Car Lease/Rental On Non-Canadian Driving License

[Serendipity14]

Hello,

Starting with some basic information. I reside in Montreal, Quebec and have recently accepted a job offer roughly 40 KM away from downtown. I do not own a car or a Canadian driving license. Now that I will soon be travelling to office, I am looking for a way to avoid using public transport (since it takes almost 2 hours as against 30-40 minutes by car).

Eventually I plan to appear for the road test (already cleared written test) and hopefully own a car of my own. But for the time being I am looking at different options i.e. car pooling, Uber, monthly rental, short term lease, etc. Assuming that I do decide to rent a car, I wanted to know what all should I have i.e. insurance, etc. I have rented car before using passport and driving license of home country, and fortunately never had any problem but this time around it will be long term so the curiosity!

Additionally how good are those damage waiver things sold optionally by rental companies. And also, is it okay to drive car without any insurance cover (I know the answer but again views are welcome)?

P.S. - Any other cheaper travelling alternatives are more than welcome

Disclaimer - I searched the forum for similar topics and didn't find any which could answer my question. Hence this new topic. Additionally if the mods think this topic doesn't belong here, please move it to suitable section.

 

[foodie69]

Your driver’s licence is valid during the first 6 months of your stay in Québec if you drive:

a car
a motorcycle
a moped or scooter
However, make sure that your foreign licence:

is valid
authorizes you to drive the type of road vehicle that you are using
Québec driver’s licence required after the first 6 months

Here is the procedure to obtain a Québec licence, according to the road vehicle that you drive. You can begin the application process as soon as you arrive in Québec.

For a car

You must have held a driver’s licence authorizing you to drive a car for at least one year before settling in Québec and pass the Class 5 (car) proficiency examinations.

If you have less than one year of driving experience
You must follow a driving course and follow the graduated licensing process to obtain a learner’s licence.

 

[xpressentry]

If you are a new resident, you can get an international driving permit and use it for a year. If you have a license that is from one of the countries that permit an exchange, then go for that option. It is illegal to drive without insurance. It is a criminal offense. I have never taken extended insurance as I am a good driver but you can't predict if there are maniacs driving on the road. Extended insurance is a choice really. I have never taken it and the car has never been in an accident. Accidents don't come by appointment so it depends on you.

 

[Serendipity14]

It is illegal to drive without insurance. It is a criminal offense.

Does this apply to the rental cars also? I have been taking the damage waiver but I am not sure if its the same thing.

I have never taken extended insurance as I am a good driver but you can't predict if there are maniacs driving on the road. Extended insurance is a choice really.

I am not really good with insurance and how they work in Canada. I remember Scotiabank offering some sort of insurance with Credit card but I don't think that covers auto insurance as well.

 

[xpressentry]

You rent a car and there is a car rental charge which includes insurance. That insurance is really cheap. In the event of a claim, there is a large excess fee that has to be paid. The damage waiver either removed the excess fee altogether or reduces it.

If you drive without insurance and you damage the car, the insurance will pay out. In addition to car insurance for the car in general, you need third party insurance. Third party is neither the car not the driver. It is a third party like some random person you may hit while driving.

 

[steaky]

If you drive without insurance and you damage the car, the insurance will pay out.

Who's insurance exactly? Driver does not have insurance, so the money will be pay out by either the car rental company's or the other party's (if applicable).

 

[xpressentry]

The insurance is in the name of the driver who is authorised to drive that particular car. If you rent a cheap car, the insurance will be cheaper than renting an expensive car. The insurance depends on the age of the driver and the number of years of driving experience the driver has.

 

[steaky]

The insurance is in the name of the driver who is authorised to drive that particular car. If you rent a cheap car, the insurance will be cheaper than renting an expensive car. The insurance depends on the age of the driver and the number of years of driving experience the driver has.

This is not what you said in the last paragraph of your previous post! You said drive without insurance. Probably if you were caught by the police, you would be given a violation ticket.

 

[xpressentry]

Sorry I meant to say if there is no insurance there is no payout for damage. It's anyway illegal to drive without insurance and if you are caught by the police, they can confiscate your license or give you penalty points or a fine.

 

[atzquebec]

Hi,

Does this apply to the rental cars also? I have been taking the damage waiver but I am not sure if its the same thing.



I am not really good with insurance and how they work in Canada. I remember Scotiabank offering some sort of insurance with Credit card but I don't think that covers auto insurance as well.

Hi,

Were you able to rent a car using your international drivers license ?

 

[steaky]

Hi,


Hi,

Were you able to rent a car using your international drivers license ?

From the first post, OP mentioned he rented for a short while using his international driver license.

 

[200]

Hi,
I gave written test in Ontario but couldn't pass my G2 exam. I applied for re-take, however, in the meantime, can I hire and drive rented car on international driving license?

 

[xylene]

I would try the following
1. Try car pooling (there might be online forums to connect you to car poolers)
2. Try moving closer to the work place (this might work out to be cheaper than taking a rented car daily (which with insurance might be expensive)
3. Last option would be to rent a car - but do evaluate how much this costs (rental + insurance + gas) as compared to taking a uber one way and taking the bus/train back.