Highway 401 speed limits 2026

The 401, section by section

Since August 31, 2026, the only part of the 401 still at 100 km/h is central Toronto, from Highway 427 to Highway 404. There are no variable (electronic) speed limits on the 401 or the QEW, so the number on the sign is the limit.

Ontario’s 110 km/h expansion

By September 30, 2026, 110 km/h covered about 89% of Ontario’s provincial highway network (1,811 km), up from 43%. Between June and September 2026, 938 km were raised, including sections of the QEW and Highways 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 412, 416, 417 and 418.

Not every section changed, and the changes are recent, so watch the signs on any highway you haven’t driven lately. Where no limit is posted, Ontario’s default outside built-up areas is 80 km/h.

What a ticket costs on the 401

The same speed costs more in central Toronto, because you’re further over the limit there.

Totals on the ticket: Schedule 43 set fine, plus surcharge, plus $5 costs (our maths; the $5 figure comes from secondary sources). Construction zones with workers present double the set fine. Try other speeds in the speeding fine calculator.

150 km/h is stunt driving everywhere

Ontario treats 150 km/h or more as stunt driving on any road, including 110 km/h freeways, where that’s only 40 over. At the roadside that means an immediate 30-day licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment, even if it isn’t your car.

If convicted: a $2,000–$10,000 fine (or up to 6 months in jail), 6 demerit points and a 1–3-year licence suspension for a first conviction.

The province’s own figures explain why: in 2013–2017 Ontario data, the risk of death or serious injury was 11 times higher in collisions at 50 km/h or more over a 100 km/h limit than at or below the limit.

Does 120 really save time?

Arithmetic at a steady speed, with no traffic.

The fuel bill goes the other way: Natural Resources Canada says a car uses about 20% more fuel at 120 km/h than at 100.

Stopping and following distance

On a dry road, an average car needs about 98 m to stop from 100 km/h and 113 m from 110 (122 m and 143 m on a wet road), according to the Queensland Government’s stopping-distance data. Keep at least a 2-second gap to the car ahead (MTO Driver’s Handbook): about 56 m at 100 km/h.

Can G1 drivers use the 401?

No. G1 drivers can’t drive on 400-series highways or high-speed expressways unless the supervising driver is a certified driving instructor. G1 drivers also can’t drive between midnight and 5 a.m.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. ontario.ca, Raising speed limits on Ontario highways (updated September 23, 2026)
2. Global News, June 24, 2026
3. CTV London, August 31, 2026
4. CTV Windsor, 2022
5. ontario.ca, Speeding and aggressive driving (stunt driving, 2013–2017 risk figure)
6. Ontario Court of Justice, Set Fines Schedule 43 and O. Reg. 161/00
7. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel-efficient driving techniques
8. Queensland Government, Stopping distances
9. MTO Driver’s Handbook, Driving along
10. ontario.ca, Get a G driver’s licence
11. Highway Traffic Act, s.128(1)

Travel times and following distances are our own arithmetic. This explains the published rules; it isn’t legal advice.

More Ontario driving guides

• Ontario speeding fine calculatorTicket totals for any speed, plus the court figures.
• Can you go 20 over in Ontario?The fine, the points and the insurance hit.
• Ontario demerit pointsHow many points, how long, and when you lose your licence.
• Driving in Ontario for the first timeThe rules that surprise newcomers.