A white Christmas may be rare in the UK, but it’s still not uncommon for a ‘beast from the east’ or an ‘Arctic blast’ to dump a load of snow. Especially if you live in the northerly parts of the British Isles or at high altitude where snow is already fairly frequent, you need the right car to keep you safe while driving in the worst winter weather.
Here, we’ve listed 10 cars that do exactly that. There’s something for everyone from a cheap, small hatchback to extreme off-roaders. Between those ends of the spectrum, you’ll find cars that suit a wide range of needs and budgets. And it may surprise that not all of them have four-wheel-drive.
While four-wheel-drive is very useful, having the right tyres on your car is actually more important. Even the most capable off-roaders struggle to make progress on a snowy road when fitted with regular summer tyres. Get a set of winter tyres and your car will be much better equipped to deal with freezing temperatures and slippery conditions.
If you live in an area that regularly experiences really deep snow, it may be wise to invest in a set of chunky ‘mud and snow’ tyres. You may also want to get a set of snow chains.
The ultimate ‘does everything’ SUV makes snow driving easy
The Land Rover Defender may have become an urban fashion accessory, but it’s an enormously capable car. Five-door models are hugely spacious and practical family cars, it’s a consummate long-distance cruiser, it looks fantastic in a muddy field and outside a fancy restaurant. It’s a car that facilitates living a busy, adventurous life. And, as you’d expect of a Land Rover, the Defender is virtually unstoppable when driving off-road.
It’s also really easy to drive off-road, having a set of driving modes to suit different terrain. If there’s deep snow to traverse, select the Grass Gravel Snow mode which optimises the car for the conditions, then you operate it as normal. It’s a doddle.
Read our full Land Rover Defender review
It’s also really easy to drive off-road, having a set of driving modes to suit different terrain. If there’s deep snow to traverse, select the Grass Gravel Snow mode which optimises the car for the conditions, then you operate it as normal. It’s a doddle.
Read our full Land Rover Defender review
Pros
- Useful off-road driving modes
- Huge space with five doors
- A great cruiser
Cons
- It's a very big car
- Can get expensive
Rugged little hatchback proves you don’t need an SUV to survive winter
The Dacia Sandero is one of our favourite small hatchbacks. It’s still among the UK’s most affordable new cars but it doesn’t scrimp on space, practicality, comfort, efficiency or even standard features. The Sandero Stepway is all of that, sprinkled with some SUV-alike styling cues and a raised ride height.
What it doesn’t have is four-wheel-drive. But, fitted with a set of winter tyres, the Stepway will only be stopped by really challenging conditions. The turbocharged petrol engine has enough muscle to pull through slippery snow, the extra ground clearance helps deal with obstacles. It’s no wonder it’s so popular in mountainous areas.
Read our full Dacia Sandero Stepway review
What it doesn’t have is four-wheel-drive. But, fitted with a set of winter tyres, the Stepway will only be stopped by really challenging conditions. The turbocharged petrol engine has enough muscle to pull through slippery snow, the extra ground clearance helps deal with obstacles. It’s no wonder it’s so popular in mountainous areas.
Read our full Dacia Sandero Stepway review
Pros
- Bargain price
- Lovely ride quality
- Surprisingly spacious
Cons
- Feels cheap in places
- Not ideally suited to long journeys
Famous as a desert warrior but just as effective in snow
Virtually every car that lives in a desert is a Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s as capable off-road as a Land Rover but they’re massively more reliable. Which is as important in a UK winter as in the Sahara. It’ll romp through the worst conditions, and you can rely on it to get you home.
The rest of the time, the Land Cruiser has space and practicality to spare, a long list of standard features and a 3,500kg towing capacity. It’s a car that can work very hard for its living. But it’s not especially pleasant to drive on the road and can be quite thirsty.
Read our full Toyota Land Cruiser review
The rest of the time, the Land Cruiser has space and practicality to spare, a long list of standard features and a 3,500kg towing capacity. It’s a car that can work very hard for its living. But it’s not especially pleasant to drive on the road and can be quite thirsty.
Read our full Toyota Land Cruiser review
Pros
- Unstoppable off-road
- Ultra-reliable
- Very spacious
Cons
- High running costs
- Not great on the road
Family-friendly SUV that’s reassuring in the worst conditions
Skoda has arguably perfected the art of building entirely sensible family cars that slot into your life with the minimum of fuss. The Kodiaq is a case in point. It’s got all the space a family of five – or seven at a pinch – could possibly need, it’s lovely to drive, fantastic value, has a really user-friendly interior, and it’s full of Skoda’s genuinely useful ‘simply clever’ touches.
Four-wheel-drive Kodiaq models are best for snow, though front-wheel-drive ones with winter tyres can cope with pretty horrendous conditions. It's worth noting the 4x4s have a higher towing capacity and post very similar fuel economy numbers to the front-drivers.
Read our full Skoda Kodiaq review
Four-wheel-drive Kodiaq models are best for snow, though front-wheel-drive ones with winter tyres can cope with pretty horrendous conditions. It's worth noting the 4x4s have a higher towing capacity and post very similar fuel economy numbers to the front-drivers.
Read our full Skoda Kodiaq review
Pros
- Very spacious and practical
- Great value
- Efficient 4WD models
Cons
- New version due soon
- Rather functional interior
Hugely popular in the Alps – for a reason
Despite its tiny size and cute looks, the Suzuki Jimny is a serious off-roader with heavy-duty suspension and a ‘brake LSD’ system that redirects the power to where it’s needed. It’s also very light and agile, skipping over mud, ice and deep snow that would stop bigger, heavier cars in their tracks. Fitted with knobbly mud and snow tyres, the Jimny is unstoppable.
The Jimny’s only available to buy new in two-seat commercial vehicle form. It has a surprisingly large load area, but the cabin is quite tight as a result. It’s slow and unrefined on the road, too, but its charisma always shines through.
Read our full Suzuki Jimny Commercial review
The Jimny’s only available to buy new in two-seat commercial vehicle form. It has a surprisingly large load area, but the cabin is quite tight as a result. It’s slow and unrefined on the road, too, but its charisma always shines through.
Read our full Suzuki Jimny Commercial review
Pros
- Skips over tough terrain
- Useful carrying capacity
- Charismatic
Cons
- Tight cabin space
- Unrefined
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun
It’s still possible to have some fun behind the wheel when there’s snow on the ground and there are few fast cars better suited to those conditions than the Toyota GR Yaris. It’s essentially a road-going rally car with a turbocharged engine, four-wheel-drive and trick differentials that let you drive as quickly as you want, whatever the weather.
It’s not just about speed, either. Driving the GR Yaris is a brilliantly interactive experience, but you still feel safe and secure. Practicality does suffer – the GR Yaris is best regarded as two-plus-two – and the driving position feels oddly high, but that’s what rally drivers prefer for better visibility.
Read our full Toyota GR Yaris review
It’s not just about speed, either. Driving the GR Yaris is a brilliantly interactive experience, but you still feel safe and secure. Practicality does suffer – the GR Yaris is best regarded as two-plus-two – and the driving position feels oddly high, but that’s what rally drivers prefer for better visibility.
Read our full Toyota GR Yaris review
Pros
- Practically made for snow
- Fast and fun
- Immensely desirable
Cons
- Not especially practical
- Only sporadically available new
The most affordable SUV is another Alpine favourite
The Dacia Duster crops up on these kinds of lists so often it’s practically a cliché, but it’s here because it nails its brief. It aims to be nothing more or less than affordable, dependable, spacious and efficient family transport and it’s exactly that. It’s also rather charming, like a Labrador.
Four-wheel-drive is available with the torquey diesel engine and the combination will chug through pretty much any terrain, including deep snow. Decent ground clearance and long suspension travel deal with most obstacles. Front-wheel-drive models with winter tyres are usefully capable, as well. It’s no wonder the Alps is full of Dusters, really.
Read our full Dacia Duster review
Four-wheel-drive is available with the torquey diesel engine and the combination will chug through pretty much any terrain, including deep snow. Decent ground clearance and long suspension travel deal with most obstacles. Front-wheel-drive models with winter tyres are usefully capable, as well. It’s no wonder the Alps is full of Dusters, really.
Read our full Dacia Duster review
Pros
- Fantastic value
- Loads of space
- Very robustly made
Cons
- 4WD only available with diesel
- Not especially refined
Beloved in the countryside, unfazed by any weather
Go out into the countryside in pretty much anywhere in the world and you’ll soon come across a Subaru Forester. That’s because it’s a pretty serious, go-anywhere off-roader, but it’s much more compact than the Defender and Land Cruiser mentioned earlier. It’s also very reliable and robust, and a great dog carrier thanks to its huge boot with large windows that even smaller dogs can see out of.
The Forester is let down significantly but its dour, plasticky interior, and its hybrid powertrain with a CVT transmission. But you won’t be thinking about that as the car’s reassuringly secure handling lets you sail through a blizzard.
Read our full Subaru Forester review
The Forester is let down significantly but its dour, plasticky interior, and its hybrid powertrain with a CVT transmission. But you won’t be thinking about that as the car’s reassuringly secure handling lets you sail through a blizzard.
Read our full Subaru Forester review
Pros
- Very rugged and reliable
- Dog-friendly boot
- Not much stops it moving
Cons
- Sub-standard powertrain
- Lacklustre interior
Stylish little SUV that’s surprisingly capable
It’s been around quite a long time but the Suzuki Vitara remains one of the more stylish small SUVs with it’s chunky, Tonka Toy-like looks. The interior doesn’t match up, but it’s user-friendly, robust and well-equipped. There’s plenty of space for people, if not stuff. On the road, it feels light and agile, and it posts strong fuel economy. It’s good value, too.
Key to the Vitara’s ability in snow, as with any small SUV, is its light weight. That means it shouldn’t sink into deep snow and get stuck, as a heavier SUV might. You can drop the pressure in the tall tyres for extra traction, as well.
Read our full Suzuki Vitara review
Key to the Vitara’s ability in snow, as with any small SUV, is its light weight. That means it shouldn’t sink into deep snow and get stuck, as a heavier SUV might. You can drop the pressure in the tall tyres for extra traction, as well.
Read our full Suzuki Vitara review
Pros
- Peppy petrol engines
- Available with 4WD
- Strong value
Cons
- Irksome hybrid powertrain
- Should be more practical
Ultra-capable small SUV is a great used buy
The Skoda Yeti came and went before small SUVs were really ‘a thing’ and many regret its departure. Why? Because it’s a really likeable car with a huge range of talents, in particular its generously spacious interior with folding/removeable back seats. It feels much like a VW Golf to drive, it’s very comfy, well-equipped and available with a vast range of engines and trim levels.
Four-wheel-drive models are also very capable off road. Ground clearance is relatively high, the suspension has loads of travel and the overhangs are short. Add in secure handling and great visibility and it’s a comforting companion on a snowy drive.
Read our full Skoda Yeti review
Four-wheel-drive models are also very capable off road. Ground clearance is relatively high, the suspension has loads of travel and the overhangs are short. Add in secure handling and great visibility and it’s a comforting companion on a snowy drive.
Read our full Skoda Yeti review
Pros
- Flexible interior
- Goes a long way off-road
- Proven reliability
Cons
- Gawky styling
- Skoda stopped building it
