Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
#1
is awesome
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2011
Location: Kingston, ON
Posts: 261
Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Hi all,
I've found myself in a situation that I'm finding hard to resolve so I'm hoping someone here has been through similar and can let me know what steps they took! I changed my car license plates to Ontario from Quebec recently and I thought everything was fine and dandy. My car insurance from Quebec had transferred my file to Ontario and I received the details for that, which allowed me to get the plates. Fast forward just over a week (maybe two) and the Ontario division of the insurance company has come to me saying that they can't honour the insurance cost I've been paying because I 'don't have enough driving experience.' (Surely they should have checked that earlier??)
They're now saying that my Ontario license doesn't match the info Quebec provided. Quebec basically honoured my 10 years no-claims driving history in the UK and I've had no accidents in Quebec so I now have 13 years no-claims history. I asked about providing a DVLA driving history certificate and letters from my UK car insurance company as proof but they said that the problem lies in my Ontario license and that it shows me as being a new driver in Canada from October 2012 (which is the date I got my Quebec license, which I had to surrender to get my Ontario license) and so that's the only information the insurance company have to go on.
As a result of this, my new quote for continued coverage was $2,100 for just six months. Obviously I refused to pay that frankly extortionate amount (a full year of coverage would be just under what I paid for my car in 2013!) and so now I don't have any car insurance and can't use my car. It's a bit of a problem because it takes me over an hour to get into work by bus (just 10km!) so I'd like to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Has anybody been in this situation with the info held on the Ontario license and UK experience not being taken into account? How did you get round this? I'm hoping it would be as simple as taking my proof of UK experience (DVLA document, etc) to DriveSafe to see if they can add it to my electronic license info but maybe I'm dreaming...
Thanks for any help you can give!
Catherine
I've found myself in a situation that I'm finding hard to resolve so I'm hoping someone here has been through similar and can let me know what steps they took! I changed my car license plates to Ontario from Quebec recently and I thought everything was fine and dandy. My car insurance from Quebec had transferred my file to Ontario and I received the details for that, which allowed me to get the plates. Fast forward just over a week (maybe two) and the Ontario division of the insurance company has come to me saying that they can't honour the insurance cost I've been paying because I 'don't have enough driving experience.' (Surely they should have checked that earlier??)
They're now saying that my Ontario license doesn't match the info Quebec provided. Quebec basically honoured my 10 years no-claims driving history in the UK and I've had no accidents in Quebec so I now have 13 years no-claims history. I asked about providing a DVLA driving history certificate and letters from my UK car insurance company as proof but they said that the problem lies in my Ontario license and that it shows me as being a new driver in Canada from October 2012 (which is the date I got my Quebec license, which I had to surrender to get my Ontario license) and so that's the only information the insurance company have to go on.
As a result of this, my new quote for continued coverage was $2,100 for just six months. Obviously I refused to pay that frankly extortionate amount (a full year of coverage would be just under what I paid for my car in 2013!) and so now I don't have any car insurance and can't use my car. It's a bit of a problem because it takes me over an hour to get into work by bus (just 10km!) so I'd like to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Has anybody been in this situation with the info held on the Ontario license and UK experience not being taken into account? How did you get round this? I'm hoping it would be as simple as taking my proof of UK experience (DVLA document, etc) to DriveSafe to see if they can add it to my electronic license info but maybe I'm dreaming...
Thanks for any help you can give!
Catherine
#2
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,028
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
I think you will find that most Brits in Ontario have had this problem. We just had to take a deep breath and pay it. My understanding from previous threads on here is that I don't think there is anything you can do about the licence but some people have managed to find insurance companies that will honour UK experience. I am sure someone will come along with more detailed info shortly.
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Many insurance companies will only give you credit for driving experience in Canada and the US. Have you called around for multiple quotes to see if you can obtain credit for your UK driving experience? Also see if your bank (or another bank) or your employer can help. Some employers offer benefits such as car insurance discounts.
Last edited by MarylandNed; Nov 5th 2014 at 1:58 am.
#4
is awesome
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2011
Location: Kingston, ON
Posts: 261
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
I'll ask my bank tomorrow about what they can offer and see if my employer has anything too.
#5
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
#6
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 860
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Catpea, what part of Ontario are you moving to? Anywhere in the GTA, car insurance is amazingly expensive, UK no-claims discount or not.
For example, I live in Mississauga, 3 years clean Canadian driving record, 10 years clean UK driving record. I have an insurance company which takes my UK driving record into account. My premium is $2400/yr. Without the UK driving record, it was $3800/yr.
For example, I live in Mississauga, 3 years clean Canadian driving record, 10 years clean UK driving record. I have an insurance company which takes my UK driving record into account. My premium is $2400/yr. Without the UK driving record, it was $3800/yr.
#7
is awesome
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2011
Location: Kingston, ON
Posts: 261
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
I'm in Kingston. We have the same driving experience too with 3 clean years in Canada and 10 clean years in the UK so I'd love to know who your insurance company is!
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 860
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Johnson Insurance. I'll send you the rep's contact details by private message.
#9
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: SW Calgary
Posts: 776
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
This is the status quo in Alberta too.
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Peterborough; ON
Posts: 200
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Unfortunately that is the way of it in Ontario and you just have to "suck it up", as they say.
That said, we found a reputable broker who shopped the market for us and the price was still expensive but not overly extortionate.
Two years later, I now have that much vaunted "Canadian experience" and we are paying about $2K a year for two vehicles.
As for the general cost of car insurance, I think the winter conditions here are obviously a factor and, with all due respect, I have found Canadian drivers to be generally more complacent than those back in the UK. But that's for another thread.
That said, we found a reputable broker who shopped the market for us and the price was still expensive but not overly extortionate.
Two years later, I now have that much vaunted "Canadian experience" and we are paying about $2K a year for two vehicles.
As for the general cost of car insurance, I think the winter conditions here are obviously a factor and, with all due respect, I have found Canadian drivers to be generally more complacent than those back in the UK. But that's for another thread.
#11
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
We pay about $300/month per vehicle but that's due to a lucky set of circumstances, I'm expecting a big increase at renewal.
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Peterborough; ON
Posts: 200
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
#13
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
The vehicle makes very little difference to the premium in Ontario (excepting outliers such as modified vehicles), it's all about the driver and location. These vehicles are ordinary production line Fords.
#14
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Check a bunch of different insurance places... but insurance in Ontario is a problem, yeah. We are with TD Insurance. Two cars, paying $3100/year for both. ($1500 for the 2010 VW Golf Estate, and $1600 for the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT.)
They were easily half the price of anyone else we spoke to.
They were easily half the price of anyone else we spoke to.
#15
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,028
Re: Ontario car insurance - UK experience not being recognised
Check a bunch of different insurance places... but insurance in Ontario is a problem, yeah. We are with TD Insurance. Two cars, paying $3100/year for both. ($1500 for the 2010 VW Golf Estate, and $1600 for the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT.)
They were easily half the price of anyone else we spoke to.
They were easily half the price of anyone else we spoke to.