Types of car insurance quotes
Private vs. public car insurance quotes
Ontario, Alberta, the Maritimes, and the territories have private insurance markets, meaning you can get quotes from multiple insurance companies. Ontario's car insurance market is the largest in Canada, with the most insurance companies competing for business.
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have public insurance systems, meaning that Crown corporations provide driver coverage.
Quebec has a hybrid system. The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, a Crown corporation, provides partial accident benefits. Third-party liability coverage, which is mandatory, can only be bought through a private insurance company. Quebec drivers can only buy optional car insurance coverages from private insurance companies.
Regardless of whether your province has a private, public, or hybrid system, drivers in Canada end up with insurance policies that mostly resemble each other. The process of obtaining a quote differs based on which regime exists in your province. The insurance-buying process in public car insurance systems happens when you register your vehicle. Whatever the province charges you is the final price — you can't shop around.
In the private system, vehicle registration takes place separately from the insurance-buying process. You can buy insurance directly from an insurance company or shop around using a rate comparison site and see which provider offers the lowest rate.
Personal vs. commercial vs. ride-sharing car insurance quotes
There are different types of quotes you can get depending on how you use your car. We'll explore each one.
Personal car insurance quote
Car insurance for personal use goes by different terms in the insurance industry. You might hear an agent or broker refer to it as insurance for a "private personal vehicle" (PPV) or as a "personal line." Most people need this type of car insurance. A personal-use vehicle is for commuting to and from work, running errands, and pleasure (road trips, for instance). Rate comparison sites mainly cater to people seeking insurance for their own cars.
Commercial car insurance quote
If you own a business that requires the daily use of a company-owned vehicle, you need commercial car insurance. A personal car insurance policy won't provide coverage if you're involved in an accident with the company car. Rate comparison sites often don't offer quotes for such policies. Still, they can refer you to a broker who specializes in commercial insurance. The broker can then show you quotes from various commercial car insurance companies.
Ride-sharing car insurance quote
This insurance product is a complicated one. Think of ride-sharing insurance as more akin to an endorsement (an optional coverage that you layer on top of your standard policy). Because of that, you can't purchase it from an insurance company other than the one that provides your base policy. This makes it challenging to shop the market for the lowest ride-sharing quote. However, some ride-sharing platforms have taken the initiative to extend insurance coverage to drivers, making getting insurance less hassle.
Suppose you're driving for a platform that does not offer insurance through the app. The insurance company that provides your personal policy might agree to extend some coverage while driving for the app. Still, you must notify your insurance company before you become a driver for the ride-sharing platform.
Even if you drive for an app that provides insurance, you still need to notify your car insurance company before becoming a rideshare driver. Your insurance company could cancel your coverage otherwise.
Standard and non-standard car insurance quotes
A standard quote can refer to a standard auto insurance policy or a customer deemed to be at average risk to insure.
There are three tiers of clients in the insurance world: preferred, standard, and non-standard.
Preferred clients will receive a preferred auto insurance policy. They have a long insurance history and have had no accidents or only one or two minor ones.
A non-standard policy is insurance lingo for a policy created for a person considered risky to insure.
All three types of customers will have access to the same kinds of coverage. However, the amount the insurance company will charge each tier will vary.
Standard clients will get an average rate, while preferred clients will access the company's lowest rates. Non-standard clients will pay the most for identical coverage and have to pay higher deductibles.
Insurance companies will label you as high-risk if the following incidents are on your driving and insurance records:
- A licence suspension or revocation
- Numerous traffic violations or speeding tickets
- Driving under the influence
Back to table of contents