Ontario drivers who put winter tires on their vehicle can pay less for auto insurance. Every insurer in the province is required to offer a discount on private passenger vehicle policies when winter tires are installed.
The law sets the discount, and each insurer decides how much it is worth and how you qualify. This guide explains what the rule says, which questions to ask your insurer and how to get your tires ready for the cold months ahead.
|
Topic |
What the Rule Says |
What to Confirm With Your Insurer |
|
Who must offer it |
Every insurer, on private passenger vehicle policies |
How the discount appears on your policy |
|
In place since |
2015, and still in force |
That it shows up at your next renewal |
|
Discount amount |
No set percentage or dollar figure |
The exact discount on your premium |
|
Tire type |
No tire standard named in the rule |
If all-weather tires with the snowflake symbol qualify |
|
Installation dates |
No calendar window set |
The dates your tires must be on |
|
Proof |
No province-wide form |
The documents it needs from you |
Ontario added the winter tire discount to its auto insurance regulation in 2015, and the rule is still in force.
Insurers must build a winter tire discount into the way they classify and price risk for private passenger vehicles. That category covers the vehicles most households insure for everyday personal driving.
The requirement names private passenger vehicles only. Commercial vehicles, fleet policies, motorcycles and recreational vehicles sit outside it, even when they run winter tires. If you insure one of those vehicles, ask your insurer what applies to your policy.
The regulation requires a discount and leaves the amount to each insurer. Savings vary from one company to the next, and the figure on your policy depends on your insurer’s own pricing.
The fastest way to find your number is to call your insurer or broker before renewal and ask for the winter tire discount by name. If you already drive on winter tires, confirm the discount shows up on your current policy.
Each insurer sets its own eligibility details. Before you book your seasonal tire swap, get clear answers to these four questions:
Keep your tire purchase and installation paperwork in one place. Having it on hand makes it easy to respond if your insurer asks for proof later in the season.
All-season and summer tires start to lose elasticity once temperatures fall below 7°C. Harder rubber grips the road less. Winter tires use compounds that stay flexible in much colder weather, so they keep their grip on cold pavement, snow and ice.
In side-by-side braking tests on ice with identical vehicles, the vehicle on all-season tires needed a longer distance to stop than the one on winter tires. Repeat runs in opposite lanes produced nearly identical results.
The discount rule places its obligation on insurers. It does not require drivers to install winter tires. Ontario recommends winter tires as winter safety equipment, and the discount gives drivers one more reason to make the switch each fall.
Install four winter tires of the same type, size, speed rating and load index. Avoid mixing tread patterns, construction or sizes on the same vehicle. A matched set keeps grip even at all four corners.
Check tread depth before the first snowfall. Winter tires with less than 4 mm of tread should stay off snow-covered roads. That is a safety guideline, separate from Ontario’s legal tread minimum.
Check tire pressure at least once a month with a gauge while the tires are cold. Pressure drops as outside temperatures fall, so a tire checked in a warm garage can be underinflated once you drive out into sub-zero air.
Inflate to the pressure shown on the vehicle’s label in the door frame or in the owner’s manual. The maximum number moulded on the tire sidewall is not the target. Check pressure again before longer highway trips.
Studded tires have their own rules in Ontario. Their use is limited to qualifying Northern Ontario permit holders and to out-of-province visitors whose vehicles stay in the province for 30 days or less.
Southern Ontario residents do not become eligible by driving north. Where studs are allowed, the season runs from September 1 to May 31. Those dates are separate from any installation window your insurer sets for the discount.
Treat the discount as a yearly routine. Confirm your insurer’s dates and proof rules, install four matching winter tires on time and keep your paperwork together. You collect the insurance savings, and you gain better grip on every cold kilometre.
Winter tires give you better grip on cold roads and can make you eligible for your insurer’s winter tire discount. Talk with the service team at any Humberview Group dealership in Toronto about winter tires for your vehicle.
Ask for a tread depth check and the right seasonal tire pressure while you are there. Book a service appointment with us and head into the colder months with a vehicle that is ready for them.
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