Car Insurance in Canada: Costs, Coverage, Provinces and Insurers

Car insurance is mandatory in every province, but who sells it, what it must include and what it costs are set province by province. These guides are grouped by the question they answer: what you will pay, how coverage works, the rules in your province, and which insurers to consider.

Costs

• Average car insurance by province: provincial averages by measurement group, and a self-check for whether your premium is too high
• Car insurance for new drivers: costs for newly licensed drivers and how graduated licensing affects coverage
• Cheapest cars to insure: the vehicle types that cost least and most to insure

Coverage and claims

• How car insurance works and how to lower your premium: the provincial systems, coverage types, rating factors and every discount
• Collision vs comprehensive insurance: what each coverage pays for and when to keep them
• What happens when your car is written off: how a total loss payout is calculated, negotiated and paid
• After a car accident: claims, fault and your premium
• Is an extended car warranty worth it?: the cost and value of warranty coverage

Provinces

• Ontario: mandatory coverage, accident benefits, fault rules and rates across Ontario cities
• British Columbia (ICBC): Basic Autoplan, the driver factor and Enhanced Care
• Alberta: the Grid, rate caps and the Care-First reform
• Saskatchewan (SGI): plate insurance, extension coverage and Safe Driver Recognition
• Manitoba (MPI Autopac): Basic Autopac, PIPP and Autopac options
• Quebec (SAAQ): public injury coverage and private property damage insurance
• Atlantic provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are sections of the page on averages by province

Cities

Cities are covered on their province’s page: Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Hamilton, Ottawa, London and Barrie on the Ontario page, Calgary and Edmonton on the Alberta page, Vancouver and Kelowna on the BC page, Regina and Saskatoon on the Saskatchewan page, Winnipeg on the Manitoba page and Halifax in the Nova Scotia section.

Insurers

• Best car insurance companies in Canada: the main insurers compared and how to get comparable quotes
• Sonnet Insurance review: where Sonnet sells, its Sonnet Shift program, pricing and claims

For home, life and travel coverage, see the Canadian insurance guide.