United States Canada
United States 
CanadaLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
The busiest land crossing is the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario.
Driving rules in Canada
- Right turn on red permitted unless signed otherwise (except Montreal Island).
- Winter tyres mandatory in Quebec in winter.
- Seatbelts mandatory.
- Alcohol limit 0.08% federally; provinces add warn-range penalties.
What to see when you arrive in Canada
- Niagara Falls
- Banff and Lake Louise in the Rockies
- the CN Tower in Toronto
- Old Québec City
- Vancouver and Stanley Park
Once you're driving in Canada
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Visitors may drive on a valid foreign licence for up to 90 consecutive days in most provinces, and up to six months in Quebec. An IDP (carried with the original licence) is required if the licence is not in English or French.
Tolls & road charges
Canada has very few toll roads; the main one is Toronto's 407 ETR, an all-electronic highway that photographs the plate and bills the vehicle owner, so rental firms pass the charge plus an admin fee. The parallel toll-free Highway 401 avoids it; Nova Scotia's Cobequid Pass and some bridges also toll.
Parking in the cities
Cities use paid on-street zones via app (e.g. Toronto's Green P, HONK, PayByPhone) or meters; watch posted permit-only residential blocks and rush-hour 'no stopping' lanes. Winter snow-route bans and street-cleaning hours trigger towing.
Fines & camera enforcement
Speeding, handheld-phone and seatbelt fines are set provincially and are steep (Ontario distracted-driving starts around C$615 plus demerit points); Ontario also has 'stunt driving' impoundment for 40+ km/h over. Camera and toll/parking fines are forwarded to renters with a surcharge.
If you have an accident
Call 911 for injuries. Report any collision causing injury or damage over the provincial threshold (commonly C$2,000) to police; exchange details, notify the rental company, and in many cities minor crashes are reported at a Collision Reporting Centre rather than at the scene.
Driving in the capital
In Toronto, streetcars rule the core: it is illegal to pass an open streetcar door, you must stop behind it, and the Gardiner Expressway/DVP corridor jams hard at rush hour. Many downtown lefts are banned in peak periods.
Sources: brokerlink.ca · voyage.caaquebec.com · aaainternationaldrivingpermit.com · onthemovecanada.com