Saskatoon car rental companies have no winter tire option

Winter tires aren't mandatory for drivers in Saskatchewan, but when renting a car in the province, they're not even an option.

CBC News has called all major rental agencies in Saskatoon, and none of them offer vehicles equipped with winter tires.

Kevin Hovdestad is driving around Saskatoon in a rented Dodge Dart while his Jeep is getting repairs.

He said he doesn't feel safe driving the car in the city without winter tires.

"In Quebec it's now provincial law that you have winter tires during the winter," said Hovedestad.

"I'm assuming that rental companies out there have to deal with it. So I don't see why, in a place that has as bad or worse weather conditions, that we wouldn't go the same direction," he said.

Rental agencies said their vehicles are all late-model cars and that the all-season tires they're equipped with should be fine.

The other option is to rent a vehicle with four-wheel drive, but that adds up.

After taxes, renting an economy sedan costs an average of $58 a day, a mid-size sports-utility vehicle jumps to $94 and the price for renting a 4x4 truck goes up to $114 a day.