How traffic tickets affect your insurance rate in Ontario

By: John Shmuel and Aya Alhakim on July 31, 2026

Updated by Aya Al-Hakim on July 31, 2026 | Originally written by John Shmuel on January 9, 2025

QUICK TAKEAWAYS:

Traffic tickets can increase car insurance rates in Ontario by hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, depending on the type of conviction.
Insurers generally classify convictions as minor, major, or serious, with more severe offences leading to larger premium increases.
Major convictions, such as driving without insurance, can more than double insurance costs, while serious convictions may result in a high-risk status indication on your record.
Demerit points do not directly affect insurance rates, but the conviction behind the points and any resulting licence suspension can.
Before paying a ticket, consider the long-term impact on your insurance premiums, as convictions can affect rates for several years.

Traffic tickets can increase car insurance rates in Ontario by hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, depending on the type of conviction and your driving record. A single minor ticket may increase premiums moderately, while major and serious convictions can more than double or triple your insurance costs and may even limit your coverage options.

If you've recently received a traffic ticket, or want to know what one could cost you, understanding how insurers classify convictions is key. In Ontario, traffic offences are generally categorized as minor, major, or serious, and each category can affect your insurance premium differently.

How do minor, major, and serious traffic tickets affect car insurance rates?

Traffic tickets can increase your car insurance rates, but the impact depends on the severity of the offence. Insurers generally classify convictions as minor, major, or serious when assessing risk.

Minor convictions	Major convictions	Serious convictions
Speeding	Driving without insurance	Careless driving
Failing to signal	Failing to report an accident	Impaired driving
Following too closely	Failing to report damage to highway property	Racing
Improper lane changes	Passing a school bus illegally	Stunting
Traffic light violations	Speeding in a school or playground zone	Driving while suspended
Stop sign violations		Failing to remain at the scene of an accident
Distracted driving		Refusing a breath sample
Seatbelt violations
Impact on insurance: Usually smallest impact on premiums, although multiple convictions can lead to higher rates over time.	Impact on insurance: Often result in a significant premium increase because insurers view these convictions as higher risk.	Impact on insurance: Can lead to substantially higher premiums, policy non-renewal, or placement with a high-risk insurer.

While a single minor ticket may have a limited effect, major and serious convictions can increase premiums substantially and make it more difficult to qualify for standard insurance coverage.

Do demerit points affect car insurance?

Demerit points do not directly increase your car insurance rates. However, traffic convictions that caused demerit points can affect your premiums. If you accumulate enough demerit points to receive a licence suspension, insurers may view you as a high-risk driver, which can lead to higher insurance costs.

Provinces such as Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec use demerit points to track driving violations. Drivers accumulate points for certain traffic offences committed in Canada, as well as in some U.S. jurisdictions, including New York and Michigan.

The number of demerit points assigned depends on the offence. For example, in Ontario, failing to remain at the scene of a collision carries seven demerit points, while less serious infractions, such as an improper right or left turn, carry two demerit points.

While insurers generally focus on the type of conviction rather than demerit points attached to it, accumulating too many negative points can have indirect insurance consequences. In Ontario, drivers who accumulate enough demerit points may face a licence suspension. A suspension can significantly increase insurance premiums and may affect a driver's ability to obtain coverage at standard rates.

Ultimately, it's the underlying traffic offence and any resulting licence suspension, not demerit points alone that are most likely to affect your car insurance rates.

How much do traffic tickets increase car insurance rates in Ontario?

A traffic ticket can increase your car insurance premium by hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. Premium increases depend on the severity of the offence and how many tickets you have accumulated on your driving record.

To measure the impact of traffic violations on insurance costs, we used the LowestRates.ca car insurance quoter and compared premiums for the same driver profile with different convictions added to the record.

The quotes below are based on a 35-year-old Toronto driver with a clean driving record, driving a one-year-old financed Honda Civic EX. The premiums reflect a recommended coverage package quoted through the LowestRates.ca car insurance quoter as of July 2026.

These quotes use a recommended coverage package that includes third-party liability coverage, medical and rehabilitation benefits, cost of examination coverage, collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible, comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible, plus enhanced accident benefits such as increased income replacement, caregiver benefits, housekeeping and home maintenance benefits, visitor expenses, lost education expenses, and coverage for personal items damaged in a collision.

These enhanced accident benefits became optional add-ons following Ontario's July 1, 2026 auto insurance reforms and are included here to reflect a more comprehensive level of protection.

With no tickets on his record, our sample driver would pay:

No tickets: $294.58/month ($3,535/year)

Now let's look at how violations affect auto insurance premiums.

Driving Record	Monthly Premium	Annual Premium
No tickets	$294.58	$3,535
1 minor ticket	$358.25	$4,299
2 minor tickets	$385.50	$4,626
1 major ticket	$658.75	$7,905
2 major tickets	$921.92	$11,063
1 serious ticket	$1,128.33	$13,540
2 serious tickets	Contact a broker	Coverage may be unavailable through standard insurers

Tickets can have a big impact on your car insurance rate. If you've received a ticket, it's worth understanding your options before simply paying it. Depending on the situation, you may be able to fight the charge in court or hire a paralegal to help.

Before deciding, compare the cost of fighting the ticket with potential increases to your insurance premium if the conviction holds.

In Ontario, traffic convictions can affect your insurance rates for several years. That's why it's important to avoid additional convictions and keep your driving record as clean as possible.