Toronto, mostly plowed roads — do I genuinely need winters or are good all-weathers enough? Regional Rules

Insurance angle worth checking: in Ontario insurers are required to offer a discount for having winter tyres fitted, and the discount is small but it runs every year. Whether all-weathers qualify depends on the insurer, so ask yours directly before you decide, because it changes the maths slightly in favour of a proper winter set.

The trips north are the whole decision. Snow squalls off the lake do not care that your city roads are plowed, and you will be on a highway with trucks in the middle of one at some point. Whichever way you go, plan those trips around the forecast rather than around the tyre, because no tyre is a plan.

Storage is a real constraint and worth pricing rather than assuming. Many shops in the city do seasonal tyre storage for a per-season fee, which over four years is often less than the difference in wear you accept with all-weathers. Ask two shops near you before ruling out two sets — the condo problem may not be a problem.

All-weather tyres carry the three-peak mountain snowflake, so they are legally winter tyres where that matters and they are a real category rather than marketing — but they are a compromise, and the compromise shows up in deep snow and in very cold temperatures rather than in a cleared city street. For 8,000 km of downtown driving with two or three trips north, they are a defensible choice. For someone commuting on a 400-series highway daily, they are not.

One more thing that shifts this: all-weathers wear faster in summer than an all-season would, so you replace them sooner. Over the life of the car you may buy three sets of all-weathers where you would have bought two sets of summers and one set of winters. Not a reason to avoid them, just do not assume one set is automatically the cheaper path.