PMM

Hi

Sure you can, you can buy the minimum from ICBC and then can shop around for the extras.

kiton6

......You Rock, that's awesome

Lord Vader

you can for the collision, fire, theft, comprehensive.
http://www.ibc.ca/en/Car_Insurance/BC/

Saskatchewan and Manitoba also have provincial run car insurance and this was implemented under the NDP back in the early 1970's, gubmint car insurance is limited to those 3 provinces. In NS I have my choice of car insurance http://www.ibc.ca/en/Car_Insurance/NS/index.asp ironically, my insurance provider is Wawanesa, an insurance company founded in Manitoba with their executive offices located in Winnipeg, yet Manitoban's must use their gubmint insurance provider. http://www.ibc.ca/en/Car_Insurance/MB/index.asp

As you can understand I am nervous by the fact that the NDP was recently elected for the first time in NS, but that is for another thread.

4d32ftw

it is a rip off, and i moan every month they take my $223 and that they wont accept my NCB, but then i take into account not paying road tax, my nasty jeep would be in the 400 quid a year bracket, and then theres the mot, so when i add the uk insurance price the road tax and the mot it don't seem quite as bad. but still sucks, some how they also conned me out of "under insurance" what ever that is, but as they had already taken my kidney in payment the extra $25 seemed ok lol

but dont start me on paying tax on 2nd hand cars purchases, trailers, having to register and insure trailers etc....

or passing my test after 2 fees then paying for a 2 year license and then realising they only give me 1 yr 6 months as they can only go to your birthday not the date you pass ! so i have to renew 6 months early and pay again. oh well the joys of goverment agencies.


and it also amazes me just how many autoplan offices there are, its easier to find one of them than a car park exit that takes you in the direction you wanted to go.

good job i like it here !

__TJ__

i read somewhere if you write to each company you were insured with in the uk and get them to clarify that no claims were made ( different from the uk no claims bonus scheme where you can make claims and not effect your NCB status) that ICBC will accept those years as claim free and offer discounts because of this. if you can be bothered to do all the paperwork. is this not so? will have to adjust our car insurance budget up a hell of a lot if it isnt.

R I C H

Spend some more time and effort getting the appropriately worded letter from your UK insurer(s) and you can easily halve that monthly cost. I pay a little over $100 p/mth for each of my vehicles ('09 Forester XT and '07 F150). I know it's a pain (it took me several months to get ESure to get the letter correct), but better than paying unnecessary premiums.

JonboyE

I am not going to try and defend ICBC (and if I ever do will someone please take me out and shoot me) but there is a reason why the private insurance model doesn't work well in BC.

Essentially, outside of Greater Vancouver people NEED to drive. Private insurers base their premiums on risk. In the UK the insurance premiums for young people can frequently be more than the value of their car. That is OK. Young people, by and large, do not need to drive so it is a lifestyle choice. However, young BCers have to drive to get to college or work. In a risk based private system it would be impossible for a young person to live in rural BC.

Hence, ICBC set their premiums on driving record, not perceived risk.

As PMM said above, you can buy optional insurance from private insurers instead of ICBC, and this market is competitive. You are stuck with ICBC for compulsory basic insurance, and yes, for an experienced driver it does feel like a rip-off.

And to make you feel worse, I was talking to a guy recently. He told me he had been offered a dream job in Calgary, on double the salary he was earning here (well into six figures). I asked him when he was going to start. "Pffft," he said, "my wife works for ICBC. We're not going to leave that."

The4BellsLondon

hmm - I didnt know that . .will have a look . ..

Rob_999

Premiums are expensive, but it is what it is. The problem I have with ICBC is the red tape and bureaucracy that's stereotypical of a state owned company. Recognizing UK driving experience is a joke - I simply could not get my insurer in the UK to provide what they wanted, yet the letter I have clearly shows that I should get the discount, it's just not quite in the right format/wording. So for a bit of admin BS I have to pay full blown rate.

I bet the benefits package & pension defies belief.

scrubbedexpat091

Except the minimum required can be the highest part. My ICBC portion was over 200 a month, the rest I went through a private insurance company was it was a mere 33/month.

Same care/same driver and same coverage in Alberta was 122/month.

ICBC is a total and absolute rip off, and needs to be disbanded.

I refuse to drive in BC now and never will as long as ICBC is around, far better things I can do with 233/month then pay for insurance.

scrubbedexpat091

Most of the US has private insurance and taxes still remain fairly low when it comes to gas and other transport taxes, and yet they have a superior highway system to Canada's and other provinces seem to do fine with private insurance, I'd venture most pay more via higher premiums in BC then they would if extra taxes were imposed.

And BC doesn't really have road worthiness inspections, there is aircare but its far from road worthiness inspection.

brizzle

Eh? If the claim rate is the same in both countries, then the UK will have 7 times more claims. Smaller pop. less claims, larger pop. more claims, but the overall claim rate will be similar.

Anyway, ICBC is a scam. Perhaps if they spent less time and money investing in real estate, dodgy chop shops and suchlike, they be able to pass on the savings.

dbd33

The same is true for the rest of Canada (and most of the US come to that) and yet most provinces have some amount of private car insurance. It's not quite a free market in most provinces as provincial governments legislate car insurance very tightly but it is insurance offered by private carriers to kids who need to drive.

Are you arguing that it's a worthwhile aim of government to have young people live in the boonies?

Monkey Puzzle

A bit of a faff but we did this too. ICBC accepted the UK no claims history and reduced premiums accordingly. (They make you pay to apply for the discount though!!?? 20 bucks I think.) UK insurers Admiral and Egg knew all about what was required and wrote the letters with the wording needed.

We tried shopping around for the "additional" insurance on renewal this time. Coast Capital credit union weren't going to be any cheaper than ICBC. BCAA and another insurance co (Canadian Direct or something or other?) wouldn't cover us as we hadn't been driving in BC long enough. We went with ICBC again .... at least the no claims discount helps a wee bit once you have it.

Alan2005

To compare Apples with insurance - people NEED to eat but the state doesn't own all the food shops.

The ultimate end to what you are saying is to do away with insurance altogether and just call it a tax.

All monopolies, especially state owned ones, get like this. There's just no incentive to improve things or give good service.

Fwiw, the ICBC one doesn't annoy me too much - I reserve that for the state owned liquor stores, I mean how is that justified