Canadian winters are riddled with frequent snow and ice storms, making the roads tough to travel and the driving conditions a bit of a challenge. That is why learning the proper winter driving techniques is almost a rite of passage across Canada.

If you want to really master the art of wintertime driving in Canada, you can take a winter driving course to hone those driving skills. But what winter driving course is right for you? We’ve highlighted several of our favourites below.

Alberta Motor Association (AMA) Online Winter Driving Course

Not looking to step outside but want to learn proper wintertime driving techniques anyway? Then the AMA Online Winter Driving Course is for you. AMA, which is associated with CAA, runs you through all the main concepts of safe winter driving in a one-hour online course.

In this winter driving course, you‘ll receive loads of winter driving tips and best practices, such as:

  • Proper braking, steering, and acceleration in poor weather conditions
  • Vehicle safety check tips and survival equipment
  • Winter weather impacts on visibility traction, steering, and braking
  • Moving through traffic in changing weather conditions
  • Emergency manoeuvres and skid recovery

This winter driving course is 100% online, with no in-car training sessions, making it convenient for just about anyone. As an AMA member, the course costs $50. If you’re not a member, it’ll run you $55. That’s a small investment to improve your winter driving skills.

When you sign up, you have 60 days to complete the course. You can, however, purchase a two-week extension for $20.

AMA In-Car Winter Driving Lesson

The AMA Online Winter Driving Course is super-convenient, but there’s nothing quite like a hands-on experience. This is where the AMA’s in-car winter driving course is helpful. In this winter driving course, you’ll learn all the same things you would in the online lessons, including:

  • Proper braking, steering, and acceleration in poor weather conditions
  • Vehicle safety check tips and survival equipment
  • Winter weather’s impact on visibility traction, steering, and braking
  • Moving through traffic in changing weather conditions
  • Emergency manoeuvres and skid recovery

The key difference is that you will learn these skills in a two-hour lesson that includes classroom and in-car sessions in your own vehicle. These lessons are available in Calgary, Edmonton, and across Alberta.

Pricing is unavailable online, so call AMA at 1-833-374-8733 to see where the nearest lessons are performed and the cost.

ICAR Winter Defensive Driving

This ICAR winter driving course focuses on the emergency situations you could encounter while winter driving. It’ll show you how to avoid collisions and regain control of your vehicle in slippery conditions.

During this winter driving course, you’ll perform various manoeuvres on snow-covered roads that simulate the conditions you could experience in Quebec and other provinces. This will help you develop life-saving reflexes in these unfavourable driving conditions.

The winter driving course begins with a 30-minute theory class, an in-car demonstration of your understanding of the skills needed, vehicle instructions, and a range of other driving exercises.

This winter driving course will set you back $249.

AAPEX Driving Academy

AAPEX Driving Academy — a full-service driving school — has many driving programmes. One of these is a winter driving programme covering all the basics of wintertime driving.

This starts with preparing for a winter drive, which includes understanding your role and using preventative manoeuvres, planning your route, wintertime vehicle preparation, and assembling a winter survival kit.

Then comes your time to learn in the car. The hands-on training will teach you to match your speed to the road conditions, how to react in low-visibility conditions, correct vehicle spacing, braking techniques, stopping distances, and regaining control in a skid.

The winter driving course has no pricing information online but CAA says it runs $65 per hour, and you can book two to four hours for the course, depending on your comfort level.

Porsche Ice Intro

If you have deeper pockets, you can give the Porsche Ice Intro class a crack. This two-day ice- and snow-driving course will teach you all the basics of handling a Porsche sports car on snow and ice. And if you can handle one of these sports cars in these conditions, you can handle just about anything.

In this two-day winter driving course, you’ll learn all the basics, including correct seat and steering positioning, how physics affects cars, vision skills, finding and following a racing line, braking, tackling ascents and descents, steering skills, stabilizing braking, under and over-steer correction, load changing with winter tires, post-curve acceleration, slalom handling, and driving with studded tires.

On the final day of the course, you’ll take all the skills you learned and apply them on the handling track.

The 2023 iteration of this class runs $7,400 for a full participant and $840 for a non-driving guest. This pricing is subject to change annually. The course is located in Mécaglisse, Quebec.

Porsche Ice Experience

If you’ve already passed the Porsche Ice Intro course, you qualify to register for the Porsche Ice Experience. This three-day program covers all the same techniques as the Ice Intro course but at a higher level and in a 443-horsepower Porsche 911 Carrera S and Carrera 4S. You’ll learn plenty of advanced techniques that make you an expert winter driver.

This winter driving course will set you back $8,885 as a full participant, and a non-driving guest will cost another $1,120.

Get Your Winter-Ready used Car at Clutch

Ready to complement your winter driving course lessons with the perfect winter-ready car? Why not save thousands over a new car and tons of stress at a dealership by buying a quality winter-ready used car from Clutch, Canada’s premier online automotive retailer? We have tons of quality, winter-ready used cars in our inventory and ready to go.

Not too sure about buying a used winter car 100% online? You can put your mind at ease when buying from Clutch, as all our vehicles have been through a 210-point inspection and reconditioning process. We then add a 90-Day Protection Plan and nationwide roadside assistance for additional peace of mind. Need even more protection? You can opt for one of our Extended Warranties.

Best of all, every Clutch car comes with a 10-Day Money-Back Guarantee, which means that if you don’t love your ride during that period, you can exchange it for a new one or return it for a no-questions-asked refund.

Check out our inventory of quality used cars today and choose a model suitable for you. You can even set up financing and get your trade-in vehicle appraised entirely online. Then we deliver your new ride to your door. No need to set foot in a dealership.

‍