Brampton motorists pay the most for car insurance

Thewhig.com
March 18, 2019
Bryan Passifiume

Brampton ranks as Ontario’s costliest city to insure a car, says insurance aggregator Kanetix.ca.

As of the end of February, average Brampton auto insurance premiums ran about $2,494 annually -- up from $2,398 last summer.

Vaughan again ranks second: At $2,128 a year, up $303 from 2018.

Mississauga’s the third most expensive at $2,068, while last summer’s No. 4 city -- Markham -- was replaced by Richmond Hill, where insurance costs $2,033/year on average.

Toronto remains in fifth spot at $1,948 annually -- up from $1,743.

Kanetix.ca’s Janine White says congestion and repair costs play a role.

“There are more vehicles on the road in the GTA which increases the potential for collisions,” she said.

“The high cost of repair, coupled with distracted driving, is driving up the cost of claims that insurance companies are paying out.”

Average Ontario insurance rates hover around $1,473 -- the difference between the province’s highest and lowest average premiums.

Ontario’s most expensive addresses for car insurance are in Brampton’s western half -- L7A and L6Y postal codes net average premiums of $2,593 per year -- up from last summer’s $2,398.

Homes living on the west side of Winston Churchill Blvd. comparatively pay $1,429 per year less than their neighbours across the street.

Communities east of Ottawa enjoy Ontario’s lowest premiums at $1,007 annually.

Ending postal code-based insurance rates is the goal of Bill 42, proposed by Milton MPP Parm Gill, which passed first reading Oct. 15.

Wrapping last month, auto insurance consultations conducted by Ontario’s finance ministry showed high premiums are still at the top of Ontarian’s minds, said MPP Doug Downey.

“It’s clear that the previous Liberal government’s ‘stretch-goal’ auto insurance system, politically brokered by the NDP, was broken,” said the parliamentary assistant Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.

“Rates are higher now than prior to the Liberal-NDP deal struck in 2013, and drivers in Ontario pay among the highest insurance rates in the country.”

As for location-based premiums, Downey said the Ontario government has “made it clear” they’re committed to fair rates and the end of discriminatory practices.