Hello everyone, Starting from October 1, 2019, winter tires are required for most highways in British Columbia, Canada. According to the BC government website, these tires must be marked with the Mountain Snowflake symbol or the Mud and Snow (M+S) symbol. I'm wondering if all car rental agencies at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) provide vehicles with at least M+S tires (all-season tires) as standard equipment. Thank you for your replies ?

We picked up the car in Calgary and wanted to change the snow tires on the spot, but the staff said they were sold out. If we wanted to upgrade the car, the only option was a pickup truck, which was too big for us and we were afraid to drive. So we had to tough it out and drive, just in case we had an accident on the Icefields Parkway. As a result, the next morning when we arrived in Banff, it started snowing. We were still very worried, so we went to the Hertz store in Banff to ask, and the staff accompanied us to the parking lot to check the tires, which put our worries to rest. Fortunately, we avoided the cold front that followed, and although we encountered snow on the road, it was mostly light snow. In Jasper, we heard that there was a lot of snow in Banff and that the roads were closed. So I suggest you solve the problem when you pick up the car, so you won't feel uneasy.

The staff member told us that most car rental companies usually equip their cars with all-season tires.

The tire marking is on the side of each tire. You can ask the staff when you rent the car if you need to replace the snow tires? Or you can also see the corresponding markings on the tires of the car you picked up on your own. Generally, the tires of the car rental shop will be all-season tires. All-season tires can only be used for small snow. Medium to large snow must be replaced with snow tires. Changing snow tires is charged by day and paid on the spot. For safety, you should not save money on this kind of safe expenses during the snowy days in Canada.