Report: What really affects car insurance rates in Ontario?

We analyzed a sample of over 5,000 Ontario car insurance policies sourced through LowestRates.ca over the past 12 months to get the answer.

Here’s a quick summary: a lot of the factors that impact our rates are things we can’t do anything about (e.g. our age) or things that are way too much trouble to change (e.g. where we live).

So what can you do? Here’s our advice.

Don’t be a do-nothing driver

Cheaper car insurance is within your reach. You just gotta be proactive.

Step 1: Understand how each factor (e.g. the car you drive, the length of your commute) affects your rate. Is the impact minimal or significant? Are you willing to rethink your habits or preferences (i.e. buy a different car) for the sake of a lower rate?

Step 2: Do your homework and shop for rates in Ontario. That may seem like an obvious sales pitch from a rate comparison site (guilty!), but it’s also backed by some pretty compelling facts.