7 Luxury Cars You Shouldn’t Buy If You Live in a Cold-Weather State

While many people opt to store their cars during the winter months as a way to avoid the potential damage that can be caused, some drivers with luxury cars simply can’t trust them when the weather gets rough.  

Even the sturdiest vehicles get stuck in snow, but you’ll have a better chance of plowing through the icy mess in a car that has a great combination of anti-lock brakes (which prevent your wheels from locking up), stability control (a system that will automatically keep you on the road by adjusting the brakes and acceleration in the event of a loss of control) and all-wheel drive (delivers power to all four wheels at the same time or automatically engages torque to all four wheels when needed).

Also crucial is ground clearance, or the distance from the bottom of the car’s body to the ground. Low suspension is dangerous enough on rocky or potholed roads, but it can be downright treacherous when the weather turns frigid.  

If you live in a state with cold weather, here are seven types of luxury cars that experts suggest you should avoid.

Also see affordable luxury cars that handle all weather conditions.

Most Porsche drivers who own newer models will swear their 911s are winter warriors, but older models don’t traditionally fare well when the going gets tough. Porsches with more vintage designs — with those super wide, high-performance rear tires, engine in the back and low ground clearance — will be less capable on snowy roads.

According to Endurance, the 1, 3, 5 and 7 Series BMWs should especially be avoided if you live in a cold-weather state due to their low ground clearance, which can be as short as four inches. A ground clearance of 8-10 inches is optimal for snow-covered roads. Many late BMW models are rear-wheel drives, which are less helpful in deep snow and ice.

You’ll be OK driving a Corvette in moderate snowfall; but, again, its ultra-low ground clearance will cause you to shovel out more often than you would like (which ideally should be never). The rear-wheel drive Corvette also has questionable braking abilities, making it a car you’ll want to store until summer.

The first YouTube searches you come across for “Jaguar F-Type in snow” will mention the words “ruthless” and “disaster,” respectively. But again, newer models and snow tires will be more forgiving and powerful in winter conditions.

Snow tires can make a world of difference, but later-model Audi Q7s are typically much more equipped to handle the challenges of cold-weather driving. Early trims, on the other hand, are weak-armed to do winter battle for a number of reasons, including poor acceleration, vehicle weight and high center of gravity.

Vintage cars are collectibles and should be kept for driving in optimal weather conditions. According to Wealthy Driver, older engine and transmission designs don’t perform in the cold of winter like new ones, and older models simply don’t have the technology or modern features like ABS brakes and electronic stability control to tolerate slippery roads caused by ice and snow.

Now, we’re not here to perpetuate any conspiracy theories about electric cars in cold climates, but there have been studies that have found EVs can lose up to 30% of their range in freezing temperatures.

Also, battery charging might be slower when it gets really cold. But all vehicles lose efficiency in cold weather. EVs aren’t exclusively luxury cars, but they’re still more expensive than internal combustion engine vehicles. However, no one considering buying an electric car should be dissuaded because of winter weather.