Compare car insurance quotes in Vaughan for free. Find your best price in minutes.

Car insurance in Vaughan

Every vehicle owner, lessee and driver in Vaughan, and Ontario as a whole, is legally required to have car insurance.

According to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), which oversees insurance rates in the province, fines for not carrying valid car insurance range from $5,000 to $50,000. Not having car insurance can also lead to a driver’s license suspension and vehicle impoundment.

That’s why the FSRA is here to make sure that car insurance agents and companies deliver fair rates to all Ontarians by ensuring they are all licensed and follow all legal guidelines. Speaking of fair rates – you can compare quotes on LowestRates.ca to find the best auto insurance price in your area.

Mandatory Vaughan car insurance coverage

Not all coverages are mandatory in Ontario. With that in mind, here are the ones that you absolutely must have:

• Third-party liability: Third-party liability has to cover you for at least $200,000, which is the lowest amount it can be in Ontario. It will protect you if you get sued for causing injury or death with your vehicle to someone not covered by your insurance.

• Accident benefits: Accident benefits coverage includes supplementary medical, rehabilitation and attendant care, caregiver, non-earner and income replacement benefits. It will protect you in case you sustain an injury during a car accident – whether you’re at fault or not.

• DCPD: Also known as ‘direct compensation for property damage,’ the DCPD coverage allows you to directly collect the payout for the damage to or loss of your car and its contents. Applicable only if the collision occurs in Ontario and only if one other car is involved (as long as that car is insured by a provider licensed in Ontario or approved by the FSRA). If these criteria are not met, your optional collision coverage can protect you.

• Uninsured vehicle: This will cover you if your car gets damaged and/or if you get injured or killed in a hit-and-run by an uninsured driver.

Optional Vaughan car insurance coverage

If you want to be fully protected (or as fully as possible), then consider purchasing additional coverage. It will cost you more, but it will also guarantee a greater payout. Here are some of the optional coverages available to all Ontarians:

• Increased third-party liability: This allows you to increase your coverage from the minimum of $200,000 to either $500,000, $1 million or $2 million.

• Increased accident benefits: You can significantly expand your accident benefits coverage in every area. This includes income replacement; medical, rehabilitation and attendant care; caregiver; housekeeping and home maintenance expenses; and death and funeral. When it comes to medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits, for instance, you can increase your standard maximum coverage of $65,000 for non-catastrophic injuries to $130,000. For catastrophic injuries, you can increase the coverage from the standard maximum of $1 million by another $1 million.

• Dependent care benefits: If a car accident causes you to incur additional childcare expenses, you can get coverage for up to $75 per week for the first dependent and $25 for every subsequent dependent. That said, you can’t claim the money if you didn’t have a job at the time of the accident or if you are covered by the above-mentioned caregiver benefit.

• Indexation: This covers an annual adjustment for inflation for medical, rehabilitation and attendant care, income replacement and other benefits.

• Specified perils: Not all damage comes from other vehicles. This will cover you if your car gets lost or damaged due to fire, theft, lightning, windstorm, hail, earthquake and similar unforeseen disasters.

• Collision or upset: This will cover you if your car collides with either another car or your own trailer attachment. It will also cover you if the surface of the ground or objects in or on the ground cause your vehicle to flip over.

• Comprehensive: Covers damages or losses your collision or upset coverage doesn’t cover, including everything listed under ‘specified perils,’ falling or flying objects and vandalism. Also covers damage or loss from missiles.

• All perils: This covers everything under ‘comprehensive’ and ‘collision or upset’ coverages, plus a specific type of theft – one involving your vehicle being stolen either by someone who lives with you or an employee who drives, uses, services or repairs your vehicle (such as a repair shop worker).

Factors that determine your car insurance rates in Vaughan

Wondering why your car insurance quote is not the same as your friend’s or neighbour’s? There are several factors at play. Here’s what they are:

• Your age: Drivers under 25 are statistically more likely to get into a car accident and file a claim than their older counterparts. As a result, people in this age group pay the highest premiums. Your age remains a factor throughout your entire life – though as you get older, it becomes less relevant.

• Your experience: The more you drive, the more experienced you become. This makes you less likely to cause an accident and file claim, leading to lower premiums. Unlike age, this factor is completely within your control. The sooner you start driving, the sooner you become experienced.

• Your driving record: The more traffic tickets you accumulate (such as speeding tickets) and the more auto insurance claims you file, the higher your premium will be. Traffic tickets matter because they paint a picture of your driving style. For instance, the more you speed, the higher the chance of you getting into an accident. So, follow your local rules and drive carefully.

• Your mileage: Though driving frequently allows you to become a more experienced driver, your premium may end up high anyway – even with a clean driving record. That’s because driving too much makes you statistically more likely to get into a car accident, no matter how good of a driver you may be.

• Your car: Every vehicle in Canada has a Canadian Loss Experience Automobile Rating (CLEAR), determined by the likelihood of someone filing a claim for it. The rating accounts for the model, make and year of the vehicle, which means that certain cars have premiums than others. To mitigate this, you can make your car ‘safer’ by implementing safety features like anti-theft devices, driver assist and anti-lock brakes. These will reduce the probability of loss or damage to your vehicle and lower your premium.

• Your location: Where you park your car determines your premium. Insurers group rates by the first three symbols of a postal code (also known as the Forward Sortation Area, or the FSA), which designate a particular district. Typically, areas with high crime rates and traffic density have the highest premiums. That’s because such areas increase the likelihood of car accidents, theft and vandalism. Unfortunately, Vaughan, like the rest of the Greater Toronto Area, has some of the busiest roads in all of Canada, and highest auto insurance rates too. Your best bet is to shop around until you find for the cheapest rate available.

• Your sex: If you’re a male driver, in addition to being inexperienced and below 30, then you may be paying some of the highest premiums around. Why, you ask? Because, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), male drivers are more likely to get into car accidents than their female counterparts. But don’t worry – as you get older and more experienced, your sex will stop being a factor.

Car insurance rates for Vaughan seniors

If you’re turning 50 soon, you may be entitled to senior car insurance rates, as drivers in the age group of 50 to 70 are among the safest.

Just be mindful of the other factors that can affect your premium. For instance, a spotty driving record – due to too many traffic tickets, impaired driving charges and/or filed claims – can still easily negate this discount. Being within the ‘safe’ age group doesn’t mean that you yourself are automatically a safe driver.

Either way, be sure to consult LowestRates.ca to find the lowest senior car insurance rates available in your area

Car insurance rates for students in Vaughan

If you’re a student driver under 25 – especially a male driver – then your car insurance rates are probably very high. Furthermore, if you also happen to live in Vaughan, one of the most expensive cities for car insurance in Ontario, then you may, in fact, be paying the highest premiums in the province.

That’s because insurers classify those under 25 as ‘young’ drivers, deeming them to be less experienced and more high-risk than their older counterparts.

Unlike senior drivers, this age group has no readily available discounts – despite arguably needing them more. However, as a student, there are steps you can take to lower your premiums. Here are some of them:

• Enroll in a government-approved driving program to secure a driving certificate.

• Continue driving, building a consistent driving record.

• Drive carefully and follow all the rules to avoid traffic tickets and collisions.

• Bundle your auto insurance with your home or tenant insurance.

• Shop for the lowest student insurance rate in your area using LowestRates.ca.

Car insurance for new immigrants in Vaughan

As a new immigrant to Canada, and by extension, Vaughan, you may already have a driver’s license from your previous country. It will remain valid for up to 60 days following your arrival, so be sure to apply for the Ontario license before it expires.

You’ll also need car insurance, since driving without it in Ontario is as illegal as driving without a driver’s license. If you don’t have an insurance record from your previous country, then your insurer will consider you a ‘new’ or ‘inexperienced’ driver, which can noticeably increase your auto insurance premium. This, coupled with the fact that Vaughan car insurance rates are some of the highest in the country, may discourage you from driving altogether.

Don’t let it! Here’s what you can do to lower your premium:

• Take government-approved driving courses and get certified.

• Drive regularly to build your Canadian driving record.

• Drive safely to avoid traffic tickets, collisions and other infractions. Your driving record needs to be clean for your premiums to go down.

• Bundle your home or tenant insurance with your car insurance.

• Look for cheap auto insurance quotes via online services like LowestRates.ca.

Car insurance for high-risk drivers in Vaughan

At-fault accidents and numerous traffic violations can easily put you in the ‘high-risk’ category, leading to a significant increase in your insurance premiums.

The best, and most obvious, way to lower them is by driving more carefully. Consider taking driving courses to brush up on the rules and improve your driving skills, since you may have some knowledge gaps. Your goal should be cleaning up your driving record, so that insurers no longer see you as a high-risk driver.

In fact, you may find it difficult to get insurance in the first place. If that’s the case, check out the Facility Association – a non-profit group of insurers that offers insurance to those who can’t purchase it regularly.

You can also find cheap insurance quotes for high-risk drivers on LowestRates.ca.