When to Put Winter Tires On in Ontario (2026): The 7°C Rule, the Law and the Insurance Discount

Every fall it goes the same way. The first cold morning arrives, the forecast mentions flurries, and suddenly everyone in the GTA is trying to book a tire changeover in the same week. Shops fill up for weeks, and the drivers who waited spend the first snowfall on all-seasons. Here's the simple rule for when to put winter tires on in Ontario, what the law actually says, how the insurance discount works, and when to switch back.

Why 7°C? The rubber in all-season and summer tires is designed for warmer roads. As it gets colder, that rubber stiffens and grips less, even on dry pavement. Winter tires use a softer compound that stays flexible in the cold, plus deep tread and thousands of small cuts (sipes) that bite into snow and slush. On a cold, icy road, the difference in stopping distance is significant.

In the GTA, temperatures usually settle at or below 7°C from late October into November. Lakeshore areas like Scarborough, Pickering and Ajax can run a little milder than North York or north Durham, but not enough to change the plan: aim to be on winters by early to mid November.

• Grip goes before the snow comes

  Frosty mornings, black ice on ramps and bridges, and cold wet pavement all show up before the first real snowfall. That's when all-seasons are already past their best.

• Everyone else waits too

  Tire changeover searches in the GTA jump several times over in November. The first snow forecast sends thousands of drivers to book in the same few days, and shop calendars fill for weeks.

The easy fix is to book in October, before the rush. A mobile winter tire changeover means you don't need a shop slot at all: we come to your driveway or workplace and swap them there.

No. Ontario does not legally require winter tires on passenger vehicles. Quebec does: there, winter tires are mandatory from December 1 to March 15. If you drive into Quebec regularly in winter, that rule applies to vehicles registered there, and it's a good reminder of how seriously winter grip is taken just next door.

When you buy winter tires, look for the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on the sidewall. It means the tire has passed a standardized snow traction test. A plain "M+S" (mud and snow) marking on an all-season tire is not the same thing.

Ontario insurers are required to offer a discount to drivers who install winter tires. The amount varies by insurer, so it's worth asking yours what they offer and what they need from you. Typically that's:

• A full set of four winter tires, not just two
• Tires on the car for the insurer's winter window (often roughly November or December through March or April)
• Sometimes a receipt or proof of installation

Ask for a receipt when your changeover is done so you have it if your insurer asks.

The same rule works in reverse. Once daytime temperatures stay above 7°C, usually April in the GTA, it's time to swap back. Soft winter rubber wears quickly on warm pavement, so leaving them on through May costs you tread you'll want next winter. Don't jump too early either: a cold snap and a late-March snowfall are normal here.

Before you store them, check the tread. Winter tires lose much of their snow grip as the tread wears down, and most drivers are advised to replace them once the tread is getting low, before it reaches the legal minimum. We check this at every changeover.

iFAST Roadside Assistance does winter tire changeovers at your home or office across Scarborough, North York, Toronto, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and the wider GTA. If your winters are on their own rims, it's a quick swap. If they share rims with your summer set, we mount and balance them on-site. Either way we torque every wheel to spec, set the pressures and check the tread before we leave.

Not sure which kind of changeover you need? Here's the difference between an on-rim swap and an off-rim changeover.