SunnySussex

can anyone tell me if your no claims bonus has any clout in canada ? or do we have to start from scratch all over again.
also how much are you looking at paying for insurance on something like a chevrolet venture?
thanks guys

iaink

You will probably not get full credit, but some insurance brokers will credit you with a couple of years driving experience based on your no claims. In my case a few years ago my agent in the UK had to fax over confirmation, and I was given about half the total as credit. After shopping around my insurance is with Pilot (through a local broker) and has been since day one here.

System here works a little differently, there is no "no claims bonus" as such, but you get penalised for transgressions! your premium does not really go down for not claiming, but if you do claim it will go up. There is a nominal discount, about 5 or 10% to encourage you to renew with the same company, but recently premiums have been going up so fast that the provincial government is considering capping them somehow.

Chevy Venture should not be too expensive, compared to some vehicles (by CDN standards ), but hard to say without knowing driver age, vehicle age, area,driving history, estimated mileage to be driven, deductable level.etc. Wouldnt have thought much more than a couple of thousand anyway, and less if you can get some history recognised! Do any of the online quote systems work from outside the country? Might have to put in a bogus postcode.

Best advise is keep bugging local insurance brokers to get you a good deal for your UK experience. They should want your business as it will lead to annual renewals, house and life insurance etc as you build a new life here. If you dont think they are getting you a good deal, tell them so and go somewhere else with your business.

Good luck, its a tough one to deal with.

Iain

Rich_007

SS,

Have seen a few threads on this topic.

Have seen advice such as 'no claims bonus' certificate from UK insurer is no use in Canada, especially if it is built up from several different insurers over a period of time, and even more so if it includes' protected no claims bonus', which I don't think Canadian insurers recognise.

Some folks said they obtained a specific letter from their last UK insurer detailing their (true) no claims record. Letter is customjer specific, gives more details, etc, and is easier to recognise and understand by Canadian company than simple insurance renewal with '2 years NCB' or '20% NCB' in small print. may have to pay a few quid for the letter but well worth it.

What we are doing, as we have now got two years with same insurer (change for us as we usually shop around for best deal), is to stick with them that way ensuring a true, simple, no claims record can be taken with us to Canada (fingers crossed that we have no bumps, theft, damage etc).

Might cost a few quid more in renewal year to come, prior to PR, but balanced out with a (hopefully) decent saving when seeking Canadian insurance.

Also, we put my other half on her own insurance to build up her no claims, as before that all insurance was on my name because of longer no claims period (I had maximum available I think).

Hope this helps,

Rich.

NessieOggy

It depends on which province you are planning to live in, as Manitoba, Saskatchewan and BC have public insurance corporations. In BC you bring your driver's abstract (claims history) with you when purchasing your policy.

The following is from ICBC's website:

Before you move here, get a letter from your auto insurance company (the company, not your local broker) on company letterhead that lists:

- The name of the registered owner and principal operator of the vehicle

- The policy number

- The period of time during which you had coverage and the dates of any at-fault claims

You can get credit for up to 8 years of claim-free driving, and each one increases your discount off the base rate for Autoplan coverage, so the letter can save you money. The maximum discount for newcomers to the province is 40% on Basic and 42% on optional coverage. If you were insured with more than one company in the past 8 years, get a letter from each company.

(Oggy)

Little Hazel

Hello

We are going to BC next month and are in the same situation as you are regarding car insurance. A friend who is already in Vancouver BC has advised us to ask our current insurer to forward to us a letter on their letterhead in a particular format provided to us by our friend that will be acceptable to canadian car insurers. Hope this is clear if not, please contact us on private message. Are curious as to what part of sussex youare from?

mickj

Sunny S,

The insurance varies from province to province, and as you know, you can only exchange your UK licence in 4 provinces at the moment, the rest you have to take a test, and your years of experience from the UK don't count, because the insurance companies need a copy of your licence and driving records.

In Ontario now, you might be able to use your no claims from the UK. When i came over, i was able to add myself to my wife's no claims she has had for more than ten years with state farm.

We have a Van and a new Subaru, and it costs us $1700 fully comp for both at the moment. Checkout this website for some quotes:

http://www.insurancehotline.com/

ukjo

i thought that no, the no claims had no hold over here but my friend from the uk over here managed to use hers here in NS. they got insurance for a mustang and a big ass chevvy truck for $2k!!! pretty unbeleivable and as mine is about to be renewed i shall give them a call and let you know.

CDNReturner

Does anyone know if Direct Line will give you a letter? I've been with them for the past 8-9 years.

ukjo

dont know about them but i was with the AA and my last closing letter from them actually stated that i had 3 years no claims with them and i didnt even ask for that. so they might just give it to you when you cancel your insurance with them.

Sher

It has now become common practice for the insurance to company to send you a letter stating your no claim bonus when you close with them as the next insurance company actually ask to see the proof.

Hope this helps you.