.6 %
North Rhine-Westphalia2,246.3 km1,421.5 km63.3 %
Lower Saxony1,459.9 km915.8 km62.7 %
Baden-Württemberg1,038.5 km622.1 km59.9 %
Saarland241.2 km141.8 km58.8 %
Rhineland-Palatinate849.6 km416.9 km49.1 %
Hamburg81.9 km6.4 km7.9 %
Berlin74.5 km4.5 km6.1 %
Bremen66.1 km1.9 km2.9 %

Frequently asked questions

Which federal state has the largest unrestricted share?

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with 90.6% of its Autobahn free – the highest value of all 16 states.

Is there an east-west divide in speed limits?

Yes. The four freest territorial states (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Saxony) all lie in the east. The main reason is lower traffic density.

Which territorial state has the smallest free share?

Rhineland-Palatinate, at 49.1%. It has more fixed-limit than free Autobahn kilometres. Only the city-states are lower.

Data source: our own analysis of OpenStreetMap speed limits, clipped to the state borders (OSM/Overpass), as of 13 September 2026. Kilometres averaged per direction. Not an official survey.

Read next

Comparison

Speed limit by state

All 16 state profiles with kilometres and categories.

 Contrast

City-states vs area states

Why Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg are almost entirely restricted.

 Ranking

The most derestricted Autobahns

Which individual routes have the largest free share.

 Basics

Where is there no limit?

How the whole network breaks down by category.