I live on top of a mountain and have a 35 minute commute in a Mini Cooper. In 5 years with this car I’ve never had any issue with driving in the ice/snow (not driving like an idiot helps) I just swap out my regular tires for studded winter tires after Nov 1st (state law) and I believe they have to be back off by April sometime. Not dedicated to any brand, right now they’re Firestone. My previous vehicle was a 4WD pickup although did not have studs and I put it into a snowbank or two, even hit my own mailbox, just from sliding. 4WD does nothing when it’s slick. My husband just got studs for his car this year too.