10 States Where Drivers Can Hit The Highest Speeds

Here's a fun fact for people who like to go on trips on U.S. roadways. Way back in the late 90s, the states of Nevada and Montana had a "no speed limit" law. It was not all that specific, suggesting you drive at a "prudent" speed but at your own discretion. Imagine for a moment what that would be like. You're driving an old-school BMW, the sunroof is open, and you just fueled up for a long road trip. Heading east out of Los Angeles, you cross into Nevada and decide to put that engine to the test.

Times have changed since then — both Nevada and Montana eventually enacted speed limit laws. After all, we now know for certain that lowering speeds leads to fewer accidents, at least in some locations. The fastest roads in America right now are all in Texas, which lets you drive at 85 mph in some areas. That's followed by several states that have limits of 80 and 75 mph.

As you'll see, the states that let you drive at the fastest speeds often reduce the limit in urban areas. Before you head out for a travel vacation or go exploring the country in a fast car, here are the states with the fastest speeds.

In Texas, the speed limit on some highways is 85 mph, the fastest in the United States. A huge caveat is that 85 mph is the limit only on one stretch of road by Austin that only runs about 40 miles to Seguin, Texas. Specifically, it's Texas State Highway 130. Before you go, you might want to bring a few spare coins, since it's a toll road. If you have the electronic tag, you should expect to pay about $8, but without the stamp it could be as high as $18. It also depends on whether you are driving a car or a motorcycle, have a trailer attached, or if you have a large truck.

Another interesting fact about that toll road is that it was built specifically for that speed. If more states investigate increasing the speed limit, they'll need more than research: they might have to build new roads that can accommodate faster speeds. Most roads in Texas are set at an 80 mph speed limit, however. The speed limit of 85 mph was enacted way back in 2012, and there has been no movement in other states to go faster than 80 mph. Only eight states let you go 80 mph, as noted below; the rest are closer to 75.

Montana ranks highly on our list of states where drivers can open up the throttle a bit, mostly because there are fewer restrictions on where you can drive at the top speed of 80 mph. Other states like South Dakota and Utah also let you drive at 80 mph, but the real bonus to driving in Montana is the scenery — and fewer restrictions. That's one reason why you see so many exotic cars driving around in Montana. If you decide to gaze at the massive mountains and lush flowing streams, know that there are three main arteries to consider.

Interstate highways 15, 90, and 94 allow you to criss-cross the state, and they are all set to 80 mph. The state is also home to Glacier National Park along the Northwest corner. As for restrictions, the only one to consider is that semi-trucks have to stick to 70 mph, and be aware of the fact that only those three highways allow 80 mph. Yet, we ranked it high because both I-90 and I-94 run all the way across the state, starting on the far west with Highway 90 and coming up from Yellowstone to the south on I-90.

We suddenly became big fans of Wyoming when we found out the top speed is 80 mph on many interstate highways, but the real motivator is that you can drive that fast across most of the state on I-80, which runs along the southern border, close to Colorado.

That means you are taking in all of the scenery as well, including the city of Cheyenne and the massive peaks surrounding Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Maybe that's why people in Wyoming put so many miles on their cars: It's just an amazing place to drive. Sadly, the faster speeds do not take you up to Devil's Tower, but if you do head down that route and then go east, you can reach South Dakota, another states where you can drive to 80 mph. Wyoming ranks highly on our list because there are three main arteries that allow you to let it rip at speeds up to 80 mph, including I-25, I-80, and I-90.

There are long stretches of the interstate in South Dakota where you can set your cruise control to 80 mph. In fact, you can drive all the way across the state at that speed on I-90, driving through Chamberlain and Mitchell, and close to the Badlands on the east. While Montana and Wyoming both have actual mountains, the faster drive from Sioux Falls to Rapid City in South Dakota means you can arrive in the Black Hills faster.

How fast exactly? Once you drive out of Sioux Falls, the speed limit changes to 80 mph and the entire route to Rapid City takes about 4.5 hours to drive 350 miles. You can also drive at 80 mph on I-29, which runs north and south along the Eastern border of the state. As for restrictions, we ranked South Dakota highly because there are not that many to worry about. You can drive at 80 mph on I-90 and I-29 even when you pass close to cities.

Like Wyoming and Montana, Utah is a scenic state. Mountains, green valleys, and wide open spaces are well worth the visit, and they're certainly better reasons than the 80 mph speed limit.

Yet, it ranks a little lower because there are only specific sections of the interstate that allow that speed. Enacted just last year, the 80 mph speed limit applies to I-80 driving from the Nevada border up to SR 36. Then, you can drive up to 80 mph on I-15 going from North Leeds to the city of Santaquin (with posted slowdowns near mountain passes).

Compared to states like South Dakota, where it is possible to drive all the way across the state at one speed with no slowdowns for cities, the speed limits in Utah are a bit less consistent. In other words, watch the signs. You can also drive at 80 mph from Brigham City over to the Idaho border. While Montana and South Dakota don't change the speed limit for those driving across the entire state, the laws in Utah are a bit different and are based on recent traffic studies.

Speaking of driving to Idaho from Brigham City in Utah, there are stretches of roadway in Idaho that also let you drive up to 80 mph, but you will need to pay attention to the posted limits.

That's because the state only allows 80 mph on rural interstates in the southern part of the state, along I-15, I-84, and I-86, where there are fewer mountains. Driving that speed near urban locations is more limited, but there's something else in the state that makes fast driving a bit difficult. If you look at a map of Idaho, the faster speed limit makes sense in the southern areas, driving through Boise and near Twin Falls. In the northern areas, the National Forests cover almost every square inch. It wouldn't make sense to increase the speed limit to 80 mph in those areas.

Another factor to consider is that semi-trailer trucks cannot drive 80 mph. Instead, they are limited to just 70 mph. Because of this restriction, as well as the reduced speed limit in urban areas, Idaho doesn't rank as high as other states.

The further we go down the list of states that post a speed limit at 80 mph, the more restrictions you'll see for this faster speed limit. North Dakota is the perfect example. The state has wide open areas and straight roads for long road trips.

While you can drive at80 mph on the main interstate that runs all the way across North Dakota, the posted speed will lower to 75 mph when you are close to Bismarck and Fargo. That's something to be aware of if you set cruise control and forget to check your speed. In areas around Dickinson, the speed limit can be as low as 70 mph. This is all a recent change from this summer, when North Dakota raised the speed limit on the main artery of I-94, which now matches the other Dakota to the south.

Ranked a little lower on our list than most states, Nevada is still a top pick compared to, say, California or New York, where the top speed is only 75. What you will encounter is a scenic state with mountains but also plenty of flat, open roads. The truth is that Nevada has more restrictions than other states that let you drive to 80 mph. It's one of the states where a speeding ticket will cost you the most, and the speed limit occasionally drops to just 65 mph near urban areas.

In fact, the 80 mph limit is only active in the more rural stretches of the state, for about 130 miles starting near Reno on I-80 running east — but only until you get to Winnemucca. Known as the "high desert," this is the more isolated area in the northern part of the state. In case you're wondering, that's nowhere near Las Vegas. Could that change at some point? Here's hoping. The drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas would not be so unbearable.

We snuck Oklahoma into the top roads for diving fast speeds because there are portions of the state that permit speeds of 80 mph. Just know that, before you put the top down on that sweet Camaro Convertible (which Chevy may never resurrect) and drive to the Sooner State, the "gotcha" is that you can only drive that speed on the turnpikes — and even then, there are more restrictions in place than other states. In fact, it's up to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to determine when the speed limit can be 80 mph, and that's been the case since they raised the limit in 2019.

Determining the states that allow the higher speed limit is a bit like reading an org chart, though. The turnpikes that allow the faster speed include the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, the Kickapoo Turnpike, and the Cimarron Turnpike. Even then, there are restrictions, so keep an eye on the signs.

Kansas has row after row of wheat fields — not to mention soybeans and corn – and roads that let you whip past them at slightly higher than the typical pace for the rest of the country. The state just barely made our list because the top speed is 75 mph.

While that may not be the highest limit out there, Kanas has fewer restrictions than other states that allow you to drive to this speed. You can drive at 75 mph even on many urban highways, and not just on the main rural interstates. Many states allow 75 mph only in rural areas and then lower the speed limit when getting close to major cities.

In Kansas, the faster speed also applies to the Kansas Turnpike, which runs all the way from Oklahoma on the southern side of the state all the way to Kansas City. It includes cities like Wichita, Topeka, and Lawrence. Plus, there are fewer restrictions near urban areas.

The methodology we used to determine the states with the fastest speed limits is based primarily on data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which keeps track of speed limits in each state and their restrictions. In most cases, the restrictions determine how many roads have the top posted speed. We also looked at whether the state lowers the speed limit for trucks and when you are driving near urban areas. We used some additional criteria beyond the posted speeds, including whether the roads are scenic.