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SAAQ Class 5 overview

SAAQ Class 5: Your vehicle: registration, equipment and winter tires

Vehicle registration and insurance, required lights, brakes, mirrors and windows, studded and winter tire dates, clearing snow, mechanical inspection and doing your own checks.

  • 18 questions
  • Topic drill
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Your vehicle: registration, equipment and winter tires · Question 1Score 0/0

Which colour of flashing or rotating light is reserved for police vehicles in Québec?

Study reference: SAAQ Driver's Handbook (2nd edition), Ch. 2 The Vehicle — Vehicle registration, rules about road vehicles and their equipment, mechanical inspection, doing your own inspection, pp. 75–100

All 18 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. Which colour of flashing or rotating light is reserved for police vehicles in Québec?

    1. Amber
    2. Blue
    3. Red
    4. Green

  2. A friend offers to install a radar detector in your car. What does Québec law say?

    1. It is legal if it stays switched off
    2. Installing or driving with one is prohibited
    3. It is legal everywhere except in work zones
    4. It is legal for cars from other provinces

  3. Where must the licence plate be attached on an ordinary passenger car in Québec?

    1. On the front of the vehicle
    2. On the rear of the vehicle
    3. Inside the rear window
    4. On both front and rear

  4. When measured with a photometer, at least how much light must the side windows on either side of the driver let through?

    1. 50%
    2. 85%
    3. 70%
    4. 35%

  5. Your name is on a vehicle registration certificate and you move to a new apartment. Within how many days must you tell the SAAQ?

    1. 30 days
    2. 10 days
    3. 6 months
    4. 60 days

  6. You are 17 and want to register a car you bought in your own name. What must you give the SAAQ?

    1. Proof that you hold a full licence
    2. A co-signer who is at least 25
    3. Written consent from a parent or guardian
    4. A certificate from a driving school

  7. After a mechanical inspection, your car is found to need minor repairs. How long do you have to get them done?

    1. 30 days
    2. 24 hours
    3. 48 hours
    4. 7 days

  8. At a disaster site you notice an emergency vehicle showing a green flashing light. What does the green light indicate?

    1. A command post
    2. A tow truck at work
    3. An oversize load escort
    4. A snow removal vehicle

  9. To register a vehicle and drive it on Québec's public roads, what is the minimum third-party liability insurance the owner must hold?

    1. $50,000
    2. $1,000,000
    3. $200,000
    4. $25,000

  10. Between which dates may a passenger car in Québec be driven on studded tires?

    1. October 1 to April 30
    2. November 1 to April 15
    3. December 1 to March 15
    4. October 15 to May 1

  11. In early January you rent a passenger car at a Montréal rental agency. What does the law say about its tires?

    1. Rental cars are exempt from winter tires
    2. Winter tires are needed only outside cities
    3. It must have winter tires, like any car
    4. Winter tires are needed only for taxis

  12. You are adjusting your headrest. Which position gives the best protection in a rear-end collision?

    1. Top at shoulder level, touching your neck
    2. Middle at eye level, within 15 cm of your head
    3. Middle at neck level, within 7 cm of your head
    4. Middle at eye level, within 7 cm of your head

  13. You are installing optional fog lights on your car. How high may they be mounted?

    1. At least 30 cm above the headlights
    2. Never higher than the headlights
    3. Above the headlights, on the roof
    4. Anywhere on the rear bumper

  14. How many rearview mirrors must an ordinary car have, at a minimum?

    1. Two: one on each side of the car
    2. Three: inside and on both sides
    3. One: inside the car only
    4. Two: inside and on the driver's side

  15. You want to add a tinted sun strip along the top of your windshield. What is the maximum width allowed?

    1. 20 cm
    2. 15 cm
    3. 10 cm
    4. 25 cm

  16. During which period must passenger vehicles registered in Québec be fitted with winter tires?

    1. November 15 to April 15
    2. December 15 to March 1
    3. October 15 to May 1
    4. December 1 to March 15

  17. Snow fell overnight on your parked car. Before driving away, what must you clear?

    1. The windows and the headlights only
    2. The driver's side windows only
    3. The windows, the roof and the hood
    4. The windshield and rear window only

  18. You have just moved to Québec from another province and brought your car with you. How long do you have to apply to register it in Québec?

    1. One year after you arrive
    2. Six months after you arrive
    3. 30 days after you arrive
    4. 60 days after you arrive

Your vehicle: registration, equipment and winter tires: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Vehicle registration: general provisions

  • Register as soon as you take possession of the vehicle, or before a dealer's temporary registration expires.
  • New residents of Québec: apply to register within six months of arriving.
  • Registration stays valid as long as the vehicle and owner stay the same; the SAAQ issues a plate and registration certificate.

Vehicles exempt from registration

  • Examples: snowblowers of 900 kg net or less; farm tractors not used on public roads; snowmobiles of 55 kg net or less with top speed under 15 km/h; non-resident snowmobiles of 450 kg or less registered at home; ride-on toy vehicles; golf carts; garden tractors/riding mowers; vehicles used only inside a building.

Requirements to register

  • Meet regulatory conditions, pay fees, give the odometer reading when registering a used vehicle.
  • An unpaid fine or being a repeat impaired-driving offender can block registration.
  • Heavy vehicles (GVWR 4,500 kg or more, buses, minibuses, tow trucks, hazardous-material vehicles) must also be entered in the Commission des transports du Québec register.

Cost, mandatory insurance, minors, refusal

  • Cost includes registration fee, Québec automobile insurance plan contribution and taxes, admin charges, public transit contribution if applicable.
  • Every owner must have third-party liability insurance of at least $50,000 to drive on public roads in Québec.
  • Under 18: written consent of a parent or legal guardian is needed to register a vehicle.
  • No registration if you cannot prove (co-)ownership or an interest in the owning business, or are under a prohibition.

Conditions of registration

  • Sign the registration certificate as soon as you get it.
  • Anyone named on a registration certificate must tell the SAAQ of a change of address within 30 days (can be done online).
  • Driver must carry the registration certificate and liability insurance card and show them to a peace officer on request.
  • Plate goes on the rear of the vehicle (road tractors with a fifth wheel: front).

Plates and annual fees

  • Plate must be legible, clean and lit at night; an officer can make you clean it. No look-alike plates.
  • Driving with an illegible damaged plate: fine. Lost/damaged certificate: apply for a replacement (fee).
  • Annual fees: no grace period; extra charges if late; you cannot drive while you owe the SAAQ money.

Discarding, storing, reimbursement, transfers

  • Tell the SAAQ if you discard a vehicle; it needs a mechanical inspection at your expense before it can return to the road.
  • Storage: tell the SAAQ; plate stays on; you may not drive it. A vehicle stored more than 12 months needs a compliant inspection certificate before going back on the road.
  • Partial refund of registration/insurance contribution when a vehicle is discarded, stored, sold, damaged, stolen or exported.
  • Private sale: buyer and seller both go to an SAAQ service outlet. Exchange: each owner re-registers. Sale to a dealer: give the endorsed certificate; return the plate unless you buy another vehicle (may keep the same plate).

Identification numbers; compulsory equipment

  • Serial numbers are mandatory; altering or removing one without SAAQ consent is prohibited.
  • School-children vehicles carry "ÉCOLIERS" signs front and rear (roof sign for a passenger vehicle, removed/covered when not in school use).
  • Cars (not motorcycles/mopeds/scooters), front: at least two white headlights, two white or amber parking lights, two white or amber turn signals.
  • Rear: two red tail lights, two red reflectors, two red brake lights, two red or amber turn signals, a white backup light, a white plate light; plus side markers (red rear, amber front).
  • Vehicles 9.1 m or longer: extra amber side marker midway. Over 2 m wide: lights, reflectors or flares.

Wide vehicles, motorcycles, school buses

  • Over 2.03 m wide: amber clearance lights and three amber identification lights at the front; red ones at the rear.
  • Motorcycles/mopeds/scooters: at least one white headlight, one red tail light, one red brake light, turn signals front and rear; motorcycles also two yellow front and two red rear reflectors.
  • School buses: red and amber flashing lights front and rear, plus a retractable stop sign/arm (ARRÊT) with flashing red lights, used while children board or leave.

Flashing and rotating lights; fog lights

  • Red: emergency vehicles. Blue: police. Amber: service, equipment, escort, snow removal, road maintenance and special-permit (oversize) vehicles. Green: emergency vehicles at disaster sites or marking a command post. Since April 1, 2021 an authorized firefighter may also use a flashing green light in a personal vehicle on an emergency trip (Guide de la route 4th ed. (2024), pp. 87, 275).
  • Such lights on unauthorized vehicles can be confiscated at the owner's expense.
  • Optional fog lights: at the front, at the same height as the headlights — never higher.

Brakes; seat belt alteration

  • Service brake able to stop each load-bearing wheel quickly, plus a parking brake. Exempt: trailers of 1,300 kg or less, or under half the towing vehicle's net weight.
  • Driving with brakes altered to reduce effectiveness is an offence; an officer may impound/tow a vehicle with defective brakes at the owner's expense.
  • Driving with a missing, modified or disabled seat belt is prohibited: fine of $200 (table on p. 301 lists $200 to $300).

Air bags, screens, radar detectors

  • Deactivating an air bag is prohibited except via a manufacturer-installed switch; replacements must be new original parts (also control modules and pretensioner belts); fine $300 to $600.
  • Screens are allowed only if compliant with installation/use conditions (details on SAAQ site).
  • Installing, selling or driving with a radar detector is prohibited; an officer may stop and inspect, confiscate it at the owner's expense (receipt given); SAAQ may dispose of it after 90 days.

Horn, sirens, exhaust

  • Every vehicle needs a horn, used only when necessary. Only emergency vehicles may have sirens or devices to change traffic lights (anti-theft alarms excepted).
  • Exhaust: all manufacturer parts present, secure, no leaks; making it noisier or less effective is prohibited.

Windows, mirrors, speedometer

  • Glass must be transparent, shatter-resistant and free of material that reduces visibility.
  • No darkening substance on the windshield, except a strip at most 15 cm wide along its top edge.
  • Side windows on either side of the driver must let in at least 70% of light (photometer).
  • An officer can order you to clean or clear windows.
  • Cars: at least two mirrors — inside centre-top of windshield and outside on the driver's side; if the inside mirror can't be used, add a right-side outside mirror. Motorcycles/mopeds/scooters: one mirror each side.
  • Speedometer and odometer required (except mopeds, scooters, motorcycles up to 125 cc).

Tires and winter driving

  • Studded tires: allowed October 15 to May 1 on passenger vehicles, taxis and commercial vehicles of 3,000 kg GVW or less; studs on both ends of an axle, and if on the front axle then also on the rear.
  • Winter tires: December 1 to March 15 on all taxis and passenger vehicles registered in Québec; also on rental passenger vehicles in Québec.
  • Before leaving, clear snow and/or ice from windows, roof and hood; nothing may come loose while driving (mandatory).
  • Exemption certificates possible (Ministère des Transports rules).

Mudguards, natural gas/propane, modifications

  • Mudguards at least as wide as the tread (or rear bottom edge within 350 mm of the ground unloaded).
  • Propane/natural gas vehicles: compliance sticker, inspection every five years; fine $300 to $600.
  • No alteration of frame, body or mechanisms that may reduce stability or braking without SAAQ authorization; SAAQ approval also needed to change vehicle type.

Mechanical inspection

  • SAAQ has exclusive authority; accredited agents inspect light (under 4,500 kg GVWR) and heavy (4,500 kg or more) vehicles for a fee.
  • Officers may order an inspection (and set a deadline) or impound a vehicle that seems modified or dangerous.
  • Yearly: taxis, driving-school motorcycles/scooters, emergency vehicles, vehicles 4,500 kg GVWR or more, tow trucks under 4,500 kg. Every 6 months: other driving-school vehicles, school transport vehicles (incl. taxis), buses and minibuses.
  • Minor repairs: 48 hours to repair; after that the vehicle cannot return to the road until repaired or compliance proven. Major repairs: off the road until shown compliant.

Doing your own inspection

  • Check brakes (noise, pulling, slow stops), parking brake on a slope, mirrors, steering play and alignment (check alignment at least once a year), wipers, tires, exhaust noise, lights.
  • Seat belts: no cuts or tears; buckle works.
  • Headrest: middle level with your eyes or the top of your ears, no more than 7 cm from your head.
  • Drive belts: a broken belt makes power steering hard to use.
  • Shock absorbers: push down a corner; more than one bounce suggests a faulty shock.
  • Body: holes in the floor/trunk can let exhaust gases into the cab.

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