A few key factors are at play in determining car insurance rates in Ontario. They are:

• Insurance data - This relates to the car insurance data gathered by insurers in your area (can be city and/or province). Including in this data would be the cost of fraudulent claims to insurers and the amount of car insurance claims that happen in your area.

• Your personal driving history - The auto insurer you choose to place your business with will need to verify driving history before taking you on as a new client. This pertains to the amount of at-fault claims you’ve had, as well as your tickets history. Please be prepared to disclose you most recent 6+ years of claims history & 3+ years of tickets history.

• The type of car insurance coverage you’re looking for - In Ontario, the three degrees of coverage are:

  • Third Party Liability: By law, this is the minimum auto insurance coverage required in ON.

  • Liability, Collision & Comprehensive: This is the maximum amount of car insurance coverage available in ON. Often referred to as full coverage.

  • Liability, Collision OR Comprehensive: If car insurance was sized like fountain drinks, this would be the medium drink. If you want more than the minimum but feel the maximum coverage is too much, you can choose to add one of collisions or comprehensive to your liability coverage.

If you’re leasing or financing a vehicle, there’s a 99% chance that full coverage -- liability, collision & comprehensive coverage -- is required on your vehicle, as part of your leasing/financing agreement.

The best way to make sure you’re getting the best deal available to you for car insurance is by getting multiple car insurance quotes and being eligible for auto insurance discounts.

To help you with the first part of the above statement, Surex has partnered with the top car insurers in Ontario. Our partner insurance carriers include:

Aviva, Economical, Gore, Intact, Jevco, Pafco, Pembridge, RSA, SGI, Travelers, and Wawanesa

The next part is up to you. If you’re eligible for car insurance discounts, this is a great way to lower your annual car insurance premium amount. The top 3 discounts insurers offer are:

Good credit discount - The largest discount the vast majority of auto insurers offer is a good credit discount. Basically, if you have a history of always paying your bills, auto insurers want you as a client.

When you’re filling out your online Surex quote, you’ll be asked if we can do a soft hit of your credit score. This soft hit will not impact your credit score. If you choose to allow us to do this, a credit score of 650+ can save you up to 20% off your annual car insurance premium amount.

Claims-free discount - One way to demonstrate you’re a responsible driver is by going an extended amount of time without being at-fault in an automobile accident. Some car insurers will offer a claims-free discount, which can save you up to 10% off your annual car insurance rates, after 6 years of claims-free driving.

Conviction-free discount - Another way to demonstrate you’re a responsible driver is by avoiding traffic convictions. If you’ve gone at least 3 years without a traffic conviction -- photo radar & parking tickets are excluded -- then some insurers will offer you a conviction-free discount. A convictions-free discount can save you up to 10% off your annual auto insurance premium amount.

Personal auto insurance history - This relates at-fault claims on your record. The better your driving record, the better your rates will be -- all things equal - compared to someone with multiple claims on their record.

Bill payment history - The car insurer you choose to place your business with will want to know your prior history of paying your insurance bills.

Geography - If you live in a city or area that has a high amount of car insurance claims, then your auto insurance rates will be -- all things equal -- higher than someone in a geographic area that sees minimal claims.

Coverage - There are three auto insurance coverages available in ON:

• Third party liability - This is the legal minimum of auto coverage in Ontario.
• Liability, Collision & Comprehensive - This is the maximum amount of car insurance coverage in Ontario.
• Liability, Collision OR Comprehensive - The medium fries of auto coverage. More than the minimum but not quite the large.

Options - A variety of options can be added to a car insurance policy, including - accident forgiveness, limited depreciation (for new vehicles) coverage, rented vehicle coverage, towing packages, etc. Surex also has options to keep costs down by taking away coverage like hail or glass. Your Surex Personal Assistant will be able to elaborate on the options available to you.

Deductible amount - Your car insurance deductible is the amount you have to pay, out of pocket, to activate your policy. In Ontario, deductible amounts are usually $250, $500 or $1000. The value of your vehicle, type of coverage you have and the insurer you choose to place your business with are factors in your deductible amount.

Whether your vehicle is leased or financed - As part of your leasing or financing agreement, certain coverages will be required, until your vehicle is paid off in full. In the vast majority of cases, full (liability, collision & comprehensive) coverage is required, as per your leasing or financing agreement.

Discounts - Your Surex Personal Assistant will do all they can to find car insurance discounts you qualify for. We know the #1 reason a person will switch their business to us is price, which is why we do our best to get you the cheapest rate on car insurance.

There isn’t a set rate, or even a ballpark we can give, that would be fair for you to expect your car insurance rate to come in at. Factors that go into pricing your unique car insurance rate include:

• The amount of coverage you require

• Your personal driving history

• Car insurers history of insuring vehicle in your area (the amount of car insurance claims near you)

You can through Surex, yes!

Not all brokerages or insurance companies make accessing an active insurance policy this readily. The technology we’ve built and implemented on our website allows you to receive multiple unique quotes, the ability to compare your offers on our 100% transparent pricing model, then work with a real Personal Assistant to verify your price. Once you’re comfortable that you’re making the best decision for you, you will sign for your documents online, through e-signature, and have instant access to proof of insurance (while you wait for your pink cards to arrive).

By law, in Ontario no. However, if you’re looking to better protect yourself and your family, installing winter tires, during the appropriate months, is a great way to be proactive in avoiding compromising situations.

From a car insurance cost perspective, many insurers in Ontario -- including most of Surex’s partner insurers -- will offer a 2-5% discount off your annual auto insurance rate for having winter tires on your vehicle from November 1 - April 1 each year. You will need to provide proof (receipt) of tire purchase.

If you have good credit and a history of paying your insurance bills on time, then many insurers will make the monthly payment option or quarterly payment option available to you.

On the flip side, if you’ve struggled in the past to pay your monthly insurance bills on time, then these flexible installment options may no longer be available to you, through certain insurers.

The best way for first time drivers to lower their annual car insurance premium amount is by passing a certified driver’s training course.

Whether you’re a teenage driver or a driver that is new to Canada and don’t have access to your drivers abstract in your home country, completing a driver’s training course will increase your driver star rating. This increase in star rating is like adding two years of clean driving onto your record. Since you have two years of clean driving on your record, in theory, then your insurance will be cheaper -- all things equal -- compared to someone that didn’t pass a certified driver’s training course.

Yes! Not all car insurers offer a telematics program, though. Surex currently has two partner insurers in ON -- Intact & Pembridge -- that offer a telematics program and ensuing auto insurance discounts.

Speak with your Surex Personal Assistant to find out more about how these programs work and the amount you can save on your car insurance premiums (initially it will save you 5-10%, but that number can increase after a year).