Nissans with Niall

What’s so good about driving an SUV in winter?

For starters, there’s the big advantage of four-wheel or all-wheel drive. Put simply, it means that your SUV will put the torque where it needs to go through each axle or wheel to maximise traction on snow and ice, thereby making you and other road users safer, as well as ensuring that you can make your journey and arrive at your destination in even the most atrocious weather conditions.

An SUV offers increased ride height, meaning overall improved all-round vision, important when visibility is reduced due to the weather conditions. Additionally, you’re less likely to get yourself stuck by grounding in heavy snow and slush.

Generally, you’ll find that an SUV is more rugged than the average city car, so it can cope better with whatever you throw at it and in it. Indeed, the spacious interior and luggage area mean that you can easily pack all those winter extras, like a shovel, blanket, emergency food and water, etc.

And when you’ve chosen your new SUV, we suggest you think about fitting winter tyres. Once temperatures drop below seven degrees Centigrade, normal tyres can start to harden and they become less effective. Winter tyres are made from a special compound that allows them to be far more effective in maintaining grip, and they could reduce your stopping distance by some 11 metres.

An SUV with four-wheel drive, its increased ride height, its extra toughness and kitted out with a set of winter tyres is surely your best ally as winter bites. Take a look at the excellent range of SUVs on offer from Brayley Cars below.

Our best SUVs for winter driving