Tools
Driving in Canada
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Right
50 / 80 / 100 km/h · 31 / 50 / 62 mph
urban / rural / motorway
Recommended · Geneva 1949
EU licences are accepted for tourist rentals across Canada; an IDP is cheap insurance for police stops and required by some insurers if your licence isn’t in English or French.
0.08% criminal limit / 0.05% provincial sanctions in most provinces (immediate licence suspension)
Rare - Ontario’s 407 ETR (plate-billed, pricey) and a few bridges (Confederation Bridge charged on exit from PEI); no vignettes.
Daytime running lights are mandatory vehicle equipment and always on; switch to full low beams in poor visibility and at night.
Provincially regulated: car seats for infants and toddlers everywhere, booster seats commonly to ~145 cm or age 8–9. Rentals stock seats - reserve ahead.
Motorway limits are 100–110 km/h by province (BC posts up to 120). Right-turn-on-red is legal except on the island of Montréal. Winter tires are law in Québec Dec 1–Mar 15 and on BC mountain highways Oct–Apr. Fuel up before wilderness stretches - gaps of 150+ km are normal.