Driving in BC as a newcomer

[lavatelasmanos]

I'm (foreigner) moving to Vancouver with my wife (Canadian) in March. We are planning to buy a car immediately when we arrive so I'm wondering what do I have to deal with in order to drive there quickly and cheaply.

I have a driver's license (non international) from my home country, but I'm not currently residing in my home country and going back there is impossible due to covid. My wife has AB driver's license so worst case scenario she can be the primary driver if I can't get a license/insurance early enough.

My first concern is the timing. I heard the waitlist for Vancouver is 6 months to get a road test. If I understood the process correctly after I pass the written test, I'd be given a learners permit so I would be able to drive while accompanied by my wife?

My second concern is the cost. Since I have to be insured then I would need to pay a premium because I won't have a driver's license when we buy a car. How much is this gonna cost me? Even with learners they probably will charge me a premium, but it's probably still less than no license at all. It seems unfair to be forced to pay extra through no fault of your own.

Anyone has similar experience after moving to Canada? Any inputs are welcomed.

 

[steaky]

I'm (foreigner) moving to Vancouver with my wife (Canadian) in March. We are planning to buy a car immediately when we arrive so I'm wondering what do I have to deal with in order to drive there quickly and cheaply.

I have a driver's license (non international) from my home country, but I'm not currently residing in my home country and going back there is impossible due to covid. My wife has AB driver's license so worst case scenario she can be the primary driver if I can't get a license/insurance early enough.

Yes, you are right. Most likely your wife will have to exchange her driver license, be the primary driver and get car insurance.

My first concern is the timing. I heard the waitlist for Vancouver is 6 months to get a road test. If I understood the process correctly after I pass the written test, I'd be given a learners permit so I would be able to drive while accompanied by my wife?

Yes, you pass the written test, get the learners permit and would able to drive while accompanied by your wife.

For the road test, other than Vancouver, you can also book nearby Burnaby, Richmond and North Vancouver. This way, there are more dates to choose from.

Lastly, the car insurance is what it is. Be it fair or not fair.

 

[lavatelasmanos]

@steaky thanks for the explanation.

I'll be able to transfer my job to canada so most likely I'll be the one paying for the car loan while my wife looks for a job. Is it difficult to get a loan right from the get-go especially with no credit? I'm thinking it's a good way to start building my credit score as well if I can get a car loan approved. I already opened an HSBC Canada account from here since I've been HSBC customer for 10 years. Should I just go with them for car loans?

As for insurance cost do you happen to have a ballpark? Or is it completely random? If they charge me extra 300 dollars per year to drive with international license/learners permit then I don't mind just paying.

 

[steaky]

The insurance cost is also based in the number of years your driving experience and what vehicle you are going to use. You can get a no-claims letter from your foreign car insurer and show it to your auto Insurance broker here in Vancouver to see how many years of experience you can qualify.

For loans, you can go with the bank or the car dealership.

 

[armoured]

As for insurance cost do you happen to have a ballpark? Or is it completely random? If they charge me extra 300 dollars per year to drive with international license/learners permit then I don't mind just paying.

I could not even begin to guess what it would be in BC - but in Ontario, with somewhat similar situation (one long-time Canadian driver, clean record, and one new PR) I was pleasantly surprised that the additional cost for insuring my spouse (after the basic insurance package for us) was not expensive. Less than an extra $20 a month (don't remember exactly).

This is including that spouse (in Ontario) is on the graduated learner's license (despite 15+ years of driving, not fully recognised by province). The main thing was that I (the main driver) had a blemish-free record and that the 'learner' was an additional driver.

Car loan: obviously check but you may find that if spouse has credit score and has banked in canada with the same bank for years, may be able to get car loan without too much difficulty. Try both routes.

 

[canadavisaQs]

My second concern is the cost. Since I have to be insured then I would need to pay a premium because I won't have a driver's license when we buy a car. How much is this gonna cost me? Even with learners they probably will charge me a premium, but it's probably still less than no license at all. It seems unfair to be forced to pay extra through no fault of your own.

Anyone has similar experience after moving to Canada? Any inputs are welcomed.

i bought my car 2 days after landing in BC, and was driving around with indian license and my insurance was $465 on a used $20,000 car. After getting BC license, my insurance went down to $165. So you might pay high insurance for first month or two.

Also, like others said, you can always get driving test dates in other nearby towns pretty easily, within a week or so

 

[steaky]

i bought my car 2 days after landing in BC, and was driving around with indian license and my insurance was $465 on a used $20,000 car. After getting BC license, my insurance went down to $165. So you might pay high insurance for first month or two.

Also, like others said, you can always get driving test dates in other nearby towns pretty easily, within a week or so

You forgot his wife has a AB driver license which can be exchanged for a BC one.