Any one got good Insurance in Ontario/Toronto

[pv]

Frens ( Those who have landed in ON )
Pl share your exp if you have got good auto insurance in toronto area, I did lots of internet search and the quote is coming surprisingly high even after showing 3yrs of USA driving absract and Clean Insurance history and a canadian 'G' class licence

Insurance in canada is not like what some of us have seen in USA.
The quote I am getting for basic and comp insurance is ranging betn $250-$400 per month which is way high ( I used to pay under $100 bucks in USA)
I understand the quote varied from area to area, I am in north york @ Don Mills and Sheppard Ave E ( opposite to FairView Mall), but the quote I am getting is something I can not think in my dreams also

I tried with Bel Air Direct,Allstata,State Farm,Grey Power,CAA and some other companies around....

Share with information you have...

Happy Living and enjoy the summer

-pv

 

[canada001]

Wow... that expensive in Canada?! I haven't received my visa yet but it will come soon. I will keep an eye on this post.

 

[jes_ON]

I don't know about all of Canada, but insurance is horribly expensive in Ontario. I was paying $300 a year in the States (liability only). Now... $900 a year. And I'm told I am lucky. (I had a much longer clean driving record and insurance record than pv). The two companies that have given me the best quotes are TD Insurance and Dominion. Mind you, I'm not in the GTA, rates are much higher there than where I live up north.

I am used to dealing directly with insurance companies too, but I have to admit, a broker was able to get me lower rates (not by much, mind you). So you might want to try going through an insurance broker.

 

[pv]

Thank you jes_ON.

yes you are correct, in GTA and Toronto the Insurance is very high.
I heard from one of my fren that in Ottawa and other up north sub-urbs the insurance is low..

I can not change my location atleast till I complete my lease...
My search is still on...

good day...

 

[me2land]

Insurance in canada is not like what some of us have seen in USA.
The quote I am getting for basic and comp insurance is ranging betn $250-$400 per month which is way high ( I used to pay under $100 bucks in USA)

I hear you. Those are crazy numbers. Here in the US I pay $52/month for a full coverage of $26,000 car and keeps going down every year. I might need to sell my car and buy me a beater so I can just do a liability insurance when I land. I'm not sure what's the value of your car but if it's something like $6K or less you might also want to consider doing just a liabililty. You can also raise your deductable and tweak other variables to lower your rates. Keep us posted what you find. Good luck.

¬m2l

 

[pv]

thnx m2l

The car which I planned to buy was 2004 Kia Sedona $7500
I told broker that I want only liability... he said here in canada the liability does not go down based on your car value... and unlike USA here the minimum coverage starts with $1m

I am still talking to couple brokers here.. they simply says you don't have driving history in canada and no insurance in canada so first year your insurance prem will be high

After looking at the quote, I had to call the dealer that I can not buy car immediately

Will keep posted
-pv

 

[steaky]

Thank you for your post.

 

[me2land]

I told broker that I want only liability... he said here in canada the liability does not go down based on your car value...

It should not. My point was if your car is worth less than $6K you can afford the risk of doing just liability which by design should be cheaper than full coverage. By how much? I don't know but in the US can be as low as 45% of the full coverage.

I am still talking to couple brokers here.. they simply says you don't have driving history in canada and no insurance in canada so first year your insurance prem will be high

Can any driving/insurance history in the US help? Do you know if they have any special programs that could lower your premium? Like in the US many states have laws that require Insurance companies lower your premium by 5% if you have done a defensive driving class.

On the side note have you look into the option of not having a car and live in an area where public transport is easily accessible? Is that even an option for a family with small children? I would like to know if anyone has looked into this and has some answers.

¬m2l

 

[qorax]

Aoto-Insurance is Pricey in Canada? U can bet on that, sir!

Do whatever... previous records, defensive driving, scourging thru brokers, surfing the net... it'd not go down & yet remain the same... A costly affair! A killer!

Again, as someone posted before, it doesn't depend on the make & value of your ride, as the $1M liability is the law. It depends on some hurting factors like:
1. Newcomer? (Sob! Be prepared to pay higher, come what may)
2. No Canadian Driving Record? (Sob! Your longstanding non-violation overseas driving doesn't count)
3. Your Canadian Residence? (Sob! The Insurers have a way of defining hazardous neighborhoods!)
4. No other Insurance Products to Club with? (Sob! They want u to buy couple of more insurances)

Sob, sob, sob!!!

Two of my observations might help u:
A. Avoid State Farm Insurance (They r usually the costliest).
B. Try TD Insurance (They r usually the cheapest).

Welcome to Canada!
Otherwise it's a damn good place to reside...

Qorax

 

[me2land]

Qorax - thanks for your input on this. Liability of $1m is fine but I don't think this addresses the issue of why drivers can't take more risk and pay lower premium in return. Apart from the required portion of the insurance, can't we add/drop certain features?
However Canadian Insurance do their pricing somewhere the type, model, year, & value of the car must play part because each line item is priced separately and some are related to safety and repair/replacement of the car.

Here are examples of the few variables that we can tweak here in the US to lower premiums

- Increase your deductible ( this is huge and can lower your premium upto 40% by increasing your deductible from $500 to $1000)
- Drop you collision coverage ( you can afford to do this when you drive a cheap car) - car value should play part in pricing this
- Drop uninsured Motorist coverage - car value should play part in pricing this
- Drop Underinsured Motorist coverage - car value should play part in pricing this
- Drop Rental Reimbursement coverage

It's abvious you are not allowed to drop Liability, Medical coverage and PIP (Personal Injury Protection).

Did anyone else out there already figured out that Canada and US are so similar but so different?

¬m2l

 

[qorax]

Me2Land,

U r correct, that u could tweak those variables a bit here-n-there to drop the premium. But, unfortunately, it plays only marginally with the final figure here (Sob, again!). That'd benefit u only with a few dollars, few means -under $50. Anything above $200/month is the norm here, for a newcomer's Insurance Premium.

I'm with TD.

Qorax

 

[pv]

thank you m2l and Qoarx...

I tried all 'if' and 'buts' may be I have to spend some more time on finding the good deal, for now put my plan on hold of buying car

I was with Liberty Mutual in USA and they used to do business in canada till 2004, but they sold their book of business to TD after that, they refered me to TD in northyork office and I was happy that I should get affordable quote but another surprise...

well Qorax, if you are with TD and you mentioned they are not costly then its good man... I am still shopping around

I work for Allstate Insurance and see my situation still not getting enough affordable insurance after having proof from USA driving,Insurance and G licence in canada.. May be I will have insurance one day ( a day when my spouse will get job ...)

Good weekend... and enjoy the rain ( finally after 3 days of heat)

 

[canadp]

Is it good to take car from USA or to sell it in USA and then buy from Canada ?

Suggestions are helpful.

Thanks

canadp

 

[pv]

There are few factors -

>Your car should not be on loan.
>Talk to your insurance and tell them that you are going to Canada as Job transfer and for 6 months.. they will porivde you insurance here as well for 6months and by then you will create you driving history in Canada ( you might have seen above post that Insurnace is costly here in canada) - My fren did this 2yrs back and after 1 yr he got insurance from canada company which is $145 per month
> after 6 month you can registered your car here in canada
> I sold my car in USA which was a mistake ( i believe ) but I had other reason, since I was coming from west coast and my relocation limit from my company was not allowing me to transport the car... but I should have done some more detailed math.. anyways

Good luck, happy living in canada

 

[me2land]

Is it good to take car from USA or to sell it in USA and then buy from Canada ?

Suggestions are helpful.

Thanks

canadp

My limited cost/benefit analysis (mostly on new cars) shows that your are better off buying it from Canada. Prior to 2007 financial meltdown, when USD/CAD exchange rate was 1.2 on average, the new car prices somewhat mirrored the exchange rate. Now the new cars prices have come down to reflect the new realities almost on per with the US prices.
I hope this is also reflected in the used cars market but would like someone with first hand experience chime in.

¬m2l