Find the best 5-year fixed mortgage rates in Canada

March February 2025: Mortgage market update

Canada’s housing market faced a sharp slowdown in early 2025, as tariff concerns and economic uncertainty kept many buyers on the sidelines. However, affordability is improving, as home prices decline and mortgage rates continue to fall. The Bank of Canada has now implemented seven consecutive rate cuts, most recently bringing its benchmark rate down to 2.75%. 

If you’re looking for a mortgage rate in Canada right now, these are some important economic factors to know.

• Real estate update: The Canadian housing market took a sharp hit in February, with sales dropping 9.8% from January and 10.4% year over year, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Only 32,195 homes were sold, marking the biggest monthly decline since May 2022. At the same time, new listings fell by 12.7% as sellers hesitated to enter the market amid ongoing uncertainty. This kept conditions relatively balanced, with the sales-to-new-listings ratio (SNLR) inching up to 49.9%, up from 48.3% in January. Meanwhile, inventory levels increased to 4.7 months, bringing supply closer to historical norms of five months. With fewer transactions, home prices softened, bringing the national average down to $668,097, a 3.3% decline from last year and a 4.6% drop from January. For buyers still active in the market, lower mortgage rates are creating opportunities. The Bank of Canada’s recent rate cuts have brought its key interest rate down to 2.75%, allowing lenders to decrease variable mortgage rates to 3.95%. Fixed rates, meanwhile, have fallen to 3.89% in response to lower bond yields. If rates continue to drop, affordability could improve further — although the long-term impact of tariffs on the economy remains uncertain.

Read more- Canadian home sales plunge 10% in February due to tariff fears

• CPI update: Canada’s inflation rate climbed to 2.6% in February, marking an eight-month high, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from Statistics Canada. The increase was largely driven by the federal tax holiday coming to an end on February 15, which led to GST and HST getting reapplied on previously exempt products. However, underlying inflation pressures remained strong, with the seasonally adjusted CPI rising 0.4% even after accounting for tax effects. Key contributors to inflation included an 18.8% surge in travel tour prices and a 7.5% rise in passenger vehicle insurance premiums, while gas price growth slowed to 5.1%. Shelter costs continued to moderate, with mortgage interest costs increasing 9% annually, down from 10.2% in January. Rent prices also showed signs of easing, rising 5.8% year-over-year. Core inflation measures, which provide a clearer picture of long-term trends, remain elevated, with both CPI median and CPI trim reaching 2.9%. Meanwhile, uncertainty around U.S. tariffs on Canadian exports adds further inflationary risks. With these factors in play, the Bank of Canada may take a more cautious approach in future rate-cut decisions as it balances inflation concerns with economic stability.

Read more: February CPI shoots to 2.6% following end of tax holiday

March 12, 2025, Bank of Canada announcement update

On March 12, 2025, the Bank of Canada announced a 0.25% cut to its benchmark interest rate, lowering it to 2.75%. This is the seventh consecutive rate cut since June 2024, totaling a reduction of 225 basis points from its previous peak of 5%. The move was widely expected as ongoing economic uncertainty, primarily due to U.S. tariff threats, continues to affect Canada's financial outlook.

• Despite Canada's strong economic start to 2025, characterized by solid GDP growth and inflation near the Bank’s 2% target, continued unpredictability in U.S. trade policy has compelled the central bank to ease monetary policy further.
• Today's cut will lower the borrowing costs for variable-rate mortgages. With most banks expected to lower their prime rate to 4.95%, the average Canadian variable mortgage holder will see their monthly payments decrease by roughly $84.
• Fixed mortgage rates, though indirectly impacted by the Bank’s decisions, have also dropped recently due to bond yields declining to the 2.6% range. The current lowest five-year fixed mortgage rate now stands at 3.89%.
• Borrowers using variable-rate financial products, like personal loans, car loans, and lines of credit, will also experience reduced interest costs. Conversely, savers face lower returns on high-interest savings accounts (HISAs) and Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs).
• The rate cut is expected to slightly improve housing affordability, though ongoing tariff concerns continue to significantly affect buyer confidence and slow housing market activity.

Housing market forecast for Canada for 2025

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has shared its 2025 housing market forecast, emphasizing a recovery fueled by pent-up demand, reduced borrowing costs, and the usual influx of spring listings. Nationally, CREA anticipates 532,704 residential sales in 2025, marking an 8.6% rise from 2024, exceeding the earlier projection of 6.6% growth. The momentum is expected to carry into 2026, with a further 4.5% increase to 556,662 transactions. Average home prices are forecast to climb 4.7% year-over-year to $722,221 in 2025, slightly above the previous estimate, and continue rising by 3.3% to $746,379 in 2026. Regional variations in buyer demand will also play a role in shaping market dynamics. For instance, British Columbia and Ontario are predicted to experience significant sales growth due to their current low sales levels, abundant supply, and limited potential for further price increases.

Canadian mortgage reform update

On September 16, 2024, the federal government announced sweeping changes to mortgage qualification rules for first-time home buyers, as well as those purchasing newly-constructed homes.

As of December 15, 2024:

• 30-year amortizations will be available for all first-time home buyers, regardless of whether they have an insured mortgage. These extended amortizations are also available for any purchase of new construction.
  
  
• The maximum purchase price for an insured mortgage (where less than 20% down is paid) will be increased to $1.5 million, from the current $1 million.
  

These are some of the most impactful mortgage reforms announced since 2012, and are anticipated to increase first-time home buyers’ affordability and access to the housing market. 

Learn more about these new mortgage rule changes on the Ratehub.ca blog

5-year fixed mortgage rates: Quick facts

• Mortgage rate is fixed over a 5-year term
• 5-year mortgage rates are driven by 5-year government bond yields
  

What makes a 5-year fixed-rate mortgage right for me?

Generally, a fixed-rate mortgage is a good choice if you are risk-averse and don’t want to deal with the stress that could come with a variable rate if the prime rate goes up over time and your mortgage payment increases. Before committing to a 5-year mortgage, you need to think about your personal situation today and going forward. If you are likely to move, change jobs, or otherwise embark on any life changes that may affect your ability or desire to remain in the home you are purchasing, you need to take this into account when selecting the mortgage that’s right for you.

Full feature mortgages vs. restricted mortgages

While it’s always desirable to obtain the best mortgage rate, in today’s historically high rate environment, the quest to find the lowest rate seems more important than ever. It also means that one needs to be vigilant about choosing the right mortgage for your needs. The lowest rate that you see advertised may not be what you want, because it could well be for a restricted mortgage. Although the low rates of a restricted mortgage may catch your eye, it’s important to understand the drawbacks. A full feature mortgage will have a higher interest rate, but it will also have a number of features that make it very desirable, including:

• Pre-payment options: Take a look at what pre-payment options your lender is willing to offer you. The more flexible your lender is with pre-payment options, the faster you can potentially pay off your loan, which could save you thousands of dollars in interest fees. The main pre-payment options are monthly pre-payment and lump sum pre-payment. In the case of the former, you’re allowed to increase your monthly payment up to a certain percentage determined by your lender, maxing out at 100%. If you had a lender who was flexible enough to allow you to double your monthly payments, for example, you could in theory pay your mortgage off in half the time if you were able to do so. The latter option, lump sum pre-payment, allows you to pay off up to say, 25% of your mortgage loan, again, depending on your lender.
• Porting your mortgage: If you need to sell your home before the end of your mortgage term, many lenders will allow you to port your mortgage. Porting a mortgage means to take your current mortgage with its existing rates and terms and transfer it to another property, and allows you to avoid breaking your mortgage. You’ll want to talk to your lender about how portable your mortgage is, particularly if you think you may need to move before your term is up. Not all mortgages are portable, and many that are portable have conditions attached that you should be aware of.
• Lump sum pre-payment privileges: You are allowed to make multiple lump sum pre-payments to bring down your mortgage balance in a given calendar year. Most lenders will cap the amount of pre-payments you can make, e.g. you cannot pay more than 20% of your principal in a single year.
• Payment flexibility: If you choose to increase the size of your regular mortgage payments, you are able to do so without incurring any penalties or fees.

These are just some of the most common features you’ll find in a full feature mortgage that make them so convenient for homebuyers. To learn more about the mortgage that’s right for you, it’s always a good idea to speak with a mortgage broker. They can give you personalized, expert advice at no cost to you.

What are some of the pros and cons of a 5-year fixed mortgage?

There are pros and cons to choosing a 5-year fixed mortgage rate, and we’ll walk you through each below. Some of the pros of a 5-year fixed mortgage are: 

• Risk protection: For buyers who are risk-averse; a fixed rate mortgage enables you to “set it and forget it” - your rate, and therefore mortgage payment, is locked in and will not fluctuate with changes in bond yields. This allows you to budget with greater accuracy and offers you stability for the duration of your term. Moreover, in recent years, Canadians enjoyed access to some of the best fixed rates available in decades, although fixed rates started to climb again in October of 2021. Since then, high inflation, global banking instability, an incredibly tight job market and other factors have all pushed bond yields up, and with them, fixed mortgage rates. Today’s fixed rates are now higher than they have been since back in 2009.
• Competitive rates: The 5-year term is historically the most popular option, and the one that lenders often encourage you to opt for. The length of this term is a good “middle of the road” choice for home buyers. Because it’s such a competitive, popular rate term, lenders often get the most aggressive when pricing these terms.

On the flip side, there are some cons to consider as well. 

• Higher rates: In order to guarantee your fixed rate, your lender will charge you a premium. According to York University Professor Moshe Milevsky’s landmark 2001 study, historically, over 90% of Canadians who have maintained a variable mortgage rate throughout their entire mortgage term have paid less in interest than those who have stuck to a fixed rate.
• Breakage penalties: While the 5-year term can offer you peace of mind, in the event that something such as a move, loss of a job, illness or divorce forces you to break your mortgage, you could be on the hook for a hefty break penalty. With a fixed mortgage rate, your penalty will be the greater of the interest rate differential (IRD) or three months’ interest. Oftentimes, the IRD penalty can be large, and thus a fixed rate mortgage can be expensive to break. If you have a variable rate mortgage, on the other hand, the penalty will always be three months’ interest, and it can therefore be less costly to break your mortgage. For a more detailed explanation of IRD and how it is calculated, you can refer to our Mortgage Refinance Calculator page. You can also use our Mortgage Penalty Calculator to estimate how much you might have to pay in the event that you have to break your mortgage. 
  

Historical 5-year fixed mortgage rates

Looking over historical mortgage rates is the best way to understand which mortgage terms attract lower rates. They also make it easier to understand whether rates are currently higher or lower than they have been in the past.

Here are the lowest (high-ratio, insured) 5-year fixed rates of the year in Canada for the last several years, compared to several other types of mortgage rates.

Source: Ratehub Historical Rate Chart

The popularity of 5-year fixed mortgage rates

A 5-year mortgage term is the most popular duration. It sits right in the middle of available mortgage term lengths, between one and 10 years, and, thus, its popularity reflects a risk-neutral average. It also tends to be heavily promoted by major lenders. A further breakdown of mortgage terms shows that about 80% of mortgages have terms of five years or less.

Fixed rates are by far the most common - in 2023, from January to December, almost 95% of mortgage rate inquiries made to Ratehub.ca were for fixed rates. Moreover, according to the 2024 CMHC Mortgage Consumer Survey, 69% of all mortgages contracted in 2024 were for fixed-rate mortgages. The table below, sourced from the same survey, shows the popularity of fixed-rate mortgages in 2024 among the four main categories of people who contracted mortgages. 

What drives changes in 5-year fixed mortgage rates?

By and large, 5-year fixed mortgage rates follow the pattern of 5-year Canada Bond Yields, plus a spread. Bond yields are driven by economic factors such as unemployment, export and inflation.

When Canada Bond Yields rise, sourcing capital to fund mortgages becomes more costly for mortgage lenders and their profit is reduced unless they raise mortgage rates. The reverse is true when market conditions are good.

In terms of the spread between the mortgage rates and the bond yields, mortgage lenders set this based on their desired market share, competition, marketing strategy and general credit market conditions.

References and Notes

1. Trends in the Canadian Mortgage Market: Before and During COVID-19, Statistics Canada, 2021
2. Annual State of the Residential Housing Market in Canada, Mortgage Professionals Canada, 2021
3. Housing Market Report: 2022 Year-End Consumer Survey and Outlook, Mortgage Professionals Canada, 2023

For more information, check out these helpful pages 

• Best Mortgage Rates in Canada
• 5-Year Variable Mortgage Rates
• Variable or Fixed Mortgage Rates
• Amortization
• Mortgage Term vs. Amortization
• Is a 5-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Term Right For You?
• Porting and Assuming Your Mortgage