JulieandDave

Looking to get our first canadian car and trying to get over the shock of some insurance quotes

Hubby had car accident in a hire car in June. Police turned up and gave him ticket for a unsafe move. He paid the fine and got 2 demerit points.

The insurance quotes we have got now are pretty bad. We tried Johnson.ca hoping our good UK driving records would help but they class us as high risk too.

But my question is when will the premiums get better?

Do we swallow the costs for a couple of years knowing the premiums will go down?

Any info would be appreciated.

macadian

It is what it is I am afraid. Premiums go down over time? I wish you luck with that....

dbd33

My premiums never go down. Last years was, iirc, around $3,000. This year's is $5,372. A good rule of thumb is that when the cost of one year's coverage exceeds the value of the car it's time for a new car.

ireland2canada

How long till there's an Audi TTS Roadster outside?

AmyDavid

My Insurance Broker laughed when I asked when do the premiums go down - she could not believe they do that in the UK....it doesn't work like that in Canada....

dbd33

The type of car makes very little difference to the premiums here so we may as well have an interesting car we can't afford to insure as a boring one we can't afford to insure. Two years and three weeks is my guess.

On edit: these numbers are artifically low, please note, location does matter to premiums and I haven't yet told the insurer that the car isn't a rural resident.

JulieandDave

Ok so we have managed after alot of ringing around to get the insurance down to $4800. Which is better than the $7000 ones we got at first

Pick the car up tomorrow, if hubby has another accident I may shoot him or remove him from the insurance, not sure which at the moment

Thanks for the info.

......hope I don't have an accident now as we will be really buggered.....

stepnek

Our first insurance quote in 2004 after we arrived was around $7000. We contacted a broker who got us something at around $2000 and six years later we are paying around $1100 so our experience has been for the insurance to have gone down.

No claims made during that time, no speeding tickets and very average slightly older vehicles. Nothing at all fancy. Oh and I'm nearly fifty so lots of variables there.

the_big_v

Remove him from the insurance first though. Doing so when he's dead is really tough when they can't get a signature.

YoshiPal2010

Auto insurance in Canada is one legalized scam! I have been driving in Alberta since 1998, am in my mid-50s, and my insurance still costs north of $1200 per annum for a 2007 Mustang V6 and a 1996 Dodge Caravan -- 800 pounds Sterling -- outrageous! But then if you saw how a large minority of Albertans drive; particularly middle-aged, white males wearing ballcaps at the wheel of their oversized trucks (why, oh why do drink-driving fatalities always seem to involve at least one of these cretins) --then you can begin to understand why the insurance rates are the way they are!

JulieandDave

Very good point, I will take your advice should the need arise

Almost Canadian

What you have just said demonstrates why the English style take into account vehicle, information about driver, etc. insurance premium rating is so superior to the Canadian "treat 'em all the same" system. I am sure all Smartcar drivers will agree, all those rig working, truck drivers won`t.

YoshiPal2010

I agree with you. When I tried to explain to our broker that we had full no-claims bonus in the UK, you would have thought I was trying to explain quantum-theory to her. It would seem that a large number of those idiot truck drivers also seem to believe that insurance rules are only for others (they are probably the same people who lament not having tenant insurance when their condo/apartment goes in flames -- need the cash for cigs and beer!). So if they are not paying, then you, me and every other sane and legal motorist has to pick-up the tab, I suppose.