At Surex, our three-step process will ensure that you end up with the best car insurance in Scarborough. Here’s how it works:

1. Personalized insurance quotes: Surex will capture some of your basic information — either by phone or online — and then shop the market for you. In under 10 minutes, you’ll have up to ten personalized insurance offers to choose from.
2. Customize your offers: Once you receive the initial auto insurance quote, you can edit your information, compare insurance companies and compare quotes to find the best overall value.
3. Purchase and manage 24/7: Once you’ve selected an online car insurance quote & reviewed the insurance policy with your insurance broker, you can electronically sign documents to receive an instant proof of insurance if you want to get insurance online. If you’d rather speak with someone we will connect you with the best insurance broker who can walk you through all the options and answer any questions you might have. Once finished, your Ontario automobile insurance documents will arrive in the mail and you can manage your policy 24/7 with our ‘My Surex’ login feature.

• Watch for new drivers. Scarborough is known for attracting high numbers of immigrants and students, which means the area has a lot of new drivers learning the rules of the road. Watch out for driver’s education vehicles and be especially careful when driving near educational campuses in Scarborough.
• Winterize your ride. Scarborough has long-lasting and bitingly cold winters. Before  facing the wintery GTA roads, make sure you install four approved winter tires, pack a well-stocked emergency kit, use winter-rated washer fluid, have a fully-charged cell phone, keep your gas tank at least half full, know exactly where you’re headed, and drive with a high degree of caution. 
• Avoid the 401. Highway 401, which cuts through Scarborough, is prone to congestion and can be especially dangerous in rain, sleet, hail, and other driving conditions. If you only need to get across town, consider an alternative east-west artery, such as Ellesmere Avenue, Lawrence Avenue, or Kingston Road. 
• Pay attention. Distracted driving has become a major source of accidents and traffic blockage in Ontario. In an effort to crack down on distracted driving — especially caused by smartphone use while operating a vehicle — Toronto police are imposing fines of $1,000 and three demerit points for a first-time distracted driving offence. Safe driving requires your full attention, so put the phone away until you arrive at your destination. 

• Lower your kilometres. Putting fewer kilometres on your vehicle each year can result in a lower annual premium. So even if it’s just one day per week, try to leave your car at home and instead walk, cycle, carpool, or use public transportation to get to work. 
• Don’t miss payments. This may seem obvious, but many Ontario drivers miss payments, resulting in the top rated car insurance companies in Ontario viewing them as high-risk, and therefore increasing the likelihood of a rate increase. Do whatever you need to do to never miss a payment, including setting calendar reminders, automating your payments through your online banking, setting up automatic monthly withdrawals, or paying all at once instead of in monthly instalments. 
• Compare your options. Shop around! Instead of automatically re-upping with your current insurance provider, take a few minutes each year (prior to your renewal date) and visit a rate comparison site like Surex to get a free automobile insurance quote. Provider’s rates can change, as can your situation, so it’s critical that you compare your options instead of blindly renewing with one of the same top rated car insurance companies in Ontario — just be sure to do it prior to renewal, so if you decide to switch, you can do so without incurring a cancellation penalty.  
• Bundling can help you save. If you have more than one insurance policy, ask about bundling them with the same auto insurance company — for example, you could bundle your home insurance and automobile insurance. Bundling your policies not only streamlines your finances, it can save you up to 10% on your home (or condo or renter’s) insurance, and up to 15% on your car insurance in Scarborough.

There are many ways to save on auto insurance, including shopping around online to find the most competitive rates, reviewing your policy annually, lowering the number of kilometres you put on your vehicle each year, bundling multiple insurance policies with the same online auto insurance company, installing approved winter tires during the winter months, enquiring about discounts you qualify for, paying your annual premium all at once, raising your deductibles, signing up for telematics, and purchasing a vehicle that insurers typically view as ‘low-risk’ (and therefore is cheaper to insure).

Because the factors that determine premiums vary for each driver — location, age, gender, driving history, vehicle type, vehicle usage, auto insurance coverage type — it’s difficult to arrive at an average cost of auto insurance. However, most Ontario drivers can expect to pay around $1,500 annually, with $1,000 representing the low end of the range, and $2,000+ being the high end of the range. To get a better idea of what you should expect to pay, get a free car insurance quote on Surex.

There are many ways you can lower your car insurance premium, including taking a safe driving course, shopping around for a lower rate every year, bundling policies with the same provider, asking about available discounts, using winter tires, and installing anti-theft technology in your vehicle. But if you pay attention to the tried and true methods — be a safe driver and never miss a payment — your rates will surely fall over time.

All Ontario insurance policies must have $200,000 worth of basic Third Party Liability Coverage, meaning that you’ll be protected against costs related to damages you cause to third parties. The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) also requires Ontario drivers to have Direct Compensation & Property Damage Coverage, Uninsured Automobile Coverage, and Statutory Accident Benefits Coverage. Beyond these mandatory coverages, there are optional coverages you can add to your policy, including Collision and Comprehensive, which will protect your vehicle against a range of non-collision related perils and damages, such as hail damage, vandalism, and theft.

Sometimes even very safe drivers make mistakes. If you’re involved in an accident — either single-vehicle or multi-vehicle — the top rated car insurance companies in Ontario use the Government of Ontario’s Fault Determination Rules to determine if you are ‘at fault’. If you are considered to be completely or partially at fault, there’s a strong likelihood that your premium will go up at your next renewal (although it’s hard to say exactly how much it will increase by). The rise in premiums could stay with you for years, resulting in a significant overall increase in your insurance costs. If you have Accident Forgiveness coverage — and it’s your first at-fault accident (ie. you had a clean driving record prior to the accident) —  your online insurance premiums in Scarborough may not go up.