What is the Best Car Insurance in Ottawa for 2024?

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Alexandre Desoutter updated on 17 January 2023

You want to know more about car insurance in Ottawa? Where to find the best deals? What coverage is mandatory or not?

Perfect! This guide looks at how car insurance works in Ottawa, what coverage you need and how you can save on your insurance rates.

Let's dive in!

How does car insurance work in Ottawa Ontario?

In Ottawa, from the moment you own a vehicle, you must insure it through a private insurer. Your insurer will give you a certificate of automobile insurance, which must be renewed each year. This insurance certificate indicates the level of protection you have chosen, the optional guarantees chosen, the period of coverage.

Watch out!

Driving without auto insurance is punishable by fines ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. Your driver’s license may be suspended and your vehicle may be seized.

Ottawa works with a no-fault system, it means that you have to deal first with your insurance company for your claims, regardless of whether or not you’re at fault. Two examples of this:

  • You’re at fault: your insurance company won’t pay anything unless you took the optional coverages: collision, comprehensive depending on the claim.
  • You’re not at fault: your insurance will pay under the DCPD coverage.

Compare car insurance companies in Ottawa using our free comparison tool and get a quote:

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What is the cheapest car insurance in Ottawa?

No single insurer is the best for everyone or offers the universally cheapest rates. Drivers need to weigh their needs and their vehicles to get the best car insurance in Ottawa. Above all, they need to compare insurance quotes.

Here's a list of the best Ottawa car insurance companies:

  • Aviva car insurance
  • CAA car insurance
  • Economical car insurance
  • iA car insurance
  • Desjardins car insurance
  • L’Unique car insurance
  • Onlia car insurance

Expert advice

Many top providers offer car insurance calculators on their websites so you can quickly plug in a few variables and get a personalized quote.

Car insurance rates are determined by a driver’s risk profile, where they live and their driving history. The vehicle's make and model and insurance profiles. The best way to get cheap car insurance is by comparing offers. Don't buy car insurance from the first company you ask for a quote from. By asking for three car insurance online quotes you will be able to weigh your options and see what a fair rate is for you.

8 tips to get the cheapest car insurance in Ottawa

Here 8 tips so get the lowest car insurance rates in Ottawa (without compromising on your policy's quality):

  1. Bundle your policies: You could easily get a discount if you buy car and home insurance at the same insurer.
  2. Shop and compare to get the best deal!
  3. Choose the right amount of deductible: If you choose a low deductible, your car insurance premium will go high. So choose high deductible if you want to lower your car insurance premium!
  4. Choose the right coverages! For example, if you drive a really old car, maybe you should’t have a very complete car insurance.
  5. Pay annually: This will avoid to pay the rate fees to pay monthly. Especiallu if you're a first time car insurance buyer in Ottawa (prices will always be more expensive for new drivers).
  6. Security-device: you should install safety devices on your car, you could enjoy discounts!
  7. Have a good driving record: the best you drive, the lower you’ll pay!
  8. Install a telematic device: this tool will register your driving behavior and your car insurance premium will be adapt to your kind of driving. So, if you’re a safe driver, and you want to save money on your car insurance, go for it!

How to get car insurance quotes in Ottawa?

The easiest way to get insurance in 2024 is to search for classic car insurance quotes in Ottawa. Our free comparison tool below will help you to get started:

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When you speak with an auto insurer or car insurance broker, they will want to know:

  • Where you drive: if you live in Montreal or Laval you'll pay more than if you're in a small town away from urban centres.
  • How much you drive: you'll feel the price difference if you drive 100km round trip to work every day versus 10km.
  • Your age and experience: if you've had your license and driven incident free for a while you'll pay more than a 20-year-old who just purchased their first car.
  • Your driving record: at-fault accidents, previous claims and demerit points will drive up your car insurance rates.
  • About secondary drivers: do you have a teenager at home who borrows the car a lot?
  • What vehicle you are insuring: if your vehicle is statistically more likely to be in an accident or expensive to repair, your premiums will reflect that.
  • What optional coverages and amounts you chose: weigh coverage amounts and endorsements against premiums.

Good to know

As an alternative to using a comparison tool, you can get a quote by visiting the websites of multiple car insurance companies and filling out a request for each. This can be very time-consuming if you’re shopping a lot of providers. Alternatively, an insurance broker can help you over the phone or online. They are knowledgeable and often have access to competitive prices, but don't usually represent all brands.

What are the best car insurance in Ottawa?

Here are the top 3 best car insurance companies in Ottawa:

Car insurance companies in OttawaCoverageDiscounts
CAA car insurance
  • CAA’s Antique and Classic Cars Insurance
  • CAA Connect telematics
  • All basics are provided
  • Discounts available
  • Max 15% discount if you use CAA telematic program
  • CAA connect
Desjardins car insurance
  • All basics coverages are available
  • Interesting optional coverages: accident forgiveness
  • Many discounts available
  • Hybrid discount, electric discount
  • Less than 30 years old discount
  • Multi vehicle discounts
TD car insurance
  • All basics coverages are available
  • Interesting optional coverages: accident forgiveness
  • Many discounts available
  • Hybrid discount
Best car insurance companies in Ottawa Ontario.

What are the best car insurance discounts in Ottawa?

Ottawa auto insurers offer many discounts to save money on your insurance. Here are some of the best known:

  • Young Driver Discounts: Many insurers offer discounts for young drivers because the insurance premium for young people is quite high.
  • Group Discount: You can benefit from a discount if you are part of a group, this can be members of an association, employees of the same company, etc.
  • Discount for experienced drivers: You can get a discount if you have a good driving record and are over 50 years old.
  • Discount for combined policies: You can get a discount by combining your car and home insurance for example, the discount is often between 5 and 15%.
  • Discount for winter tires: It’s snowing in Ottawa! That’s why insurers often offer a discount if you add snow tires to your vehicle.
  • Retiree discount: You may be eligible for a 15% discount on Accident Benefits.
  • Renewal Discount: Your loyalty can be rewarded by some insurers, if for example you have been with them for many years without having caused any accidents. You may also be eligible for other discounts depending on the auto insurers in Ottawa.
  • Low mileage discount.
  • Antitheft discount: Adding security to your vehicle

How much is car insurance in Ottawa?

According to the IBC, the average car insurance cost in Ottawa is $2,000 per year.

In Ottawa, there are a number of factors to consider when determining the price of your car insurance. The price of car insurance in Ottawa is based on several factors:

  • Your age and sex.
  • Your driving record, i.e. your driving history.
  • The place where you live: it won’t be the same thing if you live in a city or in the countryside!
  • The type of vehicle you drive: Depending on the vehicle you drive, your premium will increase or not. If it is a really a model that can be easily stolen, your premium will get higher. If you drive one of the most stolen cars, it is quite sure that your premium will tend to be higher.
  • The use you make of your vehicle: are your journeys to and from work daily, for example? Do you use your vehicle for business purposes?
  • The number of people insured on your car insurance and their driving level.
  • The date you obtained your driver’s license.
  • Third party liability: did you choose $1,000,000 third party liability? More? Less? This changes your premium a lot!
  • The optional coverage: did you add accident forgiveness for example? roadside assistance? Same, this impacts your premium.

Why is Ottawa car insurance so expensive?

Ottawa is the second biggest town in Ontario and the fourth largest in Canada. Ottawa is an active city, meaning that millions of people are going to work everyday, but fun fact, Ottawa has one of the lowest accident rates in Canada. Ottawa is a really safe place to drive, roads are not congested, collision rate are low.

The most determining factor is not necessarily the size of the city but rather the number of claims made per capita to an insurer.

Good to know

Ottawa is expensive when it comes to car insurance but it is actually not the most expensive city in Alberta, many Ontario residents pay much more for their car insurance.

What car insurance coverage is mandatory in Ottawa?

In Ottawa, there are several car coverages that are mandatory by law:

  • Third-party liability. This insurance is compulsory and covers you for material damage and bodily injury caused to others by your fault and its minimum mandatory amount is $200,000.
  • Statutory accident benefits coverage. This insurance provides protection for bodily injury and:
  • Covers you if you are injured in an accident regardless of who is at fault
  • Covers the medical staff involved in the accident: medical care, rehabilitation and auxiliary care services
  • Covers income replacement.

Good to know

You must be insured for at least an amount of $65,000 for non-disabling injuries and $1,000,000 for critical disabling injuries. But you can decide to increase your car insurance amount to $130,000 for non-disabling injuries and $2,000,000 for critical disabling injuries.

  • Direct Compensation-Property Damage (DC-PD). This car insurance covers you for damage to your vehicule and the contentes of said vehicule. There are a few conditions:
  • You must not be responsible for the accident
  • It must have taken place in Ottawa
  • Another vehicle must be involved
  • The other vehicle must be insured by licensed insurer
  • Your insurance provider pays to repair your car
  • Uninsured automobile insurance. This insurance applies if you or someone in your vehicle is either injured or killed by an uninsured driver, or by a hit-and-run driver.

This little table recapitulates well which car insurance coverage is mandatory in Ottawa:

Ottawa car insuranceMandatory or not
Public insurance
Third-party liability
Accident benefits
Direct Compensation Property Damage
Uninsured driver
Collision
Comprehensive
What car insurance coverage is mandatory in Ottawa?

What are the optional car insurance coverages in Ottawa?

Here are all the main options you can add to your car insurance to be best protected:

  • Collision car insurance in Ottawa: This auto insurance protects you in the event of a collision of your vehicle with an object, which can also be the rollover of your vehicle. This insurance covers property damage caused by this accident. For example, if you hit a traffic sign, you will be covered by collision insurance. This coverage is not mandatory.
  • Comprehensive car insurance in Ottawa: This insurance protects you for anything that is not collision or upset, as the name suggests, therefore for anything that is vandalism, glass breakage, theft, fire. If you park your vehicle on the street and when you come back, one of the windows has been broken, you will be able to use this insurance if you have subscribed to it. It is possible to make car insurance estimates to see how much you want to be insured up to.
  • Specified Perils Auto Insurance in Ottawa: It covers you for risks that you have specified in the contract. For example, you can mention glass breakage but not include vandalism, theft but not include fire.
  • All-risk car insurance in Ottawa: This insurance is a combination of all other insurances: collision, payout and collision free. The deductible is the same for all damages. You will thus be protected for all incidents beyond your control (vandalism, theft, fire) but also for incidents resulting from a road accident, collision with an object, or the overturning of your vehicle.

Here are some more options you could add to your car insurance in Ottawa, most of the car insurance companies propose this:

Car insurance options in OttawaExplicationsAvailability in Ottawa
Leased vehicule
Your rental vehicle will be insured in the same manner as your insured vehicle(s).
Accident Forgiveness
Your first accident won’t increase your car insurance premium
Replacement value for total loss
Also known as replacement value, your insurer will compensate you based on the purchase value of the vehicle without taking depreciation into account.
Alternate Transportation Benefits
Also known as loss of use of the vehicle, this covers the cost of rentals, transportation, cabs that you had to take during the period when you were unable to use your vehicle.
Emergency roadside
if you are out of gas, stuck, have a cracked wheel, the road assistance is there for it.
Options you can add to your car insurance in Ottawa.

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Alexandre Desoutter
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Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications.

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