I'm hoping to get a little run around that is economical and isn't a truck. The problem is a lot of the jobs I am looking at require transport so as much as I don't want a car I may not have any choice.

From what I understand though is it's the car that gets insured - not the person?

Break it down , 2 x gas guzzling V8's plus a teenager in a Subaru , price it out in Britain ? Haha , when was the last time an MOT cost you 30 quid ?

$1400 for an 18 year old driving anything is really cheap, who is your insurer and which Province are you in? My son is 19, has had a license since he was 16, has done the driver's ed, has no tickets or claims and the absolute cheapest we can find is $3400. It cost more than $1400 just to add him as an occasional driver to our cars.

SK , government run insurance SGI.

We would rather not have a car as well considering how much it costs to have one, but the province outside of Vancouver region has crappy to non-existent transit so a car is pretty much mandatory outside of Vancouver region. But even in Vancouver if one does shift work, transit may not be of use if you have an early start time.

According to ICBC this is how they determine the rates charged.

1. How you use your vehicle (pleasure, commute, business etc.)

2. Where you live. ( They divide the province into different regions based on risk.)

3. Claims history

4. Level of protection (more cover will obviously cost more then the basic min required by law which is not sufficient protection.)

5. Deductible (lower the deductible the higher the premium)

6. Age and type of vehicle.

They do provide claims free discounts, which saves you a substantial amount, for instance my girlfriend (we have 1 car and its in her name) gets a 40% claims free discount, so it shaves of a good chunk off what we pay.

What affects your premiums?

http://www.icbc.com/autoplan/costs/Documents/crs.pdf

Insurance discount for new residents

We can't even get a rate of 1,400 a year for insurance and we have the max discount for good driving to boot which is 40% and have been driving now for 16 and 17 years.

Oh right, probably not worth the commute just for cheaper insurance, but you guys are really lucky.

About two months ago. Total annual cost, excluding gas, for us to run 3 cars including a Land Rover and a sports car - £850.

If you really think nearly $3500 a year just in insurance is a good deal then I think it's safe to say you've well and truly assimilated.

We're paying $2800 for a gas guzzling V8 truck and a sensible car (mine!). That's with hubby having two traffic violations and me none!! We've been here 3 years and are about an hour north of Toronto...
We too must have been assimilated as all things considered it's not too bad!

We are only paying $960 for our 16 yr old who just got his license in April. The car is a 2008 Mazda but we are only paying for PL and PD. It would have been $1400 or so for full insurance.

The policy is for the car, typically it covers any driver of that car, but the price is based on the drivers in the household. Where people new to Canada get hammered is on credit rating, immigrants tend not to have a good credit rating (if any) and it's a factor in determining premiums.

We currently pay $600/month for two drivers and two vehicles but, since this has been a year with three collisions, and the usual number of tickets, the coming year will be a great deal more expensive.

Speeding in the new mustang, eh?

And $600 a month?! That's how much i'd pay for a year in Malta with no NCD...........

That why I'm planning in getting a secured credit card which will boost my credit rating = cheaper car insurance (hopefully)

I can't understand how new immigrants get a bad credit rating when they have only just arrived - it should no credit rating.

That still seems a lot... hubby has two speeding fines and we have only been here 3 years and yet for both cars it works out at $240 per month... Are you with the facility by any chance?

But you won't have an NCD when you first arrive