New to Canada? We’ve got you covered
Ontario Driving for Newcomers
One unavoidable fact in Ontario is this: If you’re a new driver, car insurance is going to be more expensive for you than it is for more experienced drivers. For young people who have grown up in Ontario, this fact is generally expected and, although not ideal, easy to understand when you look at the statistics — drivers aged 16–24 account for 23% of accidents involving fatalities and serious injuries, while only representing 13% of the driving population.
But what about people who have just moved to Ontario from other countries where they had lots of driving experience? Unfortunately for new Ontarians, this auto insurance feature is only available in other parts of Canada and the US. All is not lost, however. There are several ways newcomers to Ontario can help reduce their auto insurance costs.
Drivers Education
One of the biggest ways a new driver in Ontario can save on insurance is by taking a drivers’ education course. Drivers’ education is a series of classroom and in-car lessons. The classroom lessons are designed to teach inexperienced drivers about important concepts like understanding the rules of the road, reading road signs, and learning about the impact of drugs and alcohol on driving ability. The in-car sessions give the students real-world experience learning basic techniques like signalling, turning a corner, and changing lanes. In later sessions they learn more advanced techniques like highway driving, three-point turns, and parallel parking.
While drivers’ education courses are great in their own right for helping young drivers learn how to drive safely and effectively, the drivers’ ed program facilities that are government-accredited come with a major bonus — with successful completion of an approved drivers’ ed course, the new driver can expect a reduction of 20% to 30% with their auto insurance. That is about the equivalent of three years of driving experience.
Keep in mind that drivers’ education courses can cost anywhere from about $600 to over $2,000; however, the money you save on insurance will ultimately compensate for that cost within a few years. It is important to remember that although there are a multitude of drivers’ ed course options available at a wide range of prices, only the facilities approved by the Ontario government will qualify you for insurance discounts.
Insurance Bundling
Another effective way for a newcomer to Ontario to decrease the cost of their car insurance is to insure their home with the same provider. Bundling home and auto insurance can decrease your auto insurance by up to 15% and your home insurance by as much as 50%.
Other Ways to Save
In addition to the savings listed above, there are other ways to reduce your insurance costs. Driving with winter tires between October and April will not only make driving safer for you when navigating all the snow and ice on Ontario’s roads, but you can save 2% on your insurance, as well. If you’re family’s big enough to require a second vehicle, choosing to insure both vehicles with the same provider can reduce the insurance on each vehicle by 15%.
If you cannot exchange your licence
- Take a vision test
- Show originals of your accepted identity documents
- Provide your valid out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence and any original supporting documents (in English or French) that show proof of your driving experience
- Fill out an application form and pay the applicable fees
- Take a vision test
- Take a written test and one road test
- Follow Ontario’s driving test process
- It can be tedious, especially if you have experience driving back home
What Onlia's car insurance covers
Our coverage covers your bases – everything that’s required to drive in Ontario comes standard in our car insurance policies. Plus, you'll get extra protection like Ticket and Accident Forgiveness at no added cost.
*Mandatory coverage