Paving advice
Asphalt, pavers or concrete
Which surface for your driveway, at what price
In 2026, a paver driveway costs three to four times as much as a fully rebuilt asphalt driveway. Pavers win on looks and, in a few cities, on what the by-law allows; asphalt wins on price, speed and winter.
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The short answer
- Asphalt if budget, speed and snow removal matter: $6–10/ft² fully rebuilt, laid in two days, repairable section by section.
- Pavers if looks come first or your city requires them: $22–35/ft² for a driveway-grade installation, several days of work.
- Concrete in between: $7–15/ft² on aggregator sites, $10.44–11.33/ft² on average in the totals actually paid that combiencacoute.ca publishes.
- Mixed: an asphalt driving surface with paver borders or a decorative band, for a fraction of the price of an all-paver driveway.
The price of a 400 ft² driveway
| Surface | 2026 price per ft², before tax | For 400 ft² | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt, fully rebuilt driveway | $6–10 | $2,400–4,000 | 2 days |
| Concrete | $10.44–11.33 (totals paid) | about $4,200–4,500 | several days, then curing |
| Driveway-grade pavers | $22–35 | $8,800–14,000 | several days |
The ranges come from our survey of published prices: Casabella Pavage and Les Pavages Guilmain for asphalt, combiencacoute.ca for concrete, Soumission Rénovation (May 2026) for pavers. The details are on our 2026 price page. In all three cases the compacted stone base is included and weighs heavily: pavers laid on a poor base ripple as much as badly founded asphalt.
The price of your asphalt driveway, after a free visit
What your city allows, or favours
Before choosing, read your city’s by-law: a few treat pavers and permeable surfaces better than asphalt.
- Montréal, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: for new or replacement parking, only pavers or concrete with a solar reflectance index of at least 29 are allowed; asphalt no longer is. Verdun limits it too. Borough rules are on our Montréal asphalt page.
- Repentigny: a house driveway is generally limited to 3–7 m wide, but can reach 9 m if it is entirely pavers or stamped concrete.
- Lorraine: the paved share of the front yard is capped (40% for a detached house), with 10% more if the surface is permeable.
- Everywhere: widening a driveway almost always needs a certificate and a curb cut, whatever the surface.
The table for 16 cities is in our driveway permit guide.
Winter and snow removal
- Asphalt: a continuous surface with no joints for the blade to catch; snowblowers and shovels glide. Cracks are hot-sealed for $250–400 below 200 linear feet.
- Pavers: polymeric sand joints hold water that freezes, and a paver lifted by frost can be caught by the blade. Salt harms concrete pavers less than most poured concrete, but it eats the joint sand.
- Poured concrete: de-icing salt scales the surface of concrete that wasn’t cured properly; it cracks into slabs when the ground moves.
Heat and looks
New asphalt reflects about 5% of sunlight, and 15–20% once aged, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: it heats up more in summer. Light pavers and concrete stay cooler, which is the reason for some boroughs’ reflectance rules. On looks, pavers offer shapes, colours and patterns; asphalt offers an even black, straight edges and a driveway that looks new the next day.
Repairs
| Asphalt | Pavers | Concrete | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A crack | Hot-sealed | Nothing: the joints move | Sealed, stays visible |
| A dip | Zone cut out and redone, darker for a few seasons | Pavers lifted, base redone, pavers relaid | Slab broken out and redone |
| After 15 years | Resurfacing possible on a sound base | Joints redone, pavers cleaned | Few options other than redoing it |
Our recommendation
- House driveway, $3,000–5,000 budget: asphalt, on a properly built base, with cracks sealed over the years.
- Landscaping project, $10,000+ budget: pavers, or an asphalt driveway edged with pavers for the effect, at a price close to asphalt alone.
- A borough that bans asphalt: pavers or high-reflectance concrete, per the by-law.
Whatever you choose, the stone under the surface decides how long it lasts: excavation depth, MG-20 stone compacted in lifts, a slope toward the street. Our asphalt driveway paving page sets out these numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price difference between asphalt and pavers?
In 2026, a fully rebuilt asphalt driveway costs $6–10/ft² and a driveway-grade paver driveway $22–35/ft², before tax. For 400 ft², that is $2,400–4,000 versus $8,800–14,000.
Do pavers last longer than asphalt?
The pavers themselves last a very long time, but their base, joints and edging need upkeep. A well-built asphalt driveway lasts 15 to 20 years on average, and over 20 when the base is done right, before a resurfacing that adds 10 to 15.
Is asphalt banned in Montréal?
Not everywhere. The Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough no longer allows it for new or replacement parking, and Verdun limits it. The other boroughs have their own permit rules.
Which surface is easiest to clear of snow?
Asphalt: its continuous surface has no joints for the blade to catch. Pavers clear well too, but a paver lifted by frost can be caught by a steel blade.
Is concrete a good compromise?
It costs a little more than asphalt and much less than pavers. It needs several days to cure, resists salt less well if it was poorly cured, and is hard to repair without redoing the slab.
Sources
- Prices: Casabella Pavage (December 2025), Les Pavages Guilmain (January 2026), combiencacoute.ca (concrete), Soumission Rénovation (pavers, May 2026).
- City of Montréal, borough pages on parking spaces (Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Verdun).
- Repentigny and Lorraine zoning by-laws (driveway widths, permeable surfaces).
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies — Cool Pavements (asphalt reflectance).
- National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America (2007); CAA-Québec and Bitume Québec (2011); Protégez-Vous and APCHQ (2023).
2026 prices in detail: sources and calculator.
Go further.
How much does an asphalt driveway cost in 2026?
Québec asphalt prices: rebuilding $6–10/ft², resurfacing $3–5.50, plus sealcoating and crack repair. Sources and a project budget calculator.
Read
Driveway permits: what 16 cities require (rules checked in 2026)
Repaving as is, gravel to asphalt, widening: what Laval, Terrebonne, Longueuil, Brossard and 12 other cities require. Widths, curb cuts, fees and deadlines.
Read
How many years does an asphalt driveway last in Quebec?
Built right, an asphalt driveway lasts 15 to 20 years or more in Quebec. The 6 benchmarks to demand, how to read the damage, and the cost per year of each fix.
ReadBefore the freeze, not next spring.
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