Toronto has Ontario’s fourth highest car insurance rate, study shows

bramptonguardian.com
Oct. 20, 2016

Toronto is the fourth most expensive place to insure your car, according to a list of Ontario’s 10 most expensive cities to drive.

Toronto’s car insurance rate is 30 per cent higher than the provincial average.

In Ontario, the average driver pays $1,448 per year. A Toronto driver pays $1,886, according to a list prepared by online insurance marketplace Kanetix.ca.

The numbers used for comparison are based on a single 35-year-old driver with a clean driving record.

Brampton is highest on the list, where a 35-year-old driver with a clean record pays approximately $2,392, which is 65 per cent more than the provincial average.

Kanetix.ca notes there are several variables that come into play when premiums are calculated, including driving record, make and model of vehicle, how likely it is the vehicle could be stolen, and where the driver lives.

The lowest premiums - around $1,000 annually - are found in Hawkesbury, Renfrew, Petawawa, Pembroke, Port Elgin, Kincardine, Smith Falls, Perth, Gananoque, Carleton Place and Brockville.

There are also several cities where drivers pay premiums estimated below the provincial average, according to the company. Those cities include: Whitby ($1,443), Windsor ($1,375), Barrie ($1,366), Oshawa ($1,354), St. Catharines ($1,317), Kitchener ($1,251), Cambridge ($1,172), Waterloo ($1,165), Ottawa ($1,142) and Guelph ($1,128).

The list was released Oct. 18.

Top 10 most expensive cities for car insurance:

1) Brampton - $2,392 (65 per cent higher than the provincial average);

2) Vaughan - $2,018 (39 per cent higher than the provincial average);

3) Mississauga - $1,930 (33 per cent higher than the provincial average);

4) A) Toronto - $1,886 (30 per cent higher than the provincial average);

4) B) Markham - $1,886 (30 per cent higher than the provincial average);

5) Richmond Hill - $1,783 (23 per cent higher than the provincial average);

6) Hamilton - $1,683 (16 per cent higher than the provincial average);

7) Pickering - $1,593 (10 per cent higher than the provincial average);

8) Ajax - $1,556 (7.5 per cent higher than the provincial average);

9) A) Bradford - $1,484 (2.5 per cent higher than provincial average);

9) B) Stouffville - $1,484 (2.5 per cent higher than provincial average).