What You Need To Know About Ontario Auto Insurance
Selecting a car insurance policy can be confusing, especially with all the auto insurance companies in Ontario, so this makes it all the more important to properly compare different quotes and get the best deal! Here at MyChoice Car Insurance, we are here to help and want to make your experience nice and straightforward.
Getting started is a piece of cake! To get going, just fill out the form and follow the steps. Here you will be able to compare a selection of auto insurance rates to help you save – it’s as simple as that.
Who can drive my car under my insurance in Ontario?
With permission, anyone with a valid license can drive your car under your insurance in Ontario. Legally, car insurance documents must include regular and occasional drivers. Rare drivers need not be listed unless they live with you. Any driving-age member of your household must be insured under your policy unless they have their own.
Ontario Car Insurance FAQs
Who can drive my car under my insurance in Ontario?
With permission, anyone with a valid license can drive your car under your insurance in Ontario. Legally, car insurance documents must include regular and occasional drivers. Rare drivers need not be listed unless they live with you. Any driving-age member of your household must be insured under your policy unless they have their own.
How much is auto insurance in Ontario for a new driver?
On average, Ontario car insurance rates are higher for younger drivers than for those over 25. Young men typically pay between $3,700 and $7,300 a year, and young women between $3,200 and $5,200. Rates generally begin to decrease around age 20, with more considerable drops occurring by age 30.
How does car insurance work in Ontario?
Ontario is a no-fault insurance province. All drivers must carry mandatory insurance, including $200,000 in third-party liability. Without proof of appropriate coverage, drivers cannot register their vehicles. Car insurance is offered by individual companies and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
How does no-fault insurance work in Ontario?
In a no-fault province, your car insurance company deals with your claim, no matter who’s at fault in the accident. No-fault laws are designed to prevent unnecessary paperwork and contentious court cases, getting injured parties their funds quickly.
What’s the minimum requirement for Ontario auto insurance?
Ontario requires the following mandatory minimum car insurance coverage:
Third-Party Liability of $200,000 to pay for other people’s damages. Many drivers opt for coverage of $500,000, $1 million, or $2 million, with the last rate the most popular.
Statutory Accident coverage is for accident-related expenses, regardless of who’s at fault. The three main categories have different levels of required coverage:
Income Replacement, Non-earner, and Caregiver Benefits must cover weekly income replacement benefits of 70% of your gross income up to $400 a week. You have the option to increase this benefit to $1,000 a week.
Medical, Rehabilitation, and Attendant Care Benefits are required at $65,000 for regular injuries and $1M for catastrophic injuries such as losing a limb or paralysis. These amounts can be increased to $ 1 million and $3 respectively.
Death and Funeral Benefits must be as follows: $25,000 for your spouse, $10,000 for each dependent, and $6,000 for funeral expenses.
Uninsured Automobile Coverage must compensate up to $200,000.
Direct Compensation-Property Damage is mandatory and included in all car insurance policies in Ontario.
Ontario’s Cheapest Cities for Car Insurance
If you live in or around the GTA then chances are you’re no stranger when it comes to having to pay a decent premium for your choice of auto insurance coverage. With Ontario drivers having to pay the highest average auto insurance premiums in Canada, this is no more evident than living in Toronto.
The table below showcases the most expensive cities for auto insurance in the Ontario, as you will see all of the locations listed are within close proximity to each other and are more or less in the GTA.
Brampton leads the way occupying the most expensive spot by a few hundred dollars, as it has done for the past number of years. Next in line is Vaughan before being closely followed by Mississauga to make up the top 3.
If you are looking for more information about car insurance in Ontario cities, check out our detailed pages about Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, London, Markham, Oshawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Sudbury, Guelph and Kitchener.
| City | Auto Insurance |
|---|---|
| Brampton | $2,268 |
| Vaughan | $1,825 |
| Mississauga | $1,788 |
| Markham | $1,785 |
| Toronto | $1,743 |
| Richmond Hill | $1,709 |
| Ajax | $1,519 |
| Hamilton | $1,497 |
| Pickering | $1,450 |
| Whitby | $1,399 |
Average Rates by Region
Why Ontario Drivers Pay The Highest Auto Insurance Rates in Canada
Everybody loves a bargain when it comes to finding the best car insurance coverage, who doesn’t? Well, unfortunately, if you live in Ontario this may hard to come by, as drivers from the GTA even more so, pay the highest average auto insurance rates in Canada.
Ontario is plagued with insurance fraud which boosts premiums and unlike other provinces standard rates don’t apply to all drivers. Younger drivers, under 25 are effectively prejudged to be super high risk, particularly males under 25, so effectively guilty unless otherwise. That being said the majority of drivers in Ontario live within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which presents a special case itself, it’s a big city so naturally you can expect busy roads, heavy population density and above average theft rates. Each one of these elements plays its respective role in pushing up insurance rates for the province.
These are just some of the main reasons why car insurance quotes in Ontario are only going to keep going up, rather than come back down and regrettably there isn’t much you can do about it.
Ontario Car Insurance Rate Changes, 2012 – 2020
When it comes to setting, maintaining and regulating car insurance quotes in Ontario it is done so by the Financial Regulatory Services of Ontario (FSRA).
Like clockwork, every quarter, each auto insurance company’s rates are either increased, decreased or left the same. In order for a rate increase to be valid, these increase increases must be justified to the FSRA for them to be approved.
In terms of what factors that can lead to car insurance companies wanting to increase their rates, some examples are the weather or car theft. You will notice from the graph below that there had been a steady increase in Ontario car insurance rates since Q3 2018 all the way until 2020 where rates actually decreased due some emergency rate approvals from the to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: fsrao.ca
How to Get the Cheapest Car Insurance in Ontario?
When it comes to trying to get the cheapest auto insurance in Ontario, it all comes down to a number of differing factors. Determining a drivers mix of these different elements is what impacts how cheap or expensive their car insurance will be.
Some of these components that influence how cheap you car insurance will be are:
- Driving record. Your driving history becomes one of the most influential factors when determining the cost of your auto-insurance. A clean driving record helps you save money on your insurance policy. This means you have avoided traffic violations and accidents or any other smaller traffic infractions from getting your cost to unnecessarily increase. Even if your driving history have some past accidents or traffic violation records, their impact on your insurance tends to decrease over time as long as your further driving keeps clean.
- Where you live. Insurance providers assess your risk based on the neighbourhood you live in. Insurance providers account for various factors such as the prevalence of theft, claim histories, high traffic density and the frequency of collisions to calculate your insurance rate. Two neighbourhoods in the same city may have completely different insurance risks. Ontario is one of the most expensive provinces for car insurance. While this also differs by cities within Ontario, Toronto tends to be among the most expensive.
- Your age. Young drivers are statistically more likely to be in an accident. Therefore, your insurance rates tend to be higher in the age bracket of 18-25 and starts decreasing once your cross that threshold.
- Gender and marital status. Both of these factors are based on assessing the perceived responsibility and accident prone behaviour. As men are statistically more likely to drive more and to engage in dangerous behaviour such as speeding, they may face a higher insurance premium. The factor of marital status may vary depending on the insurance providers. Generally, marriage brings a greater sense of responsibility and may decrease insurance premiums.
Average Insurance Cost In Ontario By Car Type
There are a few decisions to make when looking to purchase a new car however, one is often overlooked and that is what you should expect to pay for your car insurance with this type of vehicle.
The chart below showcases the average auto insurance in Ontario by car type, giving you the ability to plan ahead and see what car types will cost you more to insure. Looking at the findings you may not be surprised to see that sports cars are the most expensive car to insure within Ontario, whereas the family-friendly SUV is the cheapest type of vehicle to insure.
These insurance calculations were done using the CAA driving costs calculator with an estimated annual mileage of 20,000km.
Source: Caa.ca
What Types of Car Insurance Coverage are Available in Ontario?
Every car insurance company has two types of auto insurance coverage they can offer in Ontario. Mandatory, or those that are legally required, and optional, those that are at the discretion of the driver.
There are four types of mandatory coverage:
Third-Party Liability
Protects assets if you are responsible for an accident leading to injury or death. It pays medical, legal, and other accident-related expenses.
Statutory Accident
Statutory Accident coverage pays your expenses should you be injured in a road accident. These can include lost wages, cost of medical assistance, rehabilitation costs, and death and funeral charges.
Uninsured Automobile
This coverage is for hit-and-runs or accidents with an uninsured at-fault driver.
Direct Compensation – Property Damage
DC-PD covers the cost of accidental vehicle damage caused by others.
Insurers in Ontario Also Offer Optional Insurance Coverages:
Dependent Care
This coverage is for employed people to cover auto accident injuries.
Indexation
Indexation coverage annually adjusts benefits according to inflation.
Collision or Upset
Collision or upset coverage offers compensation when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, trailer, object, or the ground.
Comprehensive
Comprehensive insurance pays the costs of repairing or replacing vehicles that have been stolen or damaged by something other than a collision. This coverage includes events also covered by Specified Perils coverage, which compensates for losses resulting from specific events, like fire, theft, natural disaster, civil unrest, and other perils.
All Risks All Perils
Lastly, all risks/all perils combines Collision or Upset with Comprehensive coverage and adds loss or damage resulting from theft by a household member with vehicle access.
When looking for the best quotes, don’t just focus on getting the cheapest rates. Consider whether the policy gives you sufficient coverage to protect you and your assets.
How Much is Auto Insurance in Ontario by Region
In 2022, the average cost of car insurance coverage in Ontario is $1,385 but this will vary based on where you live, giving you an expectation of what you should expect to pay. For instance, the closer to Toronto you live, the higher your premium will be whereas if you live in the countryside you can expect to pay a cheaper rate.
You can see from the chart the disparity between the average car insurance rate just from where the driver lives. The average driver from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can expect to roughly pay $2,252 for their car insurance per year versus a driver who lives in a rural area can expect to pay around $1,286 – a difference of around $1,000!
Source: fsrao.ca
Shopping For Different Car Insurance Quotes Can Help You Save
Your actual auto insurance premium will depend on many factors and each insruance company will interperet these factors in their own way when giving you a quote in Ontario. One major factor is driving record, a clean driving record is obviously preferred with accidents or traffic violations leading to much higher premiums.
Age and gender also impact rates. Drivers under 20 tend to pay higher car insurance rates than older drivers and young men more than young women. The type of vehicle, brand, model, safety features, how much and how far it’s driven, and even its colour can also be factors.
Car insurance companies will consider all this information and more when computing your car insurance quote. As every company uses a slightly different algorithm, the best way to get cheap Ontario car insurance is to compare different rates from as many companies as you can.