Auto Insurance in Canada


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I am sure that Auto Insurance pricing is something that all Canadians complain about and are always looking for a bargain on.  Recently this has driven us to complaints as well.

Our household has always been a one car family until now.  Currently, we have a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan that meets all the needs of our 4 person family most of the time.  However, with our girls growing and their interests changing, we will soon require a second vehicle to fill the demand.  Lucky for us, we have an option to get a 1999 Honda Accord EX from family and it has been extremely well taken of.

When considering any additional vehicle we call our insurance company to inquire about the cost of insurance.  In general I don’t like to call the insurance company as it seems SOMETHING increases in cost no matter what the reason I picked up the phone in the first place.

Here is a summary of what we have with this company already:

  • 2003 Dodge Caravan with two drivers

Myself as the primary
My spouse as a G2 liscenced occasional

  • Home Insurance
  • Contents Insurance
  • Home Daycare Insurance

Here is what we are looking to add:

  • 1999 Honda Accord Ex V6 with about 170,000 kms

Total cost for adding one vehicle?  $220.00 per month!!!!

As you can expect, this price quote came after about 5 minutes of them trying to find ways to up my current insurance:

Agent: “How can you have two vehicles on you insurance with neither for work?”

Me: “I work three blocks away, my wife works in her daycare downstairs and we already pay insurance for that with you.

I really wanted to tell him we didn’t need the vehicles for work because I normally fly there but I was able to resist.

I realize the people on the other end of the phone are merely doing their jobs and they have to ask us these things that we hate to be bothered with so I understand this relationship we are required to have.

We did shop around and the best we could do elsewhere was $240 a month so it looks like even though I think the price is ridiculous my insurance is giving me a slight deal compared to their competition.

I know that my wife having her G2 only is making the cost in this particular situation for insurance higher than I think it should be but the car is 12 years old, has winter tires, excellent mileage for the age and we are only going to be driving it around our small town of 6400 people.  All the things they love to hear and its still over $200 a month just to have the “pleasure” to drive it.

How do you handle your insurance?  Were you able to get a really good deal?


111 responses to “Auto Insurance in Canada”

  1. Greg says:

    Wow! $220 more?!? Outrageous! That should be *at least* $1200 more!

    Oh, you don’t live in BC?

  2. Heroin says:

    $220 more each month?! That hardly seems possible. We have our car insurance (with professional $2 million liability), house and contents insurance, and motorhome insurance all with the same company and pay under $150 per month.

  3. Courtney says:

    Wow, I can’t believe that!! I shopped around for insurance last year, I only have my G2 license, I am the only driver, but my insurance is only 161/month with PC. Thats for a 2008 Toyota Yaris.

  4. JY says:

    You must be kidding…. Here in Toronto I know someone who female owner Carvan 6 year old…works 4 km away …was paying last year $220/month…this year insurance company sent quote for $437/month…reason Ontario is changing law… Blood sucking Insurance company and insurance agents… I also know a guy who has mustang, 28 year old male and pays $270/month… I don’t see any regularities in Insurance business.. I’m sure they would be doing profiling based on …sex, colour, race etc… b/c for the fact every on knows white-female pays way less insurance than female from other back grounds! Whoo…that’s just rant for having too may expenses related to car!!

  5. RYan says:

    Take off collision, doing so should drop it down.

  6. matrix82 says:

    Tell me about it. we moved to a rural area for me to work, so we needed to get a second vehicle so my husband would have some sort of vehicle to drive when I was using the car.

    It was unbelievably frustrating. We were moving provinces so we had to change our insurance, and then I find out that because my husband does not have three recent years of continuous insurance (he only have 2.5) most companies would not insure him as a primary driver and I couldn’t be insured as a primary on two vehicles. It took almost two weeks to find a company that would insure us for two vehicles. Both of us have a clean driving record of at least 12 years. We rented cars when we needed to in the past. Such a headache though…but the price different was amazing, it really does pay to shop around.

  7. David says:

    Did you try to in insure the car one way? it costs me $160 PER YEAR to insure my 2000 honda civic hatchback.

  8. Mike says:

    meloche monnex is great if you were part of a college or university in canada. They give you a better group rate. Two cars (one a 2009 honda and a 99 acura) is just under 200 combined.

  9. momin28 says:

    Try Desjardins…they were the cheapest of all the auto insurance we shopped for…I’m in ontario…not sure where u live…

    good luck with insurance shopping!!!

  10. Michael Kwan says:

    It depends on a bunch of factors. What’s your accident history like? Taking off collision would save some, but it might be even better to simply have one car under your name and the other car under your wife’s name. It’s always going to cost you when they see that one person is the “primary” for two cars.

  11. Char says:

    Must be the province. 2 vehicles, 2 drivers on each, full coverage on both. $1400 per year, Alberta.

  12. jopava says:

    I have desjardins 248 full cover aditional car was 25 dollars more call them was the best I found (been here just 2 1/2 years with Full G licence)

  13. Gnorman says:

    I’m with Greg. Are you aware of what this “outrageous” sum covers? Have you ever been in an accident? Or subject to a frivolous lawsuit? Hopefully not, but this cost pales in comparison to the prices of replacing bumpers, or entire cars. Insurance is essentially a gamble – I don’t need house insurance (as long as I don’t have a mortgage), and I hope I never need it, but it’s nice to have just in case. The cost of insurance may seem exorbitant now, but it won’t when you really need it. $220 seems worthy of one exclamation point at most.

  14. Jodi says:

    I pay 106.73 per month for my 2009 Toyota RAV4, that includes the extra for my learning daughter (under 25 yr driver, less than 10 years experience). Also includes replacement cost insurance (total it and I get a brand new RAV4).
    That is in BC, for a driver who has never had an accident.

  15. Jody says:

    Use pre existing attributes. For example I am a social work register with the Alberta College of Social Workers. With that I get a really good deal on insurance with Melox Monexx. I have heard others say get a discount being N.A.I.T. alumni (college in Alberta). Check with your employer as well, maybe being employed by “x” gets you benefits as well.
    Just a thought, being an RSW (registered social worker) saved us $500.00!

  16. Sally says:

    We have RBC and apparently they dont like insuring older vehichles anymore. Our 2010 Chev Colorado is 130 a monnth.

    Our 1993 Honda Civic……230 a month.

    Are you effing kidding me? And the chev is fully loaded insurance, the civic bare bones.

  17. fahlinluv says:

    I have 2 vehicles (one is a 2005 sedan and the other is a 1990 truck). On the sedan we have full coverage and the truck we have everything but collision and it costs us 180.00 a month for both… But I am the primary driver on the newer vehicle so im sure that helps

  18. Valery says:

    That’s ungrounded talk. Insurance HUGELY depends on the are you live in.
    I pay XXX, the guy nearby pays twice or half the amount – just because his postal code is DIFFERENT.

    No use to compare insurance rates not knowing the location.

  19. mupiel says:

    I have been reading the comments and wanted to update: the $220 is without collision, and has a $1000 deductible. I really appreciate the tips everyone is sharing.

  20. coyote says:

    Guess we are lucky to be part of the aging population. We pay $295.00 per month for all of our insurance, which includes 2 newer vehicles, 2 rec vehicles, house and in-home business and a motorcycle.

  21. rhiannon1891 says:

    comparing to other people really doesn’t work. There are so many factors at play when it comes to the cost of insurance that it has to be taken on a case by case basis. $220 is nothing. My husband who has been driving for 20 years pays $220 a month for non work use of a 2005 pt cruiser. You’re actually quite lucky adding a G2 driver as a primary isn’t a lot higher than that. btw, the mileage on a car makes no difference to the cost, the insurance company only asks about it for future use if you make a claim.

  22. Daisybelle says:

    I drive a 2009 Honda Fit and am with CAA. I pay $304 a month IF I pay quarterly. If I pay monthly the fee is larger and my rate goes up. Every time I call to pay I ask the lovely customer service agent when my rates will go down because every time I move they say that I am in a higher risk area than the higher risk area previous. This is what I have learned. Honda has a high theft rate for parts. Sally posted that she had a 1993 and it is possible that they still just rate it a 5 for Honda no matter the year. I have had a full G licence for under 13 years. That seems to be the magic number. I am certain that by the time 2013 rolls around there will be some other issue that will cause my rates to go up as my years of being fully licensed bring them down negating the whole thing. So. I can get a different make of car and I can move to a rural area. Neither of which I want.

  23. tammy8701 says:

    we pay $400.00 per year for 2 trucks

  24. liberty says:

    i know someone else mentioned them, but it really should be SHOUTED-meloche monnex is very inexpensive. we also have a 2003 caravan, and a 1999 pathfider and we have full coverage- collision everything and we pay about 160 a month, its under 200 for cars and home. you have to be a graduate, but, if you are, it is great.
    i have had to deal with them for two incidents over 15 years and they were wonderful, and did not increase my rates for a my fault accident, and were more concerned for my welfare when i had a minor fender bender 5 months pregnant then my managers were!

  25. Greg says:

    Whoops! In my haste to be the first poster (heh) I missed an important point: the fact that the $220 is PER MONTH. That does seem a bit high; when I’d estimated $1000, I was assuming an ANNUAL price.

    I guess ICBC isn’t such a bad deal, after all.

  26. 2saucy says:

    I agree with Momin28…We were with TD for many years until my renewal. They wanted 145 for only my car Sunfire. Im a great driver too! We bought a second car Colbalt SS hehe my hubbys…love driving that thing..vrooooom
    Anyways I switched both cars to DEJARDENS with everything collision and all that crap. 192.00 per month…Yay soon Im switching home ins too….Oh and we have our 16 year old son on as well…no charge for now.
    Oh and customer service is awesome!!!

  27. Jessica says:

    Wow. I live in Alberta and I think its kind of high here… I’ve had an at fault accident (3 years ago) and with my home & contents insurance and parked insurance on one 2005 vehicle and full coverage on a 2011 nissan rogue I only pay 292 a month total! Here I thought mine was alot. I’m with ING Novex or Intact. Maybe try them if you have them there?

  28. Lily says:

    I pay 330 a year….. Only have it insured on one side.

  29. mimitaon says:

    first of all (before you all attack me:P), i work for an insurance company.. I’m not sure where you live, but depending on the rating territory/province, the price can hugely vary. For example, person A could be a 23 yr old Female, got G at the age of 18, and just bought a new car. Person B could be a 22 yr old Male, got G at 20, and just bought a new car. You would automatically assume that A would have a better rate right? WRONG! Of course, within the same rating territory and other same factors considered yes, but if A was in a high-collision area and B lived in more sub urban area with less collision, it could vary, for ex. A having $320/mth and B having $270.mth..

    also, you have two drivers, and two cars.
    It doesn’t matter how old your car is or how well it’s taken care of.
    The car model determines the rate group of the prices for each coverages, and all in all, it’s not significant enough to even out the fact that your wife only has a G2.

    How much do you currently pay on auto insurance? let’s say you pay $180/mth. Now, if you were thinking about adding another car, and your wife wasn’t driving, it’d be a different story; however, since she ‘can/may’ drive this new car, you gotta think of it as getting a new insurance on this new car. Let’s say another $180/mth. Now, subtract all the multi-line discounts, take 2 discount, etc.etc. off. Now, add in the fact that your wife is now a primary and you are not (and whatever at faults or CR, etc. she may have). And you end up with $220/mth(actually should be more.. but I personally think it’s a good deal you are getting).

    Don’t consider this as ‘just adding one more car’. Think of it as getting a brand new insurance on a car. Then you will realize that $220/mth addition is actually nothing.

    Also, the car being old etc. isn’t the only thing that contributes to premium calculation. When one gets into an accident, you don’t just replace/fix your damaged car. You pay for all the liabilities, accident benefits(medical, etc.), coll/comp, etc.etc…

  30. macandcheese says:

    I was just coming on to clarify and I see that mimitaion has already as I also work for an insurance company.
    Unfortunately the fact that the car is well maintained and has low milage doesn’t affect your rates.
    Best suggestion is to have your wife get her G. She’ll see a huge difference then!

  31. guessboi says:

    Hey Mupiel,

    Did they give you a reason why your insurance is so high adding a second car?

    This is a good example why I recommand people to give insurance brokers a try…

    For example…State Farm and TD both are agents = which means the people you deal with works for the company and you deal with a different person all the time. (they are not insurance experts)

    If you deal with a “good knowledgeable” broker…they get to know you, they work for you and not for the insurance company and represent many different companies. They know how to give you the best coverage at a very reasonable price.

    Having a good insurance broker is just like having a good lawyer on your side.

    I am only licensed in AB. But I bet since you have 2 cars and 2 people, your spouse is being rated as the primary driver with the new vehicle. Thus the high price.

  32. Andrea says:

    Insurance depends on so many factors, you really can’t compare; every individual will have different rates no matter what company they go with. Rates depend on the age of the car, the age of the driver(s), the area you live in (rates change incredibly from one postal code to another), if you have other policies with the company, whether you have speeding tickets or not, if you’ve ever been in an at-fault accident, etc….

    My husband and I pay $140 for each of our cars per month (2010 Mazda 3, 2006 Volkswagon Jetta), so less than $300 per month for two cars.

  33. Jake says:

    Wow Greg, you pay 1000 for your insurance in BC? I pay 1800/year and that’s with my 40% discount.

  34. Irene says:

    I would like to agree with mimitaon above, I myself is an Ins Agent. When thinking of Insurance you have to remember that the Liab prem is based on
    the Primary driver. How long they are Lic’d is the main factor If a 17 yr gets there lic the same day(gender don’t matter)the Driving Record will be the same as its based on yrs lic’d. Unless one of these new drivers did drivers training they would automaticly get credit for 3 yrs lic’d.

    Also remember if you have an atfault accident your Liability will pay for the 3rd party damages. And in the event you are sued and a court rules you to pay 1 million in damages and you are only have 1 Million coverage on your Policy, you can be sued for the addl 1 mill and end up in bankrupcy pretty quick. You may think 1 mill or less is enough just hope you don’t hit and injure a Doctor!!!

    Also alot of questions we ask are for your own benefit, ex if you say you walk to work but drive your veh there and have an accident, remember that if investigated and found out that you do it fact drive to work. Your ins can deny the claim, then you’ll be pissed that you pay all that money for NOTHING!

  35. Tracy says:

    After reading this post, I feel lucky to have the insurance I do, 2 vehicles(Kia Rio 5, and Spectra 5) plus house/fire insurance. $219/month, but I live in rural Nova Scotia. I would like to comment to JY “… Blood sucking Insurance company and insurance agents…” it’s not the insurance companies that are the blood suckers, it’s the claims for unneeded expenses, and ridiculous awards for pain and suffering, all because your lawyer is smarter than mine that are driving the increases in the insurance costs.

  36. Randy Bowen says:

    If anyone needs help with getting a better quote for their insurance.. I can help.. I’m a broker and I represent 13 different insurance companies. We can work together to get you the best for your dollar. My services are no charge to you. I am in Toronto, so you can contact me @ [email protected].

  37. Girl9 says:

    I miss Saskatchewan Government Insurance. Some things are better off public.

  38. Shannon says:

    I just bought a new vehicle, went from an ’02 sunfire to a ’11 crossover… my insurance went down $65 a month. Older vehicles seem to cost more!

  39. Terri says:

    We just had a “problem” with our insurance. We got our renewal and it was for $30 more a month so it has just jumped up from $187/month to $217. Thats 2 vehicles, 2001 Montana and 2004 Mazda truck. To me that’s huge especially since we have never had a claim, or a ticket, been driving for well over 15 years and are 7 star rated (apparently the best you can get). Supposedly it is all down to the new regulations that Ontario has inacted and there is nothing RBC can do as much as they would like too. I did do a couple of searches with PC and Kanetix and this was the best rate I could get sadly. I then mentioned my son who has his G1 and they wanted to add him which scared me and I had her repeat 5 times that my insurance won’t go up because of this!I also got a quote for my son to be added when he gets his G2 and as a secondary it would be about $80/mnt. You don’t want to know what he would pay if he had his own car! Let’s just say his car would be cheaper! I know that my insurane is so high because of my area. I keep getting told Oh, it’s Brampton, that’s your problem. Well I have been here 20 years and managed to avoid all the bad drivers so give me a break….PLEASE! Everything goes up but the paycheque!

  40. Stephania says:

    I hate, hate, HATE making these calls to insurance companies. It’s just so tedious with all the ?s they ask, time consuming, and the rates never go down, just up.

    The last time I had to call, I found out that Honda Civics are the more EXPENSIVE cars to insure due to their popularity. So if anyone gets into an accident, has a car stolen, etc. much of the data is on this make/model.

    I guess I’m out of luck on car insurance…’til the next one!

  41. angelamary says:

    This is a very sensitive topic and most people either hate the insurance companies or not. Frankly I’m one of the few that are on the fence. I’m more against the irresponsible drivers that are driving up the rates, thus affecting my rates. It doesn’t matter how well I drive, the worse they do, the more I pay. How fair is that. This industry is also way out of control, people making false claims or inaccurate claims on top of accidents, driving the rates up. 10 years ago, my insurance was under $50 a month, now it is over $300. It’s ridiculous and that kind of jump (6x) what I paid before, with a claims free rating in a decade is not cool and totally out of my control. Goodness help me if I didn’t have a claims free rating.

    All I can say is shop around, don’t buy coverage you don’t need, and don’t pay ridiculous fees just to get insurance. I had one company try to charge me more than the monthly payment just to sign on the dotted line, I did not use their services. Know where your money is going. Higher deductibles usually result in lower monthly payments. It’s all about pros and cons. Find the right broker for you, if one doesn`t do it, go to the next. I did and it saved me $70 a month. By the way, I checked in with 7 brokers, don`t just stop at two…

    Good luck!

  42. justamy says:

    urgh…i could go on at LENGTH about this!!

    dh is the ONLY driver in our house. perfect record, no tickets, claims, demerits, nada! he even drives for a living (not using our car) and is the only person at his work with such a clean record! he’s been driving for about 17 years now.

    we live in Toronto, he drives under 2km to work, we have a 2010 Avenger and pay $195 a month…that is THE absolute cheapest i can find…meloche monnex wanted slightly more!

  43. Jake says:

    For all the insurance agent, brokers….you guys know well that this business is same as gas price.. runs on speculations… there is no statistics / data involved … other-wise quote from one company would be at least within range of 30% to each-other but you would find that would not be case… advice would be call as many as broker/agent/company you could… start early (if renewing), be patient, get drivers education, get snow tires, have clean record, don’t depend on internet quotes (make a call), stay away form Honda, live in suburbs, work close by, be part of good organizations (charitable, alumni clubs etc.), etc..etc..and PRAY to GOD that evils don’t get more money of you!!

  44. olivercat says:

    I was thinking last year of replacing our van with something smaller, but after chatting with the insurance rep. I decided to just get a van again–reason for potential increase, you ask? not vechicle age, not value of vechicle, not driving record, not age of drivers,…but the car I wanted (used car, I might add) was high one the most stolen vechicle list!–that was worth $300 more per month! But a new, bigger, more $$$$ van was $2 LESS per month, because it has a better alarm system!

  45. Greg says:

    @Jake: Nah, I pay considerably more than $1000, too. But in my original post (FIRST!) I lowballed an “at least $1200” estimate as to how much more it might be to add another car in BC. I then rounded that (down) when I posted next.

    Don’t make me post again — I might push it down to $800!

  46. jeo220 says:

    YAY SASKATCHEWAN!! We pay next to nothing for our car insurance!

  47. Lori says:

    With the changes in Ontario that the government mandated, I thought insurance would go down. NOT! I have the highest driving rating, no accidents or claims, I have an age deduction (I’m 43 and female) and my insurance went up AGAIN this year as it does every year. When I asked an insurance agent friend about the government changes, he just laughed. It doesn’t affect much for most people. At one point when my bumper had been damaged I was told that if I put a claim in, even though it wasn’t my fault, I would not be able to change insurance companies without a huge penalty for having a claim. So I shelled out the $1200. I have only the insurance absolutely necessary for a financed vehicle and the highest deductibles available and no glass coverage. My advice? Go online, Desjardin is cheap, the only problem is getting them to get back to you,hence my still high insurance.

  48. Shannon says:

    Wow, this is timely. Just today I got my renewal for 6 mo. for a 2007 Dodge Caravan for $980. I nearly puked. It used to be $590/6 mo. 2 years ago before my ex-husband and I separated and the new insurance rules came into effect in Ontario. My home policy renewal came yesterday for $580/yr. With the multi-product and loyalty discounts. I need to make some phone calls.

  49. Sam says:

    I wanted to get 2004 Nissan Altima, Insurance Companies quoting me for $350 a month, this is pure legal cheating in great country like Canada…….

  50. vibrantflame says:

    There’s so many factors that they vary in, it’s really impossible to say “well here is a cheap place for insurance, I only pay xx per month”…the best thing you can do is call every insurance place in your area and go with the cheapest. We drive a 1997 Plymouth Voyager, we were paying $90/month with PC Financial insurance, then when renewal was up, they raised it to $130. We said no way, we’re not paying a $30/month increase, so we shopped around and are now with Belair Direct for a measly $52/month. So they are very cheap for us. But, like I said, they have so many things they factor in and ways of figuring it out….

  51. Heroin says:

    I should have specified in my comment that I’m in Alberta. We seem to have pretty reasonable rates here.

  52. Shannon says:

    Wow, I just called Meloche Monnex and for the same (if not better) auto coverage, they quoted me $1161/yr vs. Co-operators $980/6 mo. Plus, my auto rates will do down further when my home policy renews (also cheaper vs. Co-operators). ABSOLUTELY worth the PITA questions! Thanks Smart Canuckers for the tip!!

  53. coley3 says:

    This was an interesting read. Thanks. Our insurance went up $30/month with no reason given either this year. Unhappy about it but compared to others on here I have a great deal.
    2 vechicles. 2005 Caravan, 2004 Dodge Ram, and house and content insurance. $190/month

  54. Lana says:

    BRUTAL!!
    I took drivers training, some “smart driving course” through State Farm Insurance, I’ve never had a ticket or accident and my insurance was reasonable until I moved to the city when it spiked $130 per month.. I pay over $300 per month for car insurance!

  55. GD says:

    I HATE insurance companies! I won’t even get into how they manage to grab YOUR money every month, but when it comes time to pay, they always have some loophole to shaft you. What the hell do we pay these assholes for?

    Rant over, I do have to say that Wawanesa has been good – I have 2 cars, my wife is primary oon the 2004 Suzuki, and I am primary on my 1986 Pontiac 6000, both on the others as occasional, and I pay $55 for both per month. Going down next month, as my work commute is now much shorter.

  56. Megan says:

    Just dealt with this last week. We got a new-old vehicle (2000) and took our other one off the road (well, she died lol). Insurance company told me that they would “rather loose me as a customer” than to help me switch the insurance over. I needed to insurance for the next day – we had to pick the car up. So they got their wish, I called another insurance company and was insured within 10 minutes. I got a cheaper and better rate that also included tenant insurance. It then took me another 40 minutes on the phone with the first company to cancel my current policy.

  57. FallenPixels says:

    Insurance did go down in Ontario, on paper, because the minimum requirements for insurance went down but no reasonable insurance agent would let anyone out on the road with the new minimums

    We experienced the same thing, we have a F150 truck insured for $131 a month taking multitype discounts into consideration, my BF bought an older car to fix up, basic insurance as we could get and it was more than the truck

  58. betholio says:

    I think we pay about $180/mth for 2 vehicles (95 truck and 09 Nissan). I thought that was expensive. (Rural Ontario)

    I looked up the G1/G2 rules. Seeing as both of them are a minimum of 1 year I guess your spouse hasn’t even been driving for 2 years. It’s like insuring a teenager with her own car (as now you have 2 cars). I’m not surprised the rates are high.

    Has she taken driver training courses? I know that helped with the rates when I was 16 and first starting to drive.

  59. Jenn says:

    I’m covered under my parent’s liability umbrella, but with that said I pay:
    $93/month – 1997 Chevy Camaro
    $89/month – 1994 Suzuki Sidekick
    $109/month – 1982 Pontiac Acadian
    $26/month – $25,000 cashable life insurance

    Currently between the Sidekick (falling apart) and Acadian (the smaller, more friendly commuter), my insurance is quite expensive because the Acadian is considered a Classic and I won’t get a great discount until the Acadian takes over the Sidekick’s insurance.

    I think it depends on who you’re with and who offers better insurance ? I’ve always dealt with State Farm and I don’t think I’d ever deal with anyone else – my Camaro is 14 years old but still has low comprehensive deductibles because its my Show Car and I can’t find that anywhere else.

  60. Tammy says:

    You didn’t mention who you are insured with. The only way we found we were able to significantly drop our insurance rates was to switch to a provider that offered special rates if you were part of a group or association. For example if you or your spouse are graduates of any college or university, look up your alumni association online to find out what insurance company they have partnered with to offer special rates to their graduates. Similarly if either of you work somewhere with a union, the union also usually has made some kind of special group rate arrangement with a certain company, same goes for if you are members of any professional association…check around into these options as group insurers rates usually cannot be beat (I used to work as an insurance broker and trust me, these group rates are lower than any regular customer rates).

  61. Mandolinatou says:

    I don’t like the mystery of insurance companies. I had a robbery the first year of my home owners insurance and they told me it won’t increase my rate if I make a claim. Well my internal condo insurance costs went up 300 dollars this year. I was ticked but Desjardin said my rate didn’t go up rather my discount went down. I wanted to tell to eat shit. I am new to homeowners insurance so I am learning here.

    Our car insurance is very expensive for our one car we rarely use…but I had a call from industrial alliance salesperson and i tend to listen to quotes for insurance and cable on the off chance its a good deal. Anyways they offered my spouse a really great rate because he also has a life insurance policy with them. We’ll save 600 dollars a year with industrial alliance.

    For our home owners condo insurance we will go with a broker next year. I found out a woman above me pays like 15 dollars less month than we had before our claim…all because she got insured through a broker. They even gave her two months free when she got the policy. It pays to shop around…and not to make claims in some instances.

  62. Natalka says:

    As a few other posters mentioned, YAY for Saskatchewan and the government monopoly on auto insurance – we luck out here in that regard!
    No differences on cost of insurance regarding age or gender.
    You can get a discount up to 20% with a good/safe driving record.

    I did your vehicles on the SGI rate calculator using a safety factor of zero (neutral), regular vehicle use.

    2003 Dodge Caravan – $88/mo or $958/yr
    1999 Honda Accord EX V6 4dr – $89/mo or $961/yr

    If anyone wants to compare, here’s the rate calculator for SK
    https://www.sgi.sk.ca/rates/rate_calc.htm

  63. kiki says:

    It does all seem to be a mystery?? We were with the Co-Op for 12 plus years, and had all our policies, 2 cars, an Rv, house and contents and 2 life policies as well as a motorcycle, they were by far giving us a competitive rate.We both have clean records (except for my husband having one small 🙂 speeding ticket..until one day we get a notice that this was going up…then that, an so on…to equal a whopping increase of $1200 for the year. So we decided to shop around.
    After doing so we decided to move our life policy first…huge difference! Increased our coverage significantly with a much more solid coverage, and our premiiums overall were less. Of course Co-op in our “small town” was not impressed and made us not only feel like horrible people and to quote the owner…”people just don’t pull their life policies like this, it’s just not right!” but couldn’t even compare with the one we got at Manulife. And of course, becasue we had a discount rate because of the multiple policies, our other rates were going to go up by 26%…so again we shopped around. We ended up going to a private insurance broker, we now have our cars with one place, our house with one, our bike, and rv with another, and as mentioned our life with another.
    Our insurance went down by….are you ready???…$1230. per yer by doing this…and after next year because of my hubby’s speeding ticket, it will drop by another $90…you can’t beat that. We were always under the impression that having everything grouped in one place was the best to do to get a discount….turns out it’s not the case. It pays HUGE to shop around.

  64. kurtfloyd says:

    a good article that explain the difficult situation and high premiums in Ontario.

    it,s from 2009 but still true

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/streetwise/winners-and-losers-in-ontarios-insurance-reform/article1349315/

  65. Emma says:

    An Insurance Broker is always your best bet. They deal with several insurance companies.

  66. Jess says:

    I have been in the insurance industry for 16 years. I can honestly say that one of your best bets is to go through an insurance broker. A broker can shop the market for you, thus getting you the best rate. The rules and rates differ from province to province for a variety of reasons (including Governement Auto Reform, Private or Public Insurance). Some key things to get the best rate: make sure your agent or broker has all of your insurance history. Most insurance companies offer additional discounts if you have both vehicles with the same company and also if your property insurance is with the same company. Some companies offer a short commute discount, others offer occupation discounts. Increasing your deductible also helps as does changing your section C (Collision, Comprehensive, All Perils or Specified Perils coverage). Make sure to ask your agent if there is any other way to save money or any additional discounts that might be missed. You would be surprised how many people forget to call in to change their coverage when they park their vehicle, change jobs (reducing commute) or go on Mat leave (no longer driving to work). Having a conviction (speeding ticket, etc.) drop or going another year without an accident can all make a difference so make sure you call your agent to review your policy!

  67. Tammy says:

    Last year we finally got tired of our insurance going up every year. First it was because our van was older then we got a newer van so then it was because our van was newer. A bunch of bs.
    Last year we switched to Desjardins. We are going to get a quote on home owners through them also. We have a 2005 Chevy Venture and a 1995 Ford Escort. Dh drives about 5 minutes to work and I don’t work. We pay I think around $150, give or take a month. I can’t think of the number right now. But with our last company they had raised it $50 more than that. Its a big difference

  68. Mommy2Two says:

    We pay a ton for our insurance in Alberta too. $220 per month for a 2001 Chevy half-ton, a Arctic Cat ATV and a 2008 Mazda 3. I’m only 23 though so it will go down when i turn 25 since here you pay higher premiums due to being young. We go through two seperate companies, because the one company would not list him as the primary on both the car and truck – even though I hardly drive. Our insurance dropped over $100 a month by seperating them with him as the primary on each.

  69. lisa says:

    We were with a local company and they quoted 500/m for a 96 astro 05 impala and content insurance- husband has a G2 but neither of u§ have accidents or claim§. I called meloche monnex and we pay about 200 for the exact same coverage! You can guess who we went with…..

  70. guessboi says:

    Mommy2Two…Do you want to see if I can save you money in AB? I used to work in an insurance company so I know exactly how pricing work. PM me if you would like a free quote.

  71. Marnie says:

    +1 for Meloche Monnex. I just added a new car and a new driver to my policy (teenage son) and it was actually way more affordable than the horror stories I had heard about the outrageous rates for first-time teenage male drivers!

    Mupiel…did you by any chance have a teenager just get their license? This – added to the fact that you have another car – could be part of the reason for the expensive quote.

  72. Angie says:

    Must be nice to be able to shop around for insurance at least! In BC we only have ONE option, ICBC. For our 2002 and 2003 Mazda protege 5 models we pay just over $200/month to insure both vehicles.

  73. Lori says:

    @kurtfloyd – Thanks for that article. I was under the impression that the new regulations were for the public’s protection, not to increase the industry’s profit. Guess I was wrong and guess that explains why my coverage still went up….AGAIN. I believe the vast majority of Ontarions have NEVER put in a claim or had an accident so I’m not sure why we’re the ones taking the hit for the very few, in comparison, who abuse the system. If a store started jacking up prices unreasonably to increase their profit due to employee/customer theft etc. I’d stop shopping there. What incentive is there for the rest of us to be responsible/honest when we pay either way?

  74. Jennifer says:

    WOW! Thats insane! I agree with Jess, go to a broker and also go over your driving history. Most companies give discounts for being accident/ticket free etc. We insure 2 vehicles, 2 trailers (utility and RV) and a house for a grand total of 180 a month. Brokers are motivated to find you deals, and not all brokers deal with the same insurance companies, so call a few different ones.

    Its also a good idea (as Jess mentioned) to call and review your policy, you could save money in the long run because your age changes, you’re now 5 years accident free etc.

  75. Matt says:

    Try scotiabank insurance I had the same issues with insurance companies until I found scotia bank. They were able to beat any prices i’ve gotten for YEARS. I pay just over $100 a month for 3 cars insured, a house, and 2 drivers. They give discounts for each car added to your policy, discount for cars equipped with snow tires, and each other type of policy you add such as house insurance, life insurance etc they give ANOTHER discount for that. Just added another car to policy and only cost $225 for the year. very happy with them.

  76. AJ says:

    Is that including theft insuarance, Caravans and Hondas are notoriously stolen for joy rides and dumped in lakes, or burned….

    Try Belair Direct, their customer service is alil choppy but they’re the cheapest I could find for my wife…I don’t have insuarance (don’t drive) cause I’ve got a “terrible” driving record and State Farm was the only place that would even give me a quote $1750/month that’s $21000 a year.

  77. spdfrk says:

    If you have a spouse with ATCO, they will clobber your Meloche Monnex quote. I don’t drive to work either and I pay $440 for 2005 Malibu LS and $330 for 1990 Chev Silverado rwd A YEAR. House insurance is actually a bit cheaper with Meloche. I’m in Alberta.

  78. melis84 says:

    I’m also with BelAir Direct and I have had nothing but great customer service with them. I am in the London, ON area and I have a 2006 Cobalt, 2002 Montana and house insurance. When I got the house insurance they gave me a massive discount and I was pleasantly surprised.

    I agree car insurance is tricky, and can’t truly be compared with others’ experiences. I do feel lucky to say I am really happy with my insurance company! We pay about $200 a month for the above, bare bones (no collision, etc).

  79. mupiel says:

    Wow, thanks for the comments. With some of your input I was actually able to get a quote at 162.00 we are going to follow that trail. Thanks for all the input.

  80. Freefinger says:

    Easy.. to minimize your insurance stop buying Honda cars… They’re rated on top of the “I’m stealing that car” list… Until Honda willfully makes their cars safer I’m boycotting them.. Insurance is triple on Honda vehicles..

  81. DebD says:

    I’ve been with a broker in Ottawa for about 10 years..until this year. I had to call as my renewal was not coming in the mail and I needed it in 4 days. She had me come in to pick up a copy the insurance card as the package was “in the mail” (this was long before the mail strike). I got it the card, came home and discovered it was for a car that I had got rid of over a year ago!!! went back met with her, she gave me a copy of my policy and it went up $40/month (for the wrong car). I got a proper card and she fixed my policy and now my insurance went up $55 a month. I told her this was not aceptable and to shop around for me as this was her job as a broker. She came back with a quote with another company that only out me up $50/month. Still not acceptable for my perfect driving record. I shopped around myself and ended with CAA with a $20/month increase. Had to fight with broker to cancel my policy ($800 penalty) there as I found my own new company but it was 2 days after her policy came into effect. Told her it was their fault as they gave me no notice of policy renewal and then a renewal on a car that does not exist. I finally won and the policy was cancelled without any penalty to me. Brokers can only shop around for quotes with insurance companies that THEY deal with. In this case it was 7 companies but stll not good enough for me. I had to do a lot of leg work to find my own.

  82. ash says:

    I am a broker and you have to make sure you find the right one!

  83. Tlvincen says:

    I am an insurance broker in Ontario…
    There are so many factors that contribute to your calculated premium.

    Some things people seem to forget is that inflation costs are a part of why your insurance will slightly increase on every renewal. Costs of labour & parts mean the insurance company will have to pay out more if you have a claim. This is why you will most likely never see a decrease based on the same coverage & discounts.
    For the people who say “I am a good driver”, you need to remember all of the idiots on the road. Those who have BAD driving records cannot even be Insured with many companies and need to obtain their policy with a specialized market.
    It’s not the good drivers the Insurance companies are worried about.. It’s those people who get their bumper scratched but claim to have been “injured”. This means YOUR insurance company is paying for THEIR massages, physio, yoga in some cases…

    As for the changes to Ontario coverage limits that have changed this year.. This was government implemented. All Insurance premiums in Ontario are regulated by the Government. Rates must be submitted and approved.
    The reasons these limits were changed is due to reasons I have already listed. People taking advantage of their coverage… “I paid for this over the years. I’m going to take advantage of this fender-bender and get free massages!’ Yes people, this happens more than you know.

    The last thing I’d like to say is that you need to remember you’re paying a 3% charge should you choose to pay monthly. If you pay annually or, in some cases, quarterly you will save yourself some money.

    And please, next time you’re angry about your increase and call your broker, please remember – their Insurance rates are also going up every year!!!!!!

  84. Liz says:

    Its because its a honda. I pay less now for a 2009 ford escape and 2010 dodge caravan then I did for a 1998 Honda CRV and 2000 honda civic. My insurance had dropped over $50 a month in the last year since I switched my vehicles.

    Also look into discount for University/college graduates. We save quite a bit due to this. TD Meloche Monnex has a lot of discounts for graduates.

  85. Guest says:

    Call PC Insurance – best rates ever!! 🙂

  86. dandelion says:

    I think insurance rates are crazy. Its like trying to justify gas prices. If $221 is a “fair” price…then how come one can call a similar company and get a price quote for upwards to $80 dollars cheaper a month ( has happened to me)…should the standards not be the same across the board?…I agree $221 is ridiculous for one vehicle that seems to be a grocery getter so to speak…This is a hot topic that’s for sure. Insurance companies are bringing in a huge profit. My parents drive an accord and they pay less than $100 a month to drive it.

  87. Christine says:

    Insurance is a must no matter the price! My best friend was rear ended at a light in November, very minor accident, however she has been impacted by it, will never beable to return to full time work, has physio therapy 5 days a week and has to go for professional massages 3 times a week. The person that hit her, his insurance pays for these things and supplements her pay on hours she is unable to work, as well as for special doctor visits out of town etc etc. She will never fully recover. She has swelling and inflammation in her back all of the time hence the physio and massages etc. She will never beable to live the same way again the doctors say and she is a newlywed and would like to have children but is not medically well to yet and may never be. Pay the price you are given for insurance because if something ever happpened you’d be in a far worse off conditon! Let’s face it, no one is perfect and accidents to and can happen at any time when we least expect it.

  88. sunny says:

    Hey I live in Edmonton.I have toyota camry 2003 model.I tried to find cheapest insurance company.But every one gave me quote for more then 200$ a month.But finally I found local company name Millennium Insurance they are the cheapest and best.Now I am paying 157$.
    For me its more then pleasure to drive ,I want to save my self when its -36 C .

  89. Randy Bowen says:

    If anyone needs help with getting a better quote for their insurance.. I can help.. I’m a broker and I represent 13 different insurance companies. We can work together to get you the best for your dollar. My services are no charge to you. I am in Toronto, so you can contact me @ [email protected] or you can call me @ 416-399-6449. I am more than willing to see if you are getting the best rate out there. There’s no harm in letting me shop around for you.

  90. Ronnie says:

    Call PC Insurance, was pricing it out and received a quote of $200 a month then phoned PC went down to 138.

  91. Cali says:

    My old company quoted me at $2850 per year – outrageous! I just switched to Desjardins and now it’s only $1530 per year. Much better.

  92. Lori says:

    Thanks for this forum!! I just called Desjardins and my monthly payment went from $118 to $99.

  93. ryansmom says:

    CAA quoted us for over $100.00 less for the upcoming year per month than what we have been/will be paying with PC. However, you need to be a member for their standard 10% discount.

  94. Ryan says:

    After having a perfectly clean driving record without even a parking ticket I switched to Desjardins insurance. My insurance company at the time wanted to increase my car insurance by $25 a month. Desjardins was able to save me $50 a month from what I was initially paying for a total saving of $75 a month. If you use Kinetix to find a quote almost all the time Desjardins will have the best rate and by a big margin

  95. sara says:

    As others have mentioned, Meloche Monnex is the cheapest I know of, if you qualify. If you combine with house insurance, make sure to ask about loyalty or claims-free discounts. On top of the bundled discount, some companies like Meloche and TD General Ins give you credits for every year you are claims free. This can add up to hundreds of dollars a year.

    Also, ask what their brackets are for various quesitons. For example, when they ask how many kms you commute, ask what the ranges are. If you just say 20,000kms you may end up paying more than if you say 18,000.

    Finally, be careful when switching ins companies. Many offer a one-time new customer discount. It disappears in the second year causing your rate to increase. Since its too much work for most people to get new quotes every year they benefit. You might be better off in the long run with claims-free or loyalty discounts that increase over time.

  96. jayne_a says:

    I was driving a 2003 nissan sentra an that cost me $79/month
    right now I only have 2 vehicles
    a 1995 jeep grand cherokee which costs $68/month
    and a 1995 truck (not sure what kind) which cost me $53/month
    I live in sask and I have the full 20% discount for safe driving. So it’a a little cheaper. But when i was living in Manitoba my nissan was costing me 105$ a month. It really varies pending on which province that you live in. I’m happy with what i pay now.

  97. Suzi says:

    I used to be a home/auto insurance broker, and while I”m in NS where the insurance rules are different, sadly that quote didn’t seem that bad to me…

    My only word of advice for you, is if you change brokers/companies you really are better off sticking with someone that has a brick and mortar office in your area, and actual brokers you can see and talk to. Everyone is great when trying to win your business from someone else, but if all you have is a 1-800 # to deal with, who knows what you’ll get if you need to make a claim. I’ve heard horribly stories from clients who switched brokers only to have a claim and get terrible service from the new company, or worse than that, not even be able to get ahold of someone to talk to.

    I guess all I’m saying is the absolute lowest price is often the lowest for a reason, these days most companies should be fairly comparable (some still have better deals than others depending on your situation), and if you move your auto and not your other policies expect a possible increase in the other policies from a loss of dual policy discount…

  98. Redz76 says:

    1. use a broker – don’t deal with the company directly too frustrating
    2. there are companies that offer discounts if you belong to a church. I just switched my insurance and I saved $50 month.

  99. Sandra says:

    No matter where you go for car insurance, etc., you will get ripped off. I had the misfortune of having an accident 7 years ago, which they paid, but within a week, I had another small accident, (No payout from Insurance, I paid it), but stupid me, I called the insurance and told them about the second one. DON’T EVER TELL YOUR INSURANCE ABOUT ACCIDENTS, CALL YOUR BROKER FIRST. I have been paying over $3,000.00 per per for over 7 years and I thought that was it, but NO, I am still a high risk,(No accidents, no tickets, nothing) for NINE count them 9 years. DON’T REPORT ACCIDENTS TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY BECAUSE YOU WILL PAY THRU THE NOSE. The only reason I had to pay was I had a sick mother who was 3 hours away, so I need a car.

  100. sacha says:

    BC is like SASK and we have govt run insurance. ICBC has to insure EVERYONE. They can’t deny you for having too many accidents they just make you pay more. ou can by your collision and comp from any of the other private insurance companies in BC, so they only have the monopoly on the Third Party Liabilty side. We have 3 vehicles. 2000 Durango with full coverage and $300 deductibles, $1 million liabilty, rental coverage is $128 a month, 1994 F250 with full coverage and $300 deductibles, $1 million liabilty, rental coverage and is $96 a month and the 89 Prelude is $90 a month but has no collision just comp coverage and can’t remember what liabilty we have on it. I gotta say all considering how much hassle everyone has with private insurance companies I gotta say I like ICBC. So long as you have a good driving record you get good rates, if you drive like a moron, get a ton of tickets or have a ton of accidents then yes you will pay more and ya know what? you should ! LOL Very convenient when everyone has the same company, you get into an accident you both call the same company.. the adjusters work out liabilty one of you pay a deductible, the other one doesn’t. They deal with any injuries, everyone here has to have a minimum $200,000 third party liabilty so there are fewer cases of having to sue the other driver to get money for your injuries unless it was super serious. It is just easy… I like it. I know alot of BC’ers complain but if you look at the alternatives I think we have it pretty good here.

  101. teachermum says:

    I skimmed the other answers so this may have been mentioned earlier, but it is because you now must list the second person as a principle driver and not an occasional one. Trust me, been through that bigtime, now with 4 people here and 4 vehicles. I WISH we could list someone as occasional! THAT made a huge difference in our rates and we won’t even talk about the fact that one is a 20 yr old male…We thought long and hard about adding the 4th vehicle and what the “cost” to do so would be.

  102. mupiel says:

    @Lori If I saved even one person some money I’m glad.

  103. Randy Bowen says:

    Hello all, I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 13 years. I have worked at insurance companies and i have also worked as a broker so I know both sides. never say never but i’m pretty confident i will remain a broker until i retire. Even if you don’t contact me (which it would be nice if you did 🙂 i would strongly advise to deal with a broker. at the end of the day, a broker is accountable to you as opposed to a call centre rep who will only speak with you again if you happen to get them on the phone again. Of course everyone wants to save money but if you would also like to be treated as a client and not a policy number feel free to contact me for a free no obligation quote.
    [email protected]
    looking forward to speaking with you : )

  104. Tammy says:

    I forgot to post in my last comment we were previously with a broker. My husband had been with them for probably 20 yrs and we were supposed to be given loyalty discounts but it never seemed that way. And our broker wasn’t doing her job. When we questioned her on it(too late after our ins renewed) she found another lower quote but to cancel our ins it would cost a fee and made it not worth it. Thats why we left them last year.

  105. Melissa says:

    My insurance (Ontario) is with OTIP( Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan) and they are incredible. The amount that I saved by going with them for my first car meant that I could buy instead of lease.

    My husband just switched his insurance so that it’s with mine. When he called his provider to see if there was a better rate before he switched they said there was no way they could beat OTIPs rates and sent him the cancellation form. Even with the cancellation fee we are still saving a ton. . Granted one of you has to be a teacher but the savings is incredible.

    With 2 mil liability and 5 star protection (which is great should you be at fault for an accident) our 2003 Corolla and 2010 Eqinox are $220 combined. We also have our house insurance with them. The broker also told me that the rate would go down when the policy renews.

  106. Jen says:

    So maybe living in BC with ICBC monopoly isn’t so bad. I have a 2004 Beetle. Live in Greater Vancouver. Drive less than 15km for work, have 2 million 3rd party liability, collision and comprehensive, 300 deductible instead of 500… For under $150 per month. I have been driving for 10 years, accident free. Without the collision and comprehensive, my basic insurance is only $69 a month.

  107. Sarah says:

    I live in sask where we buy our plate insurance from the gov’t at a fraction of what it costs in other provinces, then if you want to add to that you can purchase more coverage for an extra $15ish/month.

  108. jay says:

    I live in Toronto, I have question for all the brokers or any one who has knowledge about it. I understanding is one of the factor is what car you drive… I know for fact that Honda has higher rate of theft for parts so it has higher insurance… I’m planning to buy the first car, I would like to know what brand of car, how old car (some cars are consider bad after 4-5 years, is recommended as I would not mind paying 2-3K more for car rather than paying too much insurance for long time, since i would be keeping car for at least 4-5 years!!

  109. You got great points there, that’s why I always love checking out your blog.

  110. Kadyn Blades says:

    Im grateful for the article.Much thanks again. Cool.

  111. Great writing. My thanks for posting this. I’ll return back to find out more and recommend my acquaintenances about it


















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