Are winter tires mandatory in Ontario?

No. Ontario has no law that says a passenger car must be on winter tires, in Toronto or anywhere else in the province. You won't be pulled over for driving through January on all-seasons. That's the short answer, and it's the reason a lot of drivers stop reading there. The longer answer has money in it.

Your insurer has to offer you a discount

Since 2016, every auto insurer in Ontario has been required to offer a discount to drivers who put winter tires on. It isn't automatic. You usually have to tell them, and most want the tires on between set dates and proof that they were. The size of the discount, the dates and the paperwork all vary by company, so the only way to know what it's worth to you is to call and ask.

Whatever they ask for, the invoice from your changeover is normally what proves it. Keep it with your insurance papers.

What counts as a winter tire

Look on the sidewall for a mountain with three peaks and a snowflake inside it. That symbol means the tire passed a standard snow traction test, and it's what insurers and the provinces that do require winter tires look for. A plain “M+S” (mud and snow) marking, which most all-season tires carry, is not the same thing.

All-weather tires are where it gets grey. Many of them carry the three-peak symbol, and some insurers accept them for the discount. Others only count dedicated winter tires. We've written up how the two actually compare on the road in all-weather vs winter tires.

Studded tires: mostly a no in Toronto

Studs are a different rule. Ontario allows studded tires from October 1 to April 30 for people who live in northern Ontario. If you live in the south of the province, Toronto and Scarborough included, you generally can't run them. Modern non-studded winter tires are what almost every Toronto driver uses instead.

Where winter tires are the law

Drive out of province and the rules change. Quebec requires winter tires on passenger vehicles from December 1 to March 15. British Columbia requires winter-rated tires on many of its highways from October 1 to April 30, and the signs at the start of those routes tell you so. If a ski trip or a drive to Montreal is in your winter plans, that matters.

So should you bother?

Not being mandatory isn't the same as not being worth it. Below about 7°C, all-season rubber stiffens and stops gripping the way it does in summer, on cold dry roads as well as snowy ones. We go into the timing in when to put winter tires on in Toronto. Add the insurance discount and a winter set usually pays back part of what it costs.

A seasonal changeover at Boss Tire starts at $160 before tax, depending on your vehicle, and you leave with the invoice your insurer wants. See winter tire changeover for what's included, or tires if you still need the set.